Around Town

New Canaan Merchants Launch ‘Shop Summer Nights’ Every Thursday Through Labor Day

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. A group of downtown New Canaan merchants is keeping their doors open late every Thursday this summer, hoping to draw shoppers into town during the evening hours under a new initiative. “Shop Summer Nights” is organized through the newly formed Shop New Canaan Association, more than one dozen independent retailers that began meeting in late May. Participating stores stay open from 5 to 7 p.m. each Thursday, with a different theme each week. Parking is free after 5 p.m.

Carl Franco, owner of Franco’s Wine Merchants on Elm Street and one of the participants, said the idea came from a recurring conversation with customers.

Around Town

Waveny Fireworks Return July 4 with New ‘Launch Site’ and ‘Sensory Zone’ for the U.S. 250th

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. New Canaan’s Fourth of July fireworks, set for this Saturday at Waveny, are getting two changes this year, officials say: a relocated “launch site” meant to ease post-show traffic, and a new Sensory Zone for attendees sensitive to the noise. Parks & Recreation Commission member David Shea said organizers are “very happy with the improvements we’re doing, which is moving the location of the fireworks so that the South Lapham Road egress is going to be open, so people getting out will be faster. The town is also rolling out a new traffic notification system tied to this year’s entrance passes, he said,” Shea told fellow members of the appointed body during their June 10 meeting at Lapham Center. “The next [new feature] is the usage of the notification system, where all entrance passes sold will have a QR code on them to receive traffic notifications,” Shea said.

News

Selectmen Table $52,500 Police Vehicle Purchase, Request More Documentation

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The Board of Selectmen last week tabled a $52,500 purchase order for a New Canaan Police Department vehicle during its regular meeting, asking the agency to return with additional documentation before a vote. Capt. Joseph Farenga presented the request during the Board’s June 23 meeting, seeking up to $52,500 for the purchase and outfitting of a used utility van for the department’s Special Response Team. The van would replace a 2002 ambulance the team has used for years to transport equipment and personnel during call-outs and training exercises, he said. “It’s central for the team,” Farenga said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. He noted that a separate, older ambulance previously discussed by the board is intended for a different purpose, as a command and drone-operations vehicle.

Government

Town: Waveny House Elevator Still on Track for Completion by End of Summer

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. The long-delayed elevator project at Waveny House remains on track to be completed by the end of summer, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. The elevator contractor is on site working, Mann said, and the town is having the contractor revise a railing based on a discussion held the week before. “It’s a process,” Mann told the Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting Tuesday morning at Town Hall. “By the time we get through inspections and everything else, it’ll be operational by the end of the summer,” Mann said.

Around Town

NCM&HS Interns Create Local ‘History Trail’ at Irwin Park to Mark the Nation’s 250th

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Five high school interns at the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society have created an informational exhibition at a popular local park to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

“The History Trail” at Irwin Park will remain in place through July 4. It includes 80 informational signs with images celebrating New Canaan history and influential figures. A partnership between NCM&HS and the town, the trail went up over the course of the interns’ work from mid-May through mid-June, said Nancy Geary, executive director of the museum. The idea came from a similar trail in Darien, she said.