Around Town

Congregational Church on God’s Acre: ‘It Is Our Church Cemetery’

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Though the town’s highest elected official said recently that he doesn’t understand the Congregational Church of New Canaan’s claim regarding ownership of God’s Acre, an email obtained by NewCanaanite.com shows that the church’s pastor had outlined the position to him early this summer. The Rev. Chapin Garner told First Selectman Kevin Moynihan in a June 9 email, “Our understanding is this: God’s Acre is not only a cemetery, it is our church cemetery.”

“Indeed, it is named ‘God’s Acre’ because that is the 17th century term for a church burial ground,” Garner said in the email, whose copied recipients included Town Attorney Ira Bloom, attorney Gabriella Kiniry, a congregant who has advised the church, and Nick Williams, a selectman who also is a a member the church. “We have had pastors and parishioners buried on that hill, and it is our sacred obligation to protect that hallowed ground in which they were laid to rest,” Garner’s email continued. “We do not want anything built on our ancient burial ground—not a terrace and not sidewalks. Not only is that our desire, but we strongly believe Connecticut State law prohibits any construction on an ancient burial ground.”

He referred to a state law that prohibits towns from using ancient burial grounds for anything other than burials.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Trick-or-treating “probably” will not happen in New Canaan this year, though “no definitive decision has been made,” Dr. Harrison Pierce, chair of the New Canaan Health & Human Services Commission, said during the appointed body’s regular meeting Thursday. He was responding to a question from Commission Secretary Alicia Meyer about Halloween amid the COVID-19 pandemic. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan—a guest at the meeting, held via videoconference—said the town expects the state to provide guidance on Halloween and that the CDC has advised against trick-or-treating. ***

Congratulations to the following New Canaan High School students who are 2021 National Merit semi-finalists. More than 1.5 million juniors from 21,000 high schools sat for the qualifying test, the PSAT, in the fall of 2019.

Around Town

Podcast: Dr. John Kerchoff on New Canaan Rotary Club’s ‘Lobsterfest’

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This week on 0684-Radi0, our free podcast (subscribe here in the iTunes Store), we talk to Dr. John Kerchoff, a longtime town resident and member of the New Canaan Rotary Club. This year, the club’s 35th annual Lobsterfest, a major and important fundraiser to be held Oct. 16th & 17th, will run a little differently amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Ticket info can be found here.)

Here are recent episodes of 0684-Radi0:

Around Town

‘It’s Been a Wonderful Place To Work’: Jeff Zaino Retiring After 37 Years at New Canaan Library

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When Jeff Zaino started as a serials clerk at New Canaan Library in January of 1983, visitors found books by using a card catalogue. 

There was no such thing as the World Wide Web, and Center School—New Canaan’s original elementary school, now an underused parking lot—stood across Maple Street in its final months of occupancy. Now the head of infrastructure at the library—through the years he’s worked as head of circulation, when that involved stamping and signing out books, reference librarian, go-to computer guy and head of digital services, and also helped with collections, selecting religion, philosophy and foreign language books—Zaino will go to work Wednesday for the last time. 

“There’s a lot of excitement and a little bit of anxiety because it’s a new lifestyle,” Zaino said of his retirement. “But certainly I would put it at 90% exhilaration and 10% anxiety.”

His final day bookends a career that has bridged the digital age at New Canaan’s community hub, and marks a farewell to one of the town’s most familiar faces. Zaino is described by longtime colleagues and patrons as a smart, funny, dedicated and adaptable professional whose significant behind-the-scenes work has helped the library staff excel. “He’s super-interesting as a human being,” said Lisa Oldham, the library’s executive director.

Around Town

‘We Have To Resolve It’: First Selectman Says Ownership of God’s Acre Must Be Established

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New Canaan’s highest elected official says he doesn’t understand why a church located adjacent to God’s Acre believes it has an ownership claim on the historic property. 

Responding to a proposal that earned multiple town approvals last year, the Congregational Church of New Canaan this summer said it would block a plan to install a permanent stone terrace directly opposite Park Street from its front door, according to the group behind the project. Though the proposed “Founders Terrace” is not a municipal project, strictly speaking, according to First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, the town has taken up the ownership issue. “We haven’t resolved anything,” Moynihan told NewCanaanite.com in an interview when asked about the status of the ownership dispute. 

“But we have to resolve it. We can’t just let it hang out there. It’s a property in the center of town.