Government

‘You Do the Best You Can’: Town Addresses Waveny Fireworks Decision

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. The town’s highest elected official this week addressed the widely discussed decision to proceed with the July 4 fireworks at Waveny Park, saying the storm that cut the event short and sent thousands of attendees scrambling was not foreseeable when the go-ahead was given. First Selectman Dionna Carlson addressed the controversy at the Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting at Town Hall, where she said she’s received significant feedback from residents upset about the call. 

“I’m hearing lots of Monday morning quarterbacking on the call,” Carlson said. “I think it’s important for people to understand the decision-making process.” The show, she explained, had to be approved before the town’s fireworks provider crossed the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey into New York on Friday evening.

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.

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Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Ban: Town Clerk’s Office Receives Petitions with 1,000-Plus Signatures

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Those seeking to overturn New Canaan’s recently adopted summertime ban on gas-powered leaf blowers last week submitted petitions to the town with more than 1,000 total signatures calling for a referendum vote on the measure, officials say. “We now begin the lengthy process of checking the validity of the signatures,” Town Clerk Claudia Weber said. In all, 701 qualifying signatures are required in order to move the referendum process forward, Weber has said. If the Town Clerk’s office is able to verify those signatures, the Town Council will have 30 days from the date of the filing of the petition—June 26—in which to set the date and hold the referendum. The number of votes required to overrule the Town Council’s action must be the majority of votes and must be equal to, or at least, 15% of the electorate as of the last completed voters’ list.

Government

Lavieri: Fiscal Year End Update for New Canaan

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[Todd Lavieri is chair of the New Canaan Board of Finance.]

The Town of New Canaan finished the fiscal year 2025-2026 with a larger budget surplus than expected. This was the result of stronger revenue primarily from interest income and conveyance fees on property sales, coupled with expenses coming in below budget. This allowed us to deliver $5.8 million back to the taxpayers, which is $800,000 more than expected. We applied the $5.8 million to lower the amount needed through taxation. 

As you may have seen, earlier this month the Board of Finance approved a mill rate of 16.967 for fiscal year 2027, an increase of 0.276 compared to the fiscal year 2026 mill rate of 16.69. The amount to be raised from taxation for fiscal year 2027 will be $168.1 million, a 2.48% increase from the fiscal year 2026 amount of $164.0 million.

News

‘Patience Levels Are Low’: Water Main Installation on South Avenue Underway

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club. A four-year-long construction project in New Canaan started its final stretch this week. 

The water company’s 36-inch water main installation is nearly complete, though community members’ patience is dwindling, officials say. Four years ago, Aquarion began installing a water main, causing road closures on the eastern side of town. Now, the installation is taking place on South Avenue (with a plan to repave starting in September). Sections of South Avenue between Douglas and Farm Road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays for the next three months, through the end of August, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann.