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Town Seeks Help Funding ‘Back to School’ Gift Card Program

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[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

Town officials say they’re planning to help qualified families with the high cost of back-to-school shopping. 

As it does each summer, the New Canaan Human Services Department is hoping to provide families in need with Walmart and Target gift cards, though more fundraising is needed to hit the agency’s goal, Youth and Family Services Coordinator Jacqueline D’Louhy said. 

“We’re just asking for Walmart or Target cards because they have everything that someone could get,” D’Louhy said. “At the elementary schools, they have kits you need to purchase which can cost a lot. With this extra money, the families could purchase a pair of sneakers or any additional school supplies for their kids.”

In all, the municipal department is planning to give out 75 cards of $100 value each, she said. Any small amount of money would be helpful, she said. 

“We don’t expect someone to donate $100, that is a lot of money,” D’Louhy said. “But if people could give money in increments of $25, that would be great.”

As of this week, less than $200 has been raised toward the $7,500 goal.

Government

Selectmen Postpone Funding for ADA Ramp Between Town Hall, Vine Cottage

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[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

Saying they need more information, municipal officials this week postponed the approval of $250,000 in construction work at the Town Hall campus. After the federal government cited the town for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act—citing dozens of barriers to access at public facilities throughout New Canaan—the municipality and U.S. Department of Justice reached an agreement. 

Part of that agreement calls for the town to improve access between Town Hall and Vine Cottage, where the New Canaan Department of Health is located. 

An additional accessible route needs to be built, Public Works Director Tiger Mann said during Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, held at The Town Hall and via videoconference. Mann said a site plan from local firm Architectural Preservation Studios would locate the new ramp on part of an existing staircase from the access road through the campus up to Vine Cottage. “The far right side of the staircase will be separated, and that will become a ramp which will turn left towards the parking space,” Mann said. “We’ll remove one slot of the parking lot which will put us in the correct position to then head to the Vine Cottage.”

Installing the ramp will require removing part of the WPA-era retaining wall there, and is estimated to cost $258,583.11, including a 10% contingency, Mann said.

Government

Affordable Housing: Judge Upholds Developer’s Appeal in Complex at Weed and Elm

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A state Superior Court judge last week ordered the New Canaan Planning & Zoning Commission to approve a widely discussed application to build a large housing complex at Weed and Elm Streets. P&Z in 2023 denied the application, filed on behalf of local developer Arnold Karp under a state affordable housing law known by its statute number, 8-30g. In denying the application for a 102-unit complex at 751 Weed St., the town cited “public interests in fire safety, pedestrian safety and a stormwater management plan,” Judge Edward “Ted” O’Hanlan wrote in a 98-page decision issued July 1. He continued: “It further asserts that these interests outweigh the need for affordable housing and that either plaintiff was unwilling to make reasonable changes or that such changes could not be made to protect the identified public interests. This court disagrees.”

According to O’Hanlan, P&Z “has not met its burden to prove that its denial was necessary to protect these public interests, or that these public interests as identified outweighed the need for affordable housing and could not be protected by reasonable changes to the site plan.

Government

Town on Notice of Lawsuit After Pipe Bursts in Local Home

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[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

Municipal officials recently received notice that a man intends to sue the town after a pipe froze and exploded in his home this winter, causing extensive damage, documents show. On Jan. 3, a water loss incident occurred at the home of Oleg Williamson, located at 41 Thrush Lane, according to a Notice of Intent To Sue filed on behalf of Cincinnati Insurance Company, by attorney Melisa E. Iozzi of New York-based Stutman Law. The damage will cost Williamson $230,272.54, it said. The pipe explosion took place because “Hoffman Energy drilled holes in an exterior wall of Williamson’s home to install a new propane line,” the Notice said.

Government

Presentations Made to Town Council About Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

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Members of New Canaan’s legislative body met two weeks ago to discuss possible next steps regarding a citizen-led campaign for a seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. The Town Council held a meeting on June 18 where the elected body discussed gas-powered leaf blowers for more than 90 minutes, including more than 30 minutes of public comments on the issue. Those taking to the podium, and members of a committee addressing the Town Council, spoke either in favor of a ban—citing noise, public health and environmental issues—or against it, citing business needs and potential cost to residents with larger properties. New Canaan resident Katie Owsley, co-president of Planet New Canaan, opened the public comment section by citing several statistics in support of a seasonal ban on the leaf blowers. “Gas-powered leaf blowers range from 90 to 100 decibels while electric ones are 60 to 90,” Owsley said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.