Government

Returning Nonresident Families To Get ‘First Refusal’ for Limited Steve Benko Pool Passes

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The town is changing how out-of-town families acquire passes to the Steve Benko Pool, officials say. Nonresident families are charged far more (up to $1,450 per season this year) for passes to the popular Waveny facility than New Canaan families (at $455 as of 2020), and the number of passes issued to out-of-town families has always been capped. In the past, nonresident families also have had to reapply for a pass each year through a lottery system. This year, “we’re giving the people that were members last year first refusal,” according to Parks & Recreation Director John Howe. 

“Just so that the family comes, they have a great time, they don’t have to go back into the lottery,” Howe told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission during their Feb. 11 meeting, held at Lapham Center and via videoconference.

Government

‘Calibrate Physical Therapy’ Coming To Park Street

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A physical therapy and sports performance clinic based in Fairfield is planning to open a second location in downtown New Canaan. Calibrate Physical Therapy will open at 94 Park St.—formerly occupied by Berkshire Hathaway—pending site plan approval by the Planning & Zoning Commission. Owned by Jon Filipe, Calibrate “is centered on physical therapy as it relates to athletic fitness training and recovery,” according to an application filed with P&Z by Rob Mallozzi III, representing the property ownership company. 

The Commission’s approval is required for a change-of-use to a personal service establishment in the Retail A zone (see pages 77-78 of the New Canaan Zoning Regulations). Filipe is a former trainer for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, Mallozzi said. According to Calibrate’s website, the company offers “personalized rehab, sports performance training, and pain management through a science-driven, one-on-one approach.”

“We work with athletes, active adults, professionals, and high-performers across Fairfield, Westport, New Canaan, Greenwich, Darien, and surrounding Connecticut communities who want long-term results, not temporary relief,” the website said.

Government

Affordable Housing: 14-Unit Apartment Building Planned for Parade Hill Road

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The town this month received an application to build a 14-unit apartment building on Parade Hill Road under the state’s affordable housing law. All 14 of the two- and three-bedroom units at 30 Parade Hill Road will be “affordable,” under the state’s definition, according to an application filed on behalf of the property’s owner by attorney Amy Souchans of Hartford-based MacDermid, Reynolds & Glissman, P.C.

A cover letter in the 215-page submission to the Planning & Zoning Commission said the project — sponsored by Stamford-based nonprofit Garden Homes Fund (philanthropic arm of Garden Homes Management) — is designed “to provide housing in New Canaan for low and very low income families with school-aged children.”

Under a section titled “The choice of New Canaan for affordable housing,” the applicant said: “While the need for affordable housing is dire in Connecticut, it is most needed in neighborhoods of high opportunity. Neighborhoods play a central role in upward mobility and are where children experience socioemotional development, form social ties, and access resources and life opportunities. Maps provided by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) rate each census tract in the state on a five-point scale ranging from Very High Opportunity to Very Low Opportunity based on factors like school performance, poverty concentration and safety. The mapping is used by CHFA and the Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) to prioritize funding for affordable housing development in high opportunity areas.

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Fire Chief Cited for Inappropriate Use of Insurance Funds, Unequal Treatment, Inappropriate Communication

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Town officials on Tuesday cited the chief of the New Canaan Fire Department in connection with a number of incidents and problems.

During the Fire Commission’s regular meeting, Chief Albe Bassett was notified that he will be “written up for creating a reasonable perception of unequal treatment, as well as for manner of communication with a firefighter that was inappropriate,” according to Fire Commission Chair Robert Fields. “You will post a public apology for the behavior and you will meet with [town Human Resources Director] Cheryl [Pickering Jones] regarding anti-harassment behavior training,” Fields said during the Commission’s regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “Additionally, because of the serious nature of Engine 4 being placed in service when it was not safe to be in service, we will set up a predisciplinary hearing regarding this issue… and lastly you will be written up for inappropriate use of insurance funds.”

Fields said that Bassett’s hearing regarding the vehicle violation will be held at 5 p.m. on Feb. 19. The specifics of each issue cited by the Commission weren’t immediately clear.

Government

Take Two: ‘Scene One New Canaan LLC’ To Operate Playhouse Movie Theater

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Town officials this week approved a lease with a Delaware-based limited liability company to operate The Playhouse. The Town Council and Board of Selectmen both voted unanimously in favor of a five-year lease with Scene One New Canaan LLC. Joseph Masher, representing the company, told the selectmen during their regular meeting Tuesday that he is sole owner of Scene One Entertainment, formerly Bow Tie Management. “For 20 years I was the chief operating officer of Bow Tie Cinemas,” Masher said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “So I have extensive experience with the old Playhouse and I’m very excited to be back, and what you’ve done with the Playhouse—making it into its current iteration—it’s amazing and my goal is to make sure that it is a centerpiece, is the centerpiece of town and the beacon of Elm Street.”

According to the Scene One website, the Schenectady, N.Y.-based company currently operates six movie theaters in four states, including New York.