Government

We’re writing not only about those municipal bodies that all local media outlets cover—New Canaan Board of Selectmen, Town Council, Department of Public Works—but also the Public Tree Board, Traffic-Calming Work Group, Parking Commission and Park & Recreation Commission.

Related Topics:

Recent Articles

Town Approves Contract for New Sidewalks on Parts of Park Street

By: |

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday unanimously approved a $103,900 contract with a New Canaan-based company to install new sidewalks on two sections of Park Street. Peter Lanni Inc. will put a new concrete sidewalk with granite curbing on the west side of Park from Maple Street to Richmond Hill Road as well as a new brick sidewalk with the same curbing on the east side of the Park from Cherry to Maple Street. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kit Devereaux and Nick Williams voted in favor of the contract, presented to the board by New Canaan High School senior Josiah Jones, an intern with the Department of Publics Works, and DPW Director Tiger Mann. The total amount of the contract includes a $14,000 in contingency funds, Jones said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. The selectmen asked Jones what were the range of bids (another bid came in at $102,895 compared to $89,900 from Lanni), whether funds for the project are within the current fiscal year’s budget (yes), whether just two companies responded (correct, though several had taken the bid package) and whether the project requires all new granite curbing even though some of that already is in place (it needs new curbing on the east side and to be reset on the west side because it’s tilted there). 

Moynihan asked why the sidewalk would be concrete on one side and brick on another. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Government, News, Board of Selectmen, Josiah Jones, Kevin Moynihan, Kit Devereaux, Nick Williams, Tiger Mann

‘I Know It Is Extremely Frustrating’: Contractor’s Failure to Deliver Material Delays Opening of Clay Tennis Courts at Mead Park

By: |

Tennis players in New Canaan are frustrated that the courts at Mead Park haven’t yet opened for the season, officials said Wednesday night, a problem caused by a contracted company that’s failed to deliver the clay material. Normally, the “Hartru” courts at Mead are open around May 20, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. 

But a Cheshire-based company that did a very good job preparing the facility last year, despite weather-related problems, has “dropped the ball” this spring, he said at a regular meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission. “The problem is, they have to put 50 bags of material on each court,” he said during the meeting, held at Lapham Community Center. “They can’t get the material here to put it on the courts. So they came in and micro-groomed the courts and pulled weeds. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Government, News, Laura Costigan, Mead Park, Parks and Recreation Commission, Sally Campbell, Steve Benko

‘Marketing’ New Canaan: Town Officials Eye More Regular, Robust Social Media Presence

By: |

Municipal officials plan to tap local business and real estate leaders as they look for ways to use technologies such as social media and the town website to market New Canaan. Members of the Technology Advisory Committee said during a regular meeting Tuesday night that they would consult with the heads of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce and New Canaan Board of Realtors in forming a set of recommendations. As it is, various municipal departments use Facebook and Twitter accounts differently and—with the exception of some, such as the New Canaan Police Department’s Twitter feed—post information at irregular intervals, according to committee member Annamari Mikkola. “If you want to market things, make people aware of things such as payment processing, we could certainly use it [ the town’s Facebook page] for town marketing,” she said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. “There are really no pictures,” Mikkola said. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Government, News, Annamari Mikkola, Jeff Platt, Paul Pureka, Randy Dalia, Technology Advisory Committee

Town Officials ‘Looking Forward To Successful Season’ at Increasingly Popular Waveny Pool [CORRECTION]

By: |

Summer in New Canaan just wouldn’t feel right without Waveny Pool open and filled to the brim with local and non-resident families alike. In preparation for this year’s season, which once again is seeing an uptick in interest among new users, Waveny Pool concentrated on maintenance of the facility, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. Both pool heaters are active and working, Benko said, the locker rooms have been entirely re-painted and wood re-stained. The town-owned and -operated facility’s strongest client base tends to be families, but they generally don’t think about buying passes until summer weather comes along, according to Benko. “We’ve finally seemed to turn a corner from crummy spring weather,” he said. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Government, News, Brooke Holland, Steve Benko, Waveny Pool

‘Hire Quality Contractors’: Two More Non-Permitted Demolitions in New Canaan

By: |

The New Canaan Building Department has received two applications for demolition jobs after-the-fact, one for a garage on Oak Street and another for what officials are calling a significant interior demolition on West Road. The non-permitted demolition at 534 West Road covers the interior of an entire wing of the 1928-built, 5,779-square-foot Colonial there, officials said. That work appears to have been done by an owner of the home, purchased last May for $1,950,000, according to tax records. The garage at 64 Oak St., a property that sold in March for $3,350,000, appears to have been done by a non-local contractor, officials said. New Canaan Chief Building Official Brian Platz urged homeowners to work with reputable contractors and check in with his office to ask any questions about what requires a permit. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Government, News, Real Estate, Brian Platz, New Canaan Building Department