Government

Commercial Building Owners Propose Hotel on Locust Avenue

By |

The owners of adjacent commercial buildings in downtown New Canaan have submitted a proposal to the town that would allow for a new hotel on Locust Avenue. The vision is for a 40-key hotel connecting to an outdoor landscaped patio at 49-51 Locust Ave., according to a pre-application presentation filed with the Planning & Zoning Commission. The proposal for 39 Locust is a mixed-use office or retail space with eight extended-stay hotel keys, the pre-application said. Both buildings are currently three-story brick office buildings with above and below-grade parking, and the plan is for an “adaptive reuse of existing buildings,” according to the pre-application. The hope is to “preserve significant existing setbacks, light, air, and onsite parking,” it said.

Board of Selectmen

Selectmen Approve Water-Related Repairs at Waveny House, Work To Start in June

By |

Repairs for moisture and water infiltration problems at Waveny House will start in June, with the hope of finishing “phase one” of the project in October, officials say. On Tuesday, the Board of Selectmen approved a $653,775 contract with New Haven-based G.L. Capasso Inc. to address Waveny’s ongoing leakage issues. The selectmen also approved $14,400 for interior kitchen repairs within the contract. “This approach will fix 95% of the leaks, and we will be able to reassess and do a deeper dive if further repairs are necessary,” Department of Public Works Senior Engineer Joe Zagarenski told the selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of the contract.

Government

Town Council Honors the Late Keith Richey

By |

New Canaan’s legislative body held a moment of silence Wednesday night for a longtime community volunteer who died this week. The Town Council remembered Keith Richey, who spent more than two decades on the Parking Commission, most of them as its chair, volunteered with the New Canaan Exchange Club, a service organization, and helped organize the annual “Mich-Rich Softball Game,” providing colorful roundups of the summer contest. Councilman Eric Thunem offered condolences to Marina Richey and the entire family at the start of the elected body’s regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “Keith Richey was a member of the New Can Exchange Club for 33 years,” Thunem said. “I think that’s about as long as the Exchange Club has been in New Canaan.

Government

Town To Replace East Avenue Sidewalks

By |

Town officials are planning to replace all sidewalks on East Avenue, starting downtown at Main Street and running east all the way to Route 123. The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved a $34,500 contract with a Bridgeport-based company to survey and design the sidewalks. The overall project itself is projected to cost about $1.1 million, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. 

There are sidewalks on both sides of East Avenue running east from the downtown to Summer Street, and then it’s only on the north side to Route 123/New Norwalk Road, Mann said. “We’re looking to design it in whole and then look to piece it out, the thought being that we’ll likely do from Cherry Street to Main Street since that’s the closest to the downtown, and then work our way out,” he said during the regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “And the thought is that at present we might look for a grant to take care of the stretch from Cherry to New Norwalk Road.”

Specifically, Mann said, the town would seek a “Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program” or “LOTCIP” grant.

Board of Selectmen

Selectmen Approve Irrigation Work at Saxe and Conner Fields

By |

Town officials on Tuesday approved a $382,470 contract for irrigation work at two New Canaan Public Schools playing fields. The irrigation system that serves Saxe and Conner fields uses the same well for its water, according to Parks & Recreation Director John Howe. The work will involve replacing “all the sprinklers, pipes, and the control system of both safe and Connor,” Howe told the Board of Selectmen at its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with White Plains, N.Y.-based National Lawn Sprinklers. The company also has been awarded a Mead Park irrigation project, Howe said.