News

Main Street Traffic Halted As Smoke Billows Above Morse Court Building

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Emergency responders rushed to Main Street at Morse Court late Thursday morning as black smoke began billowing above a two-story building’s roof on the corner. Fire and police rushed to the scene at about 11:15 a.m., closing Main Street from Cherry Street to East Avenue as onlookers, including many workers who emerged from their shops, took photos and videos with their smartphones on a clear, crisp fall day. The smell of burning oil wafted over the area and fire officials in their early assessments suspected a problem with a burner. No flames could be seen. The building on the corner houses optician Morgenthal Frederics on the ground floor.

News

Police: ‘Following Too Closely’ a Leading Cause of Car Crashes Outside of Downtown New Canaan

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The lead cause of motor vehicle accidents at five “hot spot” intersections outside of downtown New Canaan is motorists driving too close to the vehicles in front of them, according to police. Following too closely “overwhelmingly” has been the number one reason for car crashes at Old Stamford and Talmadge Hill Roads, South Avenue and Farm Road and three intersections along the Route 123 corridor, at Old Norwalk Road, Lakeview Avenue and East Avenue, according to New Canaan Police Officer David Payne, the department’s lead accident reconstructionist. As part of a data-driven effort to make local roads safer, Payne at the request of Deputy Chief John DiFederico studied three-plus years’ worth of accident data in New Canaan—some 1,600 crashes in all, he said. “The whole purpose of this was to identify locations, so now that is done and I’ve identified some causation factors, so now the deputy chief wants to do targeted enforcement at those locations,” Payne said. Future efforts from police could revolve around campaigns where police measure compliance with laws such as those requiring motorists to travel a reasonable distance apart from the cars in front of them, then conduct targeted enforcement and measure again at the same places, Payne said.

Audit Committee

Outside Accountant Investigating Whether Lunch Ladies Overcharged Parents, District Officials Confirm [UPDATED]

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District officials said Monday that they’re looking into whether parents’ charge accounts were depleted by the lunch ladies accused of stealing nearly $500,000 in cash over a period of several years from two public school cafeterias. Asked by members of the Audit Committee about the possible “double charging” of accounts by two sisters who had overseen the cafeterias at Saxe Middle School and New Canaan High School, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi said the district is “taking a cursory look at that, to really determine whether or not a need for a deeper dive into it is present.”

“We have lots of documentation and it is a process of going through that documentation,” Luizzi told Committee members during their regular meeting at Town Hall. “We are working with Joe as well to do that for us and just take a look, just to know if any there is any direction we should take next.”

He referred to Joe Centofanti, a partner at PFK O’Connor Davies LLP, an accounting firm. Asked about the accounting work by NewCanaanite.com, Luizzi said in a statement: “The auditor is reviewing the system to look for any inconsistencies that indicate a need to perform a deeper audit of the system. This individual has performed such investigations before, and is familiar with the system that we use. We have significant documentation as well, and he will also be reviewing this documentation as part of his research.” Asked about the timetable for the work, he said: “This work is just beginning, and at this point we do not have any anticipated conclusion date. It is important that we are thoughtful and careful in this work, and will continue to take the time required to be as accurate as possible in our assessments.”

News

New Canaan Fire Marshal: Facts on Natural Gas

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By now most are aware that Eversource is bringing natural gas to New Canaan, so I thought it was a good time to provide some basic information about “gas.” The following are some basic facts about natural gas:

Natural gas is a lighter than air gas, when released into the atmosphere it rises and dissipates. Propane is a heavier than air gas so it sinks when released. Both natural gas and propane have an odorant (ethyl mercaptan) added because in their natural states they are odorless, colorless and tasteless. That is the “rotten egg” odor we know as “gas.”
As with propane, natural gas may be used to feed multiple household appliances—for example, water heaters, stoves, pool heaters, fireplace logs, grills, furnaces, boilers and generators. 
Most propane equipment can be converted to use natural gas by licensed technicians.

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Fire Marshal Issues Safety Tips During ‘National Fire Prevention Week’

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Each year, more than 2,500 people die in fires, most of them in residential occupancies. National Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 7 to 13 this year and the theme is “Every Second Counts – Plan Two Ways Out!” and the fire service throughout the country will be working to emphasize fire safety awareness as will the New Canaan Fire Department. Firefighters will be visiting schools throughout town giving demonstrations on how to stay fire safe. Also, school groups will be touring the fire house to learn about how the fire fighters live, train and work. 

Following is a list of general fire safety tips to help stay safe at home:

First and foremost, have smoke detectors installed on each level of the home and inside of each sleeping room and make sure they have fresh batteries at least once per year.