‘It Only Took 15 Minutes To Get the First Complaint’: South Avenue Closure Underway

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

The summer-long closure of a major north-south artery into New Canaan is off to a so-so start, officials said Tuesday. This week, the water company began installing a 36-inch pipe along South Avenue, between Harrison Avenue and Farm Road. The work will continue up until school starts again. According to Public Works Director Tiger Mann, municipal officials started receiving feedback immediately from motorists. “It only took 15 minutes to get the first complaint,” Mann said during a regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

Within 10 feet, Aquarion “had to go underneath the waterline, which was unanticipated,” Mann said.

Pastures Lane Neighbors Sue Town for Failure to Enforce Zoning Regulations

Neighbors of a Pastures Lane property this month sued the town, saying the municipality has failed to enforce its own Zoning Regulations with respect to a residence on the dead-end road. Specifically, according to a complaint filed June 4 in state Superior Court, two abutting lots owned by a Delaware-based limited liability company—numbers 78 and 92 Pastures Lane—have fences that violate the town’s regulations. 

For example, an eight-foot deer fence at number 78 is higher than allowed and also too close to the road, according to the complaint, filed on behalf of plaintiffs Colleen Shelden and David Schwartz by attorney Todd Lampert of New Canaan-based Lampert, Toohey & Rucci LLC. “The fence does not blend with the natural landscape,” the complaint said. “The fence is not of open design. The fence is especially visible at a distance of 50 feet.

Elizabeth Marx Michels, 53

Elizabeth Marx Michels died on June 15, surrounded by family after a hard fought battle with cancer which she faced with an immense amount of courage and fortitude. She was 53. Born February 3, 1972, in Cincinnati, Ohio to Louise (McVickar) and Graham Marx, Elizabeth graduated from The Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, Pa. and was a 1994 graduate of Yale University. Elizabeth played varsity squash at Yale and was a nationally ranked player.

‘Core Burn Pilates’ Plans to Open on Elm Street

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

Core Burn Pilates, a boutique studio, is planning to open a location in New Canaan this summer. The new Core Burn Pilates studio will be located on 142 Elm St., currently a vacant space. The previous occupant was a retail store, Lilly Pulitzer (now at 78 Elm). Founded in 2010 by Tamara Slupchynskyj—a co-owner of the New Canaan location—Core Burn Pilates has 12 studios across Connecticut including Greenwich, north Greenwich, Rowayton and Westport, according to the business’s website. The company also has studios in New York and North Carolina.

Meet NewCanaanite.com Summer Intern Valentina Baldini [Q&A]

Our summer intern, rising New Canaan High School senior Valentina Baldini, starts this week. Sponsored for the second straight summer by Karp Associates, the NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program sees developing journalists write a wide variety of community news stories for the site. Her debut article is about a new pilates studio coming to Elm Street. Joining Baldini as an intern this summer is Donovan West, a 2025 NCHS graduate whose byline is already familiar to our readers as a longtime contributor and recent high school Senior Internship Program participant. “We look forward to supporting local journalism,” Karp Associates Founder and President Arnold Karp said.