The town on Dec. 11 issued an after-the-fact permit for an $8,500 job at 5 Cecil Place. The work was done by the homeowner and covered a full bathroom installation “in the already finished basement,” the permit said. “Kindly note that all the above work was done without obtaining the necessary permits,” the permit said. “This means that all required inspections during construction were not performed.”
The wreath when it was affixed to the Mead Park Brick Barn, on the Demolition sign. It has been removed, as per Town Code.
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A wreath appeared briefly last weekend on the long-vacant Richmond Hill Road building known as the “Mead Park Brick Barn.” Those seeking permission to restore and reuse the building recently asked town officials to remove a “Notice of Demolition” sign from it, and to allow them to place a wreath on it. Under the Town Code, such signs must remain posted on a property “until the completion of all demolition activities” and must be “visible.” The wreath has since disappeared.
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The Planning & Zoning Commission during an organizational meeting Tuesday unanimously re-elected John Goodwin as chairman and Jean Grzelecki as secretary. The Inland Wetlands Commission during its own meeting Monday re-elected Dan Stepaneck as chairman and Angela Jameson as secretary.
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New Canaan High School Athletic Director Jay Egan announced this week that Anthony Bloss has been selected as the new Rams varsity baseball coach. The Mathematics chair at NCHS, Bliss has been involved with the team in various coaching roles since 2005, Egan said. In addition, Aaron “Ace” Gallo, a 1990 NCHS graduate who pitched for three years as a Ram and later pitched at Stetson University, will join the varsity coaching staff. Gallo has been teaching English at NCHS since 2004.
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Water pressure on Tuesday caused one of New Canaan Library’s severely old pipes to crack, resulting in lower-level flooding in the area of the Main Street facility’s boiler. As a result, all the water in the building had to be turned off, so that restrooms for both the staff and public were unusable for a period of time. The library is in the midst of a capital fundraising campaign for a new building.
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New Canaan CARES is marking its 40th anniversary next month with a Jan. 13 “Cakes4CARES” family and community cake baking party at the New Canaan YMCA and a Jan. 31 reception at the Roger Sherman Inn. People may sign up on the organization’s website to bake a cake for the first event. For the reception, New Canaan CARES is working with the New Canaan Historical Society to collect the names contact information of people involved with New Canaan CARES through the years. If you or someone you know who was involved with CARES has not been contacted or had the opportunity to share your memories, reach out to the organization’s board at caresboard@newcanaancares.org.
Ponus Ridge Chapel in New Canaan on Oct. 8, 2018. Credit: Michael Dinan
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The New Canaan Building Department on Dec. 11 issued a roof permit for an estimated $85,000 job at Ponus Ridge Chapel—the beginning of a widely anticipated restoration project. The long-abandoned structure at 424 Ponus Ridge recently was acquired by a neighboring property owner. The contractor on the roof job is New Canaan-based Renaissance Partners, LLC.
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Our daily newsletter will run Wednesday to Friday for the weeks that include Christmas and New Year’s, though we will post new content daily.
LiveGirl founder Sheri West with a LiveGirl camper. Credit: Catherine Gorey.
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Congratulations to locally founded nonprofit organization LiveGIrl, which has announced its partnership to expand a popular after-school girl empowerment program statewide through a partnership with the Connecticut Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs. Founded by New Canaan’s Sheri West, LiveGirl provides year-round leadership development and mentoring for girls in grades 5 to 12. It currently partners with the Boys & Girls Clubs in Greenwich, Stamford, and Bridgeport (Wakeman) to deliver “LiveGirlTalk,” a 10-week after-school mentoring program for middle school girls. The statewide roll-out is planned for 2019-20.
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Finally, here are some write-ups spotlighting New Canaan Basketball Association youth teams:
6th Grade Boys Black Takes Down Undefeated Stamford JCC
—submitted by Kimberly Norton
New Canaan 48, Stamford 38
New Canaan 6th grade Black team took down undefeated Stamford JCC last Friday night. The teams were neck in neck ending the 3rd quarter with a tie score. New Canaan pulled away in the 4th quarter gaining 20 points with aggressive offense and defense, shutting down the Stamford machine. Robinson led the scoring with 12 points followed by Heagle (10), Butler (8), Towers (7), Mayock (7), Smith (2) and Hanrattie (2).
6th Grade Boys Black Team falls to Weston Gold in final seconds
—submitted by Kimberly Norton
Weston 45, New Canaan 43
New Canaan 6th grade Black team fought hard but lost to Weston Gold in the final seconds of the game when both teams were tied 43-43. In the last 15 seconds of the game, Weston inbounded the ball and drove for a final lay up for the winning basket. Butler led the scoring sinking 18 points, with Towers contributing 8 points. Robinson (7), Mayock (4), Smith (2), Hanrattie (2), Heagle (2) also scored against Weston.
Cooper Dinan looks to drive to the hoop. Contributed
Stamford JCC – 63, New Canaan Red 8 – 53
—submitted via email
The NCBA 8th Grade Red basketball team dropped a close game in its season-opener to the Stamford JCC, falling 63-53. New Canaan jumped out to a quick 18-9 lead in the first quarter. Cooper Dinan scored 12 of his game-high 18 points for New Canaan in the opening stanza, draining four three-pointers to help New Canaan to the early lead. Caden Bowling added five of his nine points in the first and Teddy Rosen and Will Larson helped control the boards with solid rebounding. New Canaan maintained its lead in the second quarter as Dinan, Lorenzo Marsili, Connor O’Donnell and Hunter Telesco each scored three points with Bowling and Aidan McLaughlin each adding a basket to bring the teams into halftime with New Canaan up 34-25. Stamford made its run in the third quarter, outscoring New Canaan 20-8 to take the lead 45-42 heading into the fourth. Telesco kept New Canaan close, scoring seven of his 10 points in the second half. Nic Limone added five points in the fourth and Colin Perkins played stellar defense to keep New Canaan within striking distance, but Stamford went on a 7-0 run to close out the game.
Aidan McLaughlin goes in for a layup. Contributed
New Canaan Red 8 – 53, Hoop Haven CT – 20
—submitted via email
Caden Bowling scored a team-high 14 points and Connor O’Donnell added 10 to lead the NCBA 8th Grade Red team to its first victory of the season, 53-20 over Hoop Haven CT. The win was a true team effort as every New Canaan player that suited up scored in the contest. New Canaan came out of the gates on fire, outscoring Hoop Haven 17-3 in the first. Lorenzo Marsili, Aidan McLaughlin and O’Donnell set the tone by forcing turnovers and converting them into easy baskets. Hunter Telesco stretched out the Hoop Haven defense by nailing an early three-pointer. New Canaan kept the pressure on in the second quarter as baskets from Teddy Rosen, Colin Perkins helped the Red 8’s to a 35-8 halftime lead. Behind the scoring of Ryan Connelly and Marsili, New Canaan kept Hoop Haven at bay in the third quarter. Cooper Dinan nailed a three-pointer to stop a Hoop Haven run and halt any potential momentum shift and the te4ams went into the final period with New Canaan up 43-16. Bowling, O’Donnell and Nic Limone each scored in the fourth quarter to help New Canaan coast to the 53-20 win.
Keep up the good work and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to ALL at the paper.