First Selectman Dionna Carlson said during an update to the Town Council on Wednesday night that state officials will vote Friday on a $2 million bond to help offset the cost of renovating The Playhouse movie theater on Elm Street. Carlson thanked New Canaan’s delegation to the General Assembly, the governor and the state for the funding. The cost estimate for the project this year doubled to about $8 million, due primarily to the expense of a new HVAC system.
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Supporting local kids through Christmas shopping, in partnership with the New Canaan Police Department:
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Heads-up: Planet New Canaan will accept New Canaanites’ discarded Christmas trees for recycling, drop off will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 30 to Jan. 8 at the Steve Benko Pool lot in Waveny. The Service League of Boys or SLOBs from New Canaan High School will volunteer to help Dec. 30 and 31 and Jan. 7 and 8. The effort is sponsored by the Exchange Club.
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L-R: Police Department Building Committee Chair Bill Walbert, New Canaan Senior Engineer Joe Zagarenski, Director of Public Works Tiger Mann, Police Chief John DiFederico, Selectman and Building Committee member Amy Murphy Carroll, Building Committee member Penny Rashin, Building Committee member Paul Tully, Building Committee Advisor Stuart Sawabini, First Selectman Dionna Carlson, Building Committee member Jim Beall, Police Captain Joseph Farenga, Police Deputy Chief Andrew Walsh; four members of Turner Construction Ty Tregellas, Scott Tompkins, Larry Ho and Eugene Torone; and Brian Humes of Jacunski Humes Architects. Credit: Natalie Lopez
The town broke ground Thursday on the widely anticipated renovation of the New Canaan Police Department. Members of the Police Department Building Committee joined town and building officials outside the South Avenue headquarters to mark the occasion. The department has relocated temporarily to 39 Locust Ave. downtown and the project is expected to be completed in about two years.
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New Canaan-founded nonprofit LiveGirl gathered more than 80 volunteers, mentors and confidence coaches at Waveny House Dec. 6 for the organization’s annual “Gratitude Reception.” LiveGirl honored eight people for going above and beyond this year, including New Canaanite Shona Goldenberg as Volunteer of the Year. “In paying it forward, they’ve become architects of confidence, builders of resilience, and guides on the path to career readiness,” LiveGirl CEO Sheri West said in a press release. “They are shaping futures and igniting a spark that will propel our girls to thrive. Their commitment goes beyond imparting skills; it’s a dedication to instill a belief in limitless possibilities.”
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The town was notified late last week that its pension fund manager and administrator is no longer managing public funds, Carlson said during her update this week to the Town Council. Vanguard has been acquired by Mercer, which has chosen to no longer manage public funds “so we need to find—they originally told us by February 1st, which I think that’s unreasonable—but they said they wanted all assets out of their funds by Feb. 1.,” Carlson said. “So we are working through getting an exception on that, especially with the holidays and everything else.” The town is working with its pension fund advisor to plan for the change.
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Pre-registration is open for kindergarten for the 2024-25 New Canaan Public Schools academic year. Click here.
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L-R: Russell Barksdale, Jr. President and CEO; Francoise (Cece) Michel, RN, Rebecca Albrecht, Chief Human Resources Officer; Kathleen A. Corbet, Principal Donor; Charlie Rose, CFO; Paul Reynolds, Administrator; Leo Karl, III, Chairman of the Board; Terry Henry, Chief Sales, Marketing & Advancement Officer
Waveny LifeCare Network this week announced that its Kathleen M. Fruin, RN Certified Nursing Aide School has been awarded the Connecticut Assisted Living Association Best Practices Award in the area of Staff Recruitment and Retention. The award was presented to Russell Barksdale, Jr., Waveny’s President and CEO, at CALA’s Annual Membership Meeting & Awards Banquet on Dec. 6. “Waveny’s CNA School was designed to counteract the nationwide nursing shortage by recruiting, training and employing the most professional, compassionate caregivers possible for its residents and patients,” the organization said in a press release.
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The smiling face you see running onto a football field here belongs to Ryan Krolikowski, a 2019 NCHS graduate in his senior year at West Point. The cadet’s dad is Leon Krolikowski, former New Canaan Police Department chief, and his mom is Anna Krolikowski, assistant to the buildings superintendent in the New Canaan Department of Public Works, formerly the owner of Baskin-Robbins on Main Street (now Gofer Ice Cream).
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The MOMS of Military honored Tom Stadler with his U.S. Army photo/banner on Elm Street. Credit: Michael Dinan
Tom Stadler will be next year’s “fall guy” honored by the Gridiron Club.
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It’s almost here: Register now for the Silvermine Art Center’s winter session, running Jan. 8 to March 17. (Also note that SAC’s “Holiday Arts & Crafts Show” will be held 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 15 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 16.)
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Our thoughts are with the family of Daniel DeMichael, a waiter at the New Canaan Diner and husband of the restaurant’s owner. According to a GoFundMe campaign and notice in the window of the Forest Street business, DeMichael died Dec. 6 in a car crash on Route 8 in Trumbull. His 5-year-old daughter Ellie, also in the vehicle, “survived the accident but unfortunately, she saw things no one should ever witness,” the GFM post said. “She will be in need of professional help with counselors who specialize in trauma. This is often expensive and insurance doesn’t cover much.” As of Thursday night, more than $22,000 had been raised online.
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The Holiday Nutcracker Tea at Carriage Barn will be held 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16. Info here.
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Dec. 11, 2023 ceremony at Carriage Barn Arts Center. Photo courtesy of Chris Wilson
Town officials gathered at the Carriage Barn Arts Center Monday night for a ceremony recognizing the contributions of several people coming off of municipal boards and commissions after many years of service, as well as the departing library director. Those recognized included the three immediate past Board of Selectmen members, Judy Neville of the Board of Finance, John Goodwin of the Planning & Zoning Commission, Katrina Parkhill of the Board of Education, Town Council members Robin Bates-Mason and Mark Grzymski, and New Canaan Library Director Lisa Oldham, who received a standing ovation. The ceremony was organized by a committee that included the heads of the Democratic and Republican Town Committees.
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The New Canaan CARES annual appeal is underway and runs through December. Info here on how to support the organization.
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L-R: Susan Edmands, Bob Naughton, Greg Pepe, Jill Guzzetti, Alberto Gonzalez, and Ed Vollmer. Missing from photo is Nick Mitrakis who will be sworn in at a later date. Photo courtesy of the Town Clerk
The newly elected slate of constables for the town received their Oath of Office from Town Clerk Claudia Weber on Thursday. Constables have the same powers within their jurisdictions that sheriffs used to have within their respective counties. (Note: the position of sheriff was eliminated in the 2000 state election by a referendum question.) The usual duties involve serving processes or summonses. Normally the services are arranged through the attorney representing a plaintiff. Constable’s fees are normally paid by that plaintiff through his attorney. Practicing attorneys would be expected to be aware of currently qualified Constables, but the list is always available at the Town Clerk’s office.
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St. Mark’s Episcopal Church will hold its “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols for Christmas” at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17, with a reception to follow at Morrill Hall. It will be live-streamed.
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Lila Coleman with her poinsettia. Photo courtesy of Staying Put
More than 25 community volunteers made special holiday deliveries of poinsettia plants to the homes of over 200 members of Staying Put in New Canaan. “This effort helped make a real difference in the lives of many New Canaan seniors who appreciated the outreach and the festive holiday wishes,” the organziation said in a press release. “Staying Put thanks the many kind volunteers who provide such important services to the community and to the generous donor who wished to remain anonymous for the benevolent underwriting of the poinsettias.”
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Finally, here are more events worth checking out (add your event to the Community Calendar here and we’ll share it with fellow residents):
- Grace Farms To Describe Its Mission at Men’s Club (December 15 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am)
- The Nutcracker: Hear the Story, See a Performance, Learn a Dance (December 19 @ 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm)
- Petty-Drayton Music Program Student Concert (December 19 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm)
- Winter Break Puppet Show and Craft (December 29 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm)