NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com. (We will publish referendum-related letters through July 22.)
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Photo caption: CERT Board member Kevin McIntosh and ACME store manager Nancy Layman
On behalf of the New Canaan Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), I would like to thank the ACME Store supervisor Nancy Layman along with the rest of New Canaan Store team for their generous donation of sandwiches, cookies and water in support of the NC CERT volunteers during the Family Fourth Celebration on Saturday, July 4th. CERT has been assisting the New Canaan Police for several years with traffic and pedestrian control within Waveny Park during the July 4th Celebration. Our mission is to provide a safe and steady flow for vehicle traffic and safe crossings for pedestrians. ACME’s kind donation of food and much needed water helped to sustain 22 volunteers who worked this event over 5 hours in the heat of the late afternoon and early evening on July 4th.
Once again, we appreciate ACME’s support of this year’s New Canaan Family 4th and our CERT volunteers.
Best Regards,
Jim Davis
Co-Executive Director, New Canaan CERT
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To the Editor:
On July 25, New Canaan voters will decide whether to preserve the summertime restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers the town adopted in May. We urge our fellow residents to vote YES to keep this sensible ordinance in place.
Gas-powered leaf blowers—especially high-powered models—generate significant noise and emit noxious fumes. These effects don’t stay on one property; they affect entire neighborhoods, which is precisely why an ordinance is needed. Even brief use can disrupt neighbors who are working from home, caring for young children, enjoying their yards, or coping with respiratory conditions. Thoughtful limits balance the demands of property maintenance against residents’ right to peace and quiet.
Battery-powered equipment has advanced rapidly in recent years and is now a practical choice for most landscaping tasks. That progress has led New Canaan and many neighboring communities to adopt seasonal restrictions. In fact, many—if not most—of our local landscapers already own electric leaf blowers, because they need them to work in nearby towns such as Norwalk, Stamford, Westport, Greenwich, and Pound Ridge, where summer restrictions are in place.
No ordinance is perfect, but we shouldn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This ordinance strikes a fair balance among convenience, public health, neighborhood livability, cost, and environmental stewardship—a meaningful step toward a quieter, cleaner, more peaceful summer. We hope New Canaan voters will support the referendum and keep the ordinance.
Please vote YES on July 25.
Sincerely,
Daniel and Jill LaGattuta
For more information on blowers (including safety info, gas vs. electric machines, etc.) see https://www.quietcommunities.org/news-resources/category/Leaf+blowers.
I hasten to add that QC – Quiet Communities – is a nonprofit with extensive data from its research studies. They are not an alarmist group in any way – see for yourself.
Yes, well-stated Daniel and Jill. We need to do what many other towns have done. We’ve “considered” it for four years. It’s time to act.
Exactly 5 towns of 165 in CT have passed leaf blower ordinances. 2.96%.
I wouldn’t term that “many”.
Agreed!
Less noise, fewer pollutants cannot be bad for our sweet corner of Connecticut.