Town Upholds $80 Ticket Issued for Obstructing Crosswalk

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

Officials last week upheld an $80 ticket issued to a Norwalk man for parking on a New Canaan crosswalk. Mark DelGuidice told members of the Parking Commission during an appeal hearing  that he was issued the ticket (at 12:49 p.m. on June 9, a Monday) after dropping off a Grubhub order and couldn’t find space for parking. 

 “I was waiting for the car in front of me to leave so I could move up in that spot, but I couldn’t wait any longer so I grabbed the order, ran inside as fast as I could, and when I came back I had a ticket,” he said during the Parking Commission’s Aug. 6 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. During the hearing, Commission Secretary Kevin Karl questioned whether there were “no other spots in town.”

“Did you drive around or only check for spots that were available on the roads?” he asked. DelGuidice said every town parking space, including the disabled spots, had been taken.

Paid Parking on Elm Street on Track for End of August

The previously purchased parking machines—part of a plan to transition Elm Street and sections of South Avenue to a pay-for-parking system—should be installed by the end of August, officials say. The Parking Commission received an update on the new paid parking initiative at its Aug. 6 meeting. Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg told the Commission that “the machines are scheduled to arrive in late August” and “the hope is to have them installed by the end of the month.”

“Right now, we are working on preparing the concrete bases so everything will be ready for installation when the machines arrive,” Miltenberg told the Commission at its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “We are also working on updating the signage on the streets and lots.

Town Players of New Canaan Present ‘The Effect’ Sept. 4 to 14

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

For two weeks in September, the Town Players of New Canaan will present “The Effect” – a production that Patricia Spugani, co-president of TPNC, calls “intellectually and emotionally challenging.”

“The Effect” centers on two volunteers, Tristan and Connie, who fall in love during a clinical trial for a dopamine-based antidepressant. Their romance disrupts the trial, leaving their doctors, Dr. James and Dr. Toby, to grapple with ethical questions about their work. The play explores questions about sanity, love, and the limits of medicine. “It blends ethics, romance, and neuroscience into one play,” Spugani said. 

The play’s director, Tyler Small—who some may recognize as Andy Dufresne in the TPNC production of “The Shawshank Redemption”—said, “It’s a really important story living in today’s age. He added: “I think it’s really important.

New Canaan Fire Marshal: College Fire Safety

[Paul Payne is the New Canaan fire marshal.]

This month many young adults are preparing to travel to college. Students and parents carefully researched the school for the best academic experience. To this point parents have ensured their child’s safety and security living within your home, now they are being asked to live on their own. 

There is an annual average of 4,000 fires in college dormitories, fraternities, sororities and related housing. Over 80% of the college student fire fatalities occurred in off-campus housing. Most of the fires occur between the hours of 5pm and 11pm.

‘Doppio’ Italian Restaurant Opens on Main Street

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

The owners of an established Italian restaurant in Greenwich on Monday opened a new location in town. Doppio is located at 62 Main St. The word means “double” in Italian, a reference to Joseph Barresi, owner of the restaurant, and his brother, Louis Barresi, who is executive chef. “We have a lot of nice New Canaan families that go to our Greenwich location frequently, so when this spot became available, we were very excited to take the opportunity and do our thing,” Joseph Barresi said. “The town welcomed us with open arms,” he said.