News

Frank E. Grzelecki, 87

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Frank E. Grzelecki, a longtime New Canaan resident, died peacefully at his home surrounded by his loved ones on November 29, 2024. He was 87. 

Born and raised in Schenectady, NY, Frank was the son of Edward and Lena Grzelecki. He attended Gettysburg College and met Jean Nissley, his lifelong friend and wife of sixty-five years. After serving in the Army, they raised their two daughters, Sharon and Deborah, in East Greenwich, RI and Princeton, NJ before moving to New Canaan in 1985. 

Frank held executive positions with Colgate Palmolive, Textron, Lenox Inc., Brown Foreman Corp., Beatrice Companies, Inc. and Handy & Harman. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of numerous companies during his business career. 

Frank enjoyed boating and fishing.

News

Future of Main Street Project Uncertain After Developer Pulls Out

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A plan approved this fall to convert parts of a prominent Main Street building from offices to residential units has hit a snag as the contract purchaser has pulled out. 

The Planning & Zoning Commission during its Oct. 29 meeting voted unanimously to approve changes at 112 Main St., known locally as “The Raymond Building.” It currently has five ground floor retail units and 10 upper floor office spaces. 

P&Z approved a plan to keep the street-level front of the building as retail while building out the back of the first floor to add three residential units (two of which would be affordable), while the second and third floors would have four dwelling units each and two more units would be added to an expanded fourth floor. 

However, the builder/developer associated with the project “did recently drop out,” David Silverberg, principal of the company that owns the property, told NewCanaanite.com in an email when asked for a status update. 

“We’re looking for a replacement buyer/developer to see the project through,” he said. “We already have serious interest, which is nice, but we have not yet made any decisions.”

P&Z’s approval remains in place. “As a fan, and as you already know, I believe this project will help the downtown,” Silverberg said in the email. “The town has dedicated a lot of effort to make this happen.

News

New Canaan Teen Charged After Bar Fights Downtown

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Police before dawn on Thanksgiving Day arrested a 19-year-old New Canaan man following bar fights downtown. At about 1:28 a.m. on Nov. 28, officers responded to Elm Street on reports of two altercations at local bars with individuals spilling onto the sidewalk and street, officials said. Through an investigation, officers developed probable cause to charge the teen with second-degree breach of peace and third-degree forgery (he used a California “driver’s license”), according to a police report. 

Under state law, a person is guilty of second-degree breach of peace if he or she “with intent to cause inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, such person: (1) Engages in fighting or in violent, tumultuous or threatening behavior in a public place; or (2) assaults or strikes another; or (3) threatens to commit any crime against another person or such other person’s property; or (4) publicly exhibits, distributes, posts up or advertises any offensive, indecent or abusive matter concerning any person; or (5) in a public place, uses abusive or obscene language or makes an obscene gesture,” among other reasons. Police released the teen after he promised to appear Dec.

News

Coffee’s on for Thursday

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Join fellow residents and NewCanaanite.com editor Michael Dinan for the monthly Community Coffee, to be held 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 in the Jim & Dede Bartlett Auditorium at New Canaan Library. The Coffee is presented in partnership with the library, and the brew is supplied by Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee (thank you, Doug). The free, public coffee is a group conversation about what’s happening around town, moderated by Dinan. Topics come from attendees and we spend no more than 10 minutes per subject.

Around Town

NEAD’s ‘The Nutcracker’ Set for Dec. 13 to 15 [Q&A]

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New Canaan’s New England Academy of Dance is preparing to put on its popular holiday performances of “The Nutcracker,” Dec. 13 to 15 at New Canaan High School. As part of our periodic series profiling local nonprofit organizations (see past installments here and here), we put some questions to Jennifer Kurtz, chair of the ballet school’s nonprofit arm, New England Dance Theater. Here’s our exchange. ***

New Canaanite: The calendar has turned to December, and for several decades in New Canaan what that means, among other things, is that the New England Academy of Dance is putting on “The Nutcracker” (to run Dec.