Government

Officials Pursue Noise-Reduction Measures at Waveny Trails Near Merritt Parkway

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Officials say they’re looking at ways the town might partner with nonprofit agencies to reduce the noise along the southernmost trails at Waveny that run alongside the Merritt Parkway. Parks & Recreation Commissioner Keith Richey during the appointed body’s July 13 meeting said he walks that stretch of trail often “and it’s so noisy.”

“Is there anything we can do like a bulldozer pushing earth up to create like a little embankment, or plant a bunch of spruces or do something?” Richey said during the Commission’s regular meeting, held at Lapham Community Center. 

His question came following an update from Waveny Park Conservancy Executive Director Phoebe Knowles. During the update, she cited the Merritt Parkway trail and said “the town removed the really ugly chain link fence this year, which has improved the visuals down there so it looks beautiful.”

In response to Rickey’s question, Knowles and Parks & Recreation Director John Howe said several officials from the town, WPC and Merritt Parkway Conservancy had been out looking the area that very day. The group was “trying to figure out who and how” to address the noise issue, Knowles said. The state Department of Transportation has a right-of-way that runs 90 feet from the center of the parkway, she said.

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New Canaan Fire Marshal: Brush Fire Danger This Summer [VIDEO]

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Wildfires are any unplanned fires that burn in forests and other wild lands such as shrubs or grass communities. They are a powerful force we must understand and respect in order to best help control them. Nearly 9 out of 10 wildfires nationwide are caused by humans and could have been prevented. 

The video above from Saturday July 30, 2022 is a fire on the westbound shoulder of Route I84 between exit 6 & 7. The fire was most likely caused by a lit cigarette thrown out of a car window. Due to the wind and the dry conditions the Forest Fire Danger level in Connecticut has been high for most of the summer.

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Letters to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter(s) to the editor. Please send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com for publication here. ***

Kudos to everyone who helped make the final concert of New Canaan Chamber Music’s 2021-2022 season a great success last week. Our audience of nearly 250 enthusiasts of all ages was enthralled by breathtaking performances of Bach, Grieg, Ravel, Chopin, and Bartok. The weather was perfect and the idyllic setting on the Waveny Park lawn was framed by a beautiful sunset.

Government

‘People Are Really Upset About This’: Town Council Pushes Back on Snub of VFW’s Funding Request

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Members of the Town Council are pushing back on decisions made by other municipal bodies that deny a request from local veterans for funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. The Boards of Selectmen and Finance both voted in support of a $582,600 ARPA package for nonprofit organizations that left out a $15,000 request from the local VFW. During their own July 20 meeting, Town Councilmen tried to get answers as to why the snub occurred and to urge the selectmen and finance board to fill the funding request. “If it wasn’t for our veterans this town would not exist,” Councilman Kimberly Norton said during the meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference. “So I think it’s of paramount importance that we take this seriously, and all of these people are volunteers that volunteered their service to our country, and then volunteered in our parade, and mapping the graves of the veterans in the cemetery.

Government

Town Approves $49,000 Contract To Replace Walkways Behind South School

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Town officials last week approved a $49,000 contract to remove and replace a section of walkways behind South School. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with New England Paving during its regular meeting July 26. Representatives from the school and Parks, Recreation and Highway Departments met to walk the area at the top of the hill behind South that “all the back classrooms exit onto” and they’re “in disrepair and need to be replaced,” according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “There are still sidewalks down below toward the playground that would be a secondary phase,” Mann told the selectmen at their meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted 3-0 in favor of the contract. 

The price quoted by the contractor comes to the same rate offered in 2008, Mann said.