Government

‘It is a Beautiful Part of Our Town’: Selectmen Approve Funds for Exterior Restoration of Vine Cottage

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Calling Vine Cottage a “beautiful part of our town,” town officials last week approved funds to renovate the exterior of the prominent Main Street structure. It is important that the Town does not tamper with the look of the building, because it blends beautifully into the architecture of New Canaan, First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said during a Board of Selectmen meeting. With Mallozzi, Selectmen Beth Jones and Nick Williams gave unanimous approval for the New Canaan Department of Public Works to enter into a $43,500 contract with Manhattan-based Architectural Preservation Studio, which has an office on Pine Street in New Canaan . According to Bill Oestmann, buildings and fleet superintendent for the DPW, the most recent renovation of the Vine Cottage was, “about 12, 15 years ago and mostly that was all interior work.”

However, this upcoming renovation will be focused on the exterior renovation of porches, windows and siding. “Ninety-nine percent of this project is exterior,” Oestmann said during the meeting, held May 17 at Town Hall.

Government

‘I Am Worried About the Town’s Exposure’: Cautiously, Selectmen Approve Contract Change To Expedite Work at Saxe

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Seeking to gain eight or nine precious workdays after school lets out, town officials on Monday effectively expedited a handful of contracts connected to the Saxe Middle School renovation and expansion, totaling nearly $6 million. Facing a delay in the widely anticipated $18.6 million project—a holdup caused in part, officials say, by the EPA taking longer than expected to approve abatement and remediation plans—members of the Saxe Building Committee at a special meeting of the Board of Selectmen requested an amended contract for the project’s construction manager on agreements with five vendors. Given that the delay would cost about $70,000 to $75,000 per month, Mallozzi noted that savings here would come to approximately $18,000. The selectmen voted 3-0 in favor of the amended contract, though only after receiving some assurances vis-à-vis the town’s risk, since they were asked specifically to allow the amended contracts, totaling $5.8 million, “prior to the determination of the guaranteed maximum price.”

“So what we are doing today is saying to [construction manager] O&G is, ‘Go ahead and let’s engage these five vendors, but we cannot guarantee right now to the town’—which is what you folks have a responsibility to do—‘we cannot guarantee what the maximum pricing of this project is going to be,’ ” Mallozzi said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. “So my deal as a selectman is: We want to save the $18,000 and speed up by eight or nine days the construction, but what is the risk to the town?

Government

‘Tread Very, Very Lightly’: Selectmen Critical of Imposing Term Limits on Volunteer Boards and Commissions

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It would be a mistake to set term limits for the members of the volunteer boards, commissions and committees that help govern New Canaan or to impose restrictions on how long people can serve as chairmen of those groups, the town’s highest elected official said this week. Citing opinions from some members of New Canaan’s legislative body, the Town Council, as well as a referral back to an appointed group that’s recommending changes to the town’s major governing document, First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said to force rotating chairmanships would be a bad idea. “I would caution the Town Council to tread very, very lightly on imposing limitations—from a body that does not have their own term limits—to talk about there being term limits with other groups,” Mallozzi said Tuesday during a Board of Selectmen meeting, held at Town Hall. As it stands, the Town Charter sets no term limits on members of groups that include the selectmen, Park & Recreation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Town Council or Board of Finance, or on individuals such as the town clerk or treasurer—and the Charter Revision Commission recommended no changes in those areas in its draft report. The Charter Revision Commission’s recommendations vis-à-vis the Town Charter may go up for a town-wide vote during the general elections in November.

Government

‘That Experiment Doesn’t Seem To Work Very Well in This Town’: Selectmen Flag Lack of Trash Receptacles at Parks

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New Canaan should look again at an ineffective, money-saving change that saw the town adopt a “carry-in, carry-out” policy in lieu of more garbage cans at public parks, officials said Tuesday. Residents are asking why there aren’t more receptacles at places such as Waveny and litter has become increasingly commonplace as a result, according to Selectman Nick Williams.

“I get a lot of complaints on this and I think maybe it’s something we may want to look at,” Williams said during the Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting, held at Town Hall. “And I want to know historically how this came about, and what the cost-savings was projected. We have the [PFA] Beautification Committee at New Canaan High School doing great things, now we should continue that trend.”

The comments came as the selectmen approved 3-0 a $7,500 contract with a Wilton-based refuse company to take on year-round garbage and recycling services at Lapham Community Center, Waveny Pool, Mead Park and Kiwanis Park. Recreation Director Steve Benko said the Town Council about six or seven years ago switched to a carry-in, carry-out policy with the Department of Public Works providing four dumpsters at Waveny including the water tower turf field, two at Mead, one at Irwin and two at NCHS by the athletic fields.

Around Town

Propane Tanks for Waveny Pool Water Heaters Approved; New Amenity On Track for Memorial Day Weekend Opening

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Town officials on Tuesday approved a plan to bury three propane tanks around Waveny Pool as a first step toward installing water heaters for the upcoming season—a widely anticipated amenity at the popular facility. The Board of Selectmen by a 3-0 vote approved a $15,000 contract between the New Canaan Department of Public Works and Danbury-based Mitchell Gas to install two 1,000-gallon tanks to serve the main pool at Waveny, and a 250-gallon tank for the kiddie pool, according to Joe Zagarenski, senior engineer with the DPW. The funds had been part of an allowance that came with the Waveny Pool’s original approval, he said. The heaters are to be delivered this week and the water should be heated in time for the Waveny Pool’s Memorial Day weekend opening, Recreation Director Steve Benko said during the selectmen’s regular meeting, held at Town Hall. Selectman Nick Williams called Waveny Pool a “real success story” and noted that Benko and the Park & Recreation Commission had run with a suggestion from the selectmen to re-examine its original economic model.