Government

Park Street, Playhouse Lots Repaved; Town Seeks To Slow Speeding Motorists

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With the successful repaving of the Park Street and Playhouse Lots finished, town officials say they’re now looking for a way to slow down motor vehicle traffic whizzing down the access road that runs down to Main Street. The town is “going to try to tackle some of the speed now because people are shooting through the boulevard quickly,” according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “We’re going to look to try to put some speed humps or speed bumps on the way just to calm them down a little bit as they come through Town Hall,” Mann told members of the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting, held Tuesday at Town Hall and via videoconference. The comments came during Mann’s general update on DPW projects to the Board. The long-awaited repaving projects have seen wider car stalls painted into the parking lots.

Government

Town Approves Contract for Graffiti Removal, Repainting at Talmadge Hill Train Station 

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The Board of Selectmen last week approved a $12,000 contract with a Stamford-based company to remove graffiti and repaint parts of the Talmadge Hill Train Station. Metro-North Railroad currently has a shutdown on weekends “so we want to try to take advantage of it,” Bill Oestmann, buildings superintendent in the Department of Public Works, told the selectmen during their regular meeting, held April 21 at Town Hall and via videoconference. He continued: “They [the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Metro-North] requested that we try to do some of this work during the weekends. So our first request is going to be with Talmadge Hill. There’s graffiti.

Board of Selectmen

Town Removes ‘Undocumented’ Third Underground Tank from Irwin House Site

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Town officials last week began removing an “undocumented” underground storage tank from the site of the former Irwin House, a project that should be finished mid-May. The third tank, which municipal officials didn’t know about until a project to demolish Irwin House and its garage got underway last year, “may have been related to the bomb shelter” on the Weed Street property, according to Joe Zagarenski, senior engineer in the Department of Public Works. “it was fairly close to the bomb shelter area,” he told members of the Board of Selectmen during their regular meeting, held April 21 at Town Hall and via videoconference. “There’s a long process that you go through to take out an underground storage tank,” Zagarenski said. He added: “Stamford Wrecking has a tank subcontractor that removes all the oil from within the tank.

Amy Murphy Carroll

‘That Just Wasn’t Honest’: Selectmen Call for Full Accounting of Delayed Waveny Elevator Project

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Saying delays and cost overruns on the Waveny House elevator project are unacceptable, members of the Board of Selectmen this week called for more transparency from Public Works officials, a specific number for how much it has already cost and regular updates on the widely anticipated installation. 

Everyone is “frustrated” with the project, described as being on track for completion this month then just one week later pushed out to July-August, Selectman Amy Murphy Carroll noted. “I’m incredibly frustrated with this, because since I was on the Board of Selectmen and I have asked at least once a month, ‘Where are we in the elevator? Are we okay? Are we on time?’ ” Murphy Carroll told DPW Buildings Superintendent Bill Oestmann during the regular selectmen meeting held Tuesday at Town Hall and via videoconference. “Two weeks ago, we were told to be done by the end of April,” Murphy Carroll continued.

Government

Town Approves $27,000 Contract for Playground Repairs at Kiwanis

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The Board of Selectmen at its most recent meeting approved a $27,000 contract with a Mamaroneck, N.Y.-based company to repair playground equipment at an Old Norwalk Road park. The repairs to the Kiwanis Park playground are in line with “a recent inspection report as a part of our annual playground inspection program,” according to Superintendent of Parks Ryan Restivo. “Funding for this work is available within the Parks [Department’s] capital budget,” Restivo told the selectmen at their April 7 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “If approved, the work will begin as soon as possible.”

First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with Pat Corsetti Inc.

The selectmen asked whether the company’s bid included work at Mead and Dixon Parks (yes), whether the other parks are getting done (in the new fiscal year, yes, minor repairs at those parks), where are the quotes for those projects (the company separated them out) and how old the equipment at Kiwanis is (about 20 years). 

Murphy Carroll noted that once they’re in place, playgrounds are a cost in that they need maintenance and must be updated as required by law. Karl said, “Obviously, you’ve got to have these playgrounds safe and I applaud the idea that we’re going out there and looking at this stuff, because we’ve let some of the playgrounds over the years go a little bit, and this is something that we should be doing every year.”

Parks & Recreation Director John Howe noted that the playgrounds are inspected every year.