Board of Selectmen

Town Takes Step Toward Getting $2 Million in State Grant Funding for Playhouse Renovation

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The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday took an important step toward securing a $2 million state grant to help offset renovation costs at The Playhouse. The town’s application for a Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development grant follows an announcement last December regarding the state Bond Commission’s approval of the funds. According to town Grant Writer Greg Reilly, the selectmen’s support of the application—including authorization for First Selectman Dionna Carlson to gather and submit documents under the DECD’s Urban Action Grant program—is “one of the final steps in the long process of obtaining the $2 million that was awarded to the town last December, through the state Bond Commission and through the work of our legislative team.”

“One of the things that’s unusual about this case is that the money was granted after the project started,” Reilly told the selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

“So we are going back and playing catchup and doing everything that has to be done, including apply for the money,” he continued. “There’s all sorts of things that are required, and this is one of them. We have submitted an application.

Amy Murphy Carroll

‘I’ve Had Great People Around Me’: Mose Saccary To Retire After 44 Years with the DPW

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Mose Saccary, East Avenue-raised son of a Nova Scotian coal miner, graduated from New Canaan High School in 1978 after coming up through Center School and Saxe. He worked several jobs out of school, including for the architect Dinyar Wadia, at Grand Union and at Walter Stewart’s (“We actually lived on Seminary Street by then, so I could jump the wall,” Saccary recalled.)

“Before that, I worked for Joe’s Pizza when I was about 10,” he told NewCanaanite.com. On graduating NCHS, he learned that two buddies—Joey Lucas, a ‘78 classmate, and Walt Jaykus, one year below—had taken jobs with the town’s Department of Public Works. “I got interested in it and came on board and never looked back,” Saccary said. That was April 1980, and he started as a laborer.

Government

Town Attorney’s Firm Opens ‘Finance Department Complaint/Investigation’

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Town officials on Tuesday approved payment of a legal bill that includes an item listed as “Finance Department Complaint/Investigation.”

The town attorney’s firm has charged $4,335, at an hourly rate of $170, for more than 25 hours of work on the matter since July 1, according to a legal bill approved unanimously by the Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. It wasn’t immediately clear what the investigation involves, who’s at the center of it or who lodged a complaint. Asked about it after the meeting, First Selectman Dionna Carlson declined to comment because it’s an active matter involving town personnel. 

The work done by the town attorney’s firm includes communications with a union representative, “fact-finding,” conducting “witness” interviews and researching “paid medical leave,” according to line items listed in the bill (available here in full, see final pages) from Berchem Moses PC, as follows: 

“Update question outline for employee-respondent based on interviews conducted: draft investigatory interview summaries and notes; teleconference with union representative re: fact-finding changes; update fact-finding schedule and draft email to witnesses re: schedule change.” (July 1)
“Draft, update and revise interview summaries to date; revise and distribute updated fact-finding notices.” (July 3)
“Review and respond to various email correspondence with employee witnesses re: fact-finding interviews.” (July 9)
“Draft, review and respond to various email correspondence with union representatives and employee witnesses re: fact finding interviews; teleconference with union representative re: fact finding interviews; revise interview questions and outline.” (July 10)
“Review and revise questions for forthcoming investigation interviews on 7-18; prepare for investigation interviews.” (July 17)
“Prepare for and attend investigatory interviews; update interview notes.” (July 17)
“Review and update question outlines for forthcoming witness interviews; review and respond to email correspondence with union representative re: witness interviews.” (July 30)
“Prepare for and attend investigation interviews; organize interview notes.” (July 31)
“Conduct legal research re: paid medical leave.” (July 31)
“Prepare for and attend investigation interviews; organize interview notes.” (July 31)

The attorney handling the work for the law firm is listed as ‘CRH’ in the bill, an apparent reference to Christopher R. Henderson. According to the Berchem Moses website, he “is an Associate Attorney in the firm’s Labor and Employment Department.”

Other than the firm’s $8,500 monthly retainer, the complaint and investigation represent the second most-expensive single item in the overall $29,257 July bill (the highest being a five-year-old zoning appeal regarding Grace Farms, at $4,488.50). 

Members of the Board—Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll—made no comment on the bill in approving it at the meeting.

Government

Selectmen, Commission ID Wages Issue within NCPD

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Town officials this month discussed what they described as an ongoing salary issue among New Canaan’s finest. 

During the Ag. 6 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, members of the Police Commission asked the selectmen for percentage salary increases for the highest-ranking members of the New Canaan Police Department. Paul Foley, a member of the appointed body, asked the Board to increase the deputy chief and captain’s salary from 2.75% to 3%, and the chief’s from 2.75% to 3.5%. During the meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference, Foley said these increases aren’t “quite where other departments are, but it gets them bumped up a bit.”

Foley said the increases would send a message to the rest of the staff that “there is some room for compensation increase.”

Foley said the department has been dealing with an issue where there’s a lack of individuals moving into administration positions.

Government

Town Officials Approve Request To Demo ‘Audubon House’ at Nature Center

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Town officials last week approved a request to demolish a long-disused town-owned building at the New Canaan Nature Center. During the Aug. 6 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, officials discussed the future of the “Audubon House,” a deteriorating 15-by-30-foot structure located across from the Oenoke Ridge nonprofit organization’s Visitor Center. 

Department of Public Works Senior Engineer Joe Zagarenski asked the Board of Selectmen for authorization to enter into a contract with Fuss & O’Neill, a civil and environmental engineering company. 

The contract, in the amount of $4,355 plus a contingency of $800 (a total of $5,155), is required to perform the demolition of the rectangular structure, Zagarenski told the Board at its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

Director of Public Works Tiger Mann said the cost is funded in the fiscal year 2024-25 budget in a $50,000 line item. The building originally served as a laundry facility for the late Susan Dwight Bliss, a New Canaan resident and philanthropist.