Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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New Canaan’s alpaca owner, Debbie McQuilkin, has lived in three houses in New Canaan, and their street numbers follow a pattern: 141 Millport Ave., 585 Ponus Ridge and 757 Oenoke Ridge Road (Crajah House). ***

Ben Olmstead, the 37-year DPW worker with an encyclopedic knowledge of the town who was killed July 23 in an accident while on the job here, is missed for his generous spirit, smile, positive attitude and companionship. He also knew so much that his position—a part-time job for him—will be a challenging full-time job for his eventual successor. In presenting the department’s proposed budget Feb. 3 to the Board of Finance, DPW Assistant Director Tiger Mann said that the job must change to full-time “since it will be a large learning curve for whoever comes in. Ben knew everything in his head.

Business

Silvermine Market Building among Properties with Severely Delinquent Taxes, Set for Town’s First-Ever Public Auction

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Update March 5

The last properties slated for this week’s tax sale have been paid in full by their owners, so the auction was cancelled. Overall, the town’s revenue collection initiative which began in July 2014 recovered $971,317 in delinquent taxes. Original Article

For the first time in New Canaan, the town is putting up for bid in a public auction properties whose owners are three-plus years delinquent in paying local taxes—including the Silvermine Market building (the structure only, not the business) and in another case a property eight years late and owing more than $200,000. A “tax sale” has been set for 10 a.m. on March 5 at Waveny for five properties—54 and 56 Forest St., 527 Smith Ridge Road, 61 Sturbridge Hill Road and 1032 Silvermine Road—the first three of which are owned by the same party, according to documents on file with the Town Clerk. Reached by NewCanaanite.com, town officials said the rare step has been taken for delinquent taxes only in cases where all other options were exhausted.