Government

Town: Green Grass Expected Late Fall at Irwin House Demo Site

By |

Town officials on Tuesday approved another $84,000 for the remediation of contaminated soils at the former Irwin House site. The funds—to be paid to the Stamford Wrecking Company following a 3-0 vote by the Board of Selectmen—hopefully will be the final payment in a demolition and abatement project budgeted for about $770,000 all in, according to Joe Zagarenski, senior engineer in the Department of Public Works. The overall project is coming in about $29,000 over that spending plan, he told the selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. Asked when the public can expect to see green grass on the site of the former Irwin House, Zagarenski said in October-November — so long as no further contaminants turn up. “I don’t suspect we’re going to find anything, but if we’re trying to find the clean limits and we hit into another area that’s [contaminated]—I don’t see it, I don’t foresee it happening, but there is that [chance],” he said.

News

Town to Repair Spinning Equipment at Mead Park Playground After Six-Year-Old Components Begin to Wobble

By |

The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously at its regular meeting at Town Hall on  July 21 to approve a $15,945 contract to repair two standalone spinning play components at the Mead Park playground that have become wobbly after years of use at the popular facility. Superintendent of Parks Ryan Restivo presented the request, saying the town had been alerted to the problem by members of the public who noticed the equipment was no longer functioning properly. “There’s just caution tape around it,” Restivo said of the components. “It still moves and it still functions, but it’s very wobbly.”

Government

Town Approves $150,000 for Repairs at Schoolhouse Apartments

By |

The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously at its regular meeting last week to approve $150,000 for capital improvements at Schoolhouse Apartments, the 40-unit affordable senior housing complex on South Avenue. The funds will come from interest accrued on the town’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation, and will be held in a special projects fund as bids on individual projects come in, officials said at the meeting, held July 7 at Town Hall and via videoconference. Steve Hoover, who became president of Schoolhouse Apartments Inc. four months ago, told the board that the nonprofit had been in serious trouble when a new executive committee took over in March. “For 11 of the last 36 months, we had no on-site property manager,” Hoover said.

Government

‘You Do the Best You Can’: Town Addresses Waveny Fireworks Decision

By |

The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. The town’s highest elected official this week addressed the widely discussed decision to proceed with the July 4 fireworks at Waveny Park, saying the storm that cut the event short and sent thousands of attendees scrambling was not foreseeable when the go-ahead was given. First Selectman Dionna Carlson addressed the controversy at the Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting at Town Hall, where she said she’s received significant feedback from residents upset about the call. 

“I’m hearing lots of Monday morning quarterbacking on the call,” Carlson said. “I think it’s important for people to understand the decision-making process.” The show, she explained, had to be approved before the town’s fireworks provider crossed the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey into New York on Friday evening.

News

Selectmen Table $52,500 Police Vehicle Purchase, Request More Documentation

By |

The Board of Selectmen last week tabled a $52,500 purchase order for a New Canaan Police Department vehicle during its regular meeting, asking the agency to return with additional documentation before a vote. Capt. Joseph Farenga presented the request during the Board’s June 23 meeting, seeking up to $52,500 for the purchase and outfitting of a used utility van for the department’s Special Response Team. The van would replace a 2002 ambulance the team has used for years to transport equipment and personnel during call-outs and training exercises, he said. “It’s central for the team,” Farenga said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. He noted that a separate, older ambulance previously discussed by the board is intended for a different purpose, as a command and drone-operations vehicle.