Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday that he intends to sign an order keeping all Connecticut schools closed through at least May 20. “Out of the best interests of the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff, we feel this is the best approach at this time,” he said in a press release. According to New Canaan Emergency Management Director Mike Handler, the town had 106 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11 deaths as of Thursday evening. ***

Regarding the estimated $12 million renovation of police headquarters on South Avenue, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said during a discussion of long-term capital spending at Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Finance, “If anything, if we are going into a recession or a depression, maybe you push the Police Department [project] off entirely.”

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New Canaan Police posted on Instagram Thursday that thieves continue to take advantage of residents who are not locking their cars amid the COVID-19 emergency. “More and more cars are being entered at night and several cars have been stolen,” police said.

Bill Oestmann

‘What About Us?’: Devereaux Raises Questions About Vine Cottage Sale 

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Selectman Kit Devereaux last week questioned just who in town government would be able to see proposals from those interested in purchasing a prominent town-owned building on Main Street. The Board of Selectmen voted 2-1 last month to approve a request for proposals or ‘RFP’ for Vine Cottage, with Devereaux opposing the move and Selectman Nick Williams and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan in favor. During the Board’s regular meeting July 9, Devereaux asked who would be able to see the RFP responses. When Moynihan said it would probably be himself, Director of Public Works Tiger Mann, Buildings Superintendent Bill Oestmann, Devereaux asked, “What about us?” She referred to herself and Williams. 

“There might be some benefit in us seeing the ones that come in, comparatively,” she said at the meeting, held in Town Hall.

Government

Town Attorney Warns of Unforeseen Restrictions Regarding Popular Pedestrian Alley

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Though some are eager to preserve forever a frequently used pedestrian alley downtown, officials say, the town attorney is warning that doing so through an easement could hamstring future municipal leaders. The alley that runs alongside the Playhouse and Le Pain Quotidien, connecting Elm Street to the parking lots behind it, is town-owned property. Though it could be transferred into a trust and then placed under an easement that would guarantee it serves as a pedestrian walkway in perpetuity, Town Attorney Ira bloom is urging town officials to consider that doing so could restrict future generations in unforeseen ways, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said. Asked by a committee of the Planning & Zoning Commission to look into the possibility of an easement, Moynihan said he called on Bloom to investigate it. 

“Some people want to protect it in perpetuity,” Moynihan said. “The counter argument is that you don’t want to restrict future generations of leaders about what to do 100 years from now.”

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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One of the attorneys for the lunch ladies charged with first-degree larceny, Stamford-based Darnell Crosland, told reporters Monday that he and his client have agreed to be filmed by A&E as part of the TV network’s planned show, “The Accused.” The show “tells the dramatic stories of people at the most vital and most terrifying moment of their lives,” according to A&E. “This gripping series reveals the true inside story of what happens when someone is accused of a crime they believe they did not commit. Featuring the defendant, their family and their legal teams, ‘The Accused (working title)’ reveals the personal cost of every charge, watching each case unfold from the defendant’s point of view. It shares every twist and turn of this traumatic experience from their first meeting with their lawyers right up to the verdict allowing viewers to judge the subject’s innocence for themselves.”

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A new business is “popping up” next Wednesday at 4 South Ave. (formerly Funky Monkey) in New Canaan.

Amy Murphy Carroll

New Canaan Committee Conducted Illegal Meetings, State Official Says

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The town of New Canaan violated state sunshine laws by failing to notice or open to the public a series of meetings held over several months last year, state officials say. Site visits conducted by two-person teams of the Building Evaluation & Use Committee—a group charged in February 2017 with studying and making recommendations about town-owned buildings—constituted “special meetings of a subcommittee” and “were subject to public notice and meeting minutes requirements,” according to attorney Valicia Dee Harmon, hearing officer of the state Freedom of Information Commission. After overseeing hearings at the Commission’s offices in Hartford on Dec. 5 and Feb. 6, to address a complaint about the meetings brought by NewCanaanite.com, Harmon found that the town, committee and Co-chairpersons Penny Young and Amy Murphy Carroll violated two provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.