Government

Town Approves $24,000 Contract for Improvements at Patio in Front of Saxe Middle School

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Town officials last week approved an approximately $24,000 contract with an East Otis, Mass.-based company to improve an area in front of Saxe Middle School that became a popular outdoor learning space amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting Feb. 21 voted unanimously in favor of the $23,814.32 contract with The Williams Stone Company. 

The town last year had extended a sidewalk “that comes straight down to the front of the school, with a nice patio that they’ve been using for outdoor classrooms and for areas that the kids to get out of doors, specifically after the success during COVID,” Public Works Director Tiger Mann said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

“They realized the success of outdoor classrooms which were a hit. The kids liked to be outside. It’s much better for them and overall learning.

Government

Town Approves $13,800 Contract for Boiler Replacement at Nature Center

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The Board of Selectmen at its most recent meeting approved a $13,800 contract with a Danbury-based company for the emergency replacement of a boiler at the New Canaan Nature Center. The selectmen during its Feb. 7 meeting voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with Eastern Mechanical Services, which installed a new “Navien Combi Boiler” in the Animal Care Center at the Oenoke Ridge organization. The boiler had failed in mid- to late-December “and we had to replace it obviously since we were in the middle of winter,” according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. 

“We changed over from an oil to a propane, so we can actually remove the oil tanks,” Mann said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “And we had [First Selectman] Kevin [Moynihan] sign it since it was an emergency basis, and then we are bringing it here for your approval.

Government

Town Approves $12,000 Contract for Design of Wetland Boardwalk at Irwin

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Town officials this month approved a $12,000 contract with an Avon-based firm to design a proposed new boardwalk in Irwin Park. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with Richter & Cegan at its Feb. 7 meeting. 

The company had done “the original master plan and did the original Flexi-pave trail so they’re intimately involved or aware of the park itself,” Public Works Director Tiger Mann said at the meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference. He added that the boardwalk—planned for the southwest corner of the Weed Street park—had been part of the original larger plan but was removed for monetary reasons. “This was actually in the first part of the master plan that was there, and then when we did the trail work initially, we took that out as a ‘value engineering’ portion of the project,” Mann said.

Board of Selectmen

Selectmen Promote Carey to Assistant Town Planner

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Officials on Tuesday promoted a worker in Planning & Zoning to assistant town planner, with the town’s former full-time planner overseeing the department on a part-time basis. The Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting voted 3-0 in favor of promoting Zoning Enforcement Officer Sarah Carey. “She has been a great team player,” Human Resources Director Cheryl Pickering Jones said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “She’s very organized. Works well with staff and residents, and we will also have Steve Kleppin overseeing the department, working closely with Sarah and the Commission as she takes this new role on.”

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted 3-0 in favor of the promotion. 

Kleppin had served as New Canaan’s planner for 11 years prior to taking the full-time planner job in Norwalk in 2016.

Government

Selectmen Approve $12,000 Contract To Address ADA Violation

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Addressing one of dozens of Americans with Disabilities Act violations cited by federal authorities, town officials last week approved an approximately $12,000 contract with a Norwalk-based company to replace a railing at the paddle lodge in Waveny. The Board of Selectmen during a regular meeting Jan. 26 voted 3-0 to approve the $11,900 contract with Vinny’s Custom Metal Fabricators LLC. U.S. Department of Justice officials during an investigation into ADA violations found that “this railing, unfortunately, was shorter than the ramp itself and didn’t have the necessary return at the end, as well as it didn’t have an interior railing,” Public Works Director Tiger Mann told the selectmen during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. He referred to a railing and ramp at the front or east-facing side of the structure. 

“We have an interior railing along the porch but not an interior railing on the ramp itself,” Mann continued.