Board of Selectmen

Selectmen Corbet, Williams Nix Cell-Related Contracts as Utilities Commission Is Appointed

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After residents voiced concerns, the Board of Selectmen decided Tuesday to forgo approval of two contracts related to a widely discussed proposal to erect a cell tower in the woods behind West School. Reiterating what citizens have been saying for months regarding plans to study cell coverage in New Canaan and to survey residents about their service, Selectman Kathleen Corbet said during the Board’s regular meeting that a newly appointed Utilities Commission should decide which companies will help the town. “I’m not going to approve this because I really want to see the Utilities Commission be able to step up and decide what the community survey is going to look like and how the coverage analysis is going to be done,” Corbet said during the selectmen’s meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. Selectman Nick Williams, long wary of First Selectman Kevin Moynihan’s push for the town’s selected partner in improving cell service, Homeland Towers, to pursue the West School option, said he would prefer to “table” the two contracts—with V-Comm Telecommunications Engineering (coverage) and Great Blue Research, Inc. (survey)—indefinitely. 

Yet Corbet said she wanted to discuss the items first, and in doing so she cited comments from the public. 

During a public comments section at the top of the meeting, New Canaan resident Barbara Wills said she was excited about the prospect of appointing members of a Utilities Commission (see below). “And I would respectfully like to request that no actions about cell service or the evaluation of it be taken until the Utilities Commission is seated,” Wills said.

Board of Selectmen

Three Crosswalks on Heritage Hill Road To Get Accessible Ramps

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Residents of Heritage Hill Road can anticipate safer pedestrian routes because of the Department of Public Works’ decision to move forward with installing new concrete curb ramps at crosswalks there. 

Those living on Heritage Hill Road—a popular cut-through to Route 123—asked for the crosswalks, and the project has since been given the green light by the Police Commission, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “We had a residential request for mid-block crosswalks on Heritage Hill Road,” Mann said during Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting. “The intention is to address safety concerns, especially during school bus pickup times and facilitate easier crossing for residents.” The comments came as Mann presented a contract with a New Canaan-based company to do the work. Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams, and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, voted 3-0 to approve the $19,925 contract with Peter Lanni, Inc. The figure includes $10,000 for police to oversee motor vehicle traffic during the ramp construction.

Board of Selectmen

Town Approves Contract for ‘Neglected Cemetery’ Cleanup

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Town officials on Tuesday approved a contract to clean up cemeteries in New Canaan. The Board of Selectmen approved a $7,650 contract with a local company for maintenance at nine cemeteries in town. The cemeteries, which are spread throughout town, will undergo a spring and fall cleanup and then two summer mowings, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “Leaves, branches, and further debris removal,” Mann said at the May 16 selectmen meeting. 

Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams, and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with Rosati Landscaping. There are 27 cemeteries in New Canaan, Mann said.

Board of Selectmen

Upper Ponus Ridge To Close from July to November for Bridge Construction 

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Ponus Ridge will be closed north of the Greenley Road intersection from July through November for a bridge replacement project, officials say. The Board of Selectmen last week approved about $1.4 million in contracts—80% of which is to be paid by the federal government—for work in constructing and inspecting the Ponus Ridge Bridge at Collins Pond. According to town Senior Engineer Joe Zagarenski, the official detour routes will be Greenley to West Road south of the work, and Dan’s Highway to West Road to the north. “That is official route,” Zagarenski told the selectmen during their regular meeting, held May 2 at Town Hall and via videoconference. “People are going to find other routes.”

Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan voted 3-0 in favor of a $1,125,937 contract with NJR Construction and $272,950 contract with M&J Engineering.

Board of Selectmen

Fellow Selectmen Pooh-Pooh Moynihan’s Proposed ‘Committee’ for Studying Cell Service

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Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams last week scuttled a plan from New Canaan’s highest elected official to appoint a new committee that would study cell service in town. As he’d signaled the prior week, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan during an April 4 Board of Selectmen meeting said he wanted to appoint a new committee to work on improving service on the west side of town. Corbet and Williams responded that there’s no need to form a brand-new committee for such work, since it rightly should be handled by a soon-to-be-reconstituted Utilities Commission. Referring to Moynihan’s suggestion, Corbet said, “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

A reactivated Utilities Commission would include residents “with expertise and knowledgeable backgrounds and information about all aspects of public utilities, including cell service, including issues such as electricity and water,” Corbet said at the selectmen meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference. 

“So there is a broad remit, if you will, in terms of the responsibilities of the Utilities Commission,” she said. “The first of which is to address cellular service in town.