Animal 411

Selectmen Divided on Future of Animal Shelter in New Canaan 

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Members of the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voiced support for two different ways to move forward with the town’s Animal Control shelter, which long has been occupied in a former incinerator building at the dump. That brick structure soon will need a new roof, which two officials say would cost about $75,000 to $80,000 to replace. Selectman Nick Williams raised the issue recently, calling for New Canaan to find better quarters for the lost or abandoned animals that end up in the shelter. During the Board’s special meeting at Town Hall, Selectman Kit Devereaux said response to the issue has generated strong support from concerned residents, and that creation of a new shelter “would be a really great public-private partnership.”

“I want to know if there would be support for that,” Devereaux said. Williams said he agreed, and that he received several calls and emails from residents who want to help.

Board of Selectmen

Election 2019: NewCanaanite.com Endorsements for Selectmen

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[Note: Our endorsement for first selectman can be found here.]

In rising above party politics and at times checking New Canaan’s highest elected official to preserve a balance of power within the town government’s executive branch, Selectmen Kit Devereaux and Nick Williams each have earned re-election to the Board of Selectmen on Nov. 5. Williams, a career attorney, is a four-term incumbent Republican who had served previously on the Board of Education, including as chairman. Devereaux, a Democrat who retired from a career in finance, served for eight years apiece on the Town Council and Board of Finance, and after a shorter stint on the Parks & Recreation Commission challenged for the first selectman seat two years ago, falling just 33 votes short. She landed in a selectman seat and, as evident during last week’s Candidates Debate, Devereaux and Williams—though they don’t agree on every vote or matter that comes before the Board, for example, on moving forward on a possible sale of Vine Cottage or charging for disabled parking spaces at the train station—have forged a strong and effective working relationship.

News

Election 2019: Readers’ Letters of Endorsement

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The following letters of endorsement were submitted to NewCanaanite.com. ***

I urge the re-election of Brendan Hayes for the Board of Education. A Democrat with broad bipartisan support, Brendan was elected BOE Chairman last year by a 7-2 vote, including 4 of 6 Republicans. Brendan works hard, is a patient and thoughtful listener, and has the analytical skills one would expect of a highly successful investment banker. He’s a confident and effective advocate for New Canaan’s schools.

Board of Selectmen

Selectmen Approve Plan for Security Cameras at Waveny

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Acceding to a grassroots push to install cameras at Waveny as per a police recommendation, the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voted 3-0 to solicit proposals for updating security systems in New Canaan. Responses to a RFP likely would come back in December or January, officials said, giving the town an idea of costs as New Canaan sets its spending plan for next fiscal year. The local mom and attorney behind an online petition this summer that kickstarted the town’s efforts, Hilary Ormond, said during an interview after the Board meeting that she was “cautiously optimistic” about the progress. “I want to see this through,” said Ormond, who attended the meeting at Town Hall as a guest. “I want to see it actually happen.

Board of Selectmen

‘A Dump Within a Dump’: Selectman Williams Calls for Improved Animal Shelter

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The town’s Animal Control shelter—which occupies about 800 square feet in a non-insulated former incinerator building at the dump—is not suitable to house dogs and other animals, Selectman Nick Williams said Tuesday. Given that the shelter soon will need a new roof, which officials estimate will cost $75,000 to $80,000, New Canaan should plan for an improved future facility or to outsource the care of lost or dumped animals, Williams said during the Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting. “To be clear, we are talking about maybe 50, 60, 70 animals a year going in there—it’s not high usage but it’s also not a great place to keep animals,” Williams said. The building’s “only use is as an animal shelter, which is a dump,” he said. “A dump within a dump—I’m sorry, a dump within a ‘Transfer Station,’ ” Williams said.