Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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First Selectman Kevin Moyinhan said during a media briefing Thursday that he’s asked one of New Canaan’s foremost nonprofit figures—Leo Karl III—to lead the New Canaan Athletic Foundation. Karl, known for his extensive volunteer work with organizations that include the New Canaan Community Foundation, where he had served as president, agreed to take on the role, according to Moynihan. Praised by Moynihan for its fundraising ability, the NCAF among other organizational priorities is seeking to establish its own nonprofit arm along the lines of what a similar  group has in Darien, the first selectman said. ***

A Darien homeowner is taking a New Canaan man and his company to small claims court for $4,660.32, saying he committed breach of contract by failing to complete painting work, sealing broken plumbing behind “impenetrable tile and drywall work” and incorrectly installing tile, according to a complaint filed in May. In an answer and counterclaim, the New Canaan man said he’s owed $2,089.63 and that the plaintiff is suing for work not included in the contract.

Business

STAR Turns to Karl Chevrolet, Bolt To ‘Stay Ahead of the Curve’

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Saying the addition of an electric car will improve their program and save money while helping the environment, officials with a New Canaan nonprofit organization that serves developmentally disabled people recently turned to a venerable local business for assistance. STAR Inc., Lighting the Way received a state grant allowing it to add 10 new vehicles to its fleet, including one hybrid, one electric car and eight additional wheelchair-accessible vans, according to Peter Saverine, the organization’s director of philanthropy. Karl Chevrolet facilitated the purchase of an EV, in the spirit of the Elm Street dealership’s longtime support of local nonprofits. “Karl Chevrolet was super nice and accommodating,” Saverine said. “They even drove over to Norwalk with three car models so we could take them for a spin and determine which was the best for us.”

They ended up with one electric Chevy Bolt EV that will help the organization experiment with leveraging their savings to reduce costs.

News

Op-Ed: Balancing Progress and Preservation

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It takes the perspective of time to balance the pace of progress working to shape the future versus the desire to preserve the past. Lately in New Canaan it seems that the majority of projects proposing change and progress toward an ever changing future have been met with cries to preserve the past. I guess that is human nature at its fundamental best—the struggle to remember the past while pursuing the future. Such is the plight of many buildings in New Canaan. There is no question that our town is fortunate to have a vibrant history that we should all be willing to embrace.

Around Town

New Canaan Community Foundation Announces ‘Spirit of New Canaan’ Honorees

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“They have given of themselves to make the community better”—that’s how New Canaan Community Foundation President and CEO Lauren Patterson describes five to be honored next month at the organization’s “Spirit of New Canaan” luncheon. Selected through a careful process that’s overseen by NCCF, this year’s honorees include: Tom McLane, who helped found the Community Foundation itself in 1977; Meg Domino, who has touched the lives of countless families here in 16 years as executive director of New Canaan CARES; New Canaan Land Trust board of directors member Schipper, widely credited with reinvigorating that important organization; and Kathie and Leo Karl Jr., heads of a civic-minded, longtime local family whose continuing legacy of community service is reflected in every aspect of the town. “The Spirit of New Canaan Awards are meant to honor remarkable people or couples who have an impact on the community, and typically that is through civic engagement, community leadership—volunteers or supporters of different efforts in the town who have made an impact,” Patterson said. The luncheon is to be held 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24 at Woodway Country Club. Those seeking to reserve a seat ($100) may do so through the Community Foundation’s website.

Around Town

‘We Would Have To Move Our Business’: Local Business Owners on the Prospect of Reduced Rail Service to New Canaan

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Delivered with a thud last month and underscored by state transportation officials during a recent forum in town, proposed severe cuts in train service on the New Canaan branch line has prompted residents to decry the effect it would have on property values and the ability of visitors—for example, those traveling up from New York City to see the Philip Johnson Glass House—to get here. Less obvious though no less important is the effect that proposed elimination of weekend service as well as off-peak weekday service to New Canaan would have on local businesses, merchants and service providers say, largely because those who work here rely on the train. Steve Karl, vice president at Karl Chevrolet, said that as a business owner in New Canaan, “the news of limiting the train service to our community is the last thing we want to hear.”

“By cutting back the off-peak service and the complete elimination of weekend service it affects our business in a number of ways,” Karl told NewCanaanite.com. “First of all, the employees who use the train to commute will be affected and these are some of our hardest working employees who rely on the train every day. Secondly, due to the proximity of the train station to our store, we frequently sell vehicles to clients who travel by rail to pick them up at our location.