Business

Fire Safety Officials Eye Potential Hazard of Propane Tanks Downtown

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With the proliferation of restaurants in New Canaan over the past 10 or 15 has come a safety hazard that town officials have flagged and are seeking to address. More than 90 percent of the approximately 75 100-gallon propane tanks downtown serve New Canaan’s restaurants—a dense collection that gives rise to an “exposure hazard,” according to Fire Marshal Fred Baker. “Meaning, if a building catches fire and there’s a tank next door, it’s a dangerous explosion hazard,” Baker said. “They’re all installed with required clearances and distances, but they’re still there and in some cases, in pretty tight quarters.”

Baker and other fire and town officials had hoped in recent years to see a plan materialize for natural gas coming to New Canaan. Those new lines had been expected to preclude the need for propane tanks.

Around Town

Eversource Seeking Staging Area for Proposed Natural Gas Project

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Update 7:45 a.m. Friday

First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said Friday that one proposed “lay-down area” for Eversource (formerly ‘Yankee Gas’)—at Waveny Park, near the water towers—has been rejected by the utility because the space is not secure. Several sites for the staging area have been discussed, and officials now are exploring whether the most viable option may be out of town, Mallozzi said. “If we cannot come to an agreement on a good, safe location that is near their potential project, I’ve asked them to cost out-of-town,” he said. If a spot on public park grounds emerged as a candidate for the staging area, Mallozzi said, the Park & Recreation Commission would need to vet and vote formally on it. No timetable for the project has been said, he said.

Government

Utilities Commission: Yankee Gas’ New Plan ‘Worse Than Before’

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The latest proposal from Yankee Gas is to expand into New Canaan through Ponus Ridge and Jelliff Mill Road—the third plan that the utility has proposed—to serve New Canaan High School, South School and Saxe Middle School as well as the YMCA and an estimated additional 120 customers along the route who would also have access to the gas, town officials said Monday. Yankee Gas might also serve Waveny Care Center and the Mormon church on South Avenue, members of the Utilities Commission said at their regular monthly meeting, held at the New Canaan Nature Center. The proposal is far smaller than what had been proposed initially, and doesn’t include running the line into downtown New Canaan until potentially in a later phase—an expansion that New Canaan’s highest elected official has called an absolute requirement. Commissioner Scott LaShelle said at the meeting that in three years of discussion, Yankee Gas “has yet to show a cost proposal to the town.” “They say things like, ‘Natural gas can save you 50 percent compared to oil.’ They’ve never given an actual proposal to say ‘Your cost with oil is X, and if based on a contract with us, you can get gas for this.’ They can’t guarantee the commodity price of gas,” he said.

Around Town

Revised Natural Gas Proposal: 3 Schools Next Summer, Downtown within 5 Years

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A new agreement between New Canaan and Yankee Gas likely would see natural gas come to the area of South Avenue at Farm Road next summer, with a requirement that the utility bring its cost-saving service downtown within five years, officials say. After stirring interest among some businesses and residents, Yankee Gas was unable to lay out an implementation plan or to provide specifics on potential cost-savings to residents, and ultimately couldn’t make good on its vow to have natural gas in New Canaan this year. Yankee Gas’ ineptitude prompted town officials to consider starting negotiations anew with that utility as well as competitor CNG. Yet taxpayers stand to gain cost-savings if Yankee Gas runs a line from Stamford into New Canaan to serve three schools—South, Saxe and the high school (as well as two private organizations, the New Canaan YMCA and Waveny Care Center), First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said. “If that’s the way we go—and I’m pretty sure we’re going to go that way—we’re going to make that utility commit to bringing gas down South Avenue within a 5-year period,” Mallozzi said.

Government

Town Officials on Yankee Gas: ‘The Whole Thing Just Smacks of Bait and Switch’

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Saying Yankee Gas hasn’t played straight with New Canaan, town officials on Monday night opened the possibility of restarting its negotiations—possibly with a different utility—to get natural gas not just to large municipal or commercial buildings but also to residents who want it. It’s been nearly four months since Yankee Gas declared itself “fully committed” to bringing natural gas to New Canaan this fall, and nearly three months since local government and business leaders at a public forum urged the utility to get residents more specific numbers and a timetable for conversion. Yet no concrete plan is in sight. Now, the utility is proposing to town officials a project far smaller in scope that seemingly could leave out private homes, members of the New Canaan Utilities Commission said at their regular meeting Monday night. “I just think we need a plan that reflects a commitment by a company, an energy solution that gives the town the best long-term value,” Commissioner Dan Welch said at the meeting, held in the Brooks Room of the New Canaan Nature Center.