Dan Radman

P&Z Approves New Canaan Library Rebuilding Plan by 6-3 Vote

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Saying a new New Canaan Library will benefit residents, businesses and the wider community, the Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday night voted 6-3 to approve the organization’s rebuilding plan. The proposed new library also is consistent with many tenets of the major document that guides development in town, P&Z Chair John Goodwin said during the appointed body’s special meeting, held via videoconference. The approval includes a condition that the library return to P&Z in four months with a proposal for appropriately commemorating the original 1913 building and a 1936 addition—a requirement that is a “risk” with respect to the structures but also an “opportunity” for the library to be creative, Goodwin said. “It’s a creative team over there,” Goodwin said during the Commission’s 4.5-hour meeting. “Now is it 120 days from now, we get options we don’t like?

Government

Divided P&Z Nears Decision on Library

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During their seventh hearing on New Canaan Library’s application to rebuild its facility, members of the Planning & Zoning Commission last week set up a vote between two options regarding the fate of what remains of an original library building. One of them, tagged “Option A” and developed mainly by P&Z Chair John Goodwin, would allow for the library project to commence and, one year in, the organization would present options to P&Z to “appropriately commemorate” the 1913 building and 1936 addition. “It is the assumption that significant aspects of the 1913 and/or 1936 building will be preserved in some meaningful way on the site,” according to the language of the draft approval, obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. The other, “Option B,” developed mainly by Commissioner Dan Radman, calls for construction to be put off until the library has submitted a plan to “incorporate and integrate” the east and north facades and roof of the old buildings so that they’re “maintained on the site in a location satisfactory to the Commission.” If there’s “no feasible way” to do that, the project can start without a plan for preservation, under draft Option B.

As drafted for the start of the meeting, neither scenario meets the standard set by a preservation group that has said the 1913 building must be restored—that is, its southern and western walls re-closed—and remain in place. Library officials last month said they’d be willing to preserve and move the Main Street-facing portico and facade of the 1913 building to the western property line. 

The language in both options is expected to undergo revision based on the commissioners’ discussion at the 4.5-hour meeting, held June 29 via videoconference.

New Canaan Library

Yale Science Communication Presents “Modern Problems, Modern Solutions” via Webinar from New Canaan Library

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New Canaan Library once again welcomes Yale Science Communication, presenting a discussion via live webinar that explores the modern and innovative solutions to today’s uniquely modern problems. The lecture by Yale graduates and post-doctoral individuals will be presented on Thursday, June 17 at 7:00 PM EST. Zoom sign in information will be provided upon registration at newcanaanlibrary.org. The beauty and complexity of the natural world inspires artistic expression of all kinds: art, poetry, music, writing and more. Natural environments can also be a deep source of inspiration for scientists, as they search for solutions. As humans, we face significant challenges – or problems – that are unique to our modern era.

New Canaan Library

‘Movements in Cinema’ Series at New Canaan Library Presents: History of LGBTQ+ Film

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New Canaan Library’s June Movements in Cinema talk addresses the topic of the history of LGBTQ+ film, presented by Harry M. Benshoff, Professor of Media Arts at the University of North Texas. The discussion will be via live webinar on Tuesday, June 15 at 7 PM EST. Zoom sign in information will be provided upon registration at newcanaanlibrary.org. While LGBTQ+ content has become more prevalent over the last few decades—especially on television shows, streaming platforms, and in “Oscar-bait” Hollywood art films—queer people have always been part of Hollywood’s history, both behind the camera and in front. This talk will examine how Hollywood representations of LGBTQ+ people have evolved throughout the 20th century, touching on key films, figures, and sociocultural moments.

New Canaan Library

Authors @ NCL Welcomes Elon Green, Introducing his True-Crime Account, Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York

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New Canaan Library welcomes journalist Elon Green for a discussion of Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York, his gripping nonfiction book that details the investigations and search for a serial killer preying upon the gay community during the early 1990s. The live webinar will take place on Monday, June 14 at 7 PM EST via videoconference. Please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org for zoom sign in information. In the 1980s and early 1990s the “Last Call serial killer” preyed upon gay men in the New York area and left their remains in rest areas across three states. In this true crime drama, journalist Elon Green meticulously reports on the investigations by detectives from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maine.