Government

‘Cool, Collected and Communicative’: Karen Miller, Longtime Head of New Canaan Parking, To Retire Next Month

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New Canaan resident Karen Miller, imperturbable superintendent of the town’s highly visible Parking Bureau and advocate for expansion of facilities for commuters, is retiring at the end of next month, she said. A New Canaanite since 1983 who has worked in the bureau for 18 years, Miller said major developments during her tenure include the acquisition of the Lumberyard Lot in 1999 and the introductions of both license plate readers for parking enforcement officers and the PayByPhone app for motorists. “We have to help our commuters,” Miller told NewCanaanite.com Monday during an interview in her office at the New Canaan Police Department. “Most of the people moving to town are in need of commuter parking because they work in New York City. It would be in the best interests of the town to give them a place to be, and we have the wherewithal to do that and we have all the support we need to do that and I think it’s time to stop talking about it and do it.”

A mother of two sons—Sam is living and working in New York City and Tom, after eight years with the U.S. Marines, including two stints in Afghanistan and one in Iraq, is pursuing a pre-med/physics degree at Columbia University—Miller took up her position in the Parking Bureau here as a second career.

Around Town

‘He Was Crying In Pain And I Stayed With Him’: Parking Ticket Appeals

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What follows are excerpts from parking ticket appeals letters filed recently with the New Canaan Parking Bureau. Where available, we’ve included information on the violation for which these people were cited, in what amount, and where and when the violation occurred. ***

“Sirs, I remit my $60 fine. However, you are totally out of order. A lot of us in this community are over 55 and occasionally make mistakes.

Around Town

“12:18 Saw Ticket, 12:20 Called Mother”: Parking Ticket Appeals

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What follows are excerpts from parking ticket appeals letters filed recently with the New Canaan Parking Bureau. Where available, we’ve included information on the violation for which these people were cited, in what amount, and where and when the violation occurred. ***

“Merry Christmas! My daughter came home quite upset today after receiving a parking ticket after parking 44 minutes in town. I asked her to write a timeline of her visit to town to include with this letter (see attached yellow sheet).

Government

Increased Fines for New Canaan Parking Violators Proposed

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Saying New Canaan demands far less from parking violators than nearby towns, the volunteer group that oversees off-street parking here is recommending a new slate of increased fines. In all, the Parking Commission is seeking to raise amounts on 15 of 23 violations that range from parking on a curb—or more than one foot from it—to obstructing fire hydrants and crosswalks. A look at what the commission is proposing —current fines and proposed—can be found at the end of this article. Not every commissioner agreed with every decision. When Peter Ogilvie suggested raising the three $20 fines—no parking zone, loading zone and obstructing two spaces—to $30, this exchange took place between Chairman Keith Richey and Secretary Rick Franco:
Franco: Someone has to second Peter.

Government

‘Perfect Storm’ Brewing at Locust Avenue Parking Lot

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Problems of overuse at what long had been New Canaan’s least busy parking lot are expected very soon to worsen, and town officials are trying to figure out how to get out ahead of what some are calling “a perfect storm.”

The past six weeks has seen a dramatic rise in the number of motorists parking in the Locust Avenue lot. In addition to longtime regulars—including people who work on that side of town—“new” users include some personnel and construction workers at the Fire Department (where interior and exterior capital projects are underway), construction workers at the Town Hall renovation site and in-town shoppers, diners and post office visitors who, under normal circumstances, would park behind Town Hall itself or in one of the lots that rise behind it (toward Park Street). Starting in August, demolition and construction work is expected to start just down the hill on Forest Street, where a 3-story residential-and-retail complex is going up. “There is a perfect storm that is exploding over there,” Parking Bureau Superintendent Karen Miller said at the group’s May 1 meeting. “And I won’t lie to you: It’s very bad.