Bill Oestmann

Plan To Remake ‘Irwin House’ As Office Space for Nonprofits Stalls at Town Funding Bodies; Public’s Input Sought

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Members of New Canaan’s legislative body said last week that they need more information and public input prior to committing an estimated $400,000 to a renovation of Irwin House as a base of operations for local nonprofit organizations. 

Though rent from three nonprofit organizations that have shown an interest in relocating to the Irwin Park house would come to about $46,500—exceeding the annual cost of maintenance—the town first must gauge whether taxpayers would prefer to tear the structure down, members of the Town Council said during their regular meeting. Chairman John Engel said the three nonprofits interested in moving to the Weed Street property—New Canaan Land Trust, New Canaan Community Foundation and Staying Put in New Canaan—also should have an opportunity say how important such a move would be for them, what alternatives they’ve seen and how hard it is to find a workable space. Councilman Penny Young said, “There really are a lot of questions. This is indeed the cart before the horse. I mean way before horse.”

The comments came as the Town Council discussed a possible investment of $80,000 for architectural, engineering and other services that would be needed prior to the physical renovation work.

Cristina A. Ross

‘We Are in Uncharted Territory’: Town Council Debates Future of ‘Mead Park Brick Barn’

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Though the Town Council on Wednesday night once again raised the specter of the “Mead Park Brick Barn” and its pending demolition, some members of the legislative body said their ongoing discussion only offers the false hope that it can be spared the wrecking ball. During a meeting attended by preservationists who have been working for months on a plan to preserve the century-old structure on Richmond Hill Road, Councilman Tom Butterworth noted that the Council already voted on an appropriation of demo funds, and said the difficulty in having a meaningful conversations now is that the “process” of municipal government is underway. 

“We have a process in our government and if you want to look at what the implications of that are, look at the people here tonight that we are misleading by having this discussion,” Butterworth said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. 

“It’s fine for us: We have no skin in the game on this anymore. We voted. We are done. If somebody can come up with a way to revive this issue and put it in some way so that the Town Council has jurisdiction, please bring it on.

Bill Oestmann

Officials: Local Dance Studio Lined Up for Outback; Finance Board Pushes for Sale of Vine Cottage

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A local dance studio is lined up to rent the upper level of the former Outback Teen Center on a part-time basis, town officials said Wednesday night. With the studio operating from about 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays, and restricted from putting on performances there, the town could rent out the space for the balance of the day, generating revenue that—combined with an estimated $35,000 that the studio would pay annually in rent—would help New Canaan cover its maintenance costs for the long-vacant structure, according to Bill Oestmann, superintendent of buildings with the Department of Public Works. (Oestmann declined to name the specific studio, though some of what he said indicated it could be the New England Academy of Dance—see below.)

As long discussed, the lower level of the Outback could be configured into office space for the Department of Human Services, an agency that would leave its current home in Vine Cottage so that that building could be sold, Oestmann told members of the Town Council at their regular meeting. Oestmann said he could foresee parents dropping off their kids and then visiting local businesses. “My hope would be if they are waiting, they can park here and shop downtown, so with an hour or two that their children are there, they can hopefully visit the restaurants and shops in town and spend some money,” he said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. 

By the time the dance studio would start up around 4:30 or 5 p.m., he said, Town Hall workers would be finished for the day and the parking lot there empty. 

“There is a little breathing room in that timeframe,” he said.

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Officials: Fire System at Lapham Community Center Has Failed

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The fire system at Lapham Community Center has failed and must be replaced on an emergency basis, town officials said this week. The system was original to the 1915-built building and only the panels had been upgraded during an original renovation in 1996, according to Penny Young, co-chair of the Town Council’s Infrastructure and Utilities Committee. “They don’t give any signals,” Young said during an Oct. 15 Committee meeting, held at Town Hall. “So they are working on the replacement of that.

Cristina A. Ross

Officials Provide Updates on Natural Gas Installation, Repaving

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The repaving of Farm Road from South Avenue to Old Stamford Road will be completed by mid-November and state roads including Old Stamford Road and South Avenue will be have temporary patches removed and permanent patches installed in the next few weeks, town officials said Monday night. South School and Saxe Middle School already have been connected to the new natural gas lines, and Eversource will have connected the natural gas lines to New Canaan High School by Wednesday, according to Cristina A. Ross, co-chair of the Town Council’s Infrastructure and Utilities Committee. East School is hopefully to be completed by year’s end, she said. Also, Eversource has received 200 service requests from residents seeking to hook up to natural gas and the town has received over 50 applications for permits to do so, Ross said during the Committee’s regular meeting. The utility company is planning a three-year installation period, from 2019 to 2021, she said, with roads repaved in 2022, 2023 and 2024.