Around Town

5th Annual Addiction Awareness Vigil Set for Sept. 1

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One year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event online, an annual vigil that has drawn hundreds to downtown New Canaan to honor those who have died due to addiction and those in recovery is set to return in-person. The 5th Annual Addiction Awareness Vigil is to be held from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 1 in the former “Pop Up Park” area at South Avenue and Elm Street. “We are excited that unlike last year where we had to do it virtually that we are back in person for it,” town resident Paul Reinhardt, founder of the New Canaan Parent Support Group, told members of the Police Commission during their regular meeting, held July 26 via videoconference. Reinhardt created the support group after losing his own son, Evan Reinhardt, on July 15, 2015, at age 24.

Around Town

Reality TV Stars Coming to New Canaan for Ribbon-Cutting at ‘The Agency’

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The former “Pop-Up Park” downtown will reappear for a few hours at the end of this month to celebrate the launch of a new real estate brokerage in New Canaan. The Aug. 31 ribbon-cutting at The Agency will feature appearances by its founder, Mauricio Umanski, and his wife, Kyle Richards, of “Million Dollar Listing” and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” respectively, among other reality TV shows, officials say. 

“There’s going to be a good amount of camera crews, from Bravo TV, Netflix,” The Agency’s managing partner, Cliff Smith, told members of the Police Commission at their July 26 meeting, held via videoconference. “We would just like to see if we could just shut down that one section to have a great, fun event, bring awareness to the community, and like I said, we have invited all the shop owners that we have become friendly with since we started,” Smith said. “And I think it will just be a very controlled, fun event.”

The comments came as part of a request to close the first block of South Avenue, between Elm Street and Morse Court, from 4 to 9 p.m. for The Agency’s ribbon-cutting, which will be held 5 to 8 p.m., Smith said.

News

Chief: Stolen Vehicles in New Canaan on Pace to Nearly Double in 2021

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New Canaan is on pace to see about 50 stolen vehicles this year, according to Police Chief Leon Krolikowski, a figure that would nearly double the total of 27 from 2020. The chief told members of the Police Commission at their regular meeting last week the he’s “hoping that levels off.”

“And we are working with some of our state legislators and the state itself, there are some promises of money to create a task force to go after these folks that are stealing the vehicles,” Krolikowski said during the meeting, held July 26 via videoconference. “I have been speaking with our state’s attorney to see what legally we can do, specifically with respect to investigations,” he continued. “And it’s challenging because if someone steals a car and dumps the car somewhere, merely because their DNA or a fingerprint is found in the car, does not necessarily equate to a crime being committed, so it’s challenging in that regard. And we are not sure yet whether our lab is going to process these presumably hundreds of vehicles that get stolen across Connecticut, if they are going to process the evidence related to that, meaning DNA or fingerprints.

News

Police Commissioner Urges New Canaan Residents To Remove Valuables from Vehicles, Lock Up

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As car thefts continue to rise in New Canaan, the head of the Police Commission last week urged residents to lock up and ensure valuables are removed from parked vehicles both at home and in public places. Despite the upward trend, “people continue to leave their keys in their cars,” Commission Chair Paul Foley said during the appointed body’s June 16 meeting, held via videoconference. “They continue to leave bags and valuables on the front seats, back seats, visible,” Foley said. “Windows aren’t being broken as I understand—except in the parks, if they leave a bag in the parks, the windows have been smashed. Again, none of these perpetrators are townspeople, that we know of.

Jim McLaughlin

Police Commission Votes 2-1 To Widen Sections of Sidewalk on Elm Street

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Municipal officials at a recent meeting voted in favor of a proposal to widen parts of the sidewalk along the one-way stretch of Elm Street downtown. The Police Commission at May 19 meeting reviewed a proposal to widen sidewalks at Elm and South Avenue, as well as along the north side of Elm Street between South and The Playhouse. Plans also call for a sidewalk “bump-out” at the crosswalk in front of the Bank of America building and converting six parking spaces on Elm into 15-minute spots, officials have said. Public Works Director Tiger Mann said the widened sidewalks would help restaurants accommodate outdoor dining and allow for expanded retail space. “In this day and age, the majority of people want to come downtown, that’s one of the reasons why New Canaan is so successful, we have a vibrant downtown,” he told members of the Commission at their regular meeting, held via videoconference. 

He continued, “It’s the walkability thereof that brought to the forefront.