Business

New Concrete Planters To Replace White Plastic Barriers for Outdoor Dining on Elm

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New Canaan’s local traffic authority has approved this season of expanded outdoor dining in three areas along the north side of Elm Street. The Police Commission at its most recent meeting voted unanimously to allow the expanded outdoor dining—an offshoot of the COVID-19 pandemic where tables and chairs are placed in would-be parking spaces on the street and enclosed by temporary barricades—in front of Patisserie Salzburg/Rosie, Solé and Chef Luis. The white plastic barriers from past outdoor dining seasons will be re-used until, with approval from other town bodies, they’re replaced in six to eight weeks with rectangular 32-by-32-by-64-inch concrete planters, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. The 2,400-pound planters are “somewhat similar to the size of a temporary precast concrete barrier, only those are eight feet long whereas these are just over five feet long,” Mann told members of the Police Commission at their April 19 meeting, held at police headquarters and via videoconference. “We feel we can place these along the area instead of the white barricades and they will provide more safety for outdoor diners and the fact that it can be planted is kind of nice, and it’s really a different look than the white barricades,” Mann said.

News

‘We’re a Little Frustrated’: State Denies Request to Change Speed Limit on Route 123 

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One year after the town formally requested that the state make the speed limit along Route 123 in New Canaan 40 mph throughout, the Connecticut Department of Transportation issued its denial, officials say. Citing safety concerns, the Police Commission last April backed the town’s request to convert two 45 mph zones—at the southernmost and northernmost stretches of the state road through New Canaan—to 40 mph. The state “took over a year to analyze it and came back and basically said they’re not going to change anything,” Police Chief John DiFederico told members of the Police Commission at their April 19 meeting, held at police headquarters and via videoconference. “They agreed to extend the 45 mph zone a little bit further south of the Lakeview area but that was it,” DiFederico said. “They are not going to change it.”

He added, “This is all residential areas, all residential roads.

Business

Dunkin’ Donuts Plans May 20 ‘Grand Opening’ in New Location at South and Elm

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Dunkin’ Donuts is planning a May 20 grand opening in its new space at South Avenue and Elm Street, officials say. The chain coffee shop plans to put a pop-up tent in a no-parking area outside the store, with “wind wavers” and a balloon arch on the sidewalk on that Saturday morning, handing out samples and swag to passersby, according to Laura Budd, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. “They’ve got a whole promotion planned for the event,” Budd told members of the Police Commission meeting, held April 19 at police headquarters and via videoconference. “And because that tent can’t go on the sidewalk, they want to put it up flush against the curb. Customers would access whatever’s happening in the tent from the sidewalk side.”

Budd referred to a photo submitted to the Commission on behalf of Dunkin’ showing where the promotional materials would be located. 

“They didn’t need the whole ‘Pop-Up Park’ space but they did want to make a splash of it,” Budd said, referring to the first block of South Avenue, between Elm Street and Morse Court, which is sometimes blocked off to motor vehicle traffic for special events.

News

‘They Handled the Whole Thing So Effortlessly’: Letters of Appreciation for NCPD

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Police Chief John DiFederico shared the following letters of appreciation for New Canaan Police Department officers at the March 13 Police Commission meeting. ***

Officers Owen Ochs and Nick Agoglia

“Last Wednesday, Feb. 8, I was walking my dog down Stoneleigh Road, and a young, exuberant Rhodesian Ridgeback came bounding at me. He had a collar with a phone number, but it was obscured by a kerchief. He obviously wanted to play with my leashed dog, who was half his size, but I couldn’t trust that he was friendly and did not feel it was safe to reach for him.

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Police: New Canaan Sees Uptick in Residential Burglaries

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The chief of police is asking New Canaan residents to take precautions following a recent uptick in home burglaries. The New Canaan Police Department responded to five burglary calls in January, up from zero in December and just two in the year-ago month, Chief John DiFederico reported at the Feb. 15 Police Commission meeting. “We had quite an uptick in the burglary trend,” DiFederico said during the meeting, held at police headquarters and via videoconference. 

“It’s one of those things that seem to be cyclical and when a crew gets going, they kind of hit hard and fast and we’ve had some go through town,” he continued. “We put out some social media tips to keep the lights on, keep the doors locked, obviously.