News

Concerned about ‘Unintended Consequences,’ District Puts Off Decision on New Facilities Rental Rates

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Though created in a spirit of putting New Canaan’s youth and community first, a proposal that the district is weighing now—essentially, a change in how groups that use the schools’ gyms and auditoriums are categorized and, by extension, how much they’ll be charged—requires more discussion because it may have unintended consequences, officials say. For example, Board of Education members said Monday night, businesses such as The Walter Schalk School of Dance—that not only serve the community through their offerings but also support New Canaan by giving back—would be hit hard enough by a proposed rate hike that they conceivably could leave the town altogether. “It’s almost like we are saying, ‘We don’t want you,’ with these kinds of rates,” school board Secretary Dionna Carlson said during the group’s meeting, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. “I don’t think any of us realized when we were doing this, what we might be doing to some of these groups,” she said. Rentals of school spaces that include gyms, auditoriums, cafeterias and classrooms last academic year ran at a loss of more than $11,000, the district reported.

News

Group Forms to Oversee Saxe Auditorium Renovation

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New Canaan this week took a big step toward the widely anticipated renovation of Saxe Middle School’s aging auditorium, with the creation of a volunteer panel to oversee the project. The Saxe Auditorium Building Committee includes elected and district officials as well as private citizens. The town approved $175,000 for project designs in the current fiscal year, with $2 million earmarked for the actual work in fiscal year 2016, budget documents show. Part of the original 1957 building, the Saxe auditorium received a “poor” rating in an August 2013 facilities survey. Interim Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi described the auditorium as both an instructional and performance space “and it hasn’t been updated, maintained or renovated in an awfully long time.”

“We’ve got a situation where the seats are broken and the space itself is no longer serving the needs of the school or the community,” Luizzi told NewCanaanite.com.

Around Town

Outback Teen Center Eyes New, Expanded Role in Town

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Saying youth services in New Canaan have evolved since Outback launched 12 years ago, officials with the teen center are eyeing an August re-launch that they say will see the facility and its programs meet the needs of town youth in new ways. Though details still are being hammered out, Outback while expanding its own programming will seek to become more closely integrated—showcasing especially its roomy, centrally located facility—into New Canaan’s network of youth services providers, including nonprofit organizations, faith groups and town agencies, said Sangeeta Appel, president of the Outback Board of Directors. “We are like every business that has to constantly reassess and look at our needs,” Appel told NewCanaanite.com. “In 12 years, downtown and Elm Street have changed quite a bit. So we have to see what works and look at revenue models.”

Its original model for self-sustaining depended in part on sources that no longer are available in the numbers they once were, officials say, such as corporate giving.

Around Town

Q&A: Talking Alternatives for Youth, Upcoming Fundraiser and Town Hall Renovation with Outback

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When NewCanaanite.com heard from Outback about the organization’s May 20 fundraiser—it’s two related events, the Red Geranium Boutique (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Ladies Night Out (6 to 8:30 p.m.)—we saw a great opportunity to connect with the nonprofit and review a number of newsy items, as well as get more information on the fundraiser itself. Advocates for Outback—which does know how to put on a good event—during this budget season just past, pushed to restore funding for the downtown center in the face of what they called serious drinking problems among New Canaan youth. The facility itself sits directly back of Town Hall, which is undergoing a widely anticipated renovation. Sangeeta Appel, president of Outback’s Board of Directors, provided us with some great information about how the organization sees its role in New Canaan, including a four-pronged approach to youth services that places Outback in a strong, complementary position to local agencies focused on education and prevention. We also got some good details about the Boutique’s numerous vendors—who they are and what they offer—and touched on the familiar matter of parking in downtown New Canaan amid some large construction projects (Appel is quick to praise the town’s Department of Public Works for its communication and diligence.)

A sincere “Thank You” to Appel for your considered and frank responses.