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Moynihan: Storm Reveals ‘Fragility’ of New Canaan’s Communications Systems

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New Canaan’s highest elected official said Monday that the town is learning much about “the fragility of our communication systems” following a storm that’s knocked out power for thousands of households for several days. Officials are learning about both cell service and Optimum Internet access, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said during a regular meeting of the Selectmen’s Advisory Committee on Buildings and Infrastructure. “Because I didn’t realize that the Locust Avenue building doesn’t have emergency power, so the Verizon tower was out, and then the AT&T tower was out at the Country Club,” Moynihan said during the meeting, held via videoconference. “Besides the fact that most people  have Optimum out. So that has been eye-opening as to what we have to try to do to improve the stability of our communications during emergencies.”

The comments came as New Canaan slowly regained power following an Aug.

Government

Public Works Provides Update on Natural Gas-Related Repaving in New Canaan

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State officials are demanding that the utility company bringing natural gas into New Canaan repave Route 106 from Farm Road to Bank Street by Aug. 15, officials say. The Connecticut Department of Transportation also may call for the repaving of South Avenue—which doubles as state Route 124—into downtown New Canaan at any point where the road has been dug up for gas service lines to run to residences, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “We are hoping to have all paving done on an Eversource basis prior to the start of the school year,” Mann told members of an advisory committee to the Board of Selectmen. “Eversource has yet to come back into town to do any additional work as far as our expansion is concerned,” Mann said Monday during a regular meeting of the Selectmen’s Advisory Committee on Buildings & Infrastructure, held via videoconference. 

“They are starting with the thought to do all the services on the state route on Old Stamford Road—you have got nine to do there—and then at that point in time, we have repeatedly asked them to come and take care of Field Crest [Road] and Village [Drive].

Around Town

Town: Some Condos in Town on Track To Get Natural Gas This Year

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The utility company that started bringing natural gas into New Canaan two years ago now is looking to expand into condominium developments in town, officials said Monday. Eversource’s plans for this year include the 18-unit King’s Grant complex on Main Street, as well as Canaan Parish at Lakeview Avenue and Route 123 and “a couple of other areas where they are heavily served by condominiums,” according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “And there are some interior mains that have to be installed there, quite substantial main installations in the property itself, so in King’s Grant they have several hundred feet to do,” Mann told members of the Selectmen’s Advisory Committee on Buildings and Infrastructure during their regular meeting, held via videoconference. 

“We are hoping that they will continue to go down Locust to get to the Board of Ed building and the other large brick buildings that are on the corner of Cherry and Locust. We have asked them to look at the expansion on Pine Street, Grove Street and upper Elm Street.”

Many residential streets off of the gas main that comes into New Canaan through Old Stamford Road already have natural gas service as a result of the long-sought Eversource expansion, as do larger complexes such as The Vue at Park and Maple Streets, formerly known as ‘Merritt Village.’

Mann said that Eversource has a list of businesses in downtown New Canaan that are seeking to seeking to get natural gas, including Karl Chevrolet and Walter Stewart’s. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said that the building at Elm and Grove Streets that Bankwell is to use for its headquarters also could get natural gas. 

“My feeling is that unless we push Eversource to do as much as they can while they’re still under this three-year commitment, they are going to go away and we will never get them back,” Moynihan said.

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‘We Have Some Pretty Bad Patches’: Town Officials Eager To Re-Pave Roads Dug Up in Natural Gas Installation

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Town officials say they’re eager to see improved temporary patch jobs and to accelerate re-paving on streets dug up during the installation of natural gas service in New Canaan. 

Eversource’s installation of a main and service lines has left “temporary patches which are, in some cases, not very good patches,” according to First Selectman Kevin Moynihan. 

“We have some pretty bad patches that have to force them to improve,” he said during a meeting of the Selectmen Advisory Committee on Facilities and Infrastructure, held Monday via videoconference. Eversource began installing a main line for natural gas in New Canaan two years ago. In 2018, the work included 30 roads. Last year, the project extended five additional miles, with another five planned for 2020. Those seeking hook-ups along the route have three years get that work done before a rolling two-year moratorium goes into effect. 

Public Works Director Tiger Mann said he’s asked Eversource “to detail out the number of residents that are left and the roads that we have that are ‘done,’ so to speak and they are working through that list—specifically, the big five being Brinckerhoff, Mortimer, Fieldcrest, Lockwood and Village.”

“And then other areas, say Lakeview from Millport to 123 where it’s just Avalon, the cemetery and [the Transfer Station], things of that nature where we can come in and take care of that work.

Government

Town Awaits Bids on Waveny House ADA Project as Major Funding Decision Looms

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Municipal officials say they’re eagerly awaiting contractors’ bids this week for a major multi-part project at Waveny House, as the town decides whether and how quickly to redress the historic structure’s noncompliance with ADA standards. Originally believed to be a project of narrow scope costing about $1 million, a multi-year project now expected to cost $2.8 million would include creation of ADA-compliant bathrooms and installation of an elevator so that disabled people could access Waveny’s second floor—where the Parks & Recreation Department is located—as well as required upgrades to a fire escape and entrances to the brick mansion from its west porch and rear balcony. 

While some municipal leaders have said they support the project, including First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, others—including some members of New Canaan’s legislative body—have voiced concerns about spending the money while much of the large structure itself still has no clearly defined long-term use or identified revenue stream beyond the roughly $100,000 to $140,000 generated annually through renting it out for events such as weddings. “We have got to make some decisions about this project, because if we have no project, we probably don’t have a Waveny House,” Moynihan said Monday during a meeting of the Selectmen’s Committee on Facilities and Infrastructure, held via videoconference. 

The Board of Finance and Town Council are expected to vote next month on whether to authorize the funds (the issuance of bonds to pay for the project, and attendant public hearings, would still need to follow). Bid packages expected to arrive Thursday could make a major difference in the town’s decision, officials say, especially given the prospect of cost-savings with contractors finding less work now amid the COVID-19 public health emergency. “The numbers will help us decide,” Moynihan said.