Government

Rebuilt Staircase Opens at Top of Alley Between Playhouse, LPQ

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The town this week opened a rebuilt staircase at the top of the alley that runs between The Playhouse and Le Pain Quotidien, a major step forward in a closely followed downtown project. Opened Monday, the staircase includes a temporary railing, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “So you’ll actually be able to use the staircase—instead of the temporary walkway—to access the sidewalk on Elm Street and Playhouse Lot,” Mann told NewCanaanite.com during an interview. Public Works had put in a temporary walkway just before Christmas after shutting down the alley in October in order to redo it, rebuild the stairs and install a new accessible ramp. The project, which involved working in a very tight area, has seen materials- and weather-related delays, a frustration for some merchants downtown as well as the town.

Board of Selectmen

Town: RRFB at Main-Farm-Old Norwalk-White Oak Shade Is ‘Appropriate’

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Faced with a new concern about the appropriateness of a push button-activated pedestrian “beacon” at one of New Canaan’s most difficult motor vehicle intersections, town officials are defending use of the device. The rapid rectangular flashing beacon or ‘RRFB’ at the intersection of Main Street and Farm-Old Norwalk-White Oak Shade Roads is designed to help walkers safely cross east-west across Main. Yet official state and federal guidelines call for the use of RRFBs “only at mid-block crossings or ‘uncontrolled’ intersections (lacking traffic signals, yield or stop signs),” according to a Dec. 15 letter that New Canaan resident Jeff Holland sent to the Board of Selectmen ahead of its Dec. 16 regular meeting this month.

Government

Town Enters $20,000 Service Contract for ‘RRFB’ Maintenance and Repair

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Town officials on Tuesday approved a three-year annual maintenance and repair contract with the company that makes New Canaan’s push button-activated pedestrian crossing signals. The $20,000 annual contract with Brown Deer, Wisc.-based TAPCO is “severable at one year” and covers all 16 locations of rapid rectangular flashing beacons or “RRFBs” throughout town, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “Because they are a specialized piece of equipment, you either have to hire a signal technician or have someone in your staff to be able to take care of it,” Mann told members of the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. He continued: “And then with this, for every unit that they maintain, they will extend the warranty. So if there are parts that fall under the warranty, the year that they’re still servicing it, they’ll extend the warranty even if the warranty is expired.

Government

Town Aims To Complete Removal of Irwin House Foundation by Christmas

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Town officials said this week that they’re hoping to remove the foundation of Irwin House and so complete the site’s demolition by Christmas. Both the main house at the Weed Street park and adjacent garage have been knocked down and are being “trucked out,” according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “The only caveat is how hard the footing comes out,” he told members of the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting, held Tuesday at Town Hall and via videoconference. “That’s a large footing, [former] bomb shelter. And if it doesn’t come out of the ground easily, then that might take a little bit of time.

Government

Wet Weather Delays Work on Alley Between Playhouse and LPQ

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Town officials say they’re trying to wrap up work on the alley between The Playhouse and Le Pain Quotidien so that it’s open to shoppers during the holiday season. Closed for the past month, the alley—or ‘allée,’ as it’s called by the Department of Public Works—is getting a new ramp and staircase connecting the Playhouse Lot to Elm Street. In addition to making the alley traversable to those with mobility challenges, the ramp is expected to help move delivery trucks off of Elm Street itself—part of a multi-phased plan to help traffic flow in the heart of downtown New Canaan. Yet the project is still “at least two pours away,” Public Works Director Tiger Mann said, referring to concrete. “They’re getting close to the secondary pour for the staircase itself,” Mann told members of the Board of Selectmen during their regular meeting, held Tuesday at Town Hall and via videoconference.