Footer Featured Widget

Town Plans for Increased Pedestrian Traffic, Safety at South and Maple [UPDATED]

By |

[Note: This article has been updated to say the pedestrian-activated beacons will run across South Avenue on the south side of the intersection with Maple Street.]

Saying the newly built New Canaan Library is expected to draw even more walkers in the area of South Avenue at Maple Street, town officials last week voted in favor of installing a pedestrian-activated flashing beacon there. The new set of rapid rectangular flashing beacons or “RRFBs” will run across South Avenue on the south side, where there’s an existing crosswalk, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “Given the fact that the library will be opening and some of their people are going to be parking across at St. Aloysius and then St. Aloysius is still using the library as their library, the library becoming more of a hub, we request to upgrade the signage at South and Maple,” Mann told members of the Police Commission during their Jan.

Government

Town Turns Down Request To Remove ‘No Turn on Red’ Sign

By |

Citing safety concerns, officials last week denied a resident’s request to rid one leg of a busy downtown intersection of its “No Turn on Red” designation. Motorists traveling toward town on Heritage Hill Road cannot turn right at the light at Main Street. New Canaan resident David Kirby met with Public Works Director Tiger Mann to ask whether the “No Turn on Red” designation could be removed in order to improve traffic flow. Yet the light helps ensure that motorists turning onto Main Street just below the intersection, from Locust Avenue, are unimpeded as they pass by Heritage Hill Road, officials said at the Jan. 18 Police Commission meeting.

Government

Town To Install Pedestrian-Activated Beacons at Crosswalk To South School Playground

By |

Saying it would improve safety for walkers, including many schoolchildren, town officials last week voted in favor of installing pedestrian-activated flashing beacons at a crosswalk near South School. The mid-block crosswalk on Gower Road, connecting the Douglas Road neighborhood to the playground at South, currently has “the normal pedestrian signs with the down arrows and ‘Pedestrian Crossing Ahead’ signs for this crossing,” Public Works Director Tiger Mann told members of the Police Commission during their Jan. 18 meeting, held at the New Canaan Police Department and via videoconference. Parents have come to the town asking for upgraded signage there, he said. “Given the fact that we are trying to promote more foot traffic to the school and more pedestrian traffic in the area, they requested that we upgrade to a rapid rectangular flashing beacon,” Mann said.

Government

Town Approves $92,050 Contract for Minor Roof Work in Waveny

By |

Town officials on Tuesday approved a $92,050 contract with a Ridgefield-based company to do work on a pair of small roofs in a walled garden at Waveny. The Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with Alden Bailey. That company will remove existing tiles on the roofs, use what’s salvageable and supply new tiles where needed, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “This project has been sitting out there for quite some time, 10 years-plus I would have to say, as far as redoing this area,” Mann said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “It’s heavily used for weddings and just general purposing, and there’s a concern about the fact that the tiles are starting to fall and there’s a safety issue.”

The garden is located near the top of the sledding hill, east of the main house at Waveny.

Government

Town Approves $26,750 Contract To Replace Fuel Dispensing Pumps

By |

The Board of Selectmen at its most recent meeting approved a $26,750 contract with a Bridgeport-based company to replace the fuel dispensing pumps that serve town vehicles. 

The Department of Public Works had been looking to budget for the replacement in the next fiscal year, but the pumps are failing now, officials said. “We’ve had to do several patches to get everyone up and running,” Public Works Director Tiger Mann told the selectmen at their regular meeting, held Jan. 3 at Town Hall and via videoconference. “We need to replace them now, so that’s the reason for bringing this forward,” Mann said. “I did have the first selectman, due to the fact that this was of an emergency nature in fact our pumps were down, the first selectman approved the expenditure on Dec.