Board of Selectmen

Three Crosswalks on Heritage Hill Road To Get Accessible Ramps

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Residents of Heritage Hill Road can anticipate safer pedestrian routes because of the Department of Public Works’ decision to move forward with installing new concrete curb ramps at crosswalks there. 

Those living on Heritage Hill Road—a popular cut-through to Route 123—asked for the crosswalks, and the project has since been given the green light by the Police Commission, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “We had a residential request for mid-block crosswalks on Heritage Hill Road,” Mann said during Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting. “The intention is to address safety concerns, especially during school bus pickup times and facilitate easier crossing for residents.” The comments came as Mann presented a contract with a New Canaan-based company to do the work. Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams, and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, voted 3-0 to approve the $19,925 contract with Peter Lanni, Inc. The figure includes $10,000 for police to oversee motor vehicle traffic during the ramp construction.

Board of Selectmen

Town Approves Contract for ‘Neglected Cemetery’ Cleanup

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Town officials on Tuesday approved a contract to clean up cemeteries in New Canaan. The Board of Selectmen approved a $7,650 contract with a local company for maintenance at nine cemeteries in town. The cemeteries, which are spread throughout town, will undergo a spring and fall cleanup and then two summer mowings, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “Leaves, branches, and further debris removal,” Mann said at the May 16 selectmen meeting. 

Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams, and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with Rosati Landscaping. There are 27 cemeteries in New Canaan, Mann said.

Board of Selectmen

Construction of New Features at Dunning Stadium To Start in June

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Construction is expected to start toward the end of June for new features at Dunning Stadium, including an entranceway, ticket booth and “Donor Wall,” officials say. It’s unclear just when power will be run to another widely anticipated feature—a new press box, according to New Canaan Athletic Foundation Chairman Mike Benevento. However, the stadium’s PA system will be functioning through this coming fall football season as well as New Canaan High School graduation 2024, he said. Asked by the Board of Selectmen during its most recent meeting whether fundraising still needs to be done to build the new press box itself, Benevento said yes. “The project can‘t go forward unless we have $2 million sitting in the bank when we sign a contract,” he said at the selectmen’s May 2 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

The New Canaan Athletic Foundation or “NCAF” anticipates raising a good portion of the funding by selling naming rights for the press box, Benevento said.

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.