Government

Petitioners Fail To Obtain Required Signatures for Referendum Vote on Town’s $10 Million Grant for New Canaan Library Project

By |

Those seeking to force a referendum vote on town’s $10 million grant to New Canaan Library for its widely anticipated rebuilding project failed to garner enough verifiable signatures before deadline, officials say. The petitioners needed to obtain 689 signatures of New Canaan registered voters—5% of qualified local electors as of the most recent voter list—in order to force a town-wide vote on the grant, Town Clerk Claudia Weber has said. Yet after verifying the names and qualifying status of the names submitted to her office, Weber said the petitioners fell short. 

They obtained 528 signatures of support, Weber told NewCanaanite.com. 

“On behalf of the thousands of New Canaanites eagerly waiting for the new New Canaan Library, we look forward to receiving our building permit and starting construction,” Library Director Lisa Oldham said. Opponents to the library’s plan for a new 42,641-square-foot facility—located closer to Maple Street and with a new entrance facing south—emerged soon after the organization unveiled its project in January 2020. Many of those opposed to the project said the library should be required to preserve the original 1913 library and a 1930s-era addition.

Board of Finance

Proposal for New Police Station on Saxe Baseball Field Unveiled

By |

A team assembled by First Selectman Kevin Moynihan on Wednesday night unveiled a proposed new $23.5 million police station that would be built on a Saxe Middle School baseball diamond. The two-story, approximately 24,000- to 25,000-square-foot glass-and-brick exterior building would sit on 3.6 acres running east off of South Avenue, along a line of trees that separates the school property from the New Canaan Y (see videos embedded above and below), according to a presentation from a New Britain-based architectural firm. 

The new station would also include an underground level with a shooting range, and 89 parking spots would be spaced across about 36,000-square-feet around the building, according to Eric Rossi and Chuck Boos, a specialist and founding principal, respectively, at Kaestle Boos Associates, Inc.

The Saxe ballfield was one of about a dozen potential sites that the firm’s representatives, Moynihan, New Canaan Department of Public Works officials and a former Police Commission chair have been studying out of the public eye for months and it’s “the site that’s risen to the top of the heap,” Rossi said. “This site is fairly flat,” he told members of members of the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and Town Council gathered at Town Hall and via videoconference for a special meeting. 

“It’s an existing [baseball] field, 60-foot baseline [baseball] field. Using the site allows us to get all the redundancies and all the site and mechanical systems that we need to get into police station in an easy way. The generator can go on-grade.

Election 2021

Election 2021 Republican Caucus: Town Council Candidate Luke J. Kaufman [CORRECTED]

By |

New Canaan resident Luke J. Kaufman is seeking the endorsement of the Republican Party for a seat on the elected Town Council. We put some questions to Kaufman about his candidacy. Our exchange follows. New Canaanite: Tell us about yourself – how long you have lived in New Canaan, what have you been involved with here in town and what has led you to seek elected office? Luke J. Kaufman: My wife, Emily, and I moved to New Canaan from New York City 6 years ago. We have three boys – ages 8, 6, and 5 – who attend South School and play on various sports teams. I have coached travel and local recreation baseball, flag football and lacrosse teams and take pride in creating a fun environment, while teaching children how to play the game and improve their skills. I’m a parishioner at St.

Election 2021

Election 2021 Republican Caucus: Town Council Candidate James Yao

By |

New Canaan resident James Yao is seeking the endorsement of the Republican Party for a seat on the elected Town Council. We put some questions to Yao about his candidacy. Our exchange follows. New Canaanite: Tell us about yourself—how long have you lived in New Canaan, what have you been involved with here in town and what has led you to seek elected office? James Yao: Over 12 years ago, my wife Katrina gave this former architecture student the thoughtful birthday gift of a Glass House tour.

Election 2021

Election 2021 Republican Caucus: Town Council Candidate Penny Young

By |

New Canaan resident Penny Young is seeking the endorsement of the Republican Party for re-election to the Town Council. We put some questions to the incumbent about her candidacy. Our exchange follows. New Canaanite: Tell us about yourself—how long have you lived in New Canaan, what you have been involved with here in town and what led to your decision to see re-election? Penny Young: My husband and I have called New Canaan home for 40-plus years, raising our two children within the fine educational opportunities of the New Canaan school system.