Government

Officials Approve $44,000 in Contracts To Reconfigure Finance Department at Town Hall

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Officials last week approved approximately $44,000 in contracts to reconfigure the Finance Department’s area at Town Hall in a way that makes it more welcoming and also creates space for two more bodies. The department is “the central service agency” of the town and “people need to feel that they can come in and ask any questions” of the staff there, according to interim Finance Director Sandra Dennies. Yet “right now, when you walk in, you walk into a big gray hall,” she told members of the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting, held Sept. 12 at Town Hall. “It is not user friendly.

Government

Smoke Billows from Top of Town Hall Saturday As Officials ‘Burn the Furnace’

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Town Hall smoke-Feb 13 2016
Uploaded by Michael Dinan on 2016-02-13. Smoke billowed from the roof of Town Hall Saturday morning and lingered downtown for part of the day, as officials worked to repair the furnace problem that appears to be sending exhaust back into the public building—to the point where the structure had to be closed for nearly all of Tuesday. Asked about the smoke, fire officials said that those in charge of Town Hall decided to “burn the furnace” in order to clear it out. In other words, Fire Capt. John Raidt said, there may have been an oil deposit inside the furnace and so workers ignited it in order to clear it off. There is a “very minimal hazard of fire,” so firefighters were standing by, Raidt said.

Government

Smell of Exhaust Prompts Officials To Close Town Hall on Tuesday

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Town Hall was closed at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday after the smell of exhaust—a problem that first cropped up in December—once again emerged in the newly renovated and expanded municipal building. Mike Pastore, director of the Department of Public Works, said the problem is definitely with the boilers, although just what is causing it remains unknown. Officials are investigating now. An email went out to employees in the building from First Selectman Rob Mallozzi. Firefighters had been dispatched to Town Hall before dawn on Tuesday on a report of the strong odor of exhaust.

Government

‘A Freak Accident’: Glass Pane Shatters on Staircase at Town Hall Over Weekend

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A large pane of glass became dislodged from a Town Hall staircase last weekend, shattering in the newly renovated and expanded building for reasons that officials are still trying to determine. The contractor for Town Hall came immediately after First Selectman Rob Mallozzi came upon the disconcerting scene of shattered glass early Monday, and has since replaced the glass—set between the banister and staircase itself, near the second floor—with a fitted piece of plywood. “Until it happened we didn’t know we had a problem,” Mallozzi said. “We had a contractor in that day [Monday] to make the staircase as safe as could be” and a licensed professional set the boards that are now in place, Mallozzi said, adding that the fire marshal inspected the scene and determined the stairwell to be safe. The glass pane itself is under warranty, said Bill Oestmann, superintendent of buildings with the Department of Public Works.

Government

‘It Will Get Tight’: Town Hall Parking Spaces 6 Inches Narrower Than Usual

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The parking spaces at the new Town Hall came out about six inches narrower than others in New Canaan, officials say. Asked by the Town Council about the spaces at Wednesday night’s regular meeting, Department of Public Works Director Michael Pastore said he wasn’t sure just how they came out narrower than usual but that there’s room to expand them toward the access road that runs past the addition. “It’s something we’re going to have to address,” Pastore said during the meeting, held at Town Hall. “Parking is still something that has got to be resolved. Day-to-day, so far, it hasn’t been a problem.