The Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday night unanimously approved a special permit application that Silver Hill Hospital filed more than two years ago in order to use a home at 225 Valley Road as a residential medical treatment facility. The approval follows months of discussion between the psychiatric hospital and neighbors, as well as a legal dispute with the town, and comes with a set of five conditions agreed upon by Silver Hill and a neighborhood group, and seven additional conditions between the institution and one contiguous neighbor.
The antique home at 4 Main St., on Oct. 27, 2015. Credit: Michael Dinan
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An out-of-state property preservation and maintenance company appears to have winterized the long-vacant, antique home at 4 Main St. Historic District officials have expressed concern that the 1870-built Greek Revival-style house on God’s Acre could be a case of “demolition by neglect” and invoked the prospect of a blight citation there. In July, a civil court issued a judgment of foreclosure by sale on the property, according to records on file with the Connecticut Judicial Branch. The property’s owner this month appealed that decision. A note on the front door, dated Oct. 14 and from a company called Mortgage Contracting Services, warns visitors not to turn on the water.
Undefeated: The 2015 NCHS JV girls soccer team, on the day of their final victory, 8-0 over Greenwich, on Oct. 27, 2015. Jamie Beck photo
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The fabulous New Canaan High School JV girls’ soccer team wrapped up an unbeaten season by defeating Greenwich 8-0 on Tuesday. Here’s a rundown on the girls’ record—congratulations to this special team:
- Won 12-0 vs Stamford
- Won 2-1 vs Darien
- Tied 1-1 vs Trumbull
- Won 8-0 vs Westhill
- Won 8-0 vs Norwalk
- Won 3-1 vs Fairfield Ludlowe
- Won 5-1 vs Ridgefield
- Won 2-0 vs Fairfield Warde
- Won 2-1 vs Staples
- Won 5-1 vs St. Joseph
- Won 1-0 vs Wilton (previously undefeated)
- Won 4-0 vs Danbury
- Won 8-0 vs Greenwich
A newly installed ‘Welcome To New Canaan’ sign at 123 and Carter Street. Credit: Sky Mercede
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New ‘Welcome to New Canaan’ signs that town officials approved in August are in place. Here’s a photo from Sky Mercede of Forever Sweet Bakery (thanks, Sky) of one of the signs, installed near the corner of Carter Street and Route 123. Another sign goes near South Avenue at Gerdes Road, a third would be placed near the Merritt Parkway ramps at Exit 36. The wonderful New Canaan Beautification League has agreed to care for flowers and other plants around the signs, which will be planted in spots where the league already maintains plants and flowers, officials have said.
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New Canaan Police on Sept. 22 cited two juveniles for possession of alcohol by a minor after they admitted to bringing a bottle of Dubra-brand vodka and six-pack of Coors Light to what turned into an underage drinking party on Smith Ridge Road. A teenage girl who lived at the home told police that she had invited some friends over when seniors started showing up with the alcohol. Parents who were at home told police they didn’t realize that an underage drinking party was underway. Police found 19 Bud Light and 22 Natural Light cans in the home’s basement.
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Though no formal vote was taken, a sense of the Town Council at its Oct. 21 meeting on whether to dogs in Bristow Bird Sanctuary showed that about two-thirds of the legislative body favored accommodating canines there in some fashion. An attorney for the town has said there is no legal problem with having dogs in the park.
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A list published by a digital financial media company has New Canaan Public Schools listed at No. 19 in the nation. See the list from “TheStreet” here.
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We’re hearing from Darienite.com that a New Canaan woman driving in Darien had a drink with ice hurled at her car by an apparently angry Connecticut man, while the two tried to merge into a single lane of traffic near construction. He was cited for creating a public disturbance, the Darienite reports.
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We’re hearing that the New Canaan Democrats opened a weeklong campaign headquarters Tuesday at 106 Main St. for the 2015 municipal election. New Canaan voters are invited to drop in for scheduled “Meet the Candidate” sessions, officials say. On Election Night, the New Canaan Democratic Town Committee will sponsor an open house reception starting at 6:30 p.m. Contact DTC Chair Jane Himmel at bluecanaan@gmail.com for more info.
New Canaan High School Squash Boys Varsity team finished as the #2 public high school team in the country and 27th overall in the U.S. (among both private and public schools) at the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships in February 2015. Contributed
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Some kudos here for the New Canaan Squash Team, out of an Oct. 15-16 U.S. Squash summit. NCHS Squash is a founding member of FWPSSA (Fairwest Public School Squash Association). The chair of Fairwest, Dave Reiss, attended the conference and was a featured speaker. Per US Squash, FWPSSA is the first successful public school league in the country.It was founded in 2008 and now includes dozens of middle school and high school boys and girls teams from Fairfield and Westchester counties including: New Canaan, Darien, Greenwich, Westport, Madison, Fairfield, Harrison, Rye, and Bronxville. The NCHS team one year ago requested $20,000 from the Board of Ed to help continue the program, but did not receive the funds for the current fiscal year.
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Finally, we’re hearing that the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation raised more than $2 million at its annual Fall Gala, held Saturday in Greenwich. Among others, MMRF honored Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and the Wiesel family with its Courage and Commitment Award. New Canaan’s Kathy Giusti, founder of MMRF and its executive chairman, thanked the Wiesel family for stepping forward to share Professor Wiesel’s battle with multiple myeloma, a rare and currently incurable blood cancer. “Working with Elie Wiesel and his family has been one of the greatest gifts of my life,” she said in a press release. “To have a window into the personal lives of such greatness has been humbling. I’m thrilled to share that Elie has made amazing progress as a result of the many treatment options available to him and his health is strong.”
L-R: Steve Ladner. From left to right: Bonnie Hunt, Karen Andrews, Kathy Giusti, Prof. Elie Wiesel, Marion Wiesel, Elisha Wiesel, Lynn Bartner-Wiesel and Walter Capone at the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Fall Gala on Saturday night, Oct. 24. Contributed