Municipal officials on Thursday denied a request to view a legal opinion rendered by the town attorney’s firm regarding New Canaan’s volunteer firefighters. The following line items and billing hours appear in a legal bill approved Feb. 11 by the Board of Selectmen, detailing what are described as professional tasks achieved by Berchem & Moses lawyers Christopher Hodgson, Kyle Roseman, Meredith Diette and Rebecca Goldberg, between Jan. 6 and 24 (New Canaan taxpayers fund an $8,5000 monthly retainer with the firm):
- “Follow up re: volunteer firefighters (.5 hours);
- “Discussed strategy for payment of volunteer firefighters advice letter (.3 hours);
- “Drafting advice letter re: payment of volunteer firefighters (.6 hours);
- “Research volunteer firefighter issue (1 hour);
- “Drafting advice letter re: payment of volunteer firefighters (2 hours);
- “Review volunteer opinion memo; forward first draft to [Town Human Resources Director Cheryl Pickering-Jones] (.7 hours);
- “Drafted advice letter re: use of volunteer firefighters to cover for career firefighter shifts (4 hours);
- “Edited advice letter (1 hour);
- “Emailed letter along with summary and additional memos of law for review (.4 hours);
- “Research, review and revision of opinion letter re: volunteer firefighters (2 hours);
- “Interoffice communication re: volunteer firefighter issue; research recent law re: same and draft language for opinion letter re: same (1.1 hours);
- “Research re: definition of volunteer firefighter; interoffice conference re: same (1.5 hours);
- “Continued research for volunteer firefighter opinion; revise draft letter (1.7 hours);
- “Interoffice communication re: volunteer firefighter issue (1.3 hours);
- “Research, review and revision of opinion letter re: volunteer firefighters (1.3 hours);
- “Interoffice discussions re: volunteer firefighters; review and analyze DOL opinion letters re: same (.7 hours);
- “Final revisions to opinion letter re: volunteer firefighters (.8 hours);
- “Interoffice communication re: volunteer firefighters (.7 hours);
- “Conference with C. Jones to follow up re: volunteer firefighter issue (.3 hours);
- “Reviewed final draft of letter re: compensation of unpaid firefighters (.5 hours);
- “Draft memo re: volunteers; telephone conference with C. Jones.”
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The Town Clerk’s office on Feb. 20 recorded a notice of a $13,398.51 state real estate tax lien for the White Oak Shade Road home whose owners include a husband and wife who pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a health care fraud scheme.
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The Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting for March 2 to conduct a “student disciplinary hearing” in executive session.
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The Historic District Commission voted 5-0 Thursday to elect Tom Nissley as its chair, Marty Skrelunas as vice chair and Carl Rothbart as secretary. In addition to those three, voting members were Dick Rose and Todd Lampert, who came onto the appointed body following Mark Markiewicz’s expired term.
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The Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting Tuesday voted 3-0 to appoint Cynthia Dul as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. She’s filling an open seat.
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The New Canaan Building Department on Feb. 13 received a building permit application describing interior work that will prepare 87 Main St. for Saiko, a Japanese restaurant. The work will cost about $160,000 and includes kitchen and bathroom remodels, new flooring and sheetrock and installation of a new bar and sushi bar. The building is owned by a limited liability company whose principals include two New Canaan residents and a Florida man, state records show.
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Congratulations to 2019 New Canaan High School graduate Jacob Ritz on making the fall Merit List at Kenyon College.
L-R: Yamil Ceballos, Assistant Branch Manager at Bankwell in New Canaan, Chelsea Starks, LiveGirl Marketing & Operations, Christine Chivily, EVP, Chief Risk & Credit Officer at Bankwell, Sheri West, LiveGirl Founder & CEO and Alison Waller, LiveGirl Program Director. Contributed
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Bankwell has donated $4,250 to LiveGirl, Inc., a locally based nonprofit organization that builds confident leaders. LiveGirl works with surrounding public schools and youth organizations to provide year-round, free-of-charge leadership development and mentoring for girls in grades 5-12. Their programs are proven to build self-esteem, social emotional intelligence, and foster diversity.
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Noteworthy events coming soon:
- Women Rock the Vote—doors open 6 p.m on Saturday, Feb. 29 at Carriage Barn in Waveny. Presented by the League of Women Voters of New Canaan;
- ‘Leonardo at the Library’ Photo Exhibition—Cocktail reception & lecture at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29, exhibition running Feb. 29 to March 30 at New Canaan Library;
- Step Into Summer—6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 6 at the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society.
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The selectmen this week reviewed two contracts with New Canaan-based RKW Land Surveying worth a total of $3,175, for work at the southwest intersection of Farm Road and South Avenue, and for fencing and a backstop at Mead Park.
Members of the Newcomers Club of New Canaan board with representatives of area nonprofit organizations that are receiving a portion of $100,000 in charitable giving raised through the annual Holiday House Tour. Contributed
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The Newcomers Club of New Canaan through its Holiday House Tour raised $100,000 that’s being donated among 12 area nonprofit organizations, including A Better Chance, Inc of New Canaan, Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Filling In the Blanks, Getabout, Gods Acre Christmas Caroling Foundation, Horizons, LiveGirl, New Canaan Mounted Troop, New Canaan Historical Society, New Canaan Library, New Canaan Parent Support Group and STAR. Event sponsors include Karl Chevrolet, and Stewart’s Wine & Spirits.
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The following local food service establishments aced recent unannounced inspections by the New Canaan Health Department. Scores are out of a possible 100 points:
- Fjord Fish Market—97 (Feb. 10)
- New Canaan Pizza & Taqueria—93 (Feb. 25)
- elm–97 (Feb. 20)
- Hashi Sushi—93 (Feb. 24)
- New Canaan Diner—98 (Feb. 26)
- Locali—94 (Feb. 12)
- Vicolo Pizza—92 (Feb. 19)
- Connecticut Muffin—98 (Feb. 25)
- South End—98 (Feb. 25)
Phoebe and Dawn Kurth. Credit: Laney Lloyd
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New Canaan’s LiveGirl will mark Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day by joining New Canaan Library in hosting “One Book/One Town. They’ve selected “The Only Woman in the Room” and will run a parent/daughter discussion led by Dawn and Phoebe Kurth and the book’s author, Marie Benedict, March 28 at the library. On March 8, LiveGirl will host a mother/daughter Confident podcast at Havyn, a women’s coworking space in Darien, with Denise D’Agostino, co-founder of Her New Standard.
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The selectmen on Tuesday approved the hiring of Joshua Kaufman as a financial analyst in the Finance Department. A graduate of Plattsburgh State University of New York, the Ossining, N.Y. resident worked most recently as a staff accountant at Mt. Kisco, N.Y.-based Diamond Properties. The town received 30 applications for the municipal position, officials said, and interviewed three candidates.
Recipients of Rotary Club of New Canaan charitable grants in May 2019. The majority of funds awarded come from the club’s largest fundraising effort, the Annual Lobsterfest, held each September on the grounds of the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society. Mark your calendar now – Lobsterfest 2020 will take place on September 25th and 26th, 2020
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The Rotary Club of New Canaan will receive grant applications through March 31 from local and area nonprofit organizations involved in health and wellness or education and literacy. More information is available here. Submit applications to allocations@newcanaanrotary.org.
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A Jan. 31 legal bill recently approved by the selectmen includes this line item: “Re: De La Vega – 266 Michigan Road; Review of Town Records; Email correspondence with Tax Collector; drafted demand letter to property owner.”
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The selectmen on Tuesday approved an approximately $11,000 contract with Northeast Scoreboards to replace the scoreboard at the Orchard Field, where New Canaan High School’s varsity softball team plays.