Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The bagels are back in town: Upper Crust Bakery & Café opens Thursday morning in the former Brueggers space on South Avenue downtown. ***

Currently, 843 people belong to Spencer’s Run, New Canaan’s dog park at Waveny, and slightly more than half of those are nonresidents, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Rona Siegel reported on Wednesday night during the commission’s regular meeting. ***

The Board of Selectmen by a 2-0 vote Tuesday approved a $938,000 contract with FGB Construction to repave and otherwise improve the following town roads (First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectman Kit Devereaux cast votes, as Selectman Nick Williams was absent):

Huckleberry Road from Valley Road to the town line
Jonathan Road
Mill Road
Pepper Lane
Sagamore Trail
Siwanoy Lane
Summer Street from Lakeview to East Avenue and from Cross Street to Locust Avenue
Turning Mill Lane

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The photo gallery above features the newest aerial photos of the sports fields and track at New Canaan High School. ***

Town officials broke ground with Eversource on Wednesday for the company’s $25 million natural gas project. It will start with the installation of 4.7 miles of underground pipeline, making the fuel available to more than 500 homes and businesses.

Government

Country Club of New Canaan Seeks To Expand Clubhouse, Relocate Pool

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Saying major projects are needed to update its facilities and meet the needs of its members, one of New Canaan’s oldest organizations is applying to rebuild and reconfigure various structures at its 153-acre property. The Country Club of New Canaan last week applied to the Planning & Zoning Commission to relocate its pool and rebuild a pool house as well as to reconfigure and expand its heavily used main clubhouse. CCNC’s membership will not increase as part of the project, which is designed to “retain the feel of a residential estate in the 4-acre zone,” according to the application, filed on behalf of the club by attorney Steve Finn of Stamford-based Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin & Kuriansky. “The Club recognizes its civic responsibility to provide an appropriate architectural presence for the area,” according to the application. “The plans are consistent with the original mission: a ‘club in the country.’ The submitted design recalls many of the architectural aspects of the original clubhouse of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is representative of southern New England architecture at the time.”

The project’s overall purpose is “to reconfigure the club facilities to better serve the membership,” according to a statement that accompanies the club’s Special Permit application, and “the functioning of many aspects of the club will be upgraded and enhanced, and circulation by members to the various facilities will be improved.”

“One of the major features of the proposed project is the relocation of the pool to the east, closer to Smith Ridge Road.

Around Town

Eversource: New Canaan Residents Can Influence Natural Gas Expansion Plan In Out Years

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Following an initial roll-out of natural gas in New Canaan through 2020—a three-phase project starting next year that will see a trunk line come into town from Stamford, up South Avenue to the business district and then out to East School, with nearby residences along the way—property owners themselves can influence just where the utility brings natural gas, officials say. For Eversource—at least through 2024, under a state-backed expansion plan—the question of where in New Canaan the gas lines will go is in some ways a math equation, according to John Ferrelli, the company’s Waterbury-based supervisor of business account services: The cost of installation must be offset by the load delivered. “Customer demand will dictate the path of opportunity beyond the initial outline, as well as new construction and conversions,” Ferrelli told members of the Town Council at their regular meeting. “Future growth potential will be driven by customer interest, customer demand,” Ferrelli said at the July 19 meeting, held at Town Hall. “And that’s where the company will look to expand [starting in 2020].

Government

Country Club of New Canaan Cited for Wetlands Violations

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The Country Club of New Canaan has been cited for violations of regulations that are designed to protect some of the town’s most sensitive environmental habitat. According to a citation issued Jan. 6 by the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses department staff, the Country Club without a required permit has conducted “a significant amount of earth disturbing activities around and over wetlands.”

Those activities include removing trees and vegetation from known wetlands and adjacent areas and creating silted water by disturbing a utility road with tree equipment trucks. “These activities have disturbed the wetlands and watercourse that are protected under the regulations,” according to a citation notice obtained by NewCanaanite.com following a formal request. “Minimal soil and erosion controls were installed.”

Town officials learned of the violations from a third-party observer and inspected the site on Jan.

Sports

FCSL Summer Swimming Round-Up: Country Club of New Canaan and New Canaan Field Club

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Featuring the perfect blend of competitiveness and fun, the Fairfield County Swim League – which includes swimmers from under age 8 to age 17 – is a gem of the summer. Both the Country Club of New Canaan and the New Canaan Field Club recently wrapped up their dual meet seasons and are preparing for divisionals and county championships. With a 1-4 record in Division 4, Country Club of New Canaan’s first year head coach Eileen Loveless said the amount of young swimmers – specifically in the age 8 to 10 and underage groups – shows that they are “starting to build our team back up again.”

Because the team is building from these young age groups, Loveless says she enjoys seeing the growth of her swimmers over the course of the season. Following a tough first loss to Greenwich Water Club, Loveless noted extremely “positive meet experiences” with both Shorehaven and Paterson Clubs because they were competitive, and the progress of CCNC swimmers was evident in the abundance of best times. “They were the most exciting meets for us because it’s where Country Club of New Canaan really rallied our spirit, where our team came together and our joy and enthusiasm seemed to reach its height,” Loveless said.