Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Many New Canaanites by now have seen a rendering of the Midcentury Modern-inspired commercial building that John and Melissa Engel have planned for the lot at 215 Elm St. The architect on the project is Westport-based Frederick William Hoag. Some time after John Engel explained what he had in mind to a University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation professor, a document that included some truly fascinating concepts came in from students (see above). The Maryland architecture program been called the only one in the nation that includes professional Masters programs and related PhD-level studies in planning, preservation and real estate development within the same school. ***

Bill Egan, the newly hired principal of New Canaan High School, has gotten into the spirit of the job very quickly: At his formal introduction at the Board of Education meeting on Monday night, board member Sheri West astutely noted, Egan was sporting a NCHS Rams tie.

Government

Town Hall Renovation: ‘Anything That Would Have Been Discovered, Has Been Discovered’

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The renovation of Town Hall remains on time and budget, with the Main Street structure’s floors poured, walls up and interior finishes underway, New Canaan’s highest elected official said. Officials expect municipal services to move into the renovated space next May, First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said Tuesday at a special meeting of New Canaan’s Board of Finance. “Anything that would have been discovered, has been discovered, so that is really good,” Mallozzi said at the meeting, held in the Douglas Room at Lapham Community Center. The comments came as the finance board approved 9-0 about $275,000 from a contingency fund for construction spending. About $150,000 to $200,000 remains in that fund, Mallozzi said.

Government

Footprint, Steel Frame of Renovated Town Hall in Place

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The footprint of the “new” Town Hall is complete and the officials expect with two weeks to start the wall framing at the addition out back of the Main Street building. Workers poured the first floor concrete decking and the roof is underway, said Joseph Zagarenski of Bridgeport-based firm The McLoud Group, which is overseeing the project as construction manager. “The steel [frame of the addition] is almost complete,” Zagarenski  said. Here are some renderings of the renovated Town Hall from White Plains, NY-based KSQ Architects. They have been included in multiple presentations to town officials over the past two years.

Government

Renovated Town Hall Taking Shape with Steel Skeleton

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New Canaan’s renovated Town Hall is starting to take physical shape this week, with the appearance of a steel skeleton behind the original building that will be fully installed by June 20, officials say. Pictured at right, the steel structure will hold the renovated Town Hall’s vault, clerk’s office and other miscellaneous offices, said Joseph Zagarenski of Bridgeport-based firm The McLoud Group, which is overseeing the project as construction manager. “The nuts and bolts of it are that that’s the first bay of three, so you’ll see the next two bays and a complete structure up here at the end of the month,” Zagarenski  said. The approximately $18 million renovation of Town Hall is on schedule and budget, officials have said. (Here are some renderings of the renovated New Canaan Town Hall from White Plains, NY-based KSQ Architects, article continues below.)

[acx_slideshow name=”New Canaan Town Hall renovation”]

 

Selectman Beth Jones after board meetings regularly tours the site and receives project updates from Zagarenski and New Canaan Department of Public Works Director Mike Pastore.

Government

Officials: $18 Million New Canaan Town Hall Renovation on Time, Budget

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The widely anticipated renovation of Town Hall is on pace to wrap up next spring and officials said Monday that even after earmarking about three-quarters of what’s been budgeted for contingencies, the project is on track to come in at its estimated $18 million. According to the Joseph Zagarenski of Bridgeport-based firm The McLoud Group, which is overseeing the project as construction manager, the project is within two days of schedule and with the installation of steel by the end of June, “We will be 100 percent on schedule.”

“The foundation is 95 percent of the way complete,” Zagarenski said during a meeting of Town Hall Building Committee III, held in the Adrian Lamb room at New Canaan Library. “The frame will go up in the next two to three weeks. It will be a huge difference in what you see.”

A project expected to improve dramatically New Canaan’s main municipal building and services, the Town Hall renovation since its inception has been guided by principles of creating a modern facility (adding ADA accessibility and built-in technology to ease public use, for example) while retaining the historic character of the original 1909 structure (it was designed by celebrated architect Edgar Alonzo Josseyln after he’d won a competition for the right to do so, historians say—by then he’d already designed what’s now called the “Old Town Hall” of Stamford). The following renderings of the renovated New Canaan Town Hall are from White Plains, NY-based KSQ Architects and have been included in multiple presentations to town officials over the past two years.