Government

Town Funding Bodies To Vote Next Month on Support for New Canaan Library Rebuilding Plan

By |

The town’s two major funding bodies will vote next month on a proposal to help kickstart a capital campaign for a widely anticipated rebuild of New Canaan Library, officials say. Conceived by town officials and introduced at public meetings in June, the allocation would help the library acquire a key .19-acre property on its block. Though formal agendas have not yet been finalized, the Board of Finance is expected to vote on the measure at its Sept. 13 meeting, with the Town Council to follow on Sept. 21, First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said.

Government

‘A Very Good Investment for Our Community’: Town Could Help Library Acquire Key Final Property for Rebuilding Plan

By |

The town stands to benefit aesthetically, culturally and otherwise if New Canaan Library in planning its rebuilt facility has a properly sized and configured parcel with which to work, officials said Tuesday. Because of setback regulations, a major gateway into the New Canaan at South Avenue and Maple Street realistically could only serve as a parking lot unless the library is able to acquire a key .19-acre property on its block, the town’s highest elected official said during a meeting of the Board of Finance. So if it’s feasible and residents and town officials support the idea, New Canaan ought to consider helping the library purchase that property, according to First Selectman Rob Mallozzi, who serves as chairman of the finance board. “There is an opportunity for this town to demonstrate to our library what we think and be a partner in their vision that I think is fundamental for the success of this community,” Mallozzi said during the finance board’s regular meeting, held at Town Hall. Doing so would bolster “the look and feel of the community as you approach our downtown village, and, I think, truly jumpstart a capital campaign to the library that would lead to a phenomenal facility over the next few years.”

He added: “I think it would be a very good investment for our community.”

That investment, if it’s made, remains some months away, according to finance board member Neil Budnick.

Around Town

New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Adds Eight Directors

By |

The New Canaan Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the addition of eight new members to its Board of Directors as well the creation of a new, dedicated board composed of past chamber presidents that will help oversee the organization’s charitable foundation. Nimble, engaged and innovative, the new chamber directors form an exciting group of business and organization leaders in town, according to Tucker Murphy, executive director of the chamber. “Our mission is ‘connecting community with commerce,’ and we kept those four words very much top of mind in putting together this board,” Murphy said. “Our new directors not only represent successful local businesses stories—they’re also deeply involved in our town. Beyond participating in chamber events such as the Sidewalk Sales, Holiday Stroll and Taste of the Town, they actively fundraise for community agencies, volunteer with service organizations and connect with each other for their mutual benefit.”

The newly appointed directors each have started serving a 3-year term, and they are:

David E. Hoyle Esq.—Hawthorne, Ackerly & Dorrance
Lisa Oldham—New Canaan Library
Mamoune Tazi—Le Boudoir
Anna Simons—New Canaan Pediatric Dentistry
Michael Dinan—NewCanaanite.com
Ben & Elaine Young—New Canaan Dance Academy
Sara Koch—Oxygen Fitness
Kinsey Ferguson—Vineyard Vines

Helping to acclimate them are three current directors who now form a new executive committee for the chamber: Steve Risbridger of Reynolds & Rowella is president, Tom Stadler of the Town of New Canaan First Selectman’s Office is treasurer and HamletHub’s Rachel Lampen is secretary.

Around Town

‘We Cannot Wait Any Longer’: Library To Pursue New Building Despite South Avenue Holdout

By |

Though unable as yet to acquire a key .19-acre property on their block, New Canaan Library officials say they’re prepared to develop a new set of architectural plans for a widely anticipated rebuilding project. Regardless of whether they can buy a mid-block South Avenue home that’s bordered on three sides by library property, “We will be pushing forward on a capital campaign and starting to re-engage the architects by the end of this financial year,” Library Director Lisa Oldham told the Board of Selectmen last week. “Our preference is to get that property for the sake of the town of New Canaan—the building that we already have designs for is beautiful, and it would be a real asset to the town,” Oldham said Friday during a presentation of the library’s proposed budget at a special selectmen meeting, held at Town Hall. “If we don’t get that piece of property, we cannot all be held waiting. We can build a very nice library without that property—it will be on the front axis of that property.

Around Town

‘The Building Is Just Crumbling’: AC Compressor, Elevator Fail at New Canaan Library

By |

A 43-year-old air cooled condensing unit at New Canaan Library that’s already outlived its expected useful life twice over failed on a recent afternoon, just as its continuously used elevator failed—creating a sudden need for nearly $40,000 in repairs for an aging facility with prohibitively expensive capital needs, officials say. With the condenser out, the children’s library and Salant Room have grown uncomfortably hot and stuffy in recent days, and an elevator on which patrons, staff and volunteers rely to get upstairs is creating new challenges for workers while effectively preventing mobility-challenged residents from browsing, according to Library Director Lisa Oldham. “The building is just crumbling,” Oldham told NewCanaanite.com. “Over the summer, to make sure the heating system was ready for the next season, we spent about $15,000 doing repairs and maintenance so that come October when we need to turn the heat on, it works. The drain situation continues to be a disgusting mess.