Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: His Dad, This House, That Store, Our Town

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This past week saw several major projects—of vastly different types—come to fruition, and that’s the theme of this Week in Review for New Canaan. While the parents of at least one standout New Canaan student-athlete watched their son commit to Northwestern University as a high school junior, one NCHS grad saw video tributes to his dad, a long time science teacher there, pour in from former students and colleagues (part of a birthday present project). A family transplanted from Seattle is happy with their big cross-country move (sealed with golden retriever, how else?), while our softball girls were smiling on notching their first win of a FCIAC title-defending season. One developer’s capital project at Jelliff Mill took a major step toward completion, to the disappointment of some, while a small capital project at Spencer’s Run could someday provide more shade for Waveny dogs. The town’s youth also are beneficiaries of local projects—one at Mead Park’s little league baseball fields, the other culminating in a high school band and Summer Theater of New Canaan show next month.

Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: Raising Money, Spending Money, Seeking Money

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In the week that saw New Canaan decide how much (and just where) taxpayer money will be spent starting July 1—and that amid scores of residents challenging real property assessments in the course of a town-wide revaluation—the theme of this Week in Review is spending money. While New Canaan looked to the state Bonding Commission for funds to improve playground equipment at Kiwanis and Mead Parks (and for some capital upgrades at New Canaan Library, whose seed exchange will launch this month), we spotlighted a pair of local women who are dedicating themselves newly to fundraising (and lots of leg work) for a year-round program that will help keep kids in neighboring Stamford fed on weekends. We saw a New Canaan man involved in purchasing a Greenwich waterfront estate that, when it hit the market last year, was listed at more money ($190 million) than any single residential property in the United States (it went for a cool $120 million). And even closer to home, we got an update from our volunteer Park & Recreation Commission on the divisive question of whether to sell family passes to nonresidents for Waveny Pool this summer. In keeping with our theme, finances lies at the heart of the matter: The facility must self-sustain, and that means we’ll need revenue from out-of-town families ($1,000 per pass) if the pool’s plaster lining requires immediate replacement.

Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: Big Hearts, Baseball, Senior Dogs

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Even if New Canaan hadn’t caught glimpses of spring from Mother Nature in the past week—and we’re supposed to see 54 and clear skies today—current community events and traditions would let all town residents know what time of year it is. For example, just like the girls on the softball field, we’ve got the boys of summer hitting the baseball diamond (at least on the turf). We’ve also got the final budget vote set for Wednesday night, and Caffeine & Carburetors debuts at 8 a.m. Sunday. Town Talker

We saw plenty of comments come in this week on the latest installment of local history feature “0684-Old.” In it, Terry recalls Revolutionary War-era resident (of “Canaan Parish”) Stephen Weed. Shell-shocked after battling the red coats, Weed is said to have grown paranoid on returning to town, constructing a fort along the Noroton River (off of Frogtown Road) to help protect the town from a British invasion.

Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: Cute Puppies, Sound Style Tips, Capital Needs

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As the frost drips its way out of New Canaan soil, businesses and town officials here look to stick a shovel in it, kickstarting some capital projects—the theme of today’s Week in Review. A word on the winter which is behind us (“please God,” as my mother-in-law in Dublin would say): We heard from public works officials that New Canaan’s roads this year saw their harshest-ever winter with consecutive snowstorms that led to enough road salt to concern some motorists about their vehicles’ undercarriages (though there was also good news this week for local drivers, at least those who commute). It isn’t clear just how the large construction vehicles will get to a major capital project on the south end of town at the YMCA, though we did find out how an extended sidewalk from the top of Elm Street would get to Irwin Park (when the time comes). That project likely would be funded by bonding, as will one widely anticipated project to install a new, more durable (and in the long term, cost-effective) surface at the New Canaan High School tennis courts. The high school is one building that stands to gain from what is perhaps the most closely watched capital project in town.

Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: Repairing, Reviving, Re-Imagining

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Even as we brace for the possibility of yet more snow (ugh) that’s due Tuesday, New Canaanites are coming off of a week of repair and renewal, the theme of this Week in Review installment. A venerable old home at God’s Acre is set to get some love from a new owner and townies are looking for signs that spring is arriving—in some cases, with a sense of urgency, to repair playing fields underfoot. The town this week welcomed a prominent new resident (who chose New Canaan for a number of reasons, including what she and her partner judged to be superior-sized lots and homes) while the district launched searches for leaders in our schools. One varsity football standout said he’s looking to a future on a college lacrosse field (with words that renewed our oldest rivalry), while our last locally owned pharmacy moves into a new space downtown and its former landlord seeks a new tenant. The library, ahead of its rebuilding, is reorganizing its staff and launching new programs, while police renew their search for a brazen burglar after catching his partner and Philip Johnson Glass House re-imagines its beloved buildings and grounds as a place that accentuates and inspires creative artists.