Government

Officials Dedicate ‘New’ Town Hall with Ribbon-Cutting, Tours [VIDEO]

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1st Selectman Rob Mallozzi Cuts Ribbon on New Town Hall 9 12 15
Uploaded by Michael Dinan on 2015-09-12. Scores of New Canaanites ventured downtown Saturday to attend an official dedication of the newly renovated and expanded Town Hall, a widely anticipated project totaling about $18 million that in recent weeks has seen municipal departments reassemble under a single roof for the first time in nearly two years. Members of the volunteer group that steered and oversaw the project to its completion, Town Hall Building Committee III—Michael Anthony, Chairman (and new father-in-law) Michael Avgerinos, Neil Budnick, Kathleen Corbet, John Goodwin, Vice Chairman Randy Salvatore and Rob Mallozzi—officially welcomed the community to its spick-and-span government building with a ribbon-cutting out front. Mallozzi, New Canaan’s first selectman, called it a “fabulous day for our community.”

“Lots of smiles on display,” Mallozzi said. “The celebration of the preservation and addition to our Town Hall will be a special memory for all of us.

Government

‘Complaint’ Prompts 1st Selectman To Meet with Prosecutor, Bolster Police Presence at Planned Event

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New Canaan’s highest elected official is planning to meet with a prosecutor and secure additional police presence at a planned public event following a report lodged Tuesday with the New Canaan Police Department by a municipal employee. A building maintenance worker told police that, earlier in the day, he had been approached by Michael Nowacki regarding a Sept. 12 Grand Opening for the newly renovated and expanded Town Hall, according to an incident report. “[The employee] stated that Nowacki told him Cablevision would be there, and his ‘people’ would be ‘armed with whistles trying to make a point,’ ” according to the police report. In the document itself, police referred to [the employee’s] report as a ‘complaint.’

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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We got a heads-up on Twitter from New Canaanite Peter “The Bushman” Bush of The FOX 95.9 FM about a recently redecorated roof of The Veggie Barn on Cross Street. Looks like town resident and Veggie Barn owner Santo Silvestro supports Donald Trump in ’16. Silvestro wasn’t immediately available for comment. The rooftop likely will be visible to any planes passing overhead. As Bush later Tweeted: “A little something for the Donald to see from 10K.”

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While Peachwave on Forest Street did close last weekend as planned (though the team there decided last-minute to extend by one day, through Sunday), company officials tell us now that a reopening is possible.

Government

TABLE: Town Hall Building Project To Come In about $100,000 Under Budget

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Officials say the Town Hall renovation and expansion work now wrapping up is on track to come in about $100,000 under the $18 million total budgeted for construction and soft costs. As of June 30, the volunteer committee of residents and town officials overseeing the project say about $156,000 was left to spend from what New Canaan had bonded two years ago. With some final “punch-list” and other items (such as a $21,000 table for the large meeting room) still to be counted against that figure, best estimates as of Monday night were that the project will finish about $100,000 under budget, according to Michael Pastore, director of the New Canaan Department of Public Works. “Every dollar that has been spent is accounted for,” Pastore said at a meeting of the Town Hall Building Committee, held in the Lamb Room at New Canaan Library. Here’s a table that breaks down the budgeted and estimated final costs by major line items:

 

Kathleen Corbet, a member of the committee who serves at secretary on the Town Council, commended Pastore for his diligence.

Government

‘A Lot of Hooey’: Selectman Pans Those Claiming Town Hall Project Went Over Budget

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Though there are whispers around New Canaan that the Town Hall renovation and expansion project went over budget, that’s “a lot of hooey,” Selectman Nick Williams said this week. The $13 million construction project—$18 million with “soft costs” including placement of municipal employees in temporary space—is wrapping up now and nearly all municipal employees with offices there are expected to be moved back in by summer’s end. During Tuesday’s special meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Williams said he’s had some people come up to him asking whether the project stayed on budget, and it is “so I think we just need to make sure we get that out there.”

“People say, ‘Why do you need a new Town Hall? Because it was broken,” Williams said at the meeting, held in the Training Room of the New Canaan Police Department. “And it was a disaster.