New Canaan Patch: Latest Articles

The Party's at the Dump

2010-03-19T12:02:36-04:00

Storm's aftermath means tons and tons of trash.

By Taylor Engelson

12:02pm

New Canaan residents have been dumping carload after carload of brush at the Transfer Station this week since a storm shook down trees and branches all over town.

Michael Anastasia, a scalehouse operator at the Transfer Station, said its been like Saturday (usually the busiest day) all week.

"Quadruple the number of people that we normally see are coming in," he said. "It's been a steady flow of people all of the time, and a constant line of cars."

Andrew Blance took the day off work Thursday to expunge the remains of a tree that fell from a neighbor's yard onto his property.

"It's Connecticut law that if a branch or tree falls on your property, it becomes your property," he said, during his 10th trip to the transfer station.

Flood-ruined rugs and refrigerators worth of perishables that expired during the power outages have also been in the mix, said Operator Garry Bates. Five truckloads of spoiled food were brought in from the schools, he said.

Residents with Transfer Station stickers normally have to pay one dollar for every 20 pounds over the 300 pound limit, but the fee has been waived until March 25 while town crews are also picking up debris curbside. Contractors are also being allowed to come in with their trucks.

A few exceptions have even been made during the past few days for residents who haven't purchased a $40 sticker.

"We've said ok to anybody who came in," Anastasia said.

A Day Late and a Goal Short

2010-03-19T09:54:28-04:00

The Rams complete the boys hockey season with a 22-4 record, including an FCIAC Championship.

By Bob Goldsholl

9:18am

Postponed from Wednesday by storm-related power outages, the New Canaan Rams season ended Thursday in the semifinal round of the state Division 1 Boys Hockey Tournament with a 4-3 loss to Fairfield Prep.

It was an emotional Rams lockerroom afterwards with Coach Bo Hickey reminding his team that, "This was a 22-win season and only four losses. We gave it everything tonight—in that last period it was everything but in." Hickey added, "Nobody should be disappointed—I thought it was a dead even game out there."

Both teams had a front line player sitting this one out. The Rams' Bo McGinniss was suspended for violating school policy off the ice and the Jesuits Jackson Bargiello sat after being ejected from his team's last game (an ejection results in a suspension for the next game).

The Rams did some juggling with Andrew Leslie moving from the front line into McGinniss' defensive spot. Leslie did return to his regular forward position later in the game.

"Leslie played 80 percent of the game on defense and then when we needed him he moved up," said Hickey. "

New Canaan opened the scoring when Tim Robustelli poked in a rebound of a Jimmy Joe Granito wrister just 2:42 into the opening period. Fairfield Prep tied the game late in the period. Bryan Puffer, one of many speedy skaters for the Jesuits, scored past Tim Nowacki.

The pace was up-tempo and evenly played throughout the entire game. The Jesuits were quick, not only with the puck, but to it as well. The first period ended 1-1 with the Rams holding a slight edge in shots-on-goal, 8-6.

It didn't take very long for the Jesuits to take the lead in the second period. Lucas Dennison controlled a puck out of the air and scored for a 2-1 lead. But Granito tied it a short time later with helpers from Tim Robustelli and Henry Richardson.

Three minutes later, Prep's Anthony Unker stole a pass in the Rams' zone and found room top shelf for a 3-2 lead after two.

The Jesuits scored another early goal to open the third period when Alex Matarazzo beat Nowacki up high for a 4-2 lead.

But the Rams made it a one-goal game again when Kris Nugent scored. Sam Stanton had corralled a rebound of a Brian Tohir shot, then fed the puck to Nugent who scored past Spencer Sodokoff.

The Rams had a good shot at tying the game when they had a 5-on-3 power play for 22-seconds, and then a 5-on-4 for the next 1:38, but they couldn't capitalize.

Players and coaches all agreed that the Rams "left it all out on the ice." Hickey said his team, "was a great bunch of kids with some great senior leadership."

Granito, who has another year, said, "Everyone who paid for a ticket tonight got his money's worth. Unfortunately we came up one-goal short."

"We played as hard as we could," said senior Henry Richardson. "To Prep's credit, they finished on scoring chances better than we did."

Fairfield Prep (18-3) will play defending champion Hamden (3-2 winners over Darien in the other semifinal game) for the CIAC championship on Saturday.

KEY STATS

Scoring:

1st Period

New Canaan—Robustelli from Granito at 2:42
Fairfield Prep—Puffer (unassisted) at 12:21

2nd Period

Fairfield Prep—Dennison from White and Puffer at :18; Unker Carnicky at 7:51
New Canaan—Granito from Robustelli and Richardson at 4:45

3rd Period

Fairfield Prep—Matarazzo from Griffin at 1:17
New Canaan—Nugent from Stanton and Tohir at 5:28

Goalie Saves:

New Canaan—Nowacki 22/26
Fairfield Prep—Sodokoff 28/31

A.G. Calls for Investigation of Utility Response

2010-03-18T18:27:44-04:00

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal urges public hearings to be held in all affected towns.

By Amy Jeffries

March 18, 2010

Seconding an earlier call for answers from Governor M. Jodi Rell, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today formally asked the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) to investigate whether utility companies adequately responded to the massive storm-related power and phone outages that affected more than 5,000 New Canaan households and closed schools for three days.

The governor had announced Tuesday that she had asked the DPUC and the Department of Emergency Management to look into the initial response by Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating after the storm hit Saturday. Blumenthal has added AT&T to the list of companies from whom he wants explainations.

As of 6:05 p.m. today, 71 CL&P customers in New Canaan were listed as being without power—most single "no-lights" where the connection between a house and utility pole has been broken. The utility is aiming to have power fully restored by the end of the day.

Blumenthal said in a press release that as the lights and dial tones returned, he has received many complaints from residents, workers, and public officials, "as to the adequacy and efficacy of the electric and phone companies' response to this emergency."

"Lengthy delays in restoring service sparked understandable anger and anxiety," Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal said the DPUC's investigation should be kept separate from an ongoing CL&P rate proceeding, and suggested a comprehensive review should include public hearings in the areas directly affected by the storm. The investigation, he said, must determine whether health, public safety and service were given priority over company profits.

"There must be an immediate investigation of the charge that CL&P, UI and AT&T placed higher priority on minimizing overtime costs than on the quick restoration of power and phone service," he said.

Blumenthal has also launched a parallel inquiry in his office, requesting information from CL&P, UI, and AT&T about their restoration efforts.

Property Sales during the Week of March 8

2010-03-18T15:34:34-04:00

The sales of three houses were recorded last week.

By Amy Jeffries

March 18, 2010

The following sales were recorded by the Town Clerk March 8-12:

226 Putnam Rd: Adrianne Tharp sold a house to Mio E. Cloud for $1,400,000. Warranty deed dated March 3, 2010, recorded March 9, 2010.

45 Weeburn Dr: Jane H. Sweet and Joseph C. Sweet, Jr. sold a house to Peter T. and Jennifer C. Moore for $1,050,000. Warranty deed dated March 4, 2010, recorded March 10, 2010.

11 Lakeview Lane: John M. and Usha N. Burns sold a house for $1,700,000 to Rufino R. G. M. Camejo and Alexandra V. G. Miranda. Warranty deed dated March 5, 2010, recorded March 12, 2010.

Refer to the Property Appraisals Search on the town Web site for more information on these properties.

Police Blotter: Warrants Served; Vehicle Larceny Reported

2010-03-18T14:04:43-04:00

One motorist turns himself in on DUI charges, a UPS driver for failing to appear for driving with a suspended license.

By Amy Jeffries

March 18, 2010

UPS Driver Failed to Appear on Traffic Charges:

Jarred Allen, 31, of Norwalk, turned himself in Wednesday, March 10, at 3:27 p.m. after failing to appear in court March 1 on motor vehicle charges. He posted $500 bond and is due back in court March 23.

Allen had been issued a summons Dec. 10, 2009, for driving with a suspended license. He allegedly struck a mailbox structure in New Canaan while operating a UPS truck and didn't report it right away.

GPS Stolen From Unlocked Car:

A New Canaan resident called police at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday to report that someone had snatched a Garmin Nuvi 265 worth $190 from her vehicle earlier in the day. Though she didn't notice it was missing right away, the complainant suspects the GPS was taken from her unlocked vehicle while it was parked in the Food Emporium parking lot around noon Wednesday.

Stamford Man Charged for DUI in January Crash:

Thomas A. Slawniak. 31, of Stamford turned himself in on Friday, March 12, at 10:30 a.m. on charges he had been driving under the influence of alcohol Jan. 3, 2010, when his car traveled off the roadway on Jelliff Mill Road and struck a tree.

Though he suffered no obvious injuries, there was severe front-end damage to Slawniak's vehicle from the accident so he was transported to the hospital that night as a precaution. The officer at the scene reportedly observed Slawniak slurring his speech and smelled the odor of alcohol. Police applied for a search warrant for Slawniak's blood test results which prompted the warrant.

In addition to the DUI charge, Slawniak was charged Friday with failure to drive right and operating without a license. He posted $3,500 bond and is due in court March 25.

UPDATED: The Accident Report—Week of March 8

2010-03-18T19:57:30-04:00

At least three accidents attributed to the storm-related hazards.

By Amy Jeffries

March 18, 2010

INJURY ACCIDENT:

Driver Complains of Pain After Rear-Ending Bus:

The driver of an SUV that rear-ended a school bus dropping of a student on Smith Ridge Road Wednesday, March 10, later complained of arm pain. The incident was the only accident involving injuries logged in last week. For more details go to http://patch.com/Usjt

PROPERTY DAMAGE ACCIDENTS:

Vehicle Backs Up in Road:

A driver who intended to turn into a driveway on Oenoke Ridge around 7:20 p.m. Monday, March 8, put her vehicle in reverse when she missed the turn, hitting another vehicle, causing minor damage. Police gave the offending driver a verbal warning for the bad maneuver.

Parked Car Struck in Forest Street Lot:

A 30-year-old man from South Salem was issued an infraction for failure to drive right shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, after he struck the front bumper of another vehicle parked in a lot near 15 Forest St.

Car Damaged in Saxe Lot:

A 42-year-old Bridgeport woman called police Wednesday, March 10, when she arrived home and her husband noticed damage to the rear fender of her vehicle. It appeared a white-colored vehicle had hit the car while it was parked in a lot at Saxe Middle School earlier in the day.

Rear-ender Blamed on Distracted Driving:

Two days before her 18th birthday, police issued infractions for distracted driving and following too closely to a New Canaan teen who rear-ended a pick-up truck at the intersection of South Avenue and Grace Street. The Toyota Tacoma was stopped at the traffic light there when the accident happened around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, March 11, but the teen couldn't stop her Saab in time.

Town Truck Hits Parked Car:

A 51-year-old town employee driving one of New Canaan's small orange pick-up trucks backed into an unoccupied parked vehicle near the intersection of Locust Avenue and Maint Street Friday, March 12, at 8:33 a.m. The worker had been collecting trash and the load in the truck restricted his view. No enforcement action was taken by police.

Vehicles Clip Each Other on Country Club Road:

A mail truck and another vehicle traveling in opposite directions on Country Club Road made contact shortly before 11 a.m. Friday breaking side mirrors on both. The two drivers accused each other of causing the accident by crossing into the other's lane. Given the he said/she said, police took no enforcement action.

Rear-ender on Richmond Hill:

A 43-year-old woman from Stamford was rear-ended on Park Street around 2:30 p.m. Friday when she slowed down behind a vehicle stopped in front of her waiting to turn onto Richmond Hill. Police issued a written warning to the 20-year-old woman from South Salem, NY, who caused the accident.

80-Year-Old Causes Crash at Grocery Store:

An 80-year-old New Canaanite exiting the Food Emporium Lot struck another vehicle as he pulled out onto Elm Street Friday at 5 p.m. The man was given a verbal warning for failure to grant the right of way. Both vehicles involved suffered minor damage and were able to drive away.

Vehicle Strikes Tree Limb:

In the midst of a vicious storm at 9:23 p.m. Saturday, March 13, a vehicle struck a "large piece of tree."

Collision in Waveny Care Lot:

A 38-year-old woman from Norwalk backing out of the Waveny Care Center's lot struck the passenger side door of another vehicle waiting to exit onto Farm Road at 8:22 a.m. Saturday, March 13.

Accident at Intersection During Power Outage:

A vehicle was rear-ended at 10:02 a.m. Sunday, March 14, while stopped at a temporary stop sign set up at the intersection of Main Street and Locust Avenue where the traffic light had gone out following Saturday's storm. Police took no action against the 84-year-old driver who struck the stopped vehicle as it was unclear whether the temporary sign could've been seen from his vantage point.

Crash to Stop at Temporary Sign:

A 40-year-old woman from Pound Ridge was given a written warning for failure to stop at a stop sign after she crashed into a 69-year-old Darien woman's vehicle around 1:50 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of South Avenue and Farm Road where a temporary stop sign had been placed while the traffic light was out during the power outage.

From the OEM: Storm Recovery Tips

2010-03-18T11:12:08-04:00

Call your insurance provider, throw out moldy food...

March 18, 2010

New Canaan's Office of Emergency Management is offering the following list of tips for homeowners following the weekend's disastrous storm:

Contact your homeowner's insurance agent for guidance on where to start if you have storm damage to your home or property.
Keep copies of receipts for all expenses related to the storm damage, including meals and alternative living expenses (e.g. hotel and motel stays).
After flooding mold is a big concern. Contact your insurance company or, check the internet for steps to take to prevent mold growth. Step one must be to remove the water.
If the temperature of hazardous food (eggs, meat, fish, cooked vegetables and rice, poultry, dairy products) has been over 45 degrees Fahrenheit for more that four hours discard them. When in doubt, throw it out. Document any damaged or disposed of food products for possible reimbursement by insurance.
Repairs other than cosmetic may require a building permit from the Building Department. Please contact them for advice at 203-594-3012. Emergency work can be done to restore or make a structure safe, however contractors must follow up with Building Department.
At least one neighboring town has already reported contractor scams related to storm clean-up and repairs. Always get references and make sure anyone you hire has a home improvement contractor's licenses and is fully insured. The Town does not "recommend" or "send out" any repair contractors.
If any critical infrastructure was submerged (i.e. boiler, furnace, and electrical panels) they should be serviced by appropriate professionals to insure your safety prior to reactivation.
Check trees for hanging "widow maker" branches that may still be ready to fall.
Town Highway crews will be circling back for final clean-up. Branches (no logs) can be brought to the curb (butt end please) through March 25.
Have your generator serviced by technicians to ensure it is ready for next storm.
Replenish any emergency supplies used during the storm (food, water, batteries, portable radio, etc.)
Go to www.newcanaan.info to register all of your phone numbers for the out-call system so that you can recieve critical messages.

UPDATED: Almost All Roads Fully Open and Cleared

2010-03-17T21:05:55-04:00

Trees and power lines had left dozens of streets blocked.

By Amy Jeffries

March 17, 2010

After the disatrous storm Saturday, almost all the roads in New Canaan are now fully passable—just two remain partially closed. This list of roads with known hazards has grown as more information has been compiled. There may still be debris along other streets so motorists should continue to use caution.

Adams Ln — Cleared
Apple Tree Ln — Leaning pole
Ash Tree Ln — Low wires
Beech Rd — Low wires
Bennington Pl — Low wires
Braeburn — Wires on road
Brinkerhoff — Lots of brush
Brookside — CLOSED at Darien town line
Connecticut 123 and Brushy Ridge Rd — Low wires
Canoe Hill Rd — Cleared
Carriage Ln — Low wires
Carter St — Low wires
Cascade Rd — Low wires
Cedar Ln — Low wires, transformer on the road
Clapboard — Low wires
Comstock Hill — Wires on the ground
East Cross Rd — Low wires
East HIlls — Low wires
Elm St — REOPENED
Father Peters Ln — Low wires
Frogtown Rd — REOPENED
Hickory Dr — Very low hanging wires
Hillcrest Rd — Cleared
Hillside Lin — Low wires
Kimberly Pl — Low wires
Knapp Ln — Low wires
Lapham Rd — Wires on the ground
Laurel Rd — Cleared
Llewellyn Dr — Cleared
Lost District Dr — Low wires
Marvin Ridge Rd — REOPENED
Myanos Ln at circle — Hazard, wires still down
Meadow Ln —Cleared
New Ln — CLOSED at Summer
Nubel Ln — Cleared
Oak St — REOPENED
Old Norwalk Rd and Old Kings Hwy — Cleared
Oenoke Ridge and Parade Hill Ln — REOPENED
Parade Hill Rd — Low wires
Pocconock Tr — Low wires
Ponus Ridge Rd and Cascade Rd — Low wires
Richmond HIll — Low wires
Rippowam Rd at circle — Cleared
River St — Low wires
Rural Dr — Low wires
Seminary St — Low wires
South Ave north of Talmage Hill — REOPENED
Southwoods Dr — Wires down
Talmage Hill and Lapham Rd — Wires down
Toquam Rd — Wires on the ground
Turner Hill Rd — REOPENED
Turtleback Rd — Low wires
Wahackme Rd — Low wires
Weed St — Low wires
Welles Ln — Low wires
West Cross Rd — Low wires
West Rd — Transformer on the ground
White Oak Shade Rd and Overlook Dr — REOPENED

Did we miss any? E-mail amy@patch.com or post a comment below.

With Cablevision Out, Communcation a Challenge

2010-03-17T20:25:25-04:00

Town officials resorted to flyers and message boards to deliver storm recovery updates.

By Amy Jeffries

March 17, 2010

First Selectman Jeb Walker sent out the first robocall to New Canaan residents at 3:37 p.m. Saturday, just hours after the storm hit. In the days that followed, Walker and Jim Cole, deputy emergency management director, sent out more than a dozen calls updating the community on emergency services and recovery efforts. Cole said the messages have been the most effective way to get important information out, but only about a third of residents were getting them.

"Two thirds have not, because they're out of town, their power's off and their answering machine isn't working, or they have Cablevision," Cole said.

At the same time the wind was knocking down power lines and utility poles, Cablevision services, including Optimum Voice and Optimum Online, were cut off, even to some (like this reporter) who never lost power. That left a still unknown number of people without television, Internet, and—most importantly—phone.

Cablevision's corporate office was not open over the weekend. On Monday, the company's Media Relations Director, Sarah Chaikin, would only say in an e-mailed statement that, "Our network facilities are operational and performing well at the system level, we are experiencing isolated service disruptions in some areas as a result of local power outages."

Tuesday, Cablevision had still released no estimates of how many New Canaan customers were without service or when they might have it back.

While acknowledging that power was needed to run the telecomm's repeaters in town, Walker called Cablevision the "least cooperative" of the utilities while giving an update on the recovery efforts during the Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday morning.

"CL&P is bad, Cablevision is worse."

As the town worked to get the power turned back on and the roads cleared, municipal officials was in contact with representatives from Connecticut Light & Power, the state Department of Transportation and the state Police, even AT&T, but they had not heard from Cablevision.

"The only one we didn't have contact info for, nor was there an attempt to reach out by was Cablevision," said Selectman Rob Mallozzi.

Without movement on the telecommunications front, municipal officials turned to other means of transmitting critical updates. On Sunday they'd set up an electronic message board at the New Canaan train station to let people know schools would be closed Monday.

"It's clearly not enough," David Jonker, emergency management director, said Tuesday.

So the town rented another electronic message board to put at the corner of Main and Cherry streets. The Information Technology Department hooked up several more phones to the Emergency Operation Center's information line, and the number was flashed on the two e-boards.

Tuesday afternoon, firefighters, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteers and a group of high school lacrosse players hand distributed 2,000 flyers with essential information about where to find shelter and water, where to get a shower, and how to avoid being electrocuted by downed wires. Postmaster Nancy Cornelia drove another 4,000 flyers to Stamford so they would make it to mailboxes Wednesday (although by then much of the information was outdated).

The EOC used the Department of Public Works' plotter to print enormous notices with more updates that were posted Wednesday afternoon at the library, which had been serving as gathering place for storm refugees, and other popular spots around town.

Finally, the word was getting out. Kids wandering in shorts downtown on a flawless spring day started calling the EOC's info line from their cellphones to find out if schools would be open again Thursday (it was decided at 7 p.m. that they would be, with 90-minute delay).

As power began to come back on to big sections of town, Mallozzi finally made contact with Tim Adams, a top official from Cablevision.

"He can't tell me how many crews are out here... where they've been," Mallozzi said.

Cablevision continued to say that cable services usually return within a few hours of the lights coming back on. With power restored to most of Connecticut Light & Power's New Canaan customers late Wednesday, phones, television stations, and Internet connections did indeed start to work again.

But, "It's a little late now," Mallozzi said of Cablevision, "They're response was terrible."

If town officials had known the scope of the telecom shortage earlier, the selectman said, "We would've put more stuff in people's mailboxes."

From the Fire Marshal: Stand-by Generator Hazards

2010-03-17T10:03:07-04:00

In the wake of widespread power outages, Fire Marshal Fred Baker offers safety tips for using generators.

March 17, 2010

The most recent power outage has brought back to the front burner a problem that keeps reoccurring. Due to past experiences many residents have generators at their homes, but they can be hazardous if not installed and used properly. The primary hazard to avoid when using a generator is carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from the toxic engine exhaust. During the power outage this past week, the Fire Department responded to several calls for CO alarms sounding and found deadly levels at two of the homes, traced to operating generators.

Following is a list of do's and don'ts for portable and stationary generator use and installation:

Make sure that a building permit has been obtained from the Building Department for the installation of a standby generator.
Close all windows adjacent to the generator to prevent toxic fumes from entering the home.
Never store anything on or around the generator. Obstacles could interfere with the proper, safe operation.
If you have a portable generator (one that you have to start and hook-up manually) never run it inside the garage or other enclosed spaces.
Never refuel a generator while it is running. The unit must be shut down and allowed to cool before refueling.
Always have properly operating CO detectors installed in your home.
Have your back-up power system serviced by a certified contractor annually to ensure proper operation when it is most need!!!
Always ensure proper electrical hook-up to prevent back-feeding to the street, endangering the power company workers trying to get you hooked back up.
Every year, people die in incidents related to portable generator use and all of them could have been prevented!! Please be careful!!

If you have questions regarding generator safety please feel free to contact the New Canaan Fire Marshal's Office at 594-3034.