Selectmen approve $487,946 sidewalk contract, $560,000 housing repair
Board of Selectmen · Meeting of March 17, 2026
New Canaan Selectmen approve $1.1 million across housing, sidewalk and fireworks contracts. The board unanimously approved $560,000 from the affordable housing trust fund for parking lot repaving, security cameras and HVAC work at the Millport complex, after Housing Authority representative Scott said funds had been diverted to the Riverwood acquisition. Selectmen also approved a $487,946 contract with Stumpers LLC to rebuild sidewalks on Butler, Danvers and Whipple Tree lanes, and a $36,000 deal with International Fireworks Manufacturing Company for the town's July 4 display marking the nation's 250th anniversary, with the launch site shifting east to ease parking-lot backups.
Registrar of Voters Elizabeth Ortega won approval for a $275 trip to a statewide conference, telling the board she is "really worried about having to re-register every, you know, 15,000 voters one by one" under a coming statewide software rollout. The board also hired John Amarillios as full-time assistant town clerk and appointed attorney John Braden to the Ethics Committee.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,112 words
Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of March 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — March 17, 2026 — The Board of Selectmen approved more than $1.1 million in town contracts and capital spending Tuesday, including a $560,000 repair package for the Millport affordable housing complex and a $487,946 contract to rebuild sidewalks on three streets, while also locking in plans for New Canaan's 250th Independence Day fireworks show.
The board, meeting remotely with its chair traveling, worked through a full agenda of routine business without dissent, approving every motion unanimously. Housing Authority representative Scott told the board the Millport funding request had been delayed because the authority recently diverted money toward acquiring the Riverwood property.
The Full Story
The board approved $560,000 from the town's affordable housing trust fund for capital work at Millport: $275,000 to repave and restripe aging parking lots, $110,000 for a new security camera system, and $175,000 for HVAC equipment. Scott, appearing for the Housing Authority, said the fund is financed by a fee attached to every building permit issued in town and can be used only for maintenance and creation of affordable housing, not to purchase additional units. He told the board occupancy across the authority's three properties, Millport, Canaan Parish and Riverwood, is now effectively full, with Riverwood recovering from roughly 85 percent occupancy at acquisition to near 100 percent today.
The board also approved a $275 travel request for Registrar of Voters Elizabeth Ortega to attend the Registrar of Voters Association of Connecticut conference in Windsor from April 21 to April 23, and signed off on a $195 travel request for New Canaan Police Officer Nicholas Reenzi to attend sniper training in Granby, Massachusetts, from April 5 to April 10. Police Chief told the board Reenzi is taking over the department's sole trained slot in that role. A separate motion increased a purchase order with New England Uniform by $3,000, to $12,615, to outfit a newly sworn officer.
On fireworks, the board approved a $36,000 contract with International Fireworks Manufacturing Company for the July 4 display marking the nation's 250th anniversary, with rain dates of July 5 and July 11. A parks representative said the company has provided the show for 15 years without incident. Selectmen also approved raising the entrance pass fee from $35 to $40 for advance purchases and $50 the day of the event, and voted to close Waveny Park for all of July 4 to prepare for the show, allowing food trucks, beverage and ice cream sales. Officials said the launch site will shift east this year to widen sightlines, reduce trespassing near the launch area and speed traffic exiting the park.
The board approved a $11,421 contract with MRC Inc. for four picnic tables, one ADA-compliant, to be installed at the Wave Park playground, funded through the fiscal 2026 parks capital budget rather than playground fundraising. Separately, the board approved a $47,575 contract, $43,250 plus a $4,325 contingency, with Architectural Preservation Studios for exterior repair design work at the Lapham Community Center, addressing water infiltration around the building's stone chimneys and parapets. A Public Works representative said the design work is roughly 10 percent of an overall repair project estimated at $685,000.
The board also approved a $20,000 increase to a purchase order for HVAC repairs at town buildings, bringing the total toward $70,000 for the fiscal year, and approved the town's largest single contract of the day: $487,946, including a $44,500 contingency, with Stumpers LLC to rebuild sidewalks on Butler Lane, Danvers Lane and Whipple Tree Lane, the second phase of a project that rebuilt sidewalks last year. The town received seven bids ranging from $443,000 to $730,000 after soliciting 13 contractors.
The board approved hiring John Amarillios, a longtime town employee and former Democratic registrar of voters, as full-time assistant to the town clerk, and appointed attorney John Braden to a three-year term on the Ethics Committee, filling a vacancy left by the death of longtime member John Fulkerson.
"Those funds actually went to backfill other parts of the housing authority funds, because ironically you can't buy more housing using this fund, which is just kind of silly." — Scott, New Canaan Housing Authority
"What I'm really worried about is having to re-register every, you know, 15,000 voters one by one." — Elizabeth Ortega, Registrar of Voters
Why It Matters
Tuesday's votes touch residents across town: aging Millport parking lots and building security get new funding after a lag caused by the Riverwood purchase, three residential streets get rebuilt sidewalks after residents living near last year's Putnam Lane project reported broken pavement forced pedestrians into the road, and the town's July 4 fireworks, marking the nation's 250th birthday, move to a new launch position meant to ease the parking-lot backups that drew complaints last year. A second sidewalk phase, centered on Southwood Drive, is expected to go to bid in April pending a roughly $750,000 fiscal 2027 appropriation.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approve today's agenda Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve minutes of March 3 meeting Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $560,000 from affordable housing trust fund for Millport capital improvements Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve police travel request for Officer Nicholas Reenzi to sniper training, not to exceed $195 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $3,000 purchase order increase with New England Uniform Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve travel request for Registrar Elizabeth Ortega to ROVAC conference, not to exceed $275 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $36,000 contract with International Fireworks Manufacturing Company for July 4 display Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve fireworks entrance pass fee increase to $40 advance / $50 day-of Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve Waveny Park closure and food/beverage sales for July 4 fireworks Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve food trucks for Labor Day weekend bash on September 4 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $11,421 contract with MRC Inc. for four picnic tables Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $47,575 contract with Architectural Preservation Studios for Lapham Community Center exterior repairs Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $20,000 purchase order increase for town building HVAC repairs Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $487,946 contract with Stumpers LLC for sidewalk reconstruction on Butler, Danvers and Whipple Tree lanes Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve hiring John Amarillios as full-time assistant to the town clerk Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve appointment of John Braden to the Ethics Committee through December 1, 2027 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve legal fee payments Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Board of Selectmen meeting, March 17, 2026