Selectmen approve Cape Seal, audit and vehicle-transfer contracts

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of May 19, 2026

New Canaan selectmen approve $176,639.62 Cape Seal contract and a slate of other town business. The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved converting a retired EMS ambulance into a police mobile command vehicle, using $14,030 previously earmarked for the ambulance corps, and appointed CPA Ryan Suedala to a three-year term on the Audit Committee. Selectmen also approved a $117,950 base contract with PKF O'Connor Davies for the town's annual audit, a $36,831.22 renewal with Open Gov, Inc. for land-use software, and a $176,639.62 Cape Seal paving contract with Seymour Sealcoating Service Inc. covering seven local roads.

One selectman warned the new command vehicle "will be a liability for us going forward" if it becomes a fleet requirement. Officials also raised concerns about a state-scheduled three-month Route 106 reconstruction beginning June 1 that will run into the start of the school year near Farm Road.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,042 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of May 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — May 19, 2026 — The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a wide slate of town contracts, including a $176,639.62 road-sealing contract and a plan to convert a retired ambulance into a police command vehicle.

The board also appointed Ryan Suedala, a certified public accountant, to the town's Audit Committee, and approved a $117,950 base contract with PKF O'Connor Davies to conduct the town's annual audit. Nearly every item on the 15-part agenda passed on unanimous voice votes.

The Full Story

The New Canaan Police Department will take over an 11-year-old ambulance retired by the town's ambulance corps and convert it into a mobile command vehicle, under a request approved by selectmen. Police officials said the vehicle will house radios, drone equipment and accident-reconstruction gear that currently must be carried by hand from the captain's office during emergencies. The town will transfer $14,030 previously promised to the EMS corps, funded through the police department's extra-duty account, and will retire two aging vehicles, including an out-of-service K9 unit, resulting in a net reduction of one vehicle in the fleet. Officer Matt Blank, recently honored as the department's officer of the year for his work on the drone program, discussed the vehicle's planned use. One selectman raised concerns about long-term costs.

"It seems like a great idea and it does help out, but it will be a liability for us going forward at some point if this becomes like a fleet requirement, which it isn't now," Selectman Diana said during the discussion.

Selectmen also approved Suedala's appointment to a three-year term on the Audit Committee ending December 12, 2028, pending final approval by the Town Council. Suedala, a partner at KPMG, told the board he moved to New Canaan roughly four and a half years ago.

"We started looking, and ultimately landed on New Canaan. We have loved it," Suedala said.

The board approved a string of other contracts: a $15,000 increase to a purchase order with Northeastern Fire Apparatus, bringing that total to $32,500 for repairs to the aging fire fleet; a one-year, $36,831.22 renewal with Open Gov, Inc. for the town's land-use permitting software; an $11,500 purchase-order increase for environmental soil testing tied to contaminated fill discovered during the Irwin Park underground storage tank removal; and a $9,000 contract with Architectural Preservation Studios for construction administration on Nature Center classroom upgrades. The board also approved a $176,639.62 contract, including a 10 percent contingency, with Seymour Sealcoating Service Inc. to apply a "Cape Seal" surface treatment to seven local roads, and a $22,260 tree-removal contract with Homestead Tree and Shrub Care.

"We're about 60 to 65 percent savings for the same amount of time out of the roads," a Department of Public Works official told the board, comparing the Cape Seal method to a full mill-and-pave job estimated at $960,965.

Selectmen voted to keep parking permit fees unchanged for the coming year, including $663.62 for the Lumberyard lot and $504.10 for the Richmond Hill and Talmage Hill lots, along with an unchanged $50 late fee for September renewals. Officials said the Lumberyard lot has 62 people on its waiting list and the Locust Street lot, the most oversubscribed, has 468 business permits issued for 153 spaces. The board also approved hiring 103 seasonal parks and recreation employees and two new equipment operators, Alan Pearson and Christopher Armento, for the highway department.

In a project update, a Department of Public Works official told the board that state contractors will begin a three-month reconstruction of Route 106 on June 1, running from near the Wilton town line through Canoe Hill Road, followed by work on South Avenue near New Canaan High School beginning after the school year ends.

Why It Matters

The Route 106 project will remove a minimum of 10 inches of roadway material and rebuild it to state standards, work that officials said will stretch into the fall paving season near Farm Road, one of the town's busiest school-related corridors. Selectmen pushed back on the timing, noting the work window overlaps with the start of the school year, and said they would press the state Department of Transportation to adjust its schedule at a progress meeting May 26.

Parking officials also flagged that permit fees have not increased since 2019 even as maintenance costs on town-owned lots have risen, and selectmen asked the parking commission to revisit both the fee structure and a policy for prioritizing resident permits as demand returns to pre-pandemic levels.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Amend and approve the meeting agenda Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve May 5, 2026 meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Appoint Ryan Suedala to the Audit Committee for a three-year term ending December 12, 2028 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Transfer a retired EMS ambulance to the police department as a mobile command vehicle Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Increase Northeastern Fire Apparatus purchase order by $15,000, to $32,500 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Enter one-year, $36,831.22 agreement with Open Gov, Inc. for land-use software Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Hire 103 seasonal parks and recreation employees for summer 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Enter contract with PKF O'Connor Davies for the town's annual audit, base fee $117,950 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Increase environmental testing purchase order by $11,500 for Irwin Park project Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $9,000 contract with Architectural Preservation Studios for Nature Center classroom construction administration Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $176,639.62 Cape Seal roads contract with Seymour Sealcoating Service Inc. Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $22,260 tree removal contract with Homestead Tree and Shrub Care Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Maintain unchanged commuter parking permit renewal fees for Lumberyard, Richmond Hill and Talmage Hill lots Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Maintain unchanged business parking permit renewal fees, including $582.27 premium fee Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Maintain existing $50 late fee for September commuter permit renewals Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Hire Alan Pearson and Christopher Armento as Equipment Operator 2, effective June 2, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve legal bills Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Board of Selectmen meeting, May 19, 2026