Selectmen approve interim fire chief, nature center ramp contract
Board of Selectmen · Meeting of April 21, 2026
New Canaan selectmen grill DPW over Waveny House elevator delays, approve new fire chief. The Board of Selectmen learned the elevator project, once due in February, won't finish until nearly July, with about $3.75 million of a roughly $4.18 million budget spent and just $21,000 left in the account; a DPW official said the manufacturer misrepresented inventory and shipped equipment with cross-threaded bolts. "They lied to us that they had everything in their cell location," he told the board, which demanded biweekly, vendor-by-vendor financial updates going forward.
Separately, the board unanimously named William "Bill" Parrot interim fire chief, backed an $80,689.50 nature center ramp contract with VVV Industries, transferred HVAC maintenance contracts worth over $105,000 to Eastern Mechanical Services after the prior contractor's principal died, and approved a lone Friday-night food truck for New Canaan Lacrosse after selectmen voiced concern about setting a precedent for Waveny Park.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,246 words
Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of April 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — April 21, 2026 — The Board of Selectmen pressed public works staff Tuesday over repeated delays on the long-running Waveny House elevator project, even as members voted unanimously to approve a new interim fire chief and a slate of contracts covering parks, trees and municipal infrastructure.
The board approved William "Bill" Parrot as interim fire chief after just over a year with the department, and separately backed roughly a dozen other requests, including an $80,689.50 contract to build an ADA-compliant ramp at the nature center's education building and the transfer of two town HVAC maintenance contracts to a new vendor after the prior contractor's principal died unexpectedly. But the sharpest exchange of the morning centered on Waveny House, where selectmen said a project once expected to finish in February will not be done until nearly July.
The Full Story
Selectmen said they had been assured for months that the Waveny House elevator project was "on track," only to learn the installation schedule had slipped by roughly four months. A Department of Public Works official identified in the meeting as Bill told the board the elevator manufacturer had misrepresented its inventory, that wiring for the unit's motor and controllers had to be reprogrammed because it was built for a different country's electrical standard, and that factory workers had cross-threaded bolts on the equipment before shipping it to New Canaan, forcing on-site crews to re-tap the hardware by hand.
"We had a lot of problems with the manufacturer of the elevator. To be blunt about it, they lied to us that they had everything in their cell location. They did not," Bill told the board.
Selectmen said the project has spent roughly $3.75 million of a budget originally set at about $4.18 million, which the board separately increased by $200,000 this year to cover additional ADA-related elevator work. Roughly $21,000 remained unspent in the account as of Tuesday. Board members said they were never told the project was falling behind, despite what they described as monthly check-ins, and that they learned of the slipping timeline only after visiting the site and finding elevator components still in pieces. The board asked for a detailed, vendor-by-vendor cash-flow breakdown and updates to the selectmen every two weeks until the project is complete, and said any future construction-management meetings selectmen plan to attend must be publicly posted, since those sessions currently occur privately at 8 a.m. Thursdays.
Earlier in the meeting, with several off-duty firefighters in the audience, the board moved up and then approved the appointment of Parrot as interim fire chief. The town's human resources director, identified as Cheryl, said Parrot had revised the department's training curriculum, improved equipment deployment, helped produce a 911 public-safety video and trained volunteer firefighters to the same standard as full-time staff. The Fire Commission has already signed off on the appointment, which under town policy runs for up to six months with a review at the three-month mark.
"These accomplishments in one year reflect a strong commitment to improving the department's operations and community engagement," Cheryl told the board.
The board also debated, and ultimately approved, a request from the New Canaan Lacrosse Association to sell food from a single truck at Waveny Park on Friday, May 29, from 4 to 8:30 p.m., as part of a new "Friday Night Lights" youth scrimmage series. Lauren Morrissey, a lacrosse association board member, said the truck was intended to keep families in one area during evening practices for fifth- and sixth-graders.
"We also have parents that are coming to watch, and in order to be able to help keep people in the same area, create really a community and social event," Morrissey said.
Several selectmen said they supported the one-time request but were wary of setting a precedent that could bring recurring food-truck sales to Waveny Park, which currently limits vendor sales to a handful of approved annual events. They also questioned why the town's Dunning Field concession stand is not being used instead, and raised concerns about who pays for trash removal generated by the truck.
In other business, the board approved $12,000 for graffiti removal and protective coating at the Talmadge Hill train station, funded through the town's DOT-linked railroad account, and $16,200 for platform repairs at the same station. It approved a $15,000 increase to a blanket purchase order with asphalt supplier OMG Industries, bringing the total to $44,899, after the town brought paving and drainage repair work in-house following the closure of a longtime contractor. The board also approved a $6,200 tree-removal contract with Darien Tree Service and a $13,390 tree-purchase contract with Zeno Nurseries.
Why It Matters
The elevator project's slipping timeline and murky financial reporting drew the most pointed criticism of the meeting, with selectmen saying residents deserve accurate updates on a project that has already run several times over what many in town assumed it cost. The board's demand for biweekly, vendor-level financial reporting signals closer oversight ahead, with roughly $21,000 left in the account and no guarantee that sum will cover the work still required to finish the installation.
Separately, the debate over the lacrosse association's food truck request reflects an unresolved policy question for Waveny Park, one of the town's most closely guarded public spaces: how far to extend vendor access before it undermines the character selectmen say they are trying to protect.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approve today's agenda Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve minutes of the April 7 meeting Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve 2026 Waveny Park Art Festival, four food and beverage trucks and merchandise sales, October 11 with an October 25 rain date Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve closure of Bristow Park on October 4 and October 11, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., for the Shakespearean Stroll Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve New Canaan Lacrosse Association request for one food truck at Waveny Park, Friday, May 29, 4 to 8:30 p.m. Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve contract with Aladdin Services for Talmadge Hill train station graffiti removal and coating, $10,900 plus $1,100 contingency, $12,000 total Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve contract with Forino Escalante for Talmadge Hill platform deck repairs, $13,500 plus $2,700 contingency, $16,200 total Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve appointment of William "Bill" Parrot as interim fire chief Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve contract with VVV Industries Corporation for a new ramp and stairway at the nature center's education building, $70,189.50 plus $10,500 contingency, $80,689.50 total Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve transfer of M.A. Garamela Inc.'s HVAC preventive maintenance contract (balance approximately $94,280) and propane/natural gas boiler maintenance contract (balance approximately $11,300) to Eastern Mechanical Services Inc., and add $10,000 to Eastern Mechanical's purchase order for repairs Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve $15,000 increase to blanket purchase order with OMG Industries, new total $44,899 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve contract with Darien Tree Service for tree removal, $6,200 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve contract with Zeno Nurseries for tree purchase, $13,390 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve removal of Kelsey McCarthy from probationary status, Health Department Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve legal bills Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Enter executive session pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes 1-200(6)(D) to discuss a potential real estate transaction Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Board of Selectmen meeting, April 21, 2026