Selectmen approve new operator, lease for Playhouse Theater

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of February 10, 2026

New Canaan approves new operator for the Playhouse Theater and nearly $26,000 in flood repair costs. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to lease the town-owned theater at 93 Elm Street to Scene One Entertainment LLC, run by former Bow Tie Cinemas executive Joe Masher, who said his goal is to make it "the centerpiece of town and the beacon of Elm Street." Separately, the board approved $25,969.79 for January water-damage repairs after a rooftop coil failure flooded the building. Selectmen also approved a $42,350 public works campus survey, a $21,700 Mead Park tennis court contract, and an emergency $27,000 salt purchase after a statewide supply shortage left regional terminals empty.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,201 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of February 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — February 10, 2026 — The New Canaan Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a commercial lease that hands operation of the town-owned Playhouse Theater at 93 Elm Street to Scene One Entertainment LLC, a company headed by longtime movie-theater executive Joe Masher.

The same meeting, the board approved nearly $26,000 in emergency repair costs for water damage that flooded the Playhouse in January, along with more than $150,000 in other town contracts covering a public works survey, sewer plant repairs, tennis court maintenance and an emergency salt purchase driven by a statewide shortage.

The Full Story

Masher, who spent 20 years as chief operating officer of Bow Tie Cinemas, told the board he plans to reopen the Playhouse's upstairs pub and event space in partnership with Z Hospitality Group, deep-clean the theater and expand offerings beyond first-run films to include independent movies. "My goal is to make sure that it is the centerpiece of town and the beacon of Elm Street," Masher said. Town Council approved the lease the night before the selectmen's vote.

In a separate item, a town facilities official identified in the meeting as Bill detailed a January 21 flood at the Playhouse, caused by a coil failure in a rooftop air handler that sent water through the fire alarm system and ceiling fixtures. The official said 24 Restore responded within two hours to begin drying the building and that insurers suspect a factory defect in the coil. The board approved $23,608.90 in repair costs plus a $2,360.89 contingency, for a total of $25,969.79, drawn from the Playhouse's dedicated fund. The town carries a $25,000 insurance deductible on the building; officials said they are still pursuing possible reimbursement from Hartford Boiler for the roughly $8,600 coil replacement.

The board also approved a 10-year commercial parking lease with Hobs Incorporated for a vacant town-owned lot at 28 Grove Street, a parcel acquired years ago to connect to the Locust Lumberyard lot. The lease, presented by a Public Works official referred to in the meeting as Tiger, allows either side to cancel with six months' notice and sets rent at double the lumberyard lot's parking permit rate, reevaluated annually. "It's almost like an attractive nuisance," the official said of the empty lot, adding that Hobs will handle plowing, grading and sidewalk maintenance for employee parking only.

Elsewhere, the board approved a $42,350 contract with Huntington Company LLC for the first comprehensive survey of the town's 394 Main Street public works campus since the 1990s, and a $16,214 contract with Hughes Mechanical Equipment to plumb a new above-ground fuel tank to the wastewater treatment plant's backup generator. The board separately approved $17,280 for emergency electrical panel replacement at a sewer pumping station on Old Stamford Road, converting aging high-voltage relays to a safer 24-volt system.

A statewide road salt shortage prompted an emergency $27,000 purchase of 200 tons from Chemical Equipment Labs Inc., after the town's regular supplier, Morton, could not deliver. Officials said the town's storage capacity of 1,600 tons falls short of its 3,000-ton annual order and that neighboring Norwalk had asked New Canaan for emergency salt over the weekend. "It's usually a football field size area about 10 feet high of salt. It's empty," a Public Works official said of the regional supply terminal.

The board approved a $21,700 contract with Putnam Tennis and Recreation LLC to recondition the eight clay tennis courts at Mead Park, including a $2,670 performance bonus if the work finishes by April 24. In personnel and appointment matters, the board removed building inspector Tim Blakeman from probationary status, appointed Josh Scoffield as the town's representative to the Southwest Connecticut EMS Council, and appointed Marilyn, a longtime New Canaan Parish resident, as the Housing Authority's resident commissioner for a five-year term ending April 30, 2030.

Why It Matters

The Playhouse lease closes months of uncertainty over who would run the town's signature movie theater after its prior operator's departure, and pairs the transition with confirmation that flood damage from January's cold snap will cost the town nearly $26,000 to fully repair. Residents should expect the theater's upstairs pub to reopen under new management in the coming months.

The emergency salt purchase highlights a regional supply crunch that pushed New Canaan's cost per ton up by roughly 53 percent for 200 tons, money officials said is already covered in the road maintenance budget. Parks officials were also directed to review whether tennis permit fees should rise to help offset the roughly $21,700 annual cost of maintaining Mead Park's clay courts, an analysis due before Thursday's Board of Finance meeting.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Add lease agreements and emergency electrical repair items to the meeting agenda Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve meeting agenda as amended Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve January 29 meeting minutes (January 27 minutes deferred) Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Commercial lease of the Playhouse Theater, 93 Elm Street, to Scene One [New Canaan] LLC Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Parking lease of 28 Grove Street to Hobs Incorporated, subject to town counsel's additional provisions Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Out-of-state travel for a police sergeant to conduct a candidate background investigation Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Purchase order increase with AAA Police Supply, $7,540, for simunition training conversion kits Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Purchase order with Power DMS, $6,397.21, for police accreditation software renewal Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Contract with Putnam Tennis and Recreation LLC, $21,700, for Mead Park clay tennis court reconditioning Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Travel request for two parks and recreation staff to the New England Regional Turf Grass Conference, not to exceed $1,000 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Contract with Huntington Company LLC, $42,350, for a comprehensive survey of the 394 Main Street public works campus Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Contract with Hughes Mechanical Equipment, $16,214, for fuel line plumbing at the sewer treatment plant generator Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Emergency electrical repair contract with Pitts Electrical, $17,280, for a sewer pumping station Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Emergency repair costs for January water damage at the Playhouse Theater, $25,969.79 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Blanket purchase orders for winter storm operations, Hussy Brothers Excavating ($15,000) and Burns Construction ($20,000) Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Emergency purchase order with Chemical Equipment Labs Inc., $27,000, for 200 tons of road salt Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Remove building inspector Tim Blakeman from probationary status Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Appoint Josh Scoffield as Southwest Connecticut EMS Council representative Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Appoint Marilyn as Housing Authority resident commissioner, five-year term ending April 30, 2030 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve the annual New Canaan Farmers Market permit for the Lumberyard lot, April 11 to December 19, 2026, with a June 27 exception Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve the Caffeine and Carburetors event at Waveny Park, October 18, 2026, including park closure and vendor sales Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve January legal bills Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Meeting adjourned

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Board of Selectmen meeting, February 10, 2026