Selectmen award Envirro Express two new hauling contracts
Board of Selectmen · Meeting of June 15, 2026
New Canaan selectmen locked in new hauling contracts and flagged a threat to the region's only diving pool. The board unanimously awarded Envirro Express a three-year, $472,500 recycling hauling contract and a separate $161,720 brush and debris hauling contract, plus $33,544.68 for a sewer-plant generator fuel tank replacement. A selectman warned the private New Canaan Community Y may permanently close its diving well and competitive pool by year's end, saying "if we lose this pool, we will never get it back." The board also approved roughly $31,772 in May legal bills tied largely to the Charter Revision Committee, renewed an $8,400 employee assistance program contract after usage fell from 30 to 21 employees, and appointed Bernie Clark to a regional water authority policy board.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,764 words
Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of June 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
Agenda Amendments and Housekeeping
The board opened its regular Monday meeting by adding two late items: a Department of Public Works recycling-hauling contract request for Envirro Express, and a proposed fiscal 2026 New Canaan Country School medical-reimbursement payment of $277,911. Both additions were approved unanimously as part of the amended agenda, and the board separately approved minutes from its June 2 meeting without changes. No members of the public offered comment when the floor opened for it.
Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule Changes
Background and stakes: Planning and Zoning fees were not reviewed during the normal fall budget cycle, but two changes need to take effect July 1 — one tied to a new staff-level review process, the other to a state statute.
The question before the board: whether to approve two new department fees ahead of their July 1 effective date.
A staff member identified as Sarah, presenting for Planning and Zoning, described a new $150 administrative change-of-use application fee for a newly created staff-level approval track. Previously, most new businesses needed full Planning and Zoning Commission approval — a process Sarah said "created a huge slowdown." Under the new process, businesses that qualify — for example, a new tenant replacing a closed retail store with a different use, such as a restaurant — can be approved directly by staff rather than going before the commission. Sarah said the $150 fee is half the $300 fee it replaces, "because it's half the work": the old process required her to review an application twice, once before it reached the commission and again to explain compliance to commissioners. A second new fee, for a "parking needs assessment review" required for developments under and over 16 units, stems from a state parking statute also taking effect July 1; no dollar amount for that fee was stated at the meeting.
The deliberation: A board member questioned whether $150 adequately covers staff time, estimating it worked out to roughly $75 an hour for a two-hour review. Sarah responded that the department's fees "appear low" in isolation but that New Canaan's affordable-housing inclusionary-zoning fee on new construction is "very significant" and puts the town's overall development fee revenue above most peer towns. Another board member asked whether the new parking fee is triggered only by leases changing use, and Sarah confirmed a straight retail-to-retail tenant swap would not trigger the change-of-use fee, only a use change such as retail to restaurant.
Procedural steps and outcome: The board approved the fee schedule changes by voice vote, effective July 1, 2026.
Implications and what is next: Smaller New Canaan businesses changing use in an existing space will now face a lower, faster staff-level review instead of a commission hearing; larger residential developments will absorb a new parking-review fee under the state mandate.
Water Pollution Control Facility Blanket Purchase Orders
A WPCF staff member identified as Nick presented eight FY27 blanket purchase orders for the town's wastewater treatment plant: Atlantic Coast Polymers, $69,000; Holland Company, $54,000; Bordon Remington, $25,000 (sodium hydroxide, previously approved); Environmental Monitoring Lab, $17,000; SNS Industries, $40,000 (sewer cleaning and collection-system emergencies); Granger Industrial, $20,000; USA Blue Book, $25,000; and McVac Environmental, $18,000, for cleaning grit and sand from the plant's septic holding tank and grit chamber. A board member noted a "big bump" in the sodium hydroxide-related chemical costs; Nick explained the Holland Company product removes phosphorus from wastewater and the Atlantic Coast Polymers product is a coagulant that helps sludge settle in the tanks, and that both costs are rising with inflation. Asked whether the supplies are sourced domestically, Nick confirmed all vendors are U.S.-based. The board approved the full slate unanimously.
Finance Department Blanket Purchase Orders and Tabled School Reimbursements
Before presenting FY27 blanket purchase orders, finance department staff asked to table three items — New Canaan Country School ($280,000), New Canaan Country School ($120,000), and St. Luke's School ($130,000) — pending final numbers from the Board of Education, and also pulled the newly added FY26 New Canaan Country School medical-reimbursement item of $277,911 from consideration this meeting. Staff asked the board to note the removal in the minutes.
The remaining FY27 blanket purchase orders approved unanimously included: Southwest Regional Communications Center, approximately $62,991; New Canaan Historical Society, $25,000; O'Connor Davies LLP, $60,000; Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), $14,000; bond counsel Pullman and Comley, $52,500; Town of Darien, $12,000, covering a shared probate court arrangement; New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance, $68,637; Norwalk Hospital EMS, $465,000, the largest single line item; New Canaan TV (NCTV79), $40,500; Daycare Center of New Canaan, $32,000; Munistat Services, $17,750; Moody's Investors Service, $37,500; and Clifton Larson Allen LLP, approximately $14,267. Board members briefly discussed the Norwalk Hospital EMS contract, which one member said had risen only slightly over recent years, and floated putting the ambulance contract out to competitive bid against Stamford providers within three years, while noting that paramedics generally are underpaid relative to their work.
Sewer Plant Generator Day Tank Replacement
Background and stakes: The wastewater treatment plant's backup generator relies on a "day tank" — a smaller fuel reservoir with dedicated pumps — to keep fuel flowing during outages. Staff, identified as Bill, said the current unit is nearly 30 years old, lacks a return-fuel line, and needs replacement before a related, larger fuel-tank project at the plant can be completed.
The question before the board: whether to award a sole-source contract for the replacement after other qualified contractors declined to bid.
Bill described the generator as capable of burning roughly 4,000 gallons of diesel in 72 hours at full load and said it serves as the ultimate backup not just for the sewer plant but, through switching, for the highway department and transfer station as well if their own generators fail. He said Northeast Generator, the town's usual generator vendor, referred the town to Eastern Mechanical Services, which was too busy to complete the work; Hughes Mechanical Equipment ultimately provided the only bid. A board member pressed on the lack of competitive bids and questioned the urgency; Bill said the town cannot remove the plant's older, failing above-ground tank from the ground until the day tank replacement is complete, and that state environmental inspectors visit monthly. The new unit will include a double-wall tank, new valves and safety devices, and is fully compatible with existing piping.
Procedural steps and outcome: The board approved a $30,494.68 contract with Hughes Mechanical Equipment plus a $3,050 contingency, for a total of $33,544.68, unanimously.
Implications and what is next: Once the day tank is replaced, staff can remove the plant's aging above-ground fuel tank, resolving an outstanding item flagged in state inspections.
Highway Department Purchase Order Increase and Purchasing Threshold Discussion
Highway department staff sought a $1,980 increase to a previously approved $10,000 purchase order with Ben Romeo Company Inc., bringing the FY26 total to $11,980, after last year's total came in at $12,000 without a corresponding board-level increase. Staff said the department is reviewing all of its FY27 purchase orders to avoid repeat shortfalls. The board approved the increase unanimously, then discussed — without deciding — whether to raise the $10,000 threshold that triggers board approval for purchase orders, with one member suggesting $15,000. No formal action was taken on the threshold change.
Downtown and Waveny Park Lamp Post Replacement
DPW staff, referred to as Tiger, requested funds to finish three remaining custom lamp posts at Waveny Park, on hold pending completed work at the powerhouse and carriage barn, plus three additional posts for inventory to replace street fixtures damaged by vehicles. Staff said the town loses roughly four lamp posts a year, mostly at one problematic downtown intersection struck twice within a month by delivery trucks caught on town cameras; the town is examining a sidewalk bump-out there to prevent further collisions. The posts, made in Pennsylvania, now include an optional protective coating — costing roughly $375 per pole, about $2,250 for the six posts in this order — that a board member said should carry some vendor warranty period, though staff said the supplier has not specified a coating lifespan. A board member also questioned an initial $1,800 freight contingency as excessive; the amount was reduced to $1,000 in the final motion. The board approved a $36,300 purchase from F&M Electric Supply plus the $1,000 contingency, for $37,300 total, unanimously. Board members also discussed unrelated concerns about overly bright lighting outside the police department, which staff agreed to look into.
Recycling and Brush/Debris Hauling Contracts Awarded to Envirro Express
Background and stakes: The town's recycling and brush/debris hauling contracts both expire June 30. The town solicited competitive bids for both services ahead of the deadline.
The question before the board: which contractor should handle recycling hauling and, separately, brush and construction-debris hauling for the coming years.
Staff reported receiving four bids for recycling hauling; Envirro Express won at $65 a ton and $190 a haul, up $5 a haul from the outgoing contract, for an estimated $157,500 annually and $472,500 over three years. The previous hauler, Oakridge, did not bid this round; its parent company, described as "All American," bid but lost. For brush and construction-debris hauling, the town received five bids; Envirro Express again won, at $50 a ton for brush and $110 a ton for construction debris, both with hauls priced at $185 to $190, for a total contract value of $161,720. Staff noted Envirro was also the incumbent brush-hauling contractor and had only raised its per-haul price by $5. A board member asked to see the losing bids; staff produced a bid tabulation showing wide variance among bidders, which staff attributed largely to which contractors have available disposal sites. Staff said regional disposal capacity is shrinking and that Pennsylvania currently accepts most of the town's waste, with a similar capacity squeeze expected soon in the town's sludge-hauling contract. A fuel-surcharge clause exists in both contracts but has not been triggered despite recent diesel price spikes, staff said.
Procedural steps and outcome: The board approved both contracts with Envirro Express unanimously — $157,500 annually for recycling hauling and $161,720 for brush and construction-debris hauling.
Implications and what is next: The town's recycling costs are locked in for three years at a modest increase; officials cautioned that recycling no longer generates revenue due to contamination problems industrywide, though sorting correctly still saves money compared with municipal solid-waste disposal rates. The town's separate garbage-hauling bid was expected back the following week.
East Coast Signs Purchase Order Increase and Road Sign Replacement Program
DPW staff sought a $15,000 increase to a previously approved $25,244.91 purchase order with East Coast Signs, bringing the FY26 total to roughly $40,244.91, compared with just under $60,000 the prior year. Staff said summer interns handled most of the town's regulatory and warning-sign replacement work this year — building on a prior-year intern project that replaced all street-name signs — tied to the town's 10-year repaving cycle. Under the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, signs must be replaced roughly every 7 to 10 years as reflectivity degrades; the town replaces signage each time a road is repaved or resurfaced. Individual signs cost $35 to $95 depending on type and size, with most in the $50 to $75 range. Staff also described a state Department of Transportation initiative that reviewed two New Canaan intersections — one near Richmond Hill, where two stop signs now stand on opposite sides of the road, and the intersection of Old Norwalk Road and Marvin Ridge Road — and said the town declined one proposed large directional sign it deemed unnecessary. Staff said the town is not obligated to accept every state-suggested sign change and has said no to some. The board approved the $15,000 increase unanimously.
Public Works Projects Update
Milling and paving began the morning of the meeting on Silvermine Road, with Carter, Dabney, Buttery and Comstock Hill to follow in the first round; crack sealing is about 50 percent complete ahead of chip-seal and cape-seal resurfacing at the end of June and a micro-thin overlay after the Fourth of July. Sidewalk construction is underway near Danvers Road; staff said three resident requests to extend sidewalks in that area would require a town ordinance change through the Town Council, since no funding exists for new sidewalk installations. The Nature Center ramp project is progressing well, and a bid is coming for exterior work at Lapham Community Center after a three-contractor walkthrough. At Waveny, staff described upcoming exploratory work on coping stones tied to persistent leaks, which will require scaffolding; a notice is going to residents who have booked the property for next summer's events. Aquarian Water Company, the region's water utility, begins work in New Canaan next week on South Avenue and Farm Road, which will close that intersection to through traffic for the first several weeks, with additional crews working near Brooks Road; work is scheduled 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on roughly eight Saturdays, with a goal of finishing before the school year begins. A separate elevator restoration project is largely complete and expected to be substantially out of the way by the end of June. At Irwin Park, garden club volunteers and contractor Peter Loney Incorporated are doing trail and planting work; a remediation-consultant proposal under $10,000 will go to the first selectman for signature, with the project roughly four weeks from completion. Utility crews began a three-phase pole-wire relocation on Park Street this week, moving Eversource, then communications/fiber, then Frontier phone lines before the pole itself is removed. Diseased elm trees near the train station were removed the prior Saturday; staff plan to grind the stumps, realign the brick sidewalk, and plant disease-resistant Princeton elms in the area.
Human Resources: EAP Contract Renewal and Employee Position Changes
HR staff member Cheryl presented a renewal of the town's employee assistance program contract with KGA at an unchanged $8,400 annual price, covering September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. The program offers up to three free confidential counseling sessions per employee or family member, plus referral services for mental health, legal, financial and elder-care issues. Cheryl reported that 21 of the town's 187 employees used the program this year, down from 30 last year — a roughly 30 percent decline — and that 19 of those 21 used all three sessions before seeking additional counseling or referrals. A board member said the drop warranted better internal marketing of the benefit: "I just want to if we're going to pay for it and if another roll out with it, I do think it's a service that the town should offer it," the member said, noting the program also helps supervisors address performance issues confidentially, since usage data is reported to the town only in anonymized summary form.
Separately, the board approved two employee position changes: Allison Kina, an assessment technician in the assessor's office, will move to assistant assessor in late August following a retirement in that office; Kathy Collins, currently program manager at Lapham Community Center, will become the center's director, succeeding a retiring director referred to as Aggie. Staff said the town is not backfilling Collins's prior role internally and is re-soliciting resumes after an unsuccessful first round of interviews.
Parks and Recreation Purchase Orders
Parks and recreation staff presented a slate of FY27 blanket purchase orders exceeding $10,000, read into the packet rather than aloud in full. Highlighted items included a $4,872 increase to a purchase order with vendor Carreri Materials LLC for beach sand — which staff said was a timing issue after a prior-year invoice arrived late and was charged to the wrong fiscal year, leaving $1,961.92 remaining on the existing order — and a bench-donation program purchase order with Country Casual Teak that cannot be placed until board approval, which staff said is fully reimbursed by resident donations. Staff also described a large purchase order for athletic-field products (fertilizer, seed and related supplies) under a regional CRCOG cooperative-purchasing agreement, and confirmed the town competitively bid landscaping labor with Greg's Garden Center this spring, with the town now supplying its own mulch to reduce costs. The board approved the Carreri Materials increase and the broader parks and recreation blanket purchase order list unanimously. Board members also praised the recent opening of the renovated Waveny Park playground, thanking community fundraisers and the state for support.
Aquarian Water Authority Representative Appointment
The board appointed Bernie Clark, a current member of the town's Utilities Commission who also serves with Aquarian Water, as New Canaan's representative to a regional representative policy board tied to an Aquarian Water Authority merger and acquisition process, for a three-year term ending June 30, 2027 that staggers with other member towns. Staff noted the appointment must also be approved by the Town Council, which meets Wednesdays, before taking effect.
Legal Bills for May
The board approved roughly $31,772 in outstanding legal bills for May. Board members said the total was inflated by costs tied to the town's Charter Revision Committee that were not part of the original budget. "This was not part of the original budgeting," one selectman said, adding that the committee's activity has generated a recurring line item in recent monthly legal bills.
Selectmen's Comments: America250 Kickoff, Graduation, and Concerns Over the New Canaan Community Y's Pool
Selectmen thanked Tucker and parks staff for organizing a flag-raising ceremony at Town Hall the prior Sunday marking the kickoff of the America250 semiquincentennial commemoration, where a Betsy Ross flag with a "250" emblem was added alongside the standard American flag, with help from the local board of realtors. Selectmen also congratulated the graduating Class of 2026, whose commencement was scheduled for the following day, and thanked the town's summer interns, whose primary term ended the prior Thursday.
One selectman raised a broader concern about the New Canaan Community Y, a private nonprofit whose board has been reviewing its aging facility and has discussed permanently taking its main diving well and competitive swim pool offline, with a stated closure timeline by the end of this year. The selectman said the town never built its own competitive swim facility because of its long-standing relationship with the Y, which trains the area's swim team and operates the region's only diving well, serving swimmers from New Canaan, Darien, Ridgefield and elsewhere. "My personal opinion is if we lose this pool, we will never get it back," the selectman said, adding that the Y expanded its aquatic capacity roughly a decade ago. Because the Y is a private nonprofit, its board deliberations are not required to be public, and selectmen said they do not know the full reasoning behind the review, though the roof is reportedly among the facility's needs. A second selectman noted "the outpouring of support" from residents and said the Y's board "heard the public outcry loud and clear," while another observed the Y sits on land it does not pay property taxes on despite drawing regionally. One selectman also said they had asked the Y's board chair why the organization's board of directors is not published on its website, unlike neighboring towns' Y branches, and encouraged residents to follow the issue closely in the coming months.
Upcoming Independence Day Parade
Selectmen reminded residents that New Canaan's parade is scheduled for June 27 at 9:30 a.m., starting at the Lumberyard, proceeding down Elm Street and turning onto South Avenue toward the town's middle school, with a rain date of Sunday, June 28 at 1 p.m.
Board of Selectmen: an unnamed presiding officer, believed to be the First Selectman, who ran the meeting and called all motions; Tucker, a selectman thanked for organizing the America250 flag ceremony and involved in the lamp-post contingency discussion; a selectman referred to only as Ian, who commented on EMS paramedic pay; a selectman referred to only as John, who asked about backfilling the Lapham director's prior role; other board members spoke but were not identifiable by name from the transcript. No roster, agenda, or minutes were supplied for this meeting, so full board composition and any absences could not be confirmed.
Staff in attendance: Sarah, Planning and Zoning Department; Nick, Water Pollution Control Facility; Bill, Department of Public Works (generator day tank project); a DPW/Highway and Parks official referred to as Tiger, who presented multiple procurement items; Lou, Highway Department, present but not extensively quoted; Cheryl, Human Resources Department; Ann, referenced in connection with a special-projects account for lamp-post insurance proceeds. No last names were given for any of these staff members in the transcript.
Public commenters: none appeared during the public comment period.
Outside parties: none appeared in person; vendors and contractors discussed included Hughes Mechanical Equipment, Envirro Express, East Coast Signs, F&M Electric Supply, Carreri Materials LLC, Peter Loney Incorporated, Greg's Garden Center, and Aquarian Water Company.
Envirro Express — awarded both the town's recycling hauling contract ($472,500 over three years) and its brush/construction-debris hauling contract ($161,720). Hughes Mechanical Equipment — sole bidder awarded the $33,544.68 sewer plant generator day tank replacement. East Coast Signs — vendor for the town's road-sign replacement program; purchase order increased by $15,000. F&M Electric Supply — vendor for six replacement lamp posts and fixtures, $37,300. Carreri Materials LLC — beach sand supplier; purchase order increased by $4,872. Aquarian Water Company — regional water utility beginning infrastructure work on South Avenue and Farm Road; also the subject of the Bernie Clark representative-policy-board appointment tied to a merger/acquisition process. KGA — vendor for the town's $8,400 employee assistance program contract renewal. Peter Loney Incorporated — contractor for Irwin Park trail/tree work and Elm Street sidewalk and tree-replacement maintenance. Greg's Garden Center — competitively rebid landscaping labor vendor for parks maintenance. Norwalk Hospital EMS — largest single finance department blanket purchase order, $465,000, for emergency medical services under existing contract. CRCOG (Capitol Region Council of Governments) cooperative purchasing agreement — cited as the basis for a large parks and recreation athletic-field products purchase order. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) — cited by DPW staff as the federal standard governing the town's 7-to-10-year road sign replacement cycle. Connecticut Department of Transportation, District 3 — cited as the agency that reviewed and recommended signage changes at two New Canaan intersections. New Canaan Community Y — private nonprofit whose potential closure of its diving well and competitive pool was raised under selectmen's comments. Board of Finance — source of the FY27 blanket purchase order requests presented by finance staff, including the tabled school-related items.