Selectmen Set First-Ever Snowplow Contractor Rate Schedule

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of January 6, 2026

New Canaan selectmen set first-ever snowplow contractor rates, approve Wave Park contracts. The Board of Selectmen unanimously adopted an hourly rate schedule for outside storm contractors for the first time, settling on $155 to $210 an hour depending on equipment after trimming several proposed increases. Members also approved $19,337 for Wave Park playground fencing from Ganon Rustic Fence, $14,000 for grading work from Pat Corsetti Inc., and $14,178.59 to reconnect the police department's elevator.

Groundsman Robert Collins was cleared from probationary status, and part-time records clerk Lorraine Rodriguez received $3,175 to attend a law enforcement accreditation conference in Tucson, Arizona. A selectman said Motorola's proposed 31 percent radio-contract price hike was "crazy," pushing officials to study a switch to Connecticut's state network. Tom Brunner, Tom Collingham and Jan Schaefer were appointed or reappointed to town boards.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,289 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of January 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — January 6, 2026 — The Board of Selectmen for the first time formally approved a rate schedule for outside snowplow and storm-response contractors Tuesday, in a meeting that also authorized new contracts for the Wave Park playground, a police department elevator repair and a fuel-purchasing resolution for town vehicles.

The board also removed a Public Works groundsman from probationary status, approved a $10,900 purchase order for the town's annual employee health fair and appointed or reappointed three volunteers to the Ethics Board, Inland Wetlands Commission and Board of Finance. Selectmen then opened their review of the fiscal year 2027 budget, which flagged a looming, costly decision over the town's aging public-safety radio system.

The Full Story

The meeting opened with a routine addition to the agenda: a human resources item removing a Public Works groundsman from probationary status. A Human Services staff member identified only as Cheryl told the board the town's October 2025 employee health fair, coordinated through JMBL Personnel Inc., doing business as Health Fairs Direct of New Jersey, drew about 62 attendees for blood pressure screenings, reflexology, fitness challenges and other wellness stations. Four employees were flagged with elevated blood pressure, three for the first time, prompting the health department to start weekly staff blood pressure clinics. The board approved the $10,900 purchase order for the event.

Selectmen then voted to remove Robert Collins, a groundsman on the Public Works crew, from probationary status at the request of the human resources director, who called him "a great asset to the team." Separately, the Police Department requested, and the board approved, $3,175 in travel funds for part-time records clerk Lorraine Rodriguez to attend a national law enforcement accreditation conference in Tucson, Arizona, from March 10 to 14. Rodriguez has taken on accreditation duties for the department, which has held national accreditation for nearly 30 years. Members questioned the cost and timing of the trip, which falls during a high-travel spring break week, before approving it.

The board approved two contracts totaling more than $33,000 for the Wave Park playground. Ganon Rustic Fence will install a wood split-rail fence around the playground for $16,837 plus a $2,500 contingency, not to exceed $19,337. Pat Corsetti Inc. will handle grading and a boulder wall around an oak tree on the site for $12,800 plus a $1,200 contingency, not to exceed $14,000. Officials said fencing work should begin this winter, with equipment installation and surfacing to follow once spring temperatures rise, keeping the project on track for completion in spring 2026. Separately, the board approved a $14,178.59 contract with Kone Elevator to reconnect and test the police department's elevator, which required new state inspections after being disconnected during the department's renovation project.

Public Works also received approval to increase a purchase order with drainage-materials supplier Web Construction by $10,000, citing an accelerated pace of pipe replacement ahead of spring road work. In a more significant procedural change, the board for the first time formally adopted an hourly rate schedule for outside contractors who assist with snowplowing and storm cleanup.

"This request is actually new to the board of selectmen. We've had rates that we've paid for snowplow removal and assistance during storms, but we've never actually had it approved by the board of selectmen in the past." — a Public Works Department official

Members trimmed several proposed rates before approving $155 an hour for a pickup truck with plow, $155 for a lowboy with plow and sander, $160 for a tri-axle truck, $160 for a skid steer with backhoe and $210 for a large loader, plus $65 an hour for a driver, each with a four-hour minimum.

Selectmen also approved a resolution authorizing the first selectman, chief financial officer and public works director to lock in fuel and energy contracts for diesel, gasoline, heating oil, natural gas and electricity through December 2026, citing volatility in commodity markets. The board appointed Tom Brunner to a three-year term on the Ethics Board, replacing Arvin Baz; approved Tom Collingham as an alternate member of the Inland Wetlands Commission for a two-year term; and reappointed Jan Schaefer as an alternate member of the Board of Finance.

The meeting's final stretch opened the fiscal year 2027 budget review, including an emergency management presentation that flagged a major looming decision: whether to keep maintaining the town's independent public-safety radio system or migrate to Connecticut's shared state network. The town's emergency management director said Motorola, which services the system installed in 2018, initially proposed a 31 percent price increase for a new maintenance contract, which the town rejected.

"At some point we need to start thinking about do we migrate to a different system, because this is crazy how they've got us captive." — a member of the Board of Selectmen

Officials are weighing a one-year contract, estimated near $179,217, against a four-year agreement, while a state-led study examines whether the town's roughly 300 radios could shift onto the regional system. The board closed the meeting with a nearly hour-long executive session under Connecticut General Statutes 1-200 to discuss a real estate lease, before adjourning at 10:47 a.m.

Why It Matters

Formalizing contractor rates protects both the town and the private crews that keep emergency routes open overnight during storms, a practice New Canaan had relied on informally for years without board approval. The Wave Park playground remains on track for a spring 2026 opening after months of grading and utility work, with fencing now set to go in through the winter.

The larger financial question is the town's radio system: switching to Connecticut's state-run network could improve coordination with neighboring fire, police and EMS departments during mutual aid calls, but would require replacing most of the town's roughly 300 radios, a cost officials have not yet estimated. Selectmen expect more clarity on contract terms before the Board of Finance takes up the capital budget in the coming months.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Purchase order with JMBL Personnel Inc., dba Health Fairs Direct, not to exceed $10,900, for health fair coordination Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Remove Robert Collins from probationary status Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Travel request for Lorraine Rodriguez to a law enforcement accreditation conference in Tucson, Arizona, March 10-14, 2026, not to exceed $3,175 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Contract with Ganon Rustic Fence for Wave Park playground fencing, $16,837 plus $2,500 contingency, not to exceed $19,337 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Contract with Pat Corsetti Inc. for grading and boulder wall at Wave Park playground, $12,800 plus $1,200 contingency, not to exceed $14,000 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Contract with Kone Elevator for reconnection and testing of the police department elevator, $14,178.59 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Increase purchase order with Web Construction by $10,000 for highway department drainage materials Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: 2025-26 winter storm equipment rate schedule for outside snowplow contractors Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Resolution authorizing purchase and contracting of fuel and energy for town vehicles and buildings through December 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Appointment of Tom Brunner to the Ethics Board for a three-year term ending December 1, 2028 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Appointment of Tom Collingham as an alternate member of the Inland Wetlands Commission for a two-year term ending December 1, 2027 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Reappointment of Jan Schaefer as an alternate member of the Board of Finance for a two-year term ending December 1, 2027 Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Entered executive session under Connecticut General Statutes 1-200 to discuss a real estate lease — Returned to open session at 10:47 a.m.

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Board of Selectmen meeting, January 6, 2026