Board of Selectmen approves routine contracts, appointments and a change to outdoor dining season

The New Canaan Board of Selectmen on Feb. 25 approved a package of appointments, event permits, vendor contracts and administrative purchases and voted to change the town’s outdoor dining season.

The board voted on a series of separate motions, each taken individually during the meeting. The selectmen approved appointments to municipal boards, permits for local events and festivals, multiple fire-department repair and equipment contracts, a contract to help renew the wastewater discharge permit, the installation of a second pool pump at Steve Banco Pool, the planned purchase of a parks truck, and several personnel hires. The board also approved an annual outdoor dining season change that will take effect going forward.

Why it matters: these routine approvals authorize town departments to proceed with repairs, contracts and events that the town says support public safety, recreation, downtown commerce and municipal operations. A small number of the items (notably the parks truck purchase) involve multi‑thousand dollar capital outlays that appear in departmental budgets.

Most consequential votes (high-level summary) - Outdoor dining season: The board changed the sidewalk cafe/outdoor dining season to run annually from May 1 through the first Sunday in November (motion approved unanimously). The change was presented as a response to retailer feedback about visual impacts of underused seating in April and to align with practices in nearby towns.

- Events and vendors: The board approved requests allowing vendors (food and apparel) at the New Canaan Lacrosse Association’s Cochrane Classic (May 2025) and the Gauntlet (June 2025) and approved up to four food/beverage vendors for the Waveney Park Carriage Barn Arts Festival on Sept. 28, 2025 (rain date Oct. 12). Approvals were unanimous.

- Fire Department contracts and software module: The board approved multiple Fire Department vendor actions (repair and PO increases with apparatus vendors), an increase for ladder/engine repairs, a purchase order for a records-management addition (Community Connect portal/module with Locality Media) and equipment purchases with Fire Tech & Safety. Those motions were approved as presented (unanimous).

- Wastewater permit renewal: The board approved a professional-services contract with…