Town receives $2 million state Playhouse grant; restored theater wins international award

Town staff announced at the Feb. 4 Board of Selectmen meeting that the Town of New Canaan received a $2 million grant from the state of Connecticut for the Playhouse on Dec. 27 and that the Playhouse renovation recently won an industry award.

A town official said the $2 million payment from the state had been received and credited to town accounts; staff thanked Greg Riley (who is no longer with the town), Tucker in the finance department and Anne for their work securing the funds. The speaker added that state funding required sustained effort and was not “free,” reflecting the time spent to secure the grant.

Separately, staff announced that the Playhouse project and the teams involved — including Bill Oseman, Tiger and the Cinema Labs team — won the International Cinema Association award for best refurbishment/reconstruction of an existing theater.

On federal funding, staff said the town is awaiting an approved federal budget before any earmarked federal funds, including a potential re‑bidding or federal funds for the water treatment plant, would be released. Staff noted the town’s requests had advanced through a congressman’s office but that actual funds depend on final federal appropriation action in Washington.

These updates were presented as informational; no formal votes were recorded on these items at the meeting.