Selectman Corbet Defends Appearance in 1913 Library Group's Photo newcanaanite.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newcanaanite.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
New Canaan Library reps, 1913 preservationists met amiably, differences persist
Grace Duffield
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The 1913 wing of the New Canaan Library on Main Street is the center of a controversy as residents try to decide if it should be demolished or not after the new library is built next door to it. Picture taken April 19, 2021.Grace Duffield / Hearst Connecticut Media
An 11-member working committee with 1913 library preservationists and library representatives came together, facilitated by Selectman Kathleen Corbet, to find common ground.
The working committee was formed after Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman John Goodwin said at a meeting in April that he would like to see library officials and preservationists “be flexible” and discuss the future of the 1913 library amiably. Goodwin was responding to hundreds of letters, thousands of signatures on petitions and disagreements among commissioners expressing strong feelings on both sides of the controversial
Claims have been made that the proposed new library could bring in $6.6M to local businesses. I just discovered the economic impact study behind that number is posted on the Town’s web site. It makes for interesting reading. One issue is that $6.6M is the high estimate; the low estimate is only $346K. A bigger issue is that there is a major flaw in the logic, making the results meaningless.
The report summarizes how they arrived at the number. Here’s the gist of it: Basically, they did a survey of library patrons in June-July 2019. Survey questions asked if they patronized other local businesses or activities while in town for their current/last trip to the library (58% said ‘yes’) and, if so, which businesses (generically; the survey provided a long list of types of businesses) and approximately how much did they spend at each of those businesses. The New Canaan Library automatically tallies the number of people entering the doors (800-1000 daily, no elimination of d
New Canaan Library would memorialize 1913 building, if demolished
Grace Duffield
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The 1913 wing of the New Canaan Library on Main Street is the center of a controversy as residents try to decide if it should be demolished or not after the new library is built next door to it. Picture taken April 19, 2021.Grace Duffield / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less
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The landscape will take into account native plants, pollinator pathways and animal habitats pathway according to plans for the new New Canaan Library, which were presented at the Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday, March 30.Contributed / New Canaan LibraryShow MoreShow Less