The board moved briskly through much of its agenda, approving a series of routine items — infrastructure work, contracts and seasonal planning — but the meeting’s character emerged in three areas: leadership at the fire department, the boundaries of commercial activity in public parks and a growing frustration over delays to the long-running Waveny elevator project.
The most unifying moment came with the unanimous appointment of William Perritt as interim fire chief. Human Resources Director Cheryl Jones outlined a year of internal improvements — from training revisions to stronger communication within the department — and pointed to visible support in the room from firefighters themselves.
Selectmen responded less as policymakers and more as stewards of institutional continuity. Amy Murphy Carroll praised Perritt’s “confidence” and adaptability during what several described as a difficult period, while First Selectman Dionna Carlson called him “a consistent presence.” The appointment, expected to last three to six months, was approved without hesitation.
If that vote reflected consensus, the discussion over food trucks in Waveny Park revealed something closer to philosophical tension. A request tied to youth lacrosse events sought approval for food trucks on four Friday evenings. By the end of the conversation, the board approved just one date — May 29 — effectively transforming a recurring proposal into a pilot.
The debate was not about logistics so much as identity. Carlson voiced concern about drawing revenue away from local businesses, noting that outside vendors could “take away sales from local merchants and restaurants.” Murphy Carroll warned of incremental change, saying she would not want Waveny to resemble a place with “truck after truck.”
Steve Karl, for his part, framed the issue as one of precedent. A single approval, he suggested, could quickly expand across sports programs and age groups. What emerged was a familiar New Canaan compromise — cautious experimentation paired with a reluctance to set a broader precedent.
The board also approved several capital and maintenance items, including $12,000 for graffiti removal at Talmadge Hill Train Station, $16,200 for platform repairs, and $80,689.50 for an accessible ramp and stairs at the Nature Center’s education building.
Yet the meeting’s emotional center came during an extended update on the Waveny House elevator project — a project that has stretched across years, budgets and expectations. What began as a technical update quickly became something else: a conversation about trust.
Selectman Karl articulated the concern most directly.
“We can all handle bad news… it’s just way better to get the bad news ahead of time,” he said, expressing frustration that earlier assurances about the project timeline had proven overly optimistic.
The current timeline has slipped significantly, with completion now projected toward early summer after earlier expectations pointed to spring. Board members pressed for clarity not only on schedule, but on financial exposure, noting that only a limited contingency remained.
Carlson questioned whether the remaining funds would be sufficient and suggested that earlier transparency might have led to different decisions, including how the building’s use was scheduled during construction. The concern was not simply delay, but the pattern of reassurance followed by revision — a rhythm that, over time, erodes confidence.
In response, town officials cited a range of complications, from manufacturing issues to installation errors that required rework. They emphasized that many risks had now been resolved, but stopped short of guaranteeing that no additional funds would be needed.
The board ultimately called for more frequent and detailed updates — a procedural step, but also a signal. In a town where governance often runs on trust and familiarity, the expectation is not perfection, but candor.
And so the meeting closed much as it had unfolded — with decisions made, but also with something less tangible hanging in the air. Not disagreement, exactly, but a reminder that even in a place defined by order, the hardest work is often not building things, but maintaining confidence in how they are built.
