Canaan/Falls Village Board of Selectmen
3/9/26 6:02 p.m.
Present: First Selectman David Barger, and Selectmen Christopher Kinsella and JudyJacobs
The Town of Canaan Board of Selectmen for March 9 started with a message to town residents and visitors from First Selectman David Barger: Clean up after your dog.
“Some of you may wonder why we have a sign outside ‘be respectful, clean after your dog?” Barger said. “It was actually precipitated by several of our residents here in the center of town, but one in particular decided to write a letter.”
Barger then proceeded to read aloud a letter submitted by town resident Diane Polanis. Her dog Phoebe was a cosigner.
“I am writing to express my concern about the ongoing amount of dog feces that is around our town streets, personal property, and on sidewalks uncollected,” Barger said, reading Polanis’ letter dated Feb. 17. Polanis wrote she was worried bacteria will spread across town due to the unattended pet waste.
She closed out her letter suggesting dogwalkers bring with them waste bags when walking their furry friends. Polanis’ other suggestion was having the town display signs requesting dog owners to be mindful of others and pick up after their dogs.
“My hat is off to our Department of Public Works manager who manages our dog poop station,” Barger said. “I think we need to get some more bags. I think we ran out of them over the winter.”
The board also reviewed the possibility of joining the Northwest Resource Recovery Authority (NRRA), a body created for the purpose of sustainably managing municipal solid waste and recyclables.
The authority, an initiative of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG), could own and operate one or more waste management facilities and allow municipalities to join in and receive these types of services. To join, the board of selectmen would have to approve a resolution. Other members include the City of Torrington and the Towns of Goshen, Salisbury, and New Hartford, Barger said.
“We've been dealing with trash for over 10 years,” Barger noted. “One thing I should make you aware of what we would have to do is put forward an ordinance.”
Even if the town approves the resolution, the selectmen can still decide to contract for waste management services with a private company.
“I think that all the 21 towns in the COG need to come together to make this happen,” Barger said. “And as you both know, tipping fees, rates and everything, are based on tonnage. We don't generate a great amount of tonnage by ourselves.”
Barger said Torrington being a member of the NRRA will help draw other towns toward joining given that they are one of the largest municipalities in the NHCOG. He added that other towns like Cornwall and Sharon are likely to sign onto the NRRA.
Municipal control over waste management logistics and operations will be beneficial down the road for members of the NHCOG, Barger said.
“We have to look out to 20 years, 25 years, and that's where the public option being controlled by all these municipalities is going to pay off,” he noted. “They'll be able to take that tipping fee and kind of equalize it.”
