2-year battle concludes with approval to demolish 1911 New Canaan barn

A battle that has stretched on for two years in New Canaan finally came to a head Tuesday with a decision to demolish a barn in Mead Park.
The Board of Selectmen ruled that the brick barn should be torn down. The barn was built in 1911 for use as a town meeting place during World War II.
Members of the New Canaan Preservation Alliance made their case one last time before the board made its final decision. Some residents say it's an important artifact of New Canaan's industrial past.
"It's been an uphill battle the entire way, so we're bitterly disappointed," says Skipp Hobbs, of the New Canaan Preservation Alliance.
Town officials say the structure has become an eyesore. They say the cost to renovate and restore it is too high for a building without any clear purpose.
"It's a half a million dollar project and the Preservation Alliance doesn't have the money to do that," says Laszlo Papp, chairman of the Historical Review Committee.
Town officials say demolishing the barn will cost closer to $40,000.