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Commission Approves ‘Cornhole Area’ at Park for Eagle Scout Project

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The Parks & Recreation Commission on Wednesday night voted unanimously in favor of an Eagle Scout project to install a cornhole area in a local park. Troop 70 Life Scout James Generalis told members of the Commission that in designing his Eagle Scout project he “wanted to do something that really impacted the community that a lot of members could use.”

Just which park would take the new cornhole area is not yet settled, he said. “It could either be Kiwanis, it could be Mead, it could be Irwin,” Generalis told the Commission at its regular meeting, held in Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “It would be ultimately up to you guys to decide where to put it. But you can see I sketched out what I envision the area to look like and the dimensions of the cornhole boards, as well as the [Rams] design we’ll put on the cornhole boards.

Government

Officials Expect to Break Ground This Spring/Summer on New Fitness Area at Waveny

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Work is expected to start on the new outdoor fitness equipment area at Waveny this spring/summer, officials say, with the widely anticipated playground project to follow. Located on a grassy, tree-lined island near the Orchard Field lot—currently a seasonal outdoor ice rink—the two playgrounds will serve kids ages 2 to 5, and then 5 to 12, while the fitness area will be for people 13-and-older “and all inclusive,” according to Ryan Restivo, assistant parks superintendent in the Department of Public Works. “And to reiterate on the surfacing, we’ll be using the Poured-In-Place rubber surfacing, which is the same at Mead Playground,” Restivo told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their Feb. 7 meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “It is number one, accessible.

Government

Town Officials To Draft ‘Code of Conduct’ for Public Parks

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Town officials say they’re drafting a Code of Conduct for New Canaan’s public parks. Members of the Parks & Recreation Commission are researching a Code of Conduct and plan to draft one for review and approval by the full appointed body and, later, the Board of Selectmen, according to Parks & Rec Chair George Benington. “I think that over the years there have been issues with loud music, alcohol and that kind of stuff, and language,” Benington said during the Commission’s Feb. 7 meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “So I think to have something that particularly if [Assistant Parks Superintendent] Ryan [Restivo] or [Assistant Recreation Director] Zack [Philippas] are in the parks and they see something, they can say, ‘This is the Code of Conduct policy.’ If we’re in the park and we see something, we can do that as well.”

The comments came during Benington’s general update to the Commission.

Government

Parks & Rec Approves Second Annual ‘Waveny Arts Festival’ for Oct. 6

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Parks officials last week approved an Oct. 6 arts event for Waveny that saw more than 1,000 attendees turn out during its debut last year. The Parks & Recreation Commission voted unanimously to approve the second annual Waveny Arts Festival, which will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on that Sunday in October. Organized by the Carriage Barn Arts Center, the inaugural festival was “a great success,” according to the nonprofit organization’s executive director, Hilary Wittmann. “It was a relatively turnkey event that the whole community loved—we had an amazing turnout and are looking to repeat the event again and expand it a little bit,” Wittmann told members of the Commission at their regular meeting, held Feb.

Government

Parks & Rec Pushes Back on June ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ in Waveny; Oct. 20 Event Approved

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The chair of the New Canaan Parks & Recreation Commission said Wednesday night that a proposed June 2 date for the popular Caffeine & Carburetors car show in Waveny is problematic. Hosting the specialty and antique auto show in the spring “has been filled with a lot of issues that we’ve heard from the town,” according to George Benington. 

“Those issues need to be resolved before they come back to us,” he said during the Commission’s regular meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “There’s a lot of opposition based on concerns about the field that time of year with the weather and what not. So we cannot vote on June tonight.  We can vote on October, but not June. … I think we all agree that this is a great event.