NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here.
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Dear New Canaan Community,
It has come to our attention that letters and emails regarding the proposed construction on Waveny Park land have been sent to New Canaan businesses and residents signed New Canaan Garden Club (“NCGC”).
These mailings and emails were not sanctioned by NCGC.
Please reach out to the Town of New Canaan with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Dao Engle and Olivia English
Co-Presidents, New Canaan Garden Club
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Dear Editor,
The New Canaan Athletic Alumni Association is proud to announce its 2026 honorees: Ron Bentley, Dan Cantrell, Brad Fetchet, Connie Loomis, Maggie Pennoyer and Kristin Woods.
These six individuals have made meaningful contributions to New Canaan’s rich athletic tradition — we look forward to celebrating their accomplishments and recognizing the lasting impact they have had on our community.
The annual awards ceremony will take place this Sunday, September 20th at Waveny. We invite the entire New Canaan community to join us for this special occasion. Proceeds from the event support athletic scholarships for New Canaan High School students, helping us continue the tradition of recognizing and supporting the next generation of Rams.
Tickets are available at ncoldtimers.com.
We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Terry Dinan
New Canaan Athletic Alumni Association
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To the Editor:
As our Town considers the proposal for a LifeCare community, we should remember our seniors-past, present and future- who have faced or will face these inevitable life decisions. We have the chance now to create what so many have wished for but couldn’t find: a supportive senior-living community in New Canaan.
So, I’m a senior in my 70s or 80s. My spouse and I have been in New Canaan for many years, raised a family, and built a network of friends and activities. Maybe we’re lucky to have family nearby. We enjoy our lives and want to stay for the duration, so to speak. We’ll probably join Staying Put some day, or maybe we have already. Some of us have lost our spouses, but still want to stay where we have friends, family and connections.
We belong to organizations in town, or have strong connections to a religious congregation, or just enjoy the variety of life here. We have doctors and other relationships that support our health and wellbeing.
We love where we live, be it a home with a garden or condo near town. But we know sooner or later life will start throwing curveballs at us. Maybe it’s our eyesight, our mobility, a chronic illness, a bad fall, or worst of all, our ability to manage our own lives. If we’re a couple, maybe one of us gets afflicted, but it impacts us both.
Many of us resolve to stay in our homes knowing that at some point that may no longer be possible. We don’t really want to think about that too much, so we don’t! Until stuff happens and we must face some tough decisions about where to live. Some of us are planners and seek out a more supportive community before they need it.
Dozens of friends and acquaintances have faced this dilemma over the years. Some hang on, with difficulty, in their homes; others reluctantly move to places further away, trading away their connections in return for support they seek. Their voices may not be heard at town meetings; they may not write letters to the editor, but they are a big and growing part of our community: 1,000 of us now over 80 and another 1,500 in our 70s.
There’s no one right answer on how to plan one’s later years, but the important thing is to know that we have options when the time comes. Sadly, we still have no option to stay in New Canaan and live in a supportive community.
As our community discussions proceed, I only ask that we keep foremost in our minds all those, now and in the future, whose lives will be greatly affected, for better or worse, by the outcome.
Yours truly,
Tom Ferguson
Crying tears of sympathy here, I’d like to live in Waveny like the Laphams too.
The question of whether to turn our parkland into condos is entirely separate from senior housing in New Canaan. Two. Different. Issues.
Do our kids a favor and keep your fancy fingers off their parks.
Tom Ferguson, are you on the Campaign Committee for Waveny Life Care? It would be helpful for those directly connected to be transparent.
Mr. Ferguson, thank you for your heartfelt letter and for sharing what you believe many seniors are experiencing. In a debate that has become polarized over the use of deeded land, your reflections are certainly well intended.
There is, however, one reality that wasn’t mentioned, and for most longtime residents it is the defining factor in whether they can remain in New Canaan at all. The biggest curveball isn’t eyesight or a fall. It’s property taxes, maintenance costs, and the financial load of living alone on a fixed income.
I’ve not seen the math, but if the planned LifeCare community also addressed that financial burden, it would be a no‑brainer. That financial pressure, more than anything else, is what forces seniors to leave the homes and community they love. Any discussion about supporting older residents has to begin with the challenges they actually face, not the ones we imagine for them.
Thank you, Tom Ferguson. I also agree with Regina Walsh – such disclosures are important.
I continue to be amazed by the misinformation swirling around this issue.
Residents interested in learning facts about this proposal will find them here: https://www.waveny.org/ccrc-faq/ including a list of meetings on the issue. These are not town government meetings – for those, you can go to the town website and have a look. Then you can come in person or Zoom in.
Everyone is, of course, entitled to fume from home and repeat misinformation. That doesn’t count as civic engagement.
Thank you, Tom Ferguson! We are in the exact position you have described. I don’t know what percentage of the population of New Canaan is over 70 but I believe it is substantial. We have lived here for 44 years, paid taxes, volunteered in the schools and wider community, and contributed to local causes. The first letter here is offensive to all those who have lived the best years of their lives here. Has this person ever volunteered for Meals on Wheels and seen the obvious need for senior housing? “Living like the Laphams” is hardly the issue. “Do our kids a favor”? Who do you think has been paying taxes all these years after our own kids graduated from our fine schools? I challenge anyone to find another place in New Canaan to build senior housing.
Approaching that age and definitely opposed to the Waveny plan. It’s two different issues. Waveny is a cherished recreational complex and should not have pieces sliced off it with every latest whim. If there is support for the Town to get involved with building senior LifeCare instead of the private sector, perhaps it can be given attention with future affordable housing plans. If possible, dedicate additional units in each new planned town complex, and/or give preference at vacancies in existing, to New Canaan seniors. Agencies like Staying Put could also be developed in concert to provide more robust support.
Isn’t Irvin Park a better choice? Walkable to town, train, etc. Just asking.
irwin is off limits unless you want to activate the paramilitary arm of the garden club
Kirsten
You miss the point. Been here going on 40 yrs. These people are not doing anyone in town a favor. Take your
1.5 to 2.5 million stay at home and hire
Help if you need it. Give your home
To one of your children and have them take care of you like you took care of them. I’m sure they would thank you
For a mortgage free home.