Parks officials last week approved the installation of two new benches in Waveny.
A sculpture/bench by Nigel Ross. Published with permission of Nigel Ross
The Parks & Rec Commission during its regular meeting March 15 voted unanimously to allow a local nonprofit organization to purchase and install the benches, created by a British sculptor.
They are expected to add “a really interesting new dimension to the park that enriches current residents’ experience of the park and actually can attract new visitors,” Charles Crookenden, treasurer of the Waveny Park Conservancy, told the Commission during its meeting, held at Lapham Community Center.
Nigel Ross’s benches “are functional and attractive sculptures,” he said.
A sculpture/bench by Nigel Ross. Published with permission of Nigel Ross
“By that I mean that they are designed to be played on, to be sat on,” Crookenden continued. “But they are also designed to intrigue and attract adults and, ideally, to be irresistible to children. So that’s very much a part of it. But all of these fall in what we call the ‘organic’ theme. Organic because they’re made of wood, designs are simple and organic and part of the reason for that is that’s what we have at the park. It fits in with our conservation program. But it also lends itself to very simple designs that appeal to as broad a range of the resident population as possible.”
He added that the benches are “simple organic designs that complement the landscape.”
A sculpture/bench by Nigel Ross. Published with permission of Nigel Ross
Commission Chair George Benington, Secretary Francesca Segalas and members Gene Goodman, Hank Green, Keith Richey, Susan Lione, Douglas Murphy and Timothy Klimpl voted in favor.
“They’re wonderful,” Segalas said.
Parks & Rec asked how long the benches last (the expectation is 40 to 50 years), whether they’ll have plaques on them (perhaps a plaque in front of or beside them) and whether the outside professionals that the Conservancy uses are known to the town (yes).
Benington asked Parks & Rec Director John Howe whether there were any issues from the town’s side.
Howe said, “No, they are taking care of the whole thing as far as installation and everything else.”
A sculpture/bench by Nigel Ross. Published with permission of Nigel Ross
Crookenden said that the Conservancy already has received donations to purchase and install two approximately $20,000 benches—one for the organization’s founding chair, Bob Seelert, which would be installed near the pond at the foot of the sledding hill, and another for Carol Clarkson of The Jeniam Foundation in the meadow in Waveny’s southeast corner. The Conservancy is seeking to install up to five benches total, near trails in the park, he said. One likely future location is by a clump of trees and prominent rock west of the main house, he said.
“These are fairly straightforward, one piece of wood 12-foot-long, half- to three-quarters-ton in weight,” Crookenden said. “ They don’t need much preparation. They don’t need much maintenance. Very simple and straightforward. And very attractive.”
A sculpture/bench by Nigel Ross. Published with permission of Nigel Ross
In terms of maintenance, the benches likely would be treated with a fungicide and an oil finish that would be re-applied periodically, he said.
The benches are expected to, “in their own small way, reinforce New Canaan as a destination for art and architecture,” Crookeneden said.
“We have over 100 Mid Century Modern houses, The Glass House, Grace Farms and, of course, the new library,” he said. “So it’s a small piece, but our thinking behind the whole concept of ‘Art in the Park’ is to build on that.”
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