Opinion

Letter to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com received the following letter. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com. ***

I write this in my capacities as: a Civil Engineer; a 15-year former New Canaan YMCA Board member; a NC Y project team member for the Valles expansion in 1978-1980 and the 2014-2016 Forese renovation; and a Board member and member of the Building Committee, the Finance Committee and the Pool Committee during the Forese renovation. The Pool Update & Facility Survey signed by Margaret Riley, CEO of the Y, states that three years ago an architect and engineer concluded that the Valles building requires repairs that will span 1-2 years at a cost of millions of dollars; that the Valles pool will be closed later this year; and that the Valles Pool may be replaced by a new aquatic center. She has also said to me that the building is in danger of failure.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com. ***

To the Editor,

As a daily 5:30 a.m. lap swimmer at the New Canaan YMCA for the past 10 years, I would like to express the concerns of many members regarding the proposed demolition of the Valles Pool. Hundreds of swimmers rely on access to both pools. Many of us swim before heading to work, and some members even join the New Canaan YMCA from neighboring towns such as Stamford and Norwalk because of its convenient location and early-morning pool access.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com received the following letter. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com. ***

The post below is the contents of a letter Friends of Valles, a 93-member group of New Canaan Y members in support of keeping the Valles Pool, sent to the New Canaan YMCA Board of Directors on Friday evening, June 5. It had multiple authors as the group contributed to it. I am submitting it.

Opinion

Op-Ed: An Update from the YMCA on the Valles Pool

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[Margaret Riley is CEO of the New Canaan YMCA]

Dear friends, 

I have had the privilege of leading our amazing YMCA for the last five years. More times than I can count, a member has approached me to tell me how our Y has changed their lives. These stories motivate me, and all our staff and board, to work to ensure that our Y is here for decades to come, so that future generations of New Canaanites can experience the joy this place delivers daily. We serve many functions. We are a full-day childcare, camp, gym, fitness center, aquatics facility, place for inclusion and support programming, chronic disease support, and community center where people come to connect. 

When a place means so much to the community, it’s understandable that you would feel passionate about being engaged with any potential change.

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Letters to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here. ***
Last Sunday, the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society hosted its Ice Cream Social for the 37th year.  The beautiful day brought nearly 1000 people to the campus to enjoy ice cream, cake, the Town Band, vintage cars, and games while exploring the campus and the historic house museums.  The afternoon was filled with music, laughter, and community spirit. You can’t have an Ice Cream Social without ice cream.  Huge thanks to Phil Luongo, owner of Gofer Ice Cream, for donating not only ice cream but all the delicious toppings, too.  This year the big hit was Oreo mint chip.  Phil could not be more generous, gracious, or committed to the Town of New Canaan. We are grateful for the many volunteers who make this day possible: the members of the Exchange Club who scooped the ice cream; the National Charity League – Canaan Parish and New Canaan Chapters, whose members baked cakes, helped with set-up and clean-up, and ran the games; the Service League of Boys, who lugged everything heavy; the Town Band for its fabulous music; George Cody, Karen Ferguson, Maryalice Gelhaus, Mark Markiewicz, Robin Miner, Geri Rhoades, Cathy Townsend, and Monica Trevino, who educated visitors to the Rock School, the Rogers Studio, the Hanford-Silliman House, and the Jim Bach Special Collections Museum; Board Governors Meredith Bach, Betty Greene, Nick Williams, and Frances Wilson, along with her husband Chris, plus volunteer extraordinaire Barbara Dougherty who welcomed people to the campus.