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With temperatures topping 90 degrees, and a feel temperature of more than 100 degrees, the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny is drawing hundreds of visitors on many days this summer.
At midday recently, New Canaan resident Ally Pastushan joined dozens of other parents at the pool watching their kids compete in a meet between Newfield Swim Club and Waveny Gator Swim Team.
“We love the pool, we moved to New Canaan about 12 years ago and the improvements they’ve made have been wonderful,” Pastushan said. “Between the big umbrellas they have, the fact that they provide chairs, the snack bar and everything, big improvements over where it was.”
While the chairs, umbrellas, and snack bar all remain popular fixtures of the pool, John Howe, the director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said that the public will probably not realize the effort his department puts into keeping the pool open.
“Unfortunately, not a lot of improvements that the public would see,” Howe said when asked about what changes have been made. “But improvements that we needed to make. Anything from repairing some leaks, replacing the main pump, the automatic fill system is back up and working, its infrastructure things that we’ve had to do for a 20 year old pool. But as far as swimming, you wouldn’t notice the difference.”
This hot, muggy summer has led to another successful year in terms of pool sales.
The Rec Department is “on track with last year” in terms of the sales, Howe said. So far, the town has sold 823 family passes, compared to 920 total in 2022. Senior passes are already at 204 this year, compared to 192 for all of last summer.
“We will continue to sell passes through the summer,” he said. “If you take days like today, it’s amazing, sometimes the people will decide they should have bought a pass before.”
The facility impressed first-time visitor Asha Shah, a former New Canaan resident and current Newfield member at the pool for the swim meet.
“The clubs swim against each other every summer,” she said. “It’s a beautiful pool.”
Residents very fortunate that this discussion years ago went through. I for one fully appreciate & am grateful. Staff wonderful, dramatic change with facilities not gone unnoticed. Lap swim regularly love being outside clouds birds is marvelous. Aziz falafel at Applecart the best. Thank you 😁
We are so lucky to have a beautiful safe pool and really great pool directors, Bob, Bill, Fred and of course Steve Dayton. I appreciate their consistent hard work everyday!