Following a winter storm, blizzard and sustained low temperatures, the widely anticipated new playground at Waveny is on track for a May opening, officials say.
Originally set for April, the launch was pushed back slightly because the Poured-In-Place rubber surface “requires temperatures above 50 degrees for a consistent period,” according to Superintendent of Parks Ryan Restivo.
“You’ll see the equipment has been installed, though the surface is muddy right now,” Restivo told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their most recent meeting, held March 11 at Lapham Center and via videoconference.
“We need about one week of consistent temperatures above 50” for the surfacing to go in, Restivo said.
He continued: “On our end, we’ll do top-soiling and seeding on the surrounds, and then any walkways and the entrance patio will follow that. I know last meeting said April-ish but now we’re looking into May with the snow cover that we’ve had. It has delayed things. And then I’m looking at ordering some tables and benches for the site, too, that we’ll put on the patio. I encourage anyone to consider donating wooden benches that are within the town parks to be featured within the site. Those will be in the grassy areas but it’s something that most people put their names on or donate a bench—something to consider.”
The update came as part of Parks & Recreation Director John Howe’s regular update to the Commission.
A public-private partnership led by a volunteer committee working alongside Restivo and the town, the new playground is located on the island of land that runs alongside the seasonal ice skating rink at Waveny, near the “Orchard” softball field. A new fitness area is already in place there.
The Board of Selectmen last week approved $11,421 for four picnic tables to be placed around the new playground. Town officials in January approved about $33,000 in contracts to install new fencing around the facility and otherwise prepare the site.
Public discussions around putting in a playground at Waveny—which never had a playground, but rather an all-abilities exercise equipment area that many kids mistook for one—first emerged about five years ago. In 2023, a committee that would become the Friends of Waveny Park Playground group formed in order to fundraise and advise on equipment. The total project cost has been pegged at about $775,000, a total reached with town funds, a large state grant and privately raised dollars.
Reach out to ryan.restivo@newcanaanct.gov if you are interested in purchasing a bench in accordance with the Town of New Canaan’s bench policy.
I hope all of the machines used to put the playground up were powered with batteries. Otherwise the environment is going to hell and our health is going to suffer.
What a strange thing to say. Surely, Mr. Cohen, you know what a false equivalency is. Kudos to the team that is making this fantastic playground a reality for the kids and parents of New Canaan!