George Benington

Town Plans Waveny Playground and Fitness Area for Spring ‘24

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A committee of town officials and residents is working toward a proposal for a playground and new exercise equipment area that could be installed in Waveny Park as early as next spring. Convened this past summer, the committee is working within its approved budget of $455,000 while seeking to fundraise $50,000 for the widely anticipated addition to New Canaan’s largest park, according to Ryan Restivo, assistant parks superintendent in the Department of Public Works. “Our objective is to revamp the fitness area that’s currently there that’s designed for ages 13-plus,” Restivo told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their Sept. 20 meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “And then we’re going to build a renowned playground, designed for ages two through 12.

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Town To Work on Parking Lot at Mead Following Rise in Pickleball Court Use

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Though they’ve been open less than two years, the pickleball courts at Mead Park have become so popular that the town is looking at ways to get more parking spaces into the lot that serves the facility, officials said last week. All five courts were in use at lunchtime on April 12, Parks & Recreation Director John Howe told members of the Parks & Rec Commission during their regular meeting that night. “It’s caused a parking issue down there,” he said during the meeting, held at Lapham Community Center. The warmer weather and busier season at Mead—clay tennis courts, Mead Park Lodge, baseball and playground visitors—are expected to exacerbate the parking crunch, commissioners said. The parking configuration is “going to have to change,” Parks & Rec Secretary Francesca Segalas said.

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Private Group Seeks Permission to Display Advertising in Makeshift Ice Rink at Public Park

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Parks officials are seeking permission from New Canaan’s legislative body to forgo enforcement of a local ordinance that prohibits advertising in public parks. The Parks & Recreation Commission voted at its meeting last week in favor of allowing a private group to run “dashboard” ads inside a makeshift ice rink that’s planned for Waveny. 

Though the advisory Parks & Rec Commission supported allowing the ads last year—despite concerns voiced then-Recreation Director Steve Benko—the discussion never was vetted by the Town Council because the makeshift rink itself never materialized. Gene Goodman—a principal of the private group behind the rink, NC Rink Inc, according to Connecticut Secretary of the State records—said the ads themselves would be six feet wide by 2.5 feet high. “If you were standing at the perimeter of the dasher boards which will be about four feet high or so, you will be able to see it,” Goodman said during the Nov. 9 Parks & Rec meeting, held in Lapham Community Center.

Government

Rec Department To Relaunch After-School Programs at the Schools

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The town’s Recreation Department plans to relaunch its after-school programs at New Canaan Public Schools following an unexpected lapse this fall, officials say. The municipal department “for years has been doing after-school programs at mainly the elementary schools but also Saxe,” according to Parks & Recreation Director John Howe. But due to a mistake or misunderstanding, “Whatever you want to call it,” Howe said, “we didn’t do them this fall.”

“There has been some outcry from parents, talking to the superintendent of schools, they’d like us back, and so we’re shooting to go back to do parent conferences which are at the beginning of December,” Howe told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission during their regular meeting, held Wednesday at Town Hall and via videoconference. “We’ll have outside contractors go in there to run some programs just to keep the kids busy, and then back in January, we’re planning on being right back in the schools, running programs.”

Howe spoke during his regular monthly update to the Commission. In addressing Parks & Rec, he also reported that the restoration work on the gazebo at Waveny has been completed and came out very well, that part of the dog run at Waveny has been closed off for re-seeding and will reopen in the spring, reviewed some of the Rec Department’s popular Halloween-themed events and said next year’s Color Drop fundraiser for the New Canaan High School Scholarship Foundation will be held March 25.

George Benington

Parks & Rec Proposes Food Trucks at Steve Benko Pool, Kiwanis

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Town officials last week voted in support of having a food truck provide concessions at the Steve Benko Pool once per week this summer. The Parks & Recreation Commission at its regular meeting June 8 also voted unanimously in favor of a recommendation to have a food truck at Kiwanis Park. With labor shortages affecting the community pool’s main concessioner, Apple Cart Food Co., the company “might have a hard time keeping the concession stand open at the pool every day of the week,” Parks & Rec Director John Howe said during the Commission’s meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

“So what we’ve looked into is having a food truck,” he said. “We are thinking Tuesday or Wednesday, and having a food truck come for that day. We’d set them up on the grass outside the gate that’s closest to the dog park parking lot, that section, so we can put up a couple of small pieces of fence so kids won’t have any access to go running into the parking lot or anything like that.”

Commission Chair George Benington, Secretary Francesca Segalas and members Matt Konspore, Rona Siegel, Carl Mason and Gene Goodman voted in favor of recommending the change to the Board of Selectmen.