Government

Town To Offer Pickleball Instruction and Programming at Mead

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The Board of Selectmen during its most recent meeting approved a contract for pickleball instruction and programming at Mead Park. The elected body during its May 21 meeting voted 3-0 to compensate Steve O’Connell for pickleball instruction, following heavy use of Mead Park’s courts since opening in 2021. “This $13,164 will cover us through the springtime for our programs,” Parks and Recreation Director John Howe said. “With these programs, they’re all cash positive. We bring in a little bit more than we pay.

Amy Murphy Carroll

Spencer’s Run: No More Swapping Codes

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Saying users sometimes swap access codes, town officials on Tuesday approved a request to install a new lock system at Waveny’s dog park. The Board of Selectman during its regular meeting approved a contract with a Brookfield-based company to replace the old four-digit-code method of getting into Spencer’s Run. First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of the $12,500 contract with United Alarm Services Inc., following a request from the Parks & Recreation Department. The new access control system is complete with key fobs that allow for dog-owners to enter and enjoy the park, according to Parks and Recreation Director John Howe. Although the old system had been in place for many years, issues began to arise, he said at the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.

Government

Town Approves $100,000 in Contracts for New Fitness Area at Waveny

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Town officials last week approved three contracts for the installation of a widely anticipated new outdoor fitness area at Waveny this summer, replacing existing equipment that’s broken down. The Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting Tuesday voted 3-0 in favor of the contracts, a total of $96,894. 

The new fitness area will be located just east of the existing one, making room for a brand-new children’s playground area that’s planned for the same site—the grassy, tree-strewn island that abuts the Orchard Field parking lot at the park. Parks and Recreation Director John Howe told the selectmen that local landscape architect Keith Simpson is drawing up a design that includes trees and plants to clearly cordon off the two areas. “And even though we’re using colors that are neutral in nature—the tans and browns and grays—we still want to shield it off,” Howe said at the meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconferencel

Referring to the playground committee’s plan to have the playground areas further off the main road through Waveny, he said, “And we don’t want people stopping on the edge of the road, dropping off kids or anything like that.”

First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of the contracts: GameTime MRC Equipment ($50,544 for “The Gladiator” fitness equipment), $20,315 for Pat Corsetti Inc. for installation and $26,035 for Rubber Recycle for a tan Poured-In-Place surface, according to Ryan Restivo, assistant parks superintendent in the Department of Public Works. The playground itself—a project led by a volunteer committee that includes Monica Capela, Hilary Ormond and Lauren Connolly Nussbaum—will be finalized and installed following community input and fundraising.

Government

Town Approves Contract for Sports Field Fence Repair

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The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved about $24,000 in contracts with two companies to repair fences at some of New Canaan’s most-used sports fields. The contracts with New Canaan-based Gannon Rustic Fence and New Haven-based Total Fence will address damaged fences at the softball field in Waveny, varsity baseball field in Mead Park and two Water Tower turf fields at New Canaan High School, according to Todd Deklyn, superintendent of parks in the Department of Public Works. “The Water Tower field fence is over five years old, and these two fields get used by various sports groups throughout the season,” Deklyn told the selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

He continued: “Damage to these fences is mostly caused by balls being kicked or hit in the fence during their games or practices. At the baseball and softball field fences, most of the damage is mostly caused by athletes doing soft toss and throwing weighted balls against them for warmups. Only the bad sections of the fence on each field will be replaced and we have requested two quotes from Gannon Fence and Total Fence.”

The town has used both companies in the past and they’ve “done quality work for us,” Deklyn said.

Government

Officials Expect to Break Ground This Spring/Summer on New Fitness Area at Waveny

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Work is expected to start on the new outdoor fitness equipment area at Waveny this spring/summer, officials say, with the widely anticipated playground project to follow. Located on a grassy, tree-lined island near the Orchard Field lot—currently a seasonal outdoor ice rink—the two playgrounds will serve kids ages 2 to 5, and then 5 to 12, while the fitness area will be for people 13-and-older “and all inclusive,” according to Ryan Restivo, assistant parks superintendent in the Department of Public Works. “And to reiterate on the surfacing, we’ll be using the Poured-In-Place rubber surfacing, which is the same at Mead Playground,” Restivo told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their Feb. 7 meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “It is number one, accessible.