Government

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

By |

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.

Footer Featured Widget

Parks & Rec Director: Pickleball Players Suggest Constructing Four Courts in Waveny

By |

Municipal officials are hearing from pickleball enthusiasts that the town should consider installing four courts in Waveny. Parks & Recreation Director John Howe said Wednesday night that he’s heard from a local man on the issue “and he thinks he has a lot of other people.”

The five courts already installed in Mead Park “are going to be busy during the season,” Howe told members of the Parks & Rec Commission during their regular meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “We think we could fit them in—and there needs to be more research—in the grass area basically between the roadway, the dog park, and the paddle courts, in that area,” Howe said. “But, I just want to throw it out there that what we’re seeing is, pickleball is not going away. And it might be, if we ever do have the new picnic area installed by the paddle courts, and maybe a possible another paddle court, this would possibly be a great place to do it.

Government

Town Approves Contract for Fireworks at ‘Family Fourth,’ Set for July 6 at Waveny

By |

Town officials on Tuesday approved a $35,000 contract with a Douglassville, Pa.-based company to put on a fireworks show for the annual Family Fourth picnic at Waveny. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with International Fireworks Mfg. The popular gathering of local families is “a Norman Rockwell quintessential event,” according to Tom Stadler, chair of the Family Fourth Committee. “We’re getting everything in place right now,” Stadler told the selectmen during their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “We have the garbage contract here, we’re working to get the bands lined up, get the food trucks lined up,” he said.

Government

Town Finishes Survey Work for Planned New Playground at Waveny

By |

The town has had a survey done of the area at Waveny Park where a new playground is planned, officials said last week. The survey allows the committee that’s steering the playground project to “truly have a design instead of this concept ‘put it over there’ type thing, to really figure out what fits in the area,” according to Parks & Recreation Director John Howe. “We’re working through designs and budget issues and that type of stuff,” Howe told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their regular meeting, held Jan. 10 at Lapham Community Center. 

The comments came in response to a request for an update from Commissioner Hank Green. The town’s plan to create a children’s playground in Waveny was first publicly floated in early-2021.

Government

‘Pickleball Has Taken Over’: Paddle Tennis Numbers Down

By |

Though platform or “paddle” tennis, like other outdoor activities, saw a major uptick during the pandemic, the number of people seeking permits is down, parks officials say. One reason appears to be that an increasing number of people are choosing a different outdoor racket sport, according to Parks and Recreation Director John Howe: pickleball. “Unfortunately, this year and last year, our [paddle] permit sales are way down,” Howe told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission during their regular meeting, held Wednesday night at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “We’re not seeing the same usage that we had in the past,” Howe said. “We think a lot of it is, while the [paddle] numbers are down, pickleball has taken over.