Government

Town Finishes Survey Work for Planned New Playground at Waveny

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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

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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.

Government

Selectmen Approve $70,000 for Baseball, Softball Field Maintenance 

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The newly elected Board of Selectmen during its first meeting Tuesday approved two contracts totaling approximately $70,000 for maintenance work on New Canaan’s baseball and softball fields. 

The town owns 11 ball fields and eight of them have clay infields, according to Assistant Superintendent of Parks Ryan Restivo. The “recreational premium infield mix from Grove City, Pa.-based Dura Edge Products “has benefited our maintenance program and is the most important aspect of New Canaan’s renowned clay fields,” Restivo told the Board during its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of a $24,086 contract with Dura Edge and $45,579 contract with Bridgeport-based Athletic Field Services. 

The funds are available in the Parks Department capital infrastructure budget, Restivo said. The selectmen asked why the project needs a contingency (unexpected costs for AFS and because the delivery tonnage from Dura Edge may not be exact), whether the department could “true up” contingency totals each quarter to see whether they’re used (yes) and whether coaches are allowed to perform field maintenance (no). Carlson how many companies were approached for a bid on the project.

Around Town

Soggy Conditions at Waveny Prompt Cancellation of Final ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ of 2023

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Heavy rainfall in recent weeks has forced organizers to cancel the final Caffeine & Carburetors car show of 2023. Scheduled for Sunday at Waveny Park, the antique and specialty auto show will not be held and the series will return next year, C&C founder Doug Zumbach said. “I thought about it over this past weekend, and there was really no reason to delay the decision,” Zumbach told NewCanaanite.com on Wednesday from inside his eponymous coffee shop at Pine and Grove Streets, where Caffeine & Carburetors began. Zumbach said he’s been visiting Waveny every other day to track conditions, and he grew especially concerned about the forecourt at the main house. “We’re just one of many events that have been canceled due to this rain that we have every weekend,” he said.

Government

Town: Early-Morning Pickleball Noise Complaints Down After Locking Up Mead Courts Overnight

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Town officials say they’ve effectively addressed noise complaints about pre-dawn pickleball players at Mead Park by locking the courts until 8 a.m.

In the early weeks of summer, pickleball players ignored the signs saying that the courts were open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.—and, in fact, vandalized and removed some of those signs—starting matches as early as 5:30 a.m., according to Parks & Recreation Director John Howe. “We’ve been dealing with noise complaints and we’ve put up some signs with the hours, which were vandalized and taken down and removed,” Howe told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their most recent meeting, held July 12 at Lapham Community Center. 

“So we’re going to be putting up new signs. But what we’re having problems with is people were actually going out as early as 5:30 to play. The pickleball courts are open continually 8 to 8, and so we had to start locking them up. Before that we had them unlocked.