Town Contemplates Movies, New Water Activities at Kiwanis Park

The town’s plans for public use of Kiwanis Park may include movies and water-related programs at the swimming hole there, officials say. As it is, the Old Norwalk Road park is well-designed to serve younger children, and recreation officials are working to develop new programming that could help draw older kids, too, according to interim Parks & Recreation Director John Howe. “We’re changing some of our programs,” Howe told members of the Board of Selectmen at their April 19 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “We are going to try to do more things down there, get some life back into Kiwanis.”

He added, “Kiwanis works great for little kids, because they can walk in and out of the sand and they have all that sensory stuff they can do with sand. And then they kind of gravitate toward the pool as they get older.”

Kiwanis Park, like the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny, opens Memorial Day weekend.

Parks & Rec: Spring Program Registrations ‘Close To Being Filled Up Already’

Registrations for spring programs offered through the New Canaan Recreation Department already are close to filling up if they haven’t sold out already, officials said this month. As of the Parks & Recreation Commission’s March 9 meeting, 144 of 188 slots for adult tennis clinics had been taken, according to Interim Parks & Rec Director John Howe. “People are wanting to be out–it’s wonderful,” Howe told members of the Commission during their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “I know I am looking forward to having all these programs,” Howe said. “It’s pretty exciting that there’s so many people that want to participate in all of the different ones.”

The comments came during Howe’s regular update to the Commission.

Town Increases Rental Rates for Waveny House [TABLE]

Following recent recommendations from a Stamford-based marketing firm, town officials last week voted in favor of sharp increases to rental rates for Waveny House. 

The rental fees charged by the town for special events such as weddings “have been substantially low for a number of years,” Interim Director of Parks and Recreation John Howe told members of the Board of Selectmen at their March 22 meeting. “And we don’t think that many people go to Waveny House because of the fee,” Howe said at the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “They pick it more because that’s where they want to have their event.”

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted 3-0 in favor of the new rates. The Parks & Recreation Commission had recommended changes to the fee schedule during its March meeting, Howe said. Here’s a table detailing the new rental rates, effective April 1:

 

Waveny House plays host to 50 to 60 weddings per year, Moynihan said.