Government

Town Pursues Mandatory $20 Per-Player ‘Fields Usage’ Fee from Private Youth Sports Groups

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Seeking insight into the true membership numbers and financials of private organizations that run youth sports in New Canaan, town officials plan next year to make mandatory a $20 per-player “fields usage” fee. Led by Park & Recreation Commission Chair Sally Campbell and Selectman Nick Williams and launched through the Youth Sports Committee, the move is designed, in part, to usher New Canaan toward a system where basic upkeep of playing fields is accounted for through above-the-line payments rather than private contributions. In the past, the town had no oversight of the financials of groups that oversee sports such as youth football, lacrosse, baseball, soccer and field hockey, Campbell said during the committee’s Jan. 29 meeting. As a result, she said, “we had groups that ended up having big cash reserves because they were collecting fees way in excess of what they needed to use.”

“So our point to them was, look, you know parents aren’t going to question the fee—because they want their kid to participate, they want them to make the A team and nobody would question it,” Campbell said at the meeting, held in the Art Room at Lapham Community Center.

News

Major Leaguer Curt Casali To Headline New Canaan Baseball Clinic

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Less than a week before Christmas and the exact day of winter’s official beginning is not exactly the time of year one has in mind when thinking baseball. That said, for New Canaan High School baseball’s varsity head coach Mitch Hoffman, there’s no time like the present to bring together New Canaan baseball’s past, present and future. On Saturday, Hoffman will host a baseball clinic for youth players of all ages. The clinic is particularly special as it will be headlined by New Canaan’s first major league player, Curt Casali of the Tampa Bay Rays. In addition to Casali, the clinic will be run by many former Rams who are now playing at the collegiate level.

Government

New Canaan Baseball Funds $13,455 in Fields Work at Mead, Saxe

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The nonprofit organization that runs the major youth baseball program in New Canaan is giving the town $13,455 to re-sod and otherwise improve and maintain three of the fields the boys use. With the funds from New Canaan Baseball in hand, work could start this week on the two little league fields in Mead Park, Mellick and Gamble, and on the baseball diamond at Saxe Middle School, according to John Howe, parks superintendent with the New Canaan Department of Public Works. “We’re very happy,” Howe said during the Oct. 21 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department. The board approved by a 3-0 vote the contract between the town and Greg Twardy Landscaping ($11,099) and Read Custom Soils ($2,355) for sod, clay and repair work at the fields.

News

Town Spending $30,000 to Restore Baseball, Softball Fields; Private Group Funding Additional Work

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New Canaan will spend about $30,000 this fall improving baseball and softball fields that officials say were in subpar condition this spring, drawing criticism from the groups that use them. Most of the money will go to repair what are commonly referred to as the men’s rec softball fields at Waveny and the girls’ softball diamonds at the Orchard and Water Tower fields, Parks Superintendent John Howe said by way of requesting the funds during Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting. “They’re due, as we try to rotate around (the 10 public parks’ baseball and softball fields in New Canaan),” Howe said during the meeting, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department. “The other work, on the small fields at Conner and Saxe, it’s minor work, relatively speaking, and that is why the prices are less,” Howe said. The selectmen voted 3-0 in favor of the $30,081 allocation: $11,845 to Athletic Field Services for the Waveny softball fields, $6,461 for Greg Twardy Jr. Landscape Service for Conner, Saxe and Mead (main field) baseball fields and 11,775 for Read Custom Soils for infield clay.

Alan Haas

VIDEO: Locals Congratulate Curt Casali, New Canaan’s First Major Leaguer

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Here’s what newly retired Mark “2-5-0” Rearick had to say in a longtime townie Facebook group about Curt Casali, the former New Canaan High School Rams varsity baseball player under “Fiver” who on Friday made his Major League debut—the first New Canaanite ever to make The Show: “A fantastic moment for a most deserving young man.”

Beyond talent and diligence, Casali has earned a reputation for modesty, so we hope our video tribute above doesn’t embarrass the catcher. It’s just meant to say: We’re very proud back here in New Canaan—whether your career, Curt, encompasses 10 at-bats or 10 All Star games, you are our guy who made the bigs—and Saturday’s annual Sidewalk Sale afforded an opportunity to say so as a community. We went with a “tip of the cap”-style tribute for the Tampa Bay Rays catcher. RE59ECT to you, Curt, from some locals—some of whom will be known to you. Hope you enjoy the rest of the summer.