Government

New Facial Recognition Mini-Lockers at ‘Steve Benko Pool’: Parks & Rec Roundup

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Residents who take advantage of the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny this summer have a new amenity waiting for them. 

About 20 facial recognition-activated mini-lockers will be made available in a single unit outside the locker rooms for those who want to store something small such as a wallet and/or cellphone, according to Parks & Recreation Director John Howe. “When you use them you’ll go up and put your face there and then you go back and can get in and once you’re back in your face is gone, and it goes to whoever is next,” Howe told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission last week. “So they’re very simple to use. And they also have USB charging ports. So if you wanted to charge your phone while you were swimming, you could.

Government

‘We’re Really Excited’: Irwin Park To Get Dozens of New Trees

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Town officials last week voiced support for a plan to install dozens of trees in a popular park near downtown New Canaan. The Parks & Recreation Commission during its regular meeting April 9 voted 9-0 in favor of the New Canaan Garden Club’s plan to plant nearly 50 trees in Irwin Park. “We’re really excited,” Tori Frazer, co-chair of the Club’s Irwin Park Committee, told members of Parks & Rec at the meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “It’s really going to enhance the beauty of Irwin.”

Parks & Rec Chair George Benington and members Gene Goodman, Hank Green, Keith Richey, Susan Lione, Douglas Murphy, Timothy Klimpl, Lindsey Heron, Melany Hearne and Brittney Singer voted in favor. Commissioner David Shea was absent.

Government

Waveny Disc Golf Course Undergoing Major Renovations

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One of New Canaan’s hidden gems, Waveny’s disc golf course, is in the midst of a major overhaul thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers. When it first opened for play in 2007, the course had just 12 holes, and would remain that way for more than a decade. It wasn’t until 2020 that an additional six holes were added, bringing it up to a full 18-hole course. While more minor improvements have been implemented over the years, such as drainage ditches and additional tee areas, 2025 may mark some of the biggest improvements to the course yet. Six of the holes have been “entirely or significantly redesigned, to the extent that we actually changed the layout of the course,” according to avid disc golfer and volunteer course groundskeeper Mickey Stayman.

Government

‘Coppo Field’ Turf Baseball Stadium at Waveny To Open Next Month

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The creation of a widely anticipated new baseball stadium at Waveny is on budget and nearing completion, according to the head of the nonprofit organization driving the project. The Coppo Field project, an approximately $5 million job—$2 million of which is coming from the town, while the nonprofit New Canaan Athletic Foundation is paying the roughly $3 million balance—is expected to significantly increase both the turf footprint and seating surrounding the field in an effort to create more space for the town’s youth athletics programs, NCAF Chairman Mike Benevento told members of the Parks and Recreation Commission last week. “Our biggest bottleneck from youth all the way through varsity sports is getting access to turf fields,” Benevento told Parks & Rec during its regular meeting, held March 5 in Lapham Center and via videoconference. “Especially in the busy spring. We had a wonderful fall last year but the fall prior to that was a total washout.

Around Town

Parks & Rec Approves Oct. 19 Caffeine & Carburetors at Waveny

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The Parks and Recreation Commission last week voted unanimously in favor of an Oct. 19 date for the Caffeine & Carburetors 2025 Waveny Park car show. While the popular car show will function similarly to past years, the 2025 show will take additional steps to alleviate congestion by expanding visitor parking to the downtown commuter lot and Talmadge Hill, in addition to requiring visitors to register for parking in advance, according to Claire Drexler, director of business development at C&C and Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee on Pine Street, where the event was born. 

Buses will be provided for visitors parking outside of Waveny, she told Parks & Rec during its regular meeting, held March 12 at Lapham Center and via videoconference. “You must register to come to this event,” Drexler said during her presentation. “It’s grown to the size where we need people to know where they’re going in advance.”

To help manage traffic flow, unregistered vehicles arriving at Waveny on Oct.