Town Seeing Strong Demand for Waveny Pool Passes in 2021

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Town officials say they’re seeing strong early demand for passes to Waveny Pool for the 2021 season. In the first 10 days of sales, the town sold 165 resident family, 15 senior and 20 individual passes for the popular facility, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. “So people are looking forward to the pool season,” Benko told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission during their April 14 meeting, held via videoconference. State officials are expected to make an announcement this week regarding summer activities, including guidance on capacity limits for facilities such as Waveny Pool, he said. “Everybody is anxiously waiting to see what the [state Department of Economic and Community Development] and the [Department of Public Health] are going to to do for summer activities,” Benko said.

Carl Mason

‘It’s Beautiful, It Really Is’: Waveny Disc Golf Course Sees Uptick in Use Amid Pandemic

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Though they do not keep hard statistics, the volunteers who designed and maintain a frisbee golf course at Waveny say they’ve seen an uptick in usage in the past year or so. Established in 2007, the Waveny Disc Golf Course on the west side of Lapham Road is one of 31 in Connecticut and the seventh-oldest in the state, according to Tim Smith. In 2020, Smith and other volunteers created six additional holes on the course bringing it to the standard 18 total, he told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their most recent meeting. “I think that’s one of the reasons I think we are seeing so many people enjoy the course now,” Smith said during the Commission’s March 10 meeting, held via videoconference. “Players of all levels are enjoying the course.

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Parks & Rec: Sales of Mead Park Tennis Permits Nearly Doubled in 2020

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Sales of permits to play tennis at Mead Park nearly doubled year-over-year in 2020, parks officials say, while revenues generated through clinics and lessons nearly tripled last summer. The outdoor sport, where players are already socially distanced, saw activity rise especially among adults in 2020, according to Parks & Recreation Commissioner Laura Costigan. The rise in use of the courts “has just been astonishing,” Costigan told the Commission during its March 10 meeting, held via videoconference. “It will be interesting to see, now that the other sports are coming back and travel teams are coming back, if it continues,” she said. Costigan’s comments came during an update to Parks & Rec from the appointed body’s tennis committee and just two years after officials bemoaned waning interest in tennis here.

Government

Parks Officials Consider Proposed New Locations for Summer Theatre of New Canaan

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Parks officials say they’re planning to meet with the Summer Theatre of New Canaan to figure out a possible location for the organization’s popular shows, should public health-related restrictions allow for it at the time. The executive producer of Summer Theatre of New Canaan has inquired about two possible locations, both at Waveny, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. Ed Libonati asked about “the hillside that leads down to the pond, right below the walled garden,” Benko told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their regular meeting, held March 10 via videoconference. “And the second area he asked about was possibly using the one behind the Lapham Center. What he is looking to do this year because of COVID—and we don’t know what all the restrictions are going to be yet, because the state hasn’t changed many things—I know he was looking to have the tent over the stage only and the audience would have to sit in designated circles or squares.

Government

Five ‘Pickleball’ Courts To Replace Hard-Surface Tennis Area at Mead Park

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Town officials say they’re converting a standalone hard-surface public tennis court at Mead Park into a series of “pickleball” courts for use by New Canaan residents. Located up behind the collonade on the western edge of Mead, a tennis practice wall area also will be converted into a a pickle ball court so there will be five in total, under a plan that’s expected to go before the Board of Selectmen later this month, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “The overall thought is to redo that hard court at the top, take away the trees that are along the railroad tracks, since they are damaging most of it, resurface or put an entire post-tension concrete surface below, surface the top of it, put in new fencing and then some additional trees in the back just as a buffer to soften the look along the railroad tracks,” Mann told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their regular meeting, held March 10 via videoconference. 

The practice wall will remain with a pickleball court lined out on what will be the new post-tension concrete surface that will bring it up to the same grade/level as the other four, Mann said while showing schematics drawn up by West Haven-based Hinding Tennis LLC. Asked when he’d like to start the project, Mann said, “Now.” Once the concrete for the surface is poured, it takes about three weeks to cure, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. Pickleball is a “paddleball sport” of two to four players “that combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis,” according to Wikipedia.