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Parks & Rec Director: Pickleball Players Suggest Constructing Four Courts in Waveny

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Municipal officials are hearing from pickleball enthusiasts that the town should consider installing four courts in Waveny. Parks & Recreation Director John Howe said Wednesday night that he’s heard from a local man on the issue “and he thinks he has a lot of other people.”

The five courts already installed in Mead Park “are going to be busy during the season,” Howe told members of the Parks & Rec Commission during their regular meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “We think we could fit them in—and there needs to be more research—in the grass area basically between the roadway, the dog park, and the paddle courts, in that area,” Howe said. “But, I just want to throw it out there that what we’re seeing is, pickleball is not going away. And it might be, if we ever do have the new picnic area installed by the paddle courts, and maybe a possible another paddle court, this would possibly be a great place to do it.

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.

George Benington

Town Plans Waveny Playground and Fitness Area for Spring ‘24

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A committee of town officials and residents is working toward a proposal for a playground and new exercise equipment area that could be installed in Waveny Park as early as next spring. Convened this past summer, the committee is working within its approved budget of $455,000 while seeking to fundraise $50,000 for the widely anticipated addition to New Canaan’s largest park, according to Ryan Restivo, assistant parks superintendent in the Department of Public Works. “Our objective is to revamp the fitness area that’s currently there that’s designed for ages 13-plus,” Restivo told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their Sept. 20 meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “And then we’re going to build a renowned playground, designed for ages two through 12.

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.