Animal 411

‘I Don’t Think He Likes Pugs’: Local Woman Calls for Separate Large- and Small-Dog Areas at Spencer’s Run

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Saying her pug was attacked twice in the dog run at Waveny, a local woman last week asked parks officials to consider creating separate “large” and “small” dog areas within Spencer’s Run. Kathryn Quirk told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission last week that her 1-year-old pug is “very friendly and she’s great with the other dogs and this one dog just jumped all over her and was very vicious” on two separate occasions. “Fortunately my husband was there and he was able to grab her,” Quirk told the Commission during its regular meeting, held Nov. 9 at Lapham Community Center. “He’s done this twice and I’ve watched him do it to another dog on a different day and I’m sort of reluctant to take her there now,” she said.

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Private Group Seeks Permission to Display Advertising in Makeshift Ice Rink at Public Park

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Parks officials are seeking permission from New Canaan’s legislative body to forgo enforcement of a local ordinance that prohibits advertising in public parks. The Parks & Recreation Commission voted at its meeting last week in favor of allowing a private group to run “dashboard” ads inside a makeshift ice rink that’s planned for Waveny. 

Though the advisory Parks & Rec Commission supported allowing the ads last year—despite concerns voiced then-Recreation Director Steve Benko—the discussion never was vetted by the Town Council because the makeshift rink itself never materialized. Gene Goodman—a principal of the private group behind the rink, NC Rink Inc, according to Connecticut Secretary of the State records—said the ads themselves would be six feet wide by 2.5 feet high. “If you were standing at the perimeter of the dasher boards which will be about four feet high or so, you will be able to see it,” Goodman said during the Nov. 9 Parks & Rec meeting, held in Lapham Community Center.

Government

Pass Sales for ‘Steve Benko Pool’ Up for 2022 Season

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The Steve Benko Pool saw a 4.1% rise in total passes sold year-over-year in the 2022 season, which ran from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, parks officials say. This was “an incredible summer” at the pool, which saw 4,669 pass sales this year compared to 4483 in 2021, according to Parks & Recreation Commissioner Rona Siegel. “Everyone knows it was really hot,” she said during the Commission’s regular meeting, held Sept. 14 at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

“One really great thing to note for the [pool] team: Not one full day was the pool closed, and usually historically there is something or some reason [the pool is closed]. So, pretty incredible.”

The town, as it has in years past, sold 100 family passes to nonresidents at an increased rate, Siegel said, and saw resident passes increase in all categories: families (920 vs.

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Weed and Elm: Officials Counsel Opponents of Proposed Affordable Housing Development on Permissions To Use Public Parks 

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Town officials say they’ve asked the organizers of a recent gathering in Irwin Park to follow municipal guidelines for such events in the future. According to Parks & Recreation Chair George Benington, officials were “scrambling” on the night of Friday, March 25 after learning of a potentially large meet-and-greet scheduled to be held on the afternoon of March 27 in the Weed Street park. Located near the barn at Irwin, the gathering was created “to discuss the whole Weed Street project with Karp,” Benington told members of Parks & Rec at their regular meeting, held Wednesday night at Lapham Community Center. He referred to opposition to developer Arnold Karp’s plan for a 102-unit affordable housing project planned for the northeast corner of Weed and Elm Streets. “The initial reports that we had were potentially 1,000 attending and we quickly contacted the organizer who assured us that was not the case, and 150 in reality there was only 30 or 40 people there on that Sunday afternoon,” Benington said.

News

Caffeine & Carburetors Founder Seeks October Date in Waveny

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The New Canaan founder of a popular car show is seeking permission from the town to hold an event in Waveny this fall. Doug Zumbach, owner of the eponymous coffee shop on Pine Street, said he’s hoping to book a Waveny installation of Caffeine & Carburetors for Oct. 16, or if not then the following weekend or the one after that. 

“There are, I know, other activities proposed,” Zumbach told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their Jan. 12 meeting, held via videoconference. “I haven’t really been able to secure final dates on some of these, but the first choice I would have would be October 16th in the park.”

Yet town officials say they need to wait for the district to confirm whether the parking lots at New Canaan High School could be used by C&C attendees, or if there’s SAT training or testing.