News

Waveny Soon to Debut New Fitness Area, New Playground Planned for Next Summer

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. The construction of a widely anticipated addition to one of New Canaan’s most popular parks is underway. 

Earlier this year, town officials approved a $100,000 contract for the installation of a new fitness area in Waveny Park. 

The new fitness equipment, dubbed ‘The Gladiator’ by its manufacturer, is geared for people ages 13 and up, according to Ryan Restivo, assistant superintendent of the New Canaan Parks Department. 

It will have 12 stations including a larger component called “Thrive 250.” 

According to Restivo, the Thrive 250 has special QR code signs which, when using a phone to scan, provide a link to fitness instructions and workout plans. 

“There’s some step-by-step online workouts, so that’s a really cool feature,” Restivo said. 

The fitness area is to be resurfaced with a material called ‘Poured-in-Place Surfacing’ which Restivo said “is the best ADA compliant surfacing.” 

The Poured-in-Place Surfacing is what was used in the hugely successful and popular Mead Park Playground, he said. (Restivo is working with a committee that includes Monica Capela, who co-founded the Friends of Mead Park Playground with Allyson Mahoney, as well as Lauren Connolly Nussbaum and Hilary Ormond.)

“It’s like a spongy material and it comes in all different colors,” Restivo said of the surface. “The color that we chose was a tan and black and it blends in well with the site.” 

This type of surfacing has many advantages, Restivo said. 

“It’s the number one accessible surface, it’s safe and durable, it’s shock absorbent for fall protection, and it’s low maintenance and aesthetically pleasing, he said. This new material replaces the woodchips used in the old fitness area. 

The Parks Department has already received the new fitness equipment but due to minor issues on the part of the manufacturers, the installation has been slightly delayed. 

“One of the posts had a manufacturer issue,” Restivo said.

Government

Town Approves $100,000 in Contracts for New Fitness Area at Waveny

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Town officials last week approved three contracts for the installation of a widely anticipated new outdoor fitness area at Waveny this summer, replacing existing equipment that’s broken down. The Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting Tuesday voted 3-0 in favor of the contracts, a total of $96,894. 

The new fitness area will be located just east of the existing one, making room for a brand-new children’s playground area that’s planned for the same site—the grassy, tree-strewn island that abuts the Orchard Field parking lot at the park. Parks and Recreation Director John Howe told the selectmen that local landscape architect Keith Simpson is drawing up a design that includes trees and plants to clearly cordon off the two areas. “And even though we’re using colors that are neutral in nature—the tans and browns and grays—we still want to shield it off,” Howe said at the meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconferencel

Referring to the playground committee’s plan to have the playground areas further off the main road through Waveny, he said, “And we don’t want people stopping on the edge of the road, dropping off kids or anything like that.”

First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of the contracts: GameTime MRC Equipment ($50,544 for “The Gladiator” fitness equipment), $20,315 for Pat Corsetti Inc. for installation and $26,035 for Rubber Recycle for a tan Poured-In-Place surface, according to Ryan Restivo, assistant parks superintendent in the Department of Public Works. The playground itself—a project led by a volunteer committee that includes Monica Capela, Hilary Ormond and Lauren Connolly Nussbaum—will be finalized and installed following community input and fundraising.

Government

Officials Expect to Break Ground This Spring/Summer on New Fitness Area at Waveny

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Work is expected to start on the new outdoor fitness equipment area at Waveny this spring/summer, officials say, with the widely anticipated playground project to follow. Located on a grassy, tree-lined island near the Orchard Field lot—currently a seasonal outdoor ice rink—the two playgrounds will serve kids ages 2 to 5, and then 5 to 12, while the fitness area will be for people 13-and-older “and all inclusive,” according to Ryan Restivo, assistant parks superintendent in the Department of Public Works. “And to reiterate on the surfacing, we’ll be using the Poured-In-Place rubber surfacing, which is the same at Mead Playground,” Restivo told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their Feb. 7 meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “It is number one, accessible.

Government

Selectmen Approve $70,000 for Baseball, Softball Field Maintenance 

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The newly elected Board of Selectmen during its first meeting Tuesday approved two contracts totaling approximately $70,000 for maintenance work on New Canaan’s baseball and softball fields. 

The town owns 11 ball fields and eight of them have clay infields, according to Assistant Superintendent of Parks Ryan Restivo. The “recreational premium infield mix from Grove City, Pa.-based Dura Edge Products “has benefited our maintenance program and is the most important aspect of New Canaan’s renowned clay fields,” Restivo told the Board during its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of a $24,086 contract with Dura Edge and $45,579 contract with Bridgeport-based Athletic Field Services. 

The funds are available in the Parks Department capital infrastructure budget, Restivo said. The selectmen asked why the project needs a contingency (unexpected costs for AFS and because the delivery tonnage from Dura Edge may not be exact), whether the department could “true up” contingency totals each quarter to see whether they’re used (yes) and whether coaches are allowed to perform field maintenance (no). Carlson how many companies were approached for a bid on the project.

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.