Town Seeing Strong Demand for Waveny Pool Passes in 2021

By |

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.

Around Town

‘I Would Never Think of Doing That’: New Canaan Baseball Wrangles with Local Families Picnicking on Turf Fields at Mead

By |

Town officials say they’re installing even larger signs prohibiting people from bringing food, bicycles, strollers and dogs onto the newly turfed baseball fields at Mead Park after several incidents involving local families already this spring. If the signs and warnings don’t work, the next step will be to lock up the little league fields so no one can enter and provide New Canaan Baseball coaches with keys so they’re used only by the organization, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. “The problem is these mothers come to the playground and they come with the kids and bring a stroller and then they want to be out in the sun and the kids come onto the field and run the bases, which is fine, but then the kids lay down and they set up there and have snacks,” Benko said when asked about the problem. Also recently, Benko said he had two dog trainers working with service dogs on Mellick and Gamble Fields. “It’s been an issue and we’ve asked people not to bring food on the field—I’ve already put signs up at both gates,” Benko said.

Government

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

By |

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

By |

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.

Government

Local Woman: Out-of-Towners Are Violating Rules in Use of Paddle Tennis Courts at Waveny 

By |

Nonresidents are using New Canaan’s platform or “paddle” tennis courts at times when attendants are not there to monitor registrations, including Fairfield County league players, according to a local woman who holds a permit to play at the Waveny facility. There are “there are quite a few people from other towns that know when our offseason starts and they are using our paddle courts,” Terri Hott told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission during their regular meeting last week. “All of us that have passes—and that’s revenue for the town—make our reservations,” Hott said during the March 10 meeting, held via videoconference. “If these other leagues are not paying for the use of the courts and they are reserving the courts, I mean, what revenue is collected on that?”

“One Sunday I was there, there were just people driving by and they jumped on the courts with their kids. And just to throw a ball or something with their child.