News

Rec Director: ‘Very Strong’ Waveny Pool Pass Sales as Season Opening Nears; 100 Nonresident Passes To Be Sold

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Town officials say they’re seeing increased demand for Waveny Pool passes as the 2021 season’s Memorial Day weekend opening nears. So far, the town has sold 538 family passes, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. The Recreation Department has also sold 65 individual, 41 nanny and 70 senior citizens passes, he said. “We will sell a lot more,” Benko said. Sales have been “very strong,” he said.

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.

Government

Town: Sales of Waveny Pool Passes Down 

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Fewer seniors are purchasing passes to Waveny Pool in years past, officials said last week, likely due to COVID-19 virus-related fears. As of Wednesday, 116 senior passes had been sold, according to Recreation Program Manager Steve Dayton. 

The figure is down 33% from the 174 total sold through the summer season one year ago, records show. In the past five years, the number of senior passes sold for Waveny Pool ranged up from 140. “I don’t think they are coming to the pool,” Dayton told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission during the appointed body’s regular meeting, held July 8 via videoconference. Commissioner Matt Konspore said, “I think there are still people in fear,” referring to transmission of the virus to seniors, for whom coronavirus disease poses great risk.

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Parks & Rec Recommends Raising Nonresident Fee for Waveny Pool by $25

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Parks officials on Wednesday voted unanimously to recommend a $25 increase to the fee nonresidents pay for season family passes to Waveny Pool. 

The increase would bring to $1,250 the fee paid by nonresident families for one of 100 nonresident passes that are sold following a lottery. 

Here’s a look at the Parks & Recreation Commission’s proposed fees:

 

Those voting in favor at the Commission’s regular meeting at Town Hall included Chair Rona Siegel, Carl Mason, Jack Hawkins, Laura Costigan, Francesca Segalas, Doug Richardson, Matt Konspore, Steve Haberstroh, Hank Green and Gene Goodman. Commissioner Sally Campbell, attending her last meeting as a member of the appointed body, did not indicate a vote either way. Residents, with the exception of those using nanny passes, may purchase a book of 10 guest passes for $80. The town-owned, self-sustaining Waveny Pool is open each year from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Recreation Director Steve Benko noted that the Commission had adjusted some of the resident fees last year. 

“The individual fee was a little low” prior to last year, Benko said.

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Sales of Passes, Attendance at Waveny Pool Hit 3-Year High

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Passes sold for Waveny Pool, overall attendance and revenues all ticked up to three-year highs in the season just ended, officials said last week. Total attendance reached 40,059 during the Memorial-Day-to-Labor-Day season, including a record-high 7,644 nonresident visits, according to data presented to the Parks & Recreation Commission during its regular meeting. “We had a very good season,” Recreation Director Steve Benko told the Commission during the Sept. 11 meeting at Town Hall. 

“The weather cooperated,” he added. “We had a couple of weekends with a little bit of rain, but it was a very good season.”

Here’s a snapshot of attendance going back to 2014:

 

Owned and operated by the town with costs offset by sales of passes to local and area residents, the self-sustaining Waveny Pool long has been one envy of neighboring Darien and is widely seen as one of New Canaan’s most successful endeavors.