The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously at its regular meeting last week to approve a $73,500 contract with Stamford-based company for the emergency draining and refilling of the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny, following the June 16 incident in which a man drove into the pool during the New Canaan High School graduation ceremony.
Superintendent of Parks Ryan Restivo presented the request, noting that the work had already been completed and that the town was seeking approval for payment. He said the expense would be included in the town’s insurance claim for reimbursement from the driver’s insurer.
The process of draining the pool turned out to be more complicated than simply opening a drain, Restivo said.
“It wasn’t draining fast enough,” he said at the July 21 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “They had to haul. They brought in five trucks to suck the water out.”
The water also had to be treated before it could be discharged.
“They had to declorate it so that water didn’t go into the storm system,” Restivo said.
Refilling the pool also presented a similar challenge, as the town’s water system could not fill it fast enough on its own, requiring Mermaid to bring in additional resources, he said.
First Selectman Dionna Carlson said she was impressed by the speed and coordination of the effort.
“It could have been weeks at the beginning of summer to get everything up and going if we hadn’t done that,” Carlson said. “I was driving home at 8:00 p.m. and they were still hauling pool water.”
Selectman Steve Karl added that the work reflected well on the departments involved.
“Credit to DPW and John Howe for getting the pool to reopen so quickly,” he said.
Carlson also noted that the town is maintaining a running list of other damage to the property from the crash, including irrigation repairs, fence replacement and potential damage to trees, all of which will be included in the broader insurance claim.
“There’s a huge running list,” she said. “It’s constantly being updated.”
The Board also approved a separate $2,300 increase to an existing purchase order with Heritage Pool Supply for chemicals used to rebalance the water after the pool was refilled, and a $4,625 increase to an existing purchase order with J&J Pool and Concrete for work related to the seasonal opening of the pool. Both expenses will also be included in the insurance claim.