Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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East School and South School families did the best job attending school on the Friday prior to February break, according to data obtained by NewCanaanite.com. Though each of the New Canaan Public Schools saw a drop from average attendance rates on that day (and it even started on Thursday—see below), none saw a steeper decline than the high school, followed by the fifth grade, and then West. Here’s the data:

 

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The Town Clerk’s office recorded just one property transfer last week:

183 South Avenue, Unit 23 was sold for $800,000 by Rose Parsons Lynch estate to Angelina Carpi. ***

The Animal Control section of the New Canaan Police Department at 10:13 a.m. on Feb. 25 responded to an Oak Street home on a report of squirrel loose in the house.

Government

‘Just a Disaster’: Officials Eye Repaving of Parking Lot at Kiwanis

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Saying the main lot at Kiwanis Park hasn’t been repaved in about 30 years, officials are putting in for funds to get that project done and bring the area in line with others at the Old Norwalk Road facility. Though the access road at Kiwanis has been repaved and the parking lot at the rear is done, “the parking lot there is just a disaster,” according to Sally Campbell, chairman of the Park & Recreation Commission. “The stretch that you really see when you’re in the park is just falling apart, so [DPW Assistant Tiger Mann] is putting that in his capital budget, to get the funds to pave that,” Campbell said at the group’s regular meeting, held Nov. 11in the Douglas Room at Lapham Community Center. The discussion arose during a rundown on projects that Mann has planned for New Canaan’s public parks, including a new trail at Waveny that’s designed to get pedestrians off of the main road through it.

Around Town

Raised and Rearing in New Canaan: Frog Days of Summer

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My mother kept her beach chair in the back of the car for impromptu trips to Kiwanis. She had her favorite spot where she would set up camp with our sand toys, towels, baby oil, Bain de Soleil SPF 2 for later in the day, and a makeshift ashtray. We five Pennoyer kids would spend the entire day there with her, and at least one of us would cry when we had to leave. Our mother’s beach chair was the sundial, turning to a new angle every so often, her watchful eye on us although we believed we had the run of the place. We leapt around like frogs in the pond, played Marco Polo, couldn’t see through the water until we were close to shore, and loved the random cool spots we could find on the pond’s sandy bottom.

Government

Mead and Kiwanis Playgrounds Set for Update

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Following a plan brought forward earlier this year, the Board of Selectmen has approved the request from the Recreation Department to update the playgrounds at Mead and Kiwanis Parks. Recreation Director Steve Benko said during the selectmen’s meeting May 19 that most of the equipment is very old. “Some of the beams are from 1997,” Benko said during the meeting, held in the Training Room of the Police Department. “They are 18 years old and some of them are worn and scratched, so we need to replace them.”

The contracts with M.E. O’Brien & Sons, Inc. will install a new toddler swing set in Mead with single post swing set with two full buckets seats, including installation for a cost of $1,515. “Basically we are going to add a toddler swing to the park,” Benko said.

Government

‘Very Poor Condition’: Playground Upgrades Sought for Public Parks

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Saying heavily used playground equipment at Dixon, Kiwanis and Mead Parks is old and in need of replacement, recreation officials are seeking $115,000 in taxpayer funds for next fiscal year. Some of the equipment is now 17 years old and the federal Consumer Protection Safety Commission has new standards regarding heights, surfaces, handicapped access and space between pieces, Recreation Director Steve Benko said Friday while presenting his department’s operating and capital budget requests for next fiscal year to the Board of Selectmen. “Stuff is worn out, things are beyond maintenance, you have metal pipes sticking out, paint is chipping off and they’re rusting—I think it’s time to start looking at replacing some of this equipment,” Benko said at the meeting, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department. “It gets a lot of use.”

The Rec Department in the spring applied for $103,750 in STEAP grant funds from the state—it didn’t come through. The breakdown of funds sought for next fiscal year is as follows:

Ed Dixon Park: $12,500
Kiwanis Park: $52,500
Mead Park: $50,000

Mead “probably gets the most use,” Benko said. “Mead park is packed every single day,” he said.