Around Town

PHOTOS: Ribbon-Cutting Held for New Gold Star Walk Bridge in Mead Park

By |

After nearly a decade of fundraising, the “Jim Bach” bridge opened with a ceremony at Mead Park Friday morning. Bach, who raised approximately 95 percent of the funds for the bridge himself, was awarded the honor of cutting the ribbon at the grand opening as the Board of Selectmen and a crowd of onlookers, including several veterans, cheered. “I’ve got to congratulate Jim,” Keith Simpson, the landscape architect who worked on the project, said at the ceremony. Bach himself added that the completion of the new bridge would not have been possible without the New Canaan chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which made a sizable donation. Meredith Bach, Jim’s niece and a member of the New Canaan DAR herself, said, “It’s great to see this finally come together.”

Also involved in the bridge’s construction were Bill Pollack, who worked alongside Simpson on landscaping and structural engineer Arne Thune.

Government

Eyeing New Uses, Town Approves Funds To Restore, Repaint Colonnade at Mead Park

By |

Town officials have approved nearly $12,000 to enter into contracts with two area companies to clean and paint the marble Greek columns of the colonnade in Mead Park. A WPA project that originally had been a wading pool and was converted into a “victory garden” following World War II, the grassy colonnade area hosts community events such as the recent cherry blossom festival, an annual breakfast hosted by the New Canaan Beautification League and junior prom photo gatherings. Parks officials since last year have discussed ways to spruce it up so that the colonnade offers more uses. The Board of Selectmen at its most recent meeting approved an $8,780 contract with Norwalk-based Royal Restoration and $11,855 with Stamford’s Aladdin Services to clean up and paint the marble columns. “I think it’s money well spent,” First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said at the July 25 meeting, held at Town Hall.

Around Town

‘It’s Finally Happening’: Long-Planned Restoration, Completion of World War II ‘Gold Star Walk’ Underway at Mead Park

By |

A nearly 10-year effort to revitalize a World War II memorial path in Mead Park, spearheaded by a longtime New Canaan resident, finally has an end in sight, as repair of an existing footbridge and construction of a second one recently commenced. Originally installed in 1945 at the end of World War II by a local gardening club, the “Gold Star Walk” at Mead had included 38 flowering trees honoring each of the New Canaan men who lost their lives in service (see list at end of article). Each tree had been fitted with a plaque bearing the name of the deceased. Yet the trees and the walk have fallen into disrepair, with the plaques missing and many of the trees no longer flowering—a situation that New Canaanite and Korean War vet Jim Bach found unacceptable. He has raised funds to complete the Gold Star Walk and has tapped local landscape architect Keith Simpson for the critical bridge work.

Government

New Canaan Woman Proposes Bocce Courts for Irwin Park, Seeks To Convince Garden Club

By |

About one year after a similar citizen-led effort at Mead Park stalled for lack of funds, a New Canaan woman on Wednesday night proposed to town officials that bocce courts be installed at Irwin. Liz Orteig told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission at their regular meeting that creating a place for the popular game would speak to New Canaan’s significant Italian heritage and that those opposed to the concept may be won over by a unique design. “I have actually talked to some of the Garden Club ladies—they seem very resistant to the idea,” Orteig said at the meeting, held in Lapham Community Center. “I would like a bocce court and I also thought that I could possibly get the Garden Club ladies on board by proposing that they design something very, very unique and special because they are really into the landscape and if we make a real feature out of it, they may be able to be persuaded. That is my whole contention.

Around Town

Parks Officials: Moms Who Frequent Mead Park Eager To Have Input on New Playground Equipment

By |

Parks officials say they’re forming a working group to collaborate with local moms who want to have a say in the design of new playground equipment coming to Mead Park. The town for fiscal year starting July 1 approved $190,000 to upgrade and replace some of the 20-year-old play structures (see page 42 here), and the moms are “very concerned and anxious” to help with how it’s redone, Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Sally Campbell said at the group’s most recent meeting. “They do not want to redo the playground—they want to help with the design of it, help improve the area around it,” Campbell said at the meeting, held May 10 at Lapham Community Center. “They are looking to improve that whole footprint over there and so they would like to sit with us and talk to us and they hopefully want to raise funds to supplement the amount of funds [Recreation Director] Steve Benko got in the budget to redo the playground.”

The moms also are willing to fundraise in order to supplement the $190,000 as needed, Campbell said. Campbell said relying on the moms would “probably be a good idea,” as they’re the playground’s most regular users.