Parks panel approves rocket launch, Little Free Library, Pops concert

Parks and Recreation · Meeting of February 11, 2026

New Canaan parks board approves rocket launch, Little Free Library and Pops concert, ends pond chlorination. The Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously approved Boy Scout Troop 70's sixth annual Model Rocket and Ice Cream Social at Waveny Park, a Girl Scout-built Little Free Library at Kuanas Park, and a bump in Pops in the Park's attendance cap to 2,000 for its "America 250"-themed fifth show on June 7. Nature Center executive director Bill Flynn reported about $2.3 million in revenue against $2.25 million in expenses last year and outlined a self-funded new greenhouse project.

The parks director announced Kuanas Park's swimming pond will no longer be chlorinated starting this summer, with expanded water testing after any half-inch rainfall, saying "we shouldn't be injecting chlorine into something that's in nature like that." The Board of Selectmen made no cuts to the department's operating budget but deferred a $1 million turf-infield capital request.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 945 words

Source: the Parks and Recreation meeting of February 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — February 11, 2026 — The New Canaan Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve three community events for this spring and summer at Waveny Park and Kuanas Park, while hearing that the town will stop treating Kuanas Park's swimming pond with chlorine starting this summer.

The commission, meeting with nine of its members present and a quorum confirmed, approved a sixth annual Model Rocket and Ice Cream Social hosted by Boy Scout Troop 70, a Girl Scout-built Little Free Library and first-aid station at Kuanas Park, and the fifth annual Pops in the Park concert, which will carry an "America 250" theme marking the nation's semiquincentennial. The panel also approved the minutes of its January 14 meeting, with two members abstaining because they had not attended that session.

The Full Story

Commission members opened the meeting by approving the January 14 minutes on a voice vote, with two members abstaining because they were not present at that earlier meeting. The panel then turned to three presentations from residents and town partners seeking permission to use municipal parkland.

Sean Gelson, treasurer of Boy Scout Troop 70, asked the commission to approve the troop's sixth consecutive Model Rocket Social at the southern clearing of Waveny Park, tentatively set for June 2 or 3 depending on weather. Gelson said the free, public event typically draws 120 to 250 attendees, including volunteers, and follows the National Association of Rocketry's safety code, including a temporary mesh fence around launch pads and $10 million in liability insurance from the group's council plus $4 million from the national organization. The commission approved the request unanimously.

Two Girl Scouts from Troop 50342, identified for the record as Lucy and Holly Hoffman, presented a proposal to build a Little Free Library and attached first-aid kit near the playground at Kuanas Park as part of their Bronze Award project. The scouts said they plan to build the structure in March and April, collect donated books through a May book drive, and install it by the end of May, with overflow books stored at the Mary Bee cabin. The commission approved the project unanimously and offered town assistance with installation.

Bill Flynn, executive director of the New Canaan Nature Center, delivered the nonprofit's annual budgetary update, a presentation he also gives each November to the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and Town Council. Flynn said the nature center, which operates on town-owned land under a 1959 deed restricting the property to park, arboretum or nature-center use, took in about $2.3 million in revenue last year against roughly $2.25 million in expenses. He said the center recently completed a pond-dredging project and removed an invasive fragmites field by the roots, and is pursuing a self-funded new greenhouse and renovated Earth Cottage classroom building, along with a bathroom renovation in its education building that is before the Board of Finance this week.

Doug, an organizer of the town's Pops in the Park concert, told the commission the fifth annual event is scheduled for June 7, with a rain date of June 14, and will carry an "America 250" theme featuring composers including John Philip Sousa, John Williams, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. He asked to raise the attendance cap from 1,800 to 2,000 after last year's show sold out and was cut short by rain. The commission approved the request unanimously.

The Parks and Recreation director's report included word that the Board of Selectmen made no cuts to the department's operating budget request but pushed back a $1 million capital placeholder for converting two girls' softball infields to turf, asking the department to develop firmer plans and pricing first. The director also announced that Kuanas Park will no longer be treated with chlorine starting this summer, with weekly water-quality testing continuing and additional testing triggered after any half-inch rainfall.

"We shouldn't be injecting chlorine into something that's in nature like that. It's different than when it's a swimming pool." — Parks and Recreation Director John

"Since the National Association of Rocketry's founding in 1953, there have been zero fatalities in model rocketry with certified equipment." — Sean Gelson, Boy Scout Troop 70

"We tend to make a little bit more than we spend, and that money goes back into the park." — Bill Flynn, executive director, New Canaan Nature Center

Why It Matters

The chlorine decision changes how the town manages a public swimming pond that draws hundreds of residents each summer; officials said water testing will intensify after heavy rain and the pond will close temporarily if bacteria levels exceed state health standards. A related master plan for Kuanas Park remains on hold until the department reviews a season of water-quality data, expected around September.

The nature center's greenhouse and education-building projects, both moving through this week's Board of Finance budget review, will shape capital spending decisions in the coming fiscal year. The softball infield turf request being pushed back means families involved in girls' softball will wait longer for that upgrade while the department develops firmer cost estimates.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approve January 14, 2026 meeting minutes Tally: For: 7, Against: 0, Abstain: 2, Total: 9

- Vote: Approve Boy Scout Troop 70 Model Rocket and Ice Cream Social at Waveny Park Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve Girl Scout Troop 50342 Little Free Library and first-aid station at Kuanas Park Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve increased attendance cap for Pops in the Park, from 1,800 to 2,000 Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, February 11, 2026