THE SENIOR MEN'S CLUB OF NEW CANAAN
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 29, 2001
President Lee Hindenach opened the business meeting with 118 members present.
Current membership is 500, with 23 on the waiting list. New member Bob Stephan was
introduced and welcomed.
Announcements: Dick Depatie reported that all members are
fit and ready for a big bang on the Fourth of July. Joe Sweet, George Delage, and Rod Keagy
join Dick as the fearsome foursome of membership assistance. Rod Geist announced the
contribution of $395,000 from the State of Connecticut to the Y's Capital Campaign.
Activities: Bridge, Tennis and Racquetball continue. The July/August 4F's luncheon location
will be announced soon. Golfers will play at Oak Hills at 10AM on July 14th. Fee is $47
including cart. The Country Club of NC golf outing is rescheduled to Oct. 10th. Racquetball
held strong at 3, and welcomes new players. Tennis is at 8AM on M/T/TH at Mead Park.
Trailblazers will hike at Troutbrook on July 16th.
Couth: Bob Wosahla informed the members that the BlueFish outing has been canceled and
will be rescheduled for an evening game in August. Jim D'Acosta informed the members that
the Jazz Festival on July 28, at the Connecticut
Fairgrounds was well received. Departure is 9AM, and the fee is $35. Sept 12th is
Belmont Race Track, followed by Mystic Seaport on Oct. 3rd.
Jester: John Berg demonstrated how the putter can be a useful tool in the men's
room. He also described how to drive down expenses when a woman has the right to
choose between intercourse and the golf course.
Speaker:
Vice President Bert Liebelt, introduced Dick Bond, First Selectman of NC and a
fellow member of the SMC. Dick provided members with comprehensive statistics of NC today,
activities of the past year, and plans for the future. Today NC has: 19395 residents, 12100
voters, 3800 children, 7000 homes, 2.8 people/home, 16760 cars, 2.4 cars/home, 27000 road
trees, 844 private school students, 5 affordable housing
complexes, 8 churches, 1940 acres of open space, 4 parks, 1600 dog licenses, and is 23 sq.
miles. During the past year: NC has a AAA bond rating, 99.54% of taxes paid, with real
estate sales going from $406M in 1998 to $519M in 2000. 15500 people
used the Lapham Comm. Center, 653 families joined Kiwanis Park. The public works road and
garage are almost completed, The State provided a grant of $1.5M for the capped landfill,
all Town labor contracts were signed at fair rates. Beginning in July
playing fields will be improved by a joint Town and Community effort. A Town birthday event
is scheduled for Sept. 28-29. The Garden Club is providing trees for South Ave., and
Level 3 Communications provided fiber optic conduit to link schools and
town buildings for broadband networking. The State funded the purchase of the Kelda
properties for $90M. New Canaan will have 140 acres of this land. For Educational Cost
Sharing, the State provided an additional $277K reducing the Town Education
budget. Plans for tomorrow: NC is reviewing its ten year plan. A Zoning committee with a
hired consultant will clarify zoning regulations and planning. A Technology committee will
assess future needs. Some major expenses are planned for road
repairs, dredging Millpond and Mead Park ponds, parking, open space needs, and a
home for "Old Faithful". Dick closed by citing the benefits of a property transfer tax,
as well as the need for the election of a NC resident to the State legislature.
Stan Stanziale, Asst. Secretary