New Canaan pool dedicated to Steve Benko
Honored for 50 years of saying ‘I got this’
NEW CANAAN — The “Steve Benko Pool” sign was unveiled Saturday, on the 20th anniversary of the pool's grand opening, as speakers recalled the service of the late recreation director, fire chief and “goto guy” for many in town.
Many of those familiar with Benko's work honored him at the dedication ceremony naming the pool in his honor. Benko, who died Feb. 12, dedicated 50 years of service to the town.
“He was the driving force, often saying ‘I got this,” Tom Stadler, retired administrative officer, said.
Speakers told stories about Benko's legendary inventiveness that often saved the day, including using his chief 's helmet to break a window to fight a fire; hauling a portion of chain link fence weighted down with cinder blocks to level a ball field; and even responding to a call to fix a projector in South School.
“His daily dedication, work ethic and devotion to his community was unparalleled,” Town Council Chairman Steve Karl said. “While, many people have worked for our town over the years, it's safe to say that none of them have had the substantial and sustained influence on our community in terms of its overall look and feel as Steve Benko.”
Benko served as fire chief from 1980 to 1995.
“Steve can improvise and fix anything,” said Sven Englund, who served as a firefighter when Benko was chief. When an ax was not available at a fire in town, he used his white officer's helmet to punch the window out.
“Steve was a great fire strategist. He really, really understood fire behavior,” Englund said. As a young officer Englund recalled asking the chief if he should prepare to put a vent in the roof of a building on fire. “The chief replied, ‘Wait a minute, it's gonna burn off,' and soon it did.”
In addition to training New Canaan firefighters, he was a certified instructor and conducted vehicle extrication programs for the state.
“The legacy of that is in the number of lives that are saved across the state and the amount of injury avoided and that's a legacy that will go on forever in this state,” Englund said. “Those people are forever in that man's debt.”
Benko was a hands-on director who, speakers recalled, had visited Town Hall with bleach spots on his clothes from testing the chlorine in the pool, picked up the pool pump when needed, took the door from the rose garden in Waveny Park home to repair it and went to fields at 7 a.m. to make the call as to whether sports games could be played or not.
“Steve was the consummate public servant,” First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said. “Public service is a calling and, as a town employee, Steve had no peer. Although we have many dedicated and hardworking town employees, no one could ever match his commitment and dedication to the town of New Canaan.”
When a group was assigned to choose a venue to be named after the former recreation director, a long list of possibilities were considered, Karl said. “He actually cared for all these places and knew them like the back of his hand.”
“Much of what's happened in Waveny Park to enhance and beautify the property since the town acquired it in 1967 had Steve's hands on it,” Moynihan said. Benko helped in the preservation of Waveny House, renovation of Lapham Community Center, addition of paddleball courts, building turf fields, rebuilding of the track and creating Spencer's Run where owners bring their dogs.
Benko also spearheaded the building of the lodge in Mead Memorial Park that houses the Apple Cart restaurant, Stadler said, crediting him with the venue that has become a popular spot for visitors and town employees to eat outside.
Many of New Canaan traditions depended on Benko, including Christmas caroling at God's Acre, Memorial Day Ceremony at Lakeview Cemetery, Veterans Day ceremony and the Family Fourth in Waveny Park.
“He was there, and he did the work himself,” Moynihan said.
Rep. Tom O'Dea approached the podium to honor Benko with a citation from the Connecticut General Assembly to recognize of the renaming the pool for a public servant. After O'Dea became emotional, Sen. Ryan Fazio read: “From this day forth, anyone who uses this pool will remember Stephen's love and his devotion to New Canaan. Throughout his five-decade career, he made it a priority to make programs available and affordable to all. His passion knew no boundaries.” Bob Rogers, who had served on the original pool committee, said “everyone knows that Steve's passing leaves a big hole in many areas of the town, that is especially true for the pool.”