On May 20, 2015, it was unanimously decided that the pop up park would become a permanent fixture for the summer in the quaint New Canaan town center.  Suddenly, a small number of merchants have a problem with it, and now the pop up park seems to be gone for good.  Why do they get to decide the fate of this park that many residents love? 

They claim that it takes up parking spaces (there are 3) - but there have been newspaper articles noting that merchants actually take up many of the spots on Elm street anyway.  They obviously aren't too concerned about their customers. 

They claim it's cheap looking.  We have never heard any residents complain about that, and without having a more permanent space, it's difficult to have any substantial furniture or fixtures, as it needs to be moved out of the way all the time. 

They claim it hurts business.  How can that be?  Anything that brings people to town and encourages them to linger is a business opportunity.  That's business 101!  Not only that, the detour for the pop up park sends people right into a big parking lot!  Perfect!  They should be using the park to their advantage instead of complaining about it. 

The pop up park brings our community together.  It's a place to relax and meet people.  We can't sit by and let so few ruin this for so many.