As the spring thaw unfolds, the Parks and Recreation Department continues to roll out a variety of seasonal offerings, along with some new initiatives. Department officials will be at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday night, March 19 to ask for approval.
Thanks to joint funding through the Wilton Athletic and Recreation Foundation (WARF) in tandem with other local sports groups, some new fencing may be erected at the Hurlbutt Fields at Ambler Farm, along with a storage shed. Pending approval from the Board of Selectmen, the group may also be funding a section of fencing at Kristine Lilly Field.
“WARF would like to first install a fence at Ambler Farm,” Parks & Rec Director Steve Pierce told members of the Parks and Recreation Commission at their most recent meeting. “It’s about 330 linear feet of fence to keep soccer balls from rolling down the hill onto Hurlbutt St. and into the scrub that’s there.”
“It also would allow them the flexibility to reposition their fields a little bit more and not wear out the field as much,” he said, “and have more ability to use [it for] other activities, sports up there.”
“Not that it would, in fact, increase using, it would just be shared usage,” Pierce said.
The group also hopes to see a storage area not to exceed 20 feet by 20 feet placed there, “probably in the back corner of Ambler,” said Pierce, who has had discussions with both Building Department and Planning and Zoning Department staff members.
“It would all be done in-house,” he said, pending approval by the other departments and the BOS.
“The secondary request would be to put in a permanent 10-foot-high fence of black vinyl along the north side of the Lilly Field,” Pierce said, aimed at keeping soccer and lacrosse balls from getting away and onto the adjacent wetlands. The project would include a gateway leading to behind the goal for access should a soccer ball need to be retrieved.
Pierce said the temporary fence currently standing at the field is “pretty beat up” and has exceeded its life expectancy.
“WARF would be paying for the material and installation,” Pierce said, adding no cost to the town.
Nicholas Gemelli, who handles fields and facilities with WARF, said the projects were among two the nonprofit felt it could get done quickly and impact a lot of people.
In submitting the projects for BOS approval, Pierce said he’s also including a reminder to the selectmen about a request to replace the field lighting at Middlebrook School, which the Parks & Rec Commission approved in August, but was never addressed by the selectmen.
“It was passed on to them but there was no action taken by them at that point,” Pierce said, “but we’re hoping they’re gonna be moved forward with the fencing projects.”
“I think there was concern in some, at the time,” he said, particularly expressed by neighbors.
“That concern has gone away?” Commissioner Alix Korpan asked.
“I believe the concern is not as great as it (was),” Pierce said.
New Playground News
Two playground projects are moving forward, including the new playground at Merwin Meadows.
“It’s going to be perfect for the timing of the spring season down at Merwin Meadows,” Pierce said, noting the work would likely be completed before the end of March, “so we’ll have a brand new playground down there.”
He commended the work of the Department of Public Works in taking down the old installation, which was built in the mid-1990s.
Korpan suggested organizing some kind of publicity event for the opening.
“People don’t even necessarily know about it … so I think we should definitely announce it and make a big deal, because I don’t think it’s widely known that this is happening,” she said.
A planned playground at Schenck’s Island, however, will take more time following a realization that the planned spot for it is subject to extreme flooding.
“It’s going to have to be relocated,” Pierce said, with an area closer to the train tracks near the parking lot a likely spot. He said it would require some cutting back, and potentially a re-sloping of the land or possibly the addition of a retaining wall, but it would all be considered through a design team.
“We’re spending $175,000 at the playground down at Merwin Meadows,” he said, “and there’s a budget of $225,000 for the playground down at Schenck’s,” with the assumption that more work would be needed there.
Spring and Summer Event Planning
Meanwhile, Pierce said planning and staffing for spring and summer events and programs are underway, including organizing the return of the circus and the fireworks for the summer of 2024.
“We’re still accepting applications for lifeguards and seasonal ground staff,” he said. “We’re all set for counselors.”
He added that new lighting was being planned for Comstock Community Center, soon to get underway.
“It will improve the illumination in there dramatically … It’s a much-needed upgrade that will be greatly appreciated by the people who use that space,” Pierce said.