Following the Aug. 18, 2024 flood, the Parks and Recreation Department is doing some juggling to get things back in order while also striving to accommodate residents for the upcoming spring and summer seasons.
Various work on different playing fields will take place this season, along with the substantial dredging project planned for the pond in Merwin Meadows.
“Because of the storm of August 18, we have to have that pond dredged,” Parks and Recreation Director Steve Pierce explained to the Parks and Recreation Commission at its special meeting on Wednesday, Apr. 9.
Consequently, there will be no swimming nor use of the beach, at least for the first part of the summer.
“We are looking to partner with, potentially, the [Wilton Family] Y and/or other area towns that might allow us to have residents use some of their swimming facilities,” Pierce said. “Once we get that nailed down, we’ll make an announcement on that.”
Residents will still have recreational access to the playground and area. While there will be no cost for passes this year, Parks and Rec will still issue them, and staff members, serving as ambassadors, will remain on hand to check for passes or Wilton identifications at the location, Pierce said.
“We’ll make sure that who is supposed to be there is there,” he said.
Pierce said the damage at Merwin Meadows is extensive, with the storm having removed most of the sand either into the pond itself or the nearby woods.
“We’ll fence the whole beach area off,” he said.
Pierce noted that the Board of Selectmen pulled close to $60,000 from the Parks and Rec budget following the Board of Finance‘s reduction of its operating budget for Fiscal Year 2026. He said that closing the beach for the first part of the summer would result in savings in salaries and supplies.
Staggered Repair Work at Athletic Fields
Last week, the drains were cleaned out at Veterans Memorial Stadium, but additional work there will be on hold until after the Fourth of July.
Meanwhile, work on the ball fields will be staggered in order to accommodate use.
“High school baseball may not be affected,” Pierce said, with a shortened right field fence probably serving to keep them playing without impact as the junior varsity [field] is done.
“We’ll give everybody good notice,” he said, including softball leagues, Little League and summer baseball.
With the lighting project at Guy Whitten Field approved, Pierce said the next step is filing the application with the Zoning Board of Appeals the week of Apr. 14. Pending its approval, he said, they could order the lights and hope to finish the three-week project before July 4.
Pierce said his staff is also monitoring the growth of grass on Guy Whitten, hoping for some warm weather to help it take root.
“I don’t want to give people false hope,” he said, stating he could not promise that it would be open within the next week.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” he said.
Parks and Rec Commission Chair Alix Korpan said she has gotten more complaints this year from people who are frustrated when fields are closed by morning rain that later clears up.
“I think this is more on the weekends than during the week, but where it rains in the morning, the rain is done by eight-, nine-, 10 a.m., and then all the fields are closed for the day, even though by the end of the day the fields are playable,” she said, noting she has heard similar complaints the last couple of years.
“The ground itself would be playable by three, but there is no staff to get the fields up and running,” she said, asking Pierce if there was a way to change that scenario.
Pierce cited the limited number of staff and the work required to get the fields fixed in a timely manner. He also said that there isn’t enough infield material to go around.
“Even if I have staff on, I can’t promise that there’s gonna be fields (that are) playable,” he said.
Commissioner Mark McAndrews asked whether community volunteers could step in and, with the guidance of staff, be trained to help work on the fields following rain events.
“I would have to check with Town on that,” Pierce said, noting there could be liability issues having people provide maintenance on a town facility.
He said he would talk to his staff to see if they have any ideas on how to expedite field openings following a rainy morning.
Bonding Request for Artificial Turf Replacement at Fujitani Field
Commissioners also expressed appreciation that the BOS and BOF had given approval to the bonding request of $700,000 for the replacement of artificial turf at the stadium, pending resident approval at the Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 6.
Korpan emphasized that, unlike the $1,935,000 bonding request in 2023 for a new turf field at Allen’s Meadow, which the town rejected, this proposed project is for the replacement of turf.
“The new turf is healthier than the old turf,” Korpan said, stating that turf has changed over the past 10 years and that the new material will not contain the micro-plastics that are one of the historic concerns with the product.
Commissioner Andrew Maria said officials needed to inform voters that this was a different scenario and situation.
“We need to get that messaging clear to the town before they vote on this,” he said.
Pierce also touted the newer turf product.
“Whatever we replace it with will be better for the environment than what we currently have, so hopefully, we won’t run into any roadblocks,” he said.
Pierce said there are five companies under consideration for the contract, each of which will be ready to start pending the town’s approval.
“The work will get done this summer, and it can be ready to go for fall sports,” he said.
Lots of other fields are desperately hurting for enhanced maintenance. Comstock has large standing puddles, and the goal areas are mud pits. The flag football fields at Middlebrook are more dirt than grass and are either completely muddy or dusty depending on recent rainfall levels. Madaras is very lumpy and in need of seeding and leveling. The fields at Merwin Meadows are inactive since last summer’s flooding. With a year to rest, last fall and this spring would have been a great time to put some effort into rehabilitating those fields for fall 2025. Maybe the Landmark fields outside Gilbert & Bennett can also be rehabilitated and brought back into use.
I know it causes short-term pain for all of the youth sports, but we really need to get some kind of long-term plan for rotation and maintenance.