$35,000 Approved To Complete

Amaral Ball Field Project

By Steve Bigham

The Amaral property ball fields along Elm Drive appear to have gotten the support they needed to finally become a reality; the Legislative Council approved an additional $35,000 for the project on Wednesday.

The additional money, to come out of Parks & Recreation surcharge funds, will cover the cost of the $415,000 bid from Deering Construction Company of Norwalk. It also provides enough funds to allow workers to sod the fields for play next spring.

Parks & Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian said this week’s council decision would allow kids to begin playing baseball and softball on the Amaral Property by the spring of 2002.

“Once these fields are built and ready for play next spring, its really going to ease the crunch quite a bit for the baseball/softball sports,” she said.

At Wednesday’s meeting, residents Pat Barczak, Peter Blomberg, and Bob Elias all spoke in favor of the added funding for the project.

In September, the council reluctantly agreed to allow the Parks & Recreation Department to spend an additional $65,000 on the construction of the fields on top of the $350,000 which was already approved in this year’s budget. Since that time, Parks & Recreation has been faced with $35,000 in additional costs, including $18,000 for sod, which brings the overall total to develop the two fields to $450,000.

During its initial bid process earlier this year only Deering Construction submitted a bid, and the firm’s proposal was $80,000 over budget. With no other choice, Parks & Recreation was forced to re-bid the project. Deering Construction came in as the lower of the two companies that submitted bids.

Three years ago, the town spent $400,000 using Iroquois Land Preservation and Enhancement Program (LPEP) money to purchase the stretch of land along Elm Drive. The “Amaral Property” was eventually turned over to Parks & Recreation to be used for future ball fields.

Last spring, Parks & Recreation requested $550,000 for the development of two baseball diamonds on the land. That figure was eventually trimmed to $350,000, with the remaining costs to be made up by town highway crews, who have been re-grading the property since August.

The high cost to build the fields is due to the discovery of unforeseen wetland areas on the parcel. Two retaining walls need to be installed in addition to the extra drainage and irrigation systems.

Some town officials have complained that the Amaral Property is simply too damp and not suitable for ball fields, not to mention a lack of parking and added traffic concerns.

The long, narrow field along Elm Drive and adjacent to Dickinson Park was a key acquisition by the Parks & Recreation Commission. When purchased, it was hoped that the property would provide the fields that the town needed. A shortage of fields in town has become a major issue with residents as the town continues to grow. The former Amaral property extends in a triangular shape in a northerly direction from Dickinson Park to the point where Elm Drive and Deep Brook Road intersect at the Village Cemetery. The lot lies just north of the Dickinson Park tennis courts.