A Little ‘Mount’ May Be a Big Help In Developing The Amaral Property

By Steve Bigham

Newtown’s Mount Hurley is expected to be little more than a hill after this summer. That’s because town officials have finally found a use for the massive pile of dirt, asphalt, and other material. They plan to use it as fill for baseball fields at the Amaral property.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal suggested the plan at Tuesday’s Legislative Council meeting as a cost-saving measure in the wake of last week’s budget defeat. By using fill from Mount Hurley and employees from the Public Works Department to do the work, Mr Rosenthal believes the town will save as much as $200,000.

Last week, Mr Rosenthal met with both Parks & Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian and Public Works Director Fred Hurley after the council’s finance committee recommended a large portion of the money be cut from funds for the development of the Amaral property. He then requested that the architectural firm of Milone and MacBroom of Cheshire rework their original cost estimate assuming the town did much of the preliminary work. The savings was significant.

Mount Hurley was named after Mr Hurley, who serves as head of the sewer system in addition to being the town’s public works director. This week, he informed Mr Rosenthal that he would be willing to part with the dirt pile that stretches for nearly a quarter mile between the old landfill and the highway department. The 70-foot pile grew and grew during the town’s massive sewer project, which saw excavations of Newtown’s roadways for more than three years. Twenty miles of sewer pipe was laid during the project.

Three years ago, the town spent $400,000 to purchase a 13-acre stretch of land along Elm Drive. The “Amaral Property” was eventually turned over to Parks & Recreation to be used for future ball fields.

The original cost estimate to build the fields was $550,000 – a high cost 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. That project appeared in jeopardy until both Mr Hurley and Mr Rosenthal came up with this new plan.

“We can get that property up to a respectable level in terms of drainage, materials, and a parking lot. We have the machinery, graders, and fill material to do it,” Mr Hurley said.

Once the public works crews get a lot of the “rough” work out of the way, then the town can bring in a finish contractor who can take the playing fields to conclusion.

“We should be able to get it to the point where they can then do the grass seed, turf, and clay infield,” said Mr Hurley, whose crews have done fields at Oak View Road and Hawley School in the past.

The highway department has the necessary equipment – such as graders and screeners – to create the type of fill needed for the Amaral property.

“We have the ability to change the grade of fill we put in there,” Mr Hurley said.

Last year, The Bee interviewed Mr Hurley atop Mount Hurley.

“I would say this is as high as a six- or seven-story building,” Mr Hurley figured. “The wind doesn’t blow quite like it does on Mount Washington, but you can still feel it.”

Mr Hurley said he knew the material that makes up Mount Hurley would eventually be recycled. The asphalt can be ground up and used on the roads again. The dirt can be used as fill, the sand can be transformed into rich topsoil. Even the stones have value, as does the concrete, which can be used as an aggregate for sand and gravel.

The Amaral property, a 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.

The property was purchased from the Amaral family for $400,000 using Iroquois Land Preservation and Enhancement Program (LPEP) money.

Currently, there are 25 ball fields in Newtown that are available to the public. However, most of the fields are on school property, often causing scheduling problems. More than 1,200 children take part in Newtown’s soccer programs, which are played on local fields in the spring, summer, and fall. Fields have become overcrowded with practices and games bumping up against one another.