Parks & Rec Lists

Capital Priorities

By Kendra Bobowick

It is leaking and the drip, drip, drip has caught a few officials’ attention.

The roof on the Parks and Recreation Department’s maintenance garage on Trade’s Lane was on the department’s to-do list, but not close enough to the top for First Selectman Joseph Borst. He tagged the roof with a higher priority over garage renovations, which were slated to take place in the year before roof repairs, according to the recreation capital improvement plans.

“If I own a house I’m not going to paint the living room while the roof is leaking,” he said. He prefers to rearrange slightly the capital improvements so design and renovations for the maintenance facility fall into the 2009-2010 timeslot, with the roof scheduled for the coming year. Mr Borst said, “I want to move the roof [to 2008-2009] and get it done. It doesn’t make sense to renovate then have the roof leak on it.”

Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Ed Marks is aware of the first selectman’s recommendations. Mr Marks agrees the roof is a problem that Assistant Director of Parks Carl Samuelson has mentioned during several meetings throughout 2007.

During recent recreation meetings, Parks and Rec commissioners and department members have prioritized projects they find urgent. Among capital improvements for 2007-2008 is the estimated $600,000 for design and engineering work for a community and recreation center. The center will be built at Fairfield Hills in the vicinity of Litchfield House and Yale Hall adjacent to the Newtown Youth Academy, which is under construction by private developer and resident Peter D’Amico. The facility will house recreation department offices, a senior center, teen center, swimming pool, and classrooms and shared spaces. Recreation members hope it will connect smoothly with the academy with access to the indoor gymnasium and track. Capital projects projected for 2008-2009 include the $6.2 million initial construction budget for the community and recreation center.

Artificial turf at Tilson field at $725,000 will address a critical shortage of multipurpose field space, according to the recreation department’s capital requests outline. The turf is listed under the year 2008-2009. Ball field lighting for the recently constructed 90-foot baseball diamond is also falls under 2008-2009. For $300,000 recreation members hope to install lighting before the field’s anticipated opening in September 2008.

The maintenance garage issues fall under additional capital improvement projects in a five-year plan spanning 2008-2009 through 2013. Aside from Mr Borst’s decision to move the $825,000 roof repairs up to 2008-2009, other projects include the facility renovations at $700,000, FunSpace replacement for a new play ground at Dickinson Park in 2009-2010 for $500,000, Dickinson infrastructure renovations for $620,000 in 2010-2011, infrastructure renovations at Treadwell for $425,000 the following year, and Treadwell pool building renovations at $430,000 in 2012-2013.

The roof comes with a high price tag, Mr Marks explained. “It’s a number of things, it’s leaky, it contains asbestos.” Among other projects he would like to see started, he said, “We have approved the design work for the recreation facility and would like to move on that.”

During a December recreation meeting as members prioritized their capital projects to recommend to the Board of Selectmen for review, Mr Marks had said, “I’d hate to risk a community center and turf — it’s desperately needed, and lights, we need to get those in before [the 90-foot field] is used.” He also noted that placing the artificial turf at Tilson would fill a critical recreation need in Newtown. Mr Marks said this week, “With that field improvement we’re done for now in terms of addressing field shortages and quality of field issues. Tilson is last on the agenda in the short-term.” Earlier in December he had expressed this same idea to the commission. “There is still a misperception that we have an acute shortage of fields — that’s not the case. With Tilson field, we’re done,” he said.

Once the selectmen review the town departments’ capital plans the list goes before the Board of Finance.