By Kerri Williams

WESTPORT – The presentation of a long-awaited Parks Master Plan, which includes everything from a recommended home for community gardeners and the addition of artificial turf playing fields, took place during Wednesday’s Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.

Also discussed was the location for a park maintenance facility, which is included in phase one of the plan. A new location at The Longshore Golf Course has emerged as the top option following more than a year of study and discussion.

Dominick Celtruda, of BL Companies, the Meriden consultant hired to prepare the plan, gave an overview of the more than 200-page plan to commission members as well as some members of the public attending the town hall meeting. 

The public will get a final chance to comment during a May 11 forum in the town hall auditorium at 6 p.m. The entire plan is here, beginning page 30.

Meeting focused on some recommendations

Celtruda said he was only touching on portions of the recommendations included in the plan, which aims to give the town a management strategy for 63 parks totaling 370 acres. The vision of the plan, he said, is to balance conservation with recreation and ensure that parks are accessible to users of all ages and abilities.

One of the current limitations highlighted was staffing shortfalls, with the plan recommending four new full-time maintenance staff. Another key component was the need for the new maintenance facility, which was discussed separately later in the meeting.

Some other key findings were gaps in accessibility for people with disabilities and in programming for teenagers and multi-generational users. Celtruda also spoke about athletic field shortages, the outdated playgrounds and skate park, and a lack of dog-friendly spaces.

Phase one priorities highlighted by Celtruda include: building the maintenance facility; restoring the community gardens, which have been two years without a home; park enhancements and beach replenishment.

Community gardens

The recommendation for the home for the community garden is at Burr Farms. “We believe it is long overdue for them to be put into a forever home,” Celtruda said. He added later that the garden is “right at the top” of the list and something that was focused on from day one. Erik Barbieri, Parks and Recreation director, said later in the meeting that a survey for the Burr Farms location would be taking place in May.

During public comment, Toni Simonetti said that she concurs with the Burr Farms placement of the gardens. “I looked at every option, and that is the perfect spot,” she said, adding that it has the benefits of being both flat and sunny. She added that the gardeners being without a space for two years has been “painful.”

But Jeff White, president of Westport Baseball and Softball, spoke out to say that the fields currently at Burr Farms are all used and necessary. White said he supports putting the community gardens there but added that a replacement field should be found first. 

Turf fields

Also discussed at the meeting was BL’s recommendation for turf fields. While Celtruda agreed that turf fields are a “hot button issue,” he said that “a lot goes into the management of fields,” and that a combination of turf and natural grass fields was the best option. 

He added that top manufacturers of the fields have worked to eliminate PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals” that were common in such fields and have been linked to health and environmental risks. He added that both artificial turf and natural grass have their drawbacks and positive sides.

Maintenance building

Also discussed at the meeting was the Cabin 10 site for the new maintenance building, which is situated between holes 16 and 17 on the golf course at Longshore. Barbieri described the location as advantageous because of not having immediate neighbors and the ability to have it shielded by vegetation. He plans to present the idea to the Planning & Zoning Commission in a pre-application–a non-binding discussion–to see if members are on board with siting the building there.

But at least two members of the Representative Town Meeting present on Wednesday said that the original concept of placing the facility at the location of a brush dump at Longshore should not be discarded.

Both Jimmy Izzo and Louis Mall said that the town should have both Longshore options to compare when making a final decision about a place for the building.

“We have a responsibility to find the best location at the least cost to taxpayers,” Mall said, adding that he thinks some town officials have “painted you unfairly into a corner.”

Officials have agreed on the urgency of replacing the current building, which is more than 50 years old and no longer meets operational needs.

Kerri Williams

^{_{Kerri Williams is an award-winning writer and journalist. She has worked as a reporter at the Norwalk Hour, as Living editor at the Darien News-Review, and managing editor for the Norwalk Citizen-News. For Westport Journal, she is a reporter as well as a gardening columnist, writing “Cultivating with Kerri.” She recently published her first children’s book – “Mabel’s Big Move,” based on her daughter with special needs.}}