Town Councilors recently vetted capital budget requests submitted by the Parks and Recreation Department, which include lighting enhancements at Cheshire Park and upgrades to the Cheshire Community Pool. On June 7, Councilors heard from Parks and Recreation Director John Gawlak on his proposed five-year capital plan. Requests were for only two projects proposed for the upcoming fiscal year: $165,000 to install lighting near the Cheshire Park tennis and pickleball courts, and $150,000 for improvements to Mixville Park, trails, and open space. Other projects in years two through five of the plan include tennis court renovations at Rolling Acres ($231,000), a multi-purpose roller rink at Quinnipiac Park ($178,000), various improvements to the Cheshire Community Pool ($117,000), and reconstruction of the basketball courts at Mixville Park ($55,000). The lighting, Gawlak said, would provide for more playing hours at a park that sees “consistently daily” use. There are currently three tennis and six pickleball courts at Cheshire Park. “People want to be active longer, and they want to move,” Gawlak said. “I think this just gives them another opportunity.” There is an active pickleball community within Cheshire of about 420 people from both Cheshire and out of town, according to Gawlak. As an indication of how much the pickleball community enjoys the contests, Gawlak related to the Council that one gentleman went so far as to donate a squeegee, so the courts can be dried after rainstorms. As proposed, Gawlak is calling for six galvanized steel light poles: two 35 feet in height for pickleball, and four for tennis at 50 feet. Councilor Peter Talbot asked how the lights would be activated, whether set by a timer or manually turned on and off. According to Gawlak, the Town of Wallingford, where he previously served as Parks and Recreation director, uses timers for its park lights, but also has buttons to turn on the lights for a set time — a model Cheshire could follow. Other Councilors, such as Don Walsh, also questioned if Cheshire Park’s parking lot would be illuminated at night, and how late the lights would stay on. “Will the parking lot have any lights?” Walsh asked. “If we’re going to be lighting the courts and then (players are) walking to a dark parking lot, I’m a little concerned about that.” Gawlak said night lights for the parking lot were discussed and could be included in the project. He reflected that Wallingford’s park lot lights stay on as late as 11 p.m. for some sports games. “I don’t have a problem where the ball fields are but, directly across the street, you do have apartments and houses, and I am concerned about that,” Walsh said. Gawlak said shutoff times could be discussed. “I am open to whatever you want to suggest,” he said. “I know that softball does go until 11 p.m. sometimes.” The $150,000 for improvements to Mixville Park, trails, and open space includes funding to research installing a outdoor ice rink at Mixville dedicated to Greg Schena, a former Cheshire High School football coach who died after a drunk driver collided with his car. The current Greg Schena Memorial Ice Rink, which is assembled at Bartlem Park every winter, demands “a lot of effort, a lot of staff time, and a lot of work,” according to Town Manager Sean Kimball. Instead, Kimball is proposing putting in a more permanent structure at the site of the old playground at Mixville. “We’d like to explore if that’s an area that could be set up to just be filled with water and make it a safer skating area alternative to being on the pond,” Kimball said. The Council also received an update on the Bartlem Park South project by members of the Project Committee. Gawlak said that the group has been meeting monthly since February. The engineering firm of Weston & Sampson has been completing grading, draining, and field work. However, there are some concerns about the project schedule and costs. Councilor John Milone, who serves on the Committee, said the plan is for the project to go out to bid this winter, with construction slated for spring 2023. “(Weston & Sampson) have been wonderful to work with and they’ve been providing alternatives,” Milone said. “The biggest challenge they’re going to have is meeting the budget and being focused on staying true to the original plan that was approved by the voters. … They didn’t really have enough design early on to know what they’re up against.” The overall budget for the first phase of the project is $7.9 million, according to Milone. The budget for the most recent design was “way over.” However, as Kimball noted, a state grant has provided the Town with $250,000 for the project, bringing the total budget to $8.15 million.

Town Councilors recently vetted capital budget requests submitted by the Parks and Recreation Department, which include lighting enhancements at Cheshire Park and upgrades to the Cheshire Community Pool.

On June 7, Councilors heard from Parks and Recreation Director John Gawlak on his proposed five-year capital plan. Requests were for only two projects proposed for the upcoming fiscal year: $165,000 to install lighting near the Cheshire Park tennis and pickleball courts, and $150,000 for improvements to Mixville Park, trails, and open space.

Other projects in years two through five of the plan include tennis court renovations at Rolling Acres ($231,000), a multi-purpose roller rink at Quinnipiac Park ($178,000), various improvements to the Cheshire Community Pool ($117,000), and reconstruction of the basketball courts at Mixville Park ($55,000).

The lighting, Gawlak said, would provide for more playing hours at a park that sees “consistently daily” use. There are currently three tennis and six pickleball courts at Cheshire Park.

“People want to be active longer, and they want to move,” Gawlak said. “I think this just gives them another opportunity.”

There is an active pickleball community within Cheshire of about 420 people from both Cheshire and out of town, according to Gawlak. As an indication of how much the pickleball community enjoys the contests, Gawlak related to the Council that one gentleman went so far as to donate a squeegee, so the courts can be dried after rainstorms.

As proposed, Gawlak is calling for six galvanized steel light poles: two 35 feet in height for pickleball, and four for tennis at 50 feet.

Councilor Peter Talbot asked how the lights would be activated, whether set by a timer or manually turned on and off. According to Gawlak, the Town of Wallingford, where he previously served as Parks and Recreation director, uses timers for its park lights, but also has buttons to turn on the lights for a set time — a model Cheshire could follow.

Other Councilors, such as Don Walsh, also questioned if Cheshire Park’s parking lot would be illuminated at night, and how late the lights would stay on.

“Will the parking lot have any lights?” Walsh asked. “If we’re going to be lighting the courts and then (players are) walking to a dark parking lot, I’m a little concerned about that.”

Gawlak said night lights for the parking lot were discussed and could be included in the project.

He reflected that Wallingford’s park lot lights stay on as late as 11 p.m. for some sports games.

“I don’t have a problem where the ball fields are but, directly across the street, you do have apartments and houses, and I am concerned about that,” Walsh said.

Gawlak said shutoff times could be discussed.

“I am open to whatever you want to suggest,” he said. “I know that softball does go until 11 p.m. sometimes.”

The $150,000 for improvements to Mixville Park, trails, and open space includes funding to research installing a outdoor ice rink at Mixville dedicated to Greg Schena, a former Cheshire High School football coach who died after a drunk driver collided with his car. The current Greg Schena Memorial Ice Rink, which is assembled at Bartlem Park every winter, demands “a lot of effort, a lot of staff time, and a lot of work,” according to Town Manager Sean Kimball. Instead, Kimball is proposing putting in a more permanent structure at the site of the old playground at Mixville.

“We’d like to explore if that’s an area that could be set up to just be filled with water and make it a safer skating area alternative to being on the pond,” Kimball said.

The Council also received an update on the Bartlem Park South project by members of the Project Committee. Gawlak said that the group has been meeting monthly since February. The engineering firm of Weston & Sampson has been completing grading, draining, and field work. However, there are some concerns about the project schedule and costs.

Councilor John Milone, who serves on the Committee, said the plan is for the project to go out to bid this winter, with construction slated for spring 2023.

“(Weston & Sampson) have been wonderful to work with and they’ve been providing alternatives,” Milone said. “The biggest challenge they’re going to have is meeting the budget and being focused on staying true to the original plan that was approved by the voters. … They didn’t really have enough design early on to know what they’re up against.”

The overall budget for the first phase of the project is $7.9 million, according to Milone. The budget for the most recent design was “way over.” However, as Kimball noted, a state grant has provided the Town with $250,000 for the project, bringing the total budget to $8.15 million.

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