Five-year parks and rec plan includes many improvements

Image from Sears Park Master Plan.

East Hampton Parks and Recreation Director Ruth Plummer at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting revealed a 5-year plan of action that details numerous  changes to Sears Park, as well as plans for public playgrounds and other public athletic and recreation locations.

Sears Park

Plummer first spoke to the Council about the Sears Park Master Plan, which is already underway.  It includes turf maintenance, new play equipment, more parking and improvements to the beach front property - including the bathhouse and boat launch.

Funding for projects will come from local donations, the boat launch improvement fund, the Capital Improvements fund and possibly a $175,000 grant, if approved, from the Environmental Protection Agency.

A temporary skateboarding park is already in the works, but the long-term goal is to build a permanent skate park in Sears Park. According to Plummer, Pedal Power of Middletown has offered to help cover some costs for the skate park.

Turf management

Parks and Recreation would also like to begin using organic fertilizer in landscaping and implement what’s known as an integrated pest management program - which uses multiple strategies for controlling pests, in order to minimize the use of potentially harmful chemicals.

The department has been lobbying Connecticut Legislators to make this program possible. It would include a pest control supervisor. The transition to an integrated pest management program is projected to cost $8,200 and could be completed in one year.

Also, to make turf management easier, Parks and Recreation hopes to invest in a $62,000, 11-foot cutting deck mower that operates at 10-acres-an-hour.

The new equipment would reduce man-hours for a task that is currently understaffed and costs $33,000 a year.  Plummer said, “The mower will reduce man-hours enough to ‘kick up’ the investment of $62,000.”

It would also allow Parks and Recreation handle turf fertilization in-house, which would only cost the town $29,000 and bring in money.

Recreation sites

Future plans also include improving sidewalks, creating a community garden to be used by the region, controlling flooding at Middle Haddam boat launch and building of a new high school-size baseball field.

The department will also work to improve and maintain playgrounds at both the public parks and schools. Because of safety concerns, improvements will be made to Center Elementary School, in particular.

In closing , Plummer said that what the town really needs is a recreation center to provide an indoor space primarily for athletics.

Posted Dec. 10, 2009