Stratford parks committee reviews spring field prep, beach sand placement, playground orders and summer camp demand

The Town of Stratford Parks & Recreation Committee met at 5:30 p.m. on April 3, 2025, and heard detailed updates from parks and recreation staff on spring field preparation, beach resiliency work at Short Beach, ordered playground equipment, waste-compaction performance and summer camp registration and staffing.

Committee members said the updates matter because spring sports, camps and shoreline work are under way across the town’s parks system and several projects require coordination on timing, staffing and contractor schedules.

Chad, a parks division staff member, summarized field and park preparation work for spring sports. He said crews have painted and prepared numerous soccer and baseball fields across town, including a group of 10 soccer fields at Woosterfield and assorted baseball lines at DeLuca, Stony Brook and other locations. Short Beach Complex crews have removed winter debris and started a coastal-resiliency sand-placement effort: “we put about 1,200 tons of sand on the beach,” Chad said, adding the work was two days in and expected to continue for several more truckloads.

Chad described several capital and maintenance projects under way or planned: playground equipment for Stony Brook Park, Worcester Park and Motel Park has been ordered and will use loose-fill rubber surfacing rather than poured-in-place surfacing; Second Hill Playground’s 5–12 play area will receive a poured-in-place surface during the school break between April 13 and April 20; the Flood tennis-court project will repaint surfaces and add six pickleball courts and two tennis courts; tree-well rubber surfacing (phase 2) is planned for segments near Main Street; and LED light upgrades are slated for several courts, including the first dedicated lighted pickleball courts at the Flood site and lights at the Wigwam basketball court.

On waste collection, Chad reported the town’s solar‑compaction “Big Belly” units have been effective. “We collected almost 10,000 gallons of trash and recycling” over the month and diverted roughly 30% of the collected waste through separate recycling, Chad said. He said the town increased the fleet to about 84 units and that the compaction units report fullness so crews only empty when needed.

Golf and course operations were also discussed. Chad said the Short Beach golf operation has reopened for the season and reported strong early usage and revenue: “we did $10,000 in about 10 days,” he said, and described particularly busy weekends that filled the course. Staff also described a temporary bunker-sand repair (about 15 truckloads of sand) as a short-term measure while longer-term plans are considered.

Andre, a recreation staff member, reported on program registrations and summer staffing. He said registration for playground camps opened recently and filled quickly at several locations: Long Brook location registration reached capacity within five minutes of opening and currently has 72 children on a wait list. Andre said the department has 148 returning seasonal employees and received 142 new applicants this year; it plans to hire about 78 of those applicants to meet summer demand. Current per-site capacities are about 110 children (115 at Long Brook), with staff considering increases to 120–125 where staffing allows. Andre also said aquatics programming resumes in May (open swim and lessons), with aqua aerobics slated to return April 21 and swim lessons restarting May 6. He reported the department expected more than 40 lifeguards to be available this season.

Committee members and staff also discussed collaborations, facility limitations that shape site selection for camps (bathroom availability, playground features and reservation conflicts), and possible capital improvements that could enable additional camp sites. Aileen, a town staff member, provided an update on the Raymark / Morgan Francis property cleanup: bids are under evaluation, the contractor selection and mobilization are expected in summer 2025, demolition of an abandoned yellow building is planned, and work on site restoration could take roughly one year with restoration aimed for late 2026. The town plans to make the restored site available for recreational use and will hold community outreach meetings once a contractor is chosen.

Committee members also noted an upcoming Jane’s Walk at Booth Park on May 3 to showcase that park’s features. The meeting opened minutes from the March 6 meeting, which the committee approved unanimously, and concluded with a unanimous motion to adjourn.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes from March 6, 2025 — motion passed (recorded as unanimous in the meeting transcript). - Motion to adjourn — passed (recorded as unanimous in the meeting transcript).

The committee’s next scheduled meeting is Thursday, May 1; staff and members said they will confirm whether that meeting will be held in person or at an alternate park location.