Simsbury Selectmen table Curtis Park memorandum of understanding after lengthy public hearing

The Simsbury Board of Selectmen on July 14 opened a public hearing on a proposed memorandum of understanding with the Simsbury Soccer Club that would grant the nonprofit long‑term preferential use of Curtis Park while enabling the club to raise private funds for field improvements. After roughly two hours of public comment and questions from selectmen, the board voted to table the MOU so staff can complete legal and insurance reviews.

The agreement before the board would give the soccer club priority use of Parcel A at Curtis Park and set terms the club said it needs to fundraise for upgrades. Many parents and club volunteers described the plan as necessary to maintain safe, usable fields and to create a community hub. "On any given season, you may or may not know that we do play in the fall and in the spring. We have anywhere from 850 to a thousand kids in either season, out there playing soccer," said Kristen DuBois, uniform coordinator and longtime volunteer. Club president Ben Berger told the board the nonprofit is a 501(c)(3) and has raised funds toward improvements: "We're a 501(c)(3) with over a thousand kids playing in [the] soccer program. We represent more than a third of the K‑through‑8 school population in the town of Simsbury."

Opponents at the hearing raised environmental and public‑access concerns. Diane Nash, a resident who spoke near the start of the hearing, asked, "Why are we giving exclusive use? For 8 years, on town owned property in exchange for negative and damaging environmental impact improvements." Conservation‑minded speakers, including Sally Reager, the town's appointee to the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee, warned that installing artificial turf in a floodplain could introduce microplastics and PFAS into the river system. Reager said, "Artificial turf typically contains known carcinogens ... PFAS is linked to immune dysfunction, neurological problems, and cardiovascular disease and cancer," and urged caution and additional study.

Board members and staff pressed for detail on insurance, bonding and construction approvals. Selectmen asked that the town attorney complete review of the draft MOU and that staff confirm which land‑use approvals (inland wetlands, planning and zoning and any state permits) will be required before construction could proceed. Town staff also said they are checking insurance and maintenance responsibilities; Parks and Recreation Director Tom Roy noted any new equipment for turf maintenance and annual testing would be the club's responsibility under the draft language.

Before adjourning the public hearing, a motion to table the item was made and approved by voice vote so the selectmen could get legal, insurance and public‑safety input and return with a revised draft. The town manager said the board would continue negotiations with the soccer club and seek a tighter MOU that clarifies responsibilities, reporting, timing and contingencies.

The board did not take a final vote on whether to approve exclusive use, nor did it authorize construction; those issues were repeatedly described by staff as contingent on separate land‑use approvals and further legal review.