Simsbury selectmen table 20‑year MOU with soccer club after public concerns about Curtis Park use and environmental risks

The Board of Selectmen heard more than a dozen public speakers July 14 before voting to table a proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would grant the Simsbury Soccer Club long‑term, priority use of Curtis Park.

Supporters said the agreement would let the club raise and invest significant private funds to upgrade fields, walkways and parking; opponents warned the proposal would cede public land to a private nonprofit and risk environmental harm in a floodplain. The board said it would postpone final action while town attorneys, the insurance officer and public safety officials complete reviews.

The proposal before the board would give the soccer club a long‑term priority or “exclusive” use for a portion of Curtis Park so the club could raise and spend money on capital improvements. “We’ve put half a million dollars piecemeal into those fields,” Ben Berger, president of the Simsbury Soccer Club, told the board. “This is step one” toward a larger capital campaign, he said.

Many parents and volunteer coaches urged the board to approve the MOU so the club can raise funds to install permanent restrooms, improved parking and lighting, and to stabilize fields used year‑round by youth teams. “On any given season… we have anywhere from 850 to a thousand kids,” Kristen Dubois, a longtime volunteer and uniform coordinator, said. Supporters said the club already contributes operating fees and volunteer labor to field upkeep.

Opponents — including residents and town appointees — raised environmental, safety and public‑access objections. Sally Reager, town representative to the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee, said artificial turf in a floodplain risks microplastic and chemical runoff and could harm the river’s federally‑designated wild and scenic values. “Artificial turf typically contains known carcinogens… PFAS,” she said, urging caution and alternatives such as organically managed natural grass.

Other speakers warned that a 20‑year exclusivity term was too long for publicly owned land, asked for clearer insurance and bonding provisions for future repairs, and requested explicit public‑reporting requirements. Laurie Boycote and other residents asked that the MOU be transparent, include written quarterly reporting and allow town use when needed. Several speakers suggested the town’s traffic and public‑safety staff should review large‑event circulation plans.

Town staff told the board the draft MOU still needs legal and insurance review and that several drafting items were intentionally left as placeholders until those reviews were complete. “We want the strongest MOU that we can get so both sides know what both sides are agreeing to,” Chair Wendy indicated during discussion. Town manager Mark Nelson and staff said they would obtain detailed estimates of any net operating costs to the town and answers from the police and public‑works departments about traffic and parking for large events.

After the public hearing and a substantive board discussion that identified outstanding items — insurance amounts, maintenance responsibilities, contingency language for repairs, public‑safety plans for large tournaments and the meaning of “exclusive” use — a member moved to table the item pending legal review, insurance review and public‑safety input. The motion carried on a voice vote.

The board expects a revised MOU to return for further review and a formal vote after the town attorney, the risk manager and public‑safety staff provide written guidance and recommended contract language.

What’s next: the MOU will be revised to address the board’s concerns (insurance/bonding, clear maintenance schedules, reporting) and to add public‑safety review of large‑event circulation plans. The town manager and Simsbury Soccer Club will continue fundraising and design work while those legal and insurance questions are resolved.