Town of Stratford parks and recreation staff on a recent meeting summarized completed tree‑well replacements, plans for multiple playground renovations and program schedules, and said the commission will hold meetings by Zoom while the town hall is renovated.

Park Superintendent Chad said the Barnum Avenue tree‑well project is finished and “all 80 tree wells have now been put with the rubber, which is porous. It allows rain in, allows gas exchanges, and it flexes as the trees grow.” He told the group crews have started picking up Christmas trees and expect pickup to run for about four weeks starting the week of January 12, with the usual leniency for missed or late calls.

The meeting focused at length on planned playground work. Chad said the department is finalizing designs for park playgrounds including Booth Park and Stony Brook and that upcoming projects may require the town to solicit bids. “If the state bid contract goes over a hundred thousand, it’s up to the municipality to go after that, which brings in prevailing wage, and we have to go to bid for our playgrounds now,” Chad said, noting that prevailing‑wage and bid requirements will slow the schedule. He said park playground designs will be presented to the commission for review before going out to bid.

District 4 funding for Hyde Park was discussed: a caller said the district previously allocated $100,000 for Hyde Park under the prior official’s tenure and described a garden and walkway concept. Chad said the project will be routed through the parks director, Renee, and the department will develop scope and timelines once the proposal is submitted.

Staff also described planned work at schools. Chad said recently approved purchase orders will allow pour‑in‑place rubber surfacing for Chapel and that the department is preparing orders for Eli Whitney and Second Hill Lane; he said Wilcoxon and Lordship remain to be scheduled. “Then all the school playgrounds will be done and pour in place rubber and no more 5 bar,” Chad said.

Recreation Superintendent Amy Noor gave an overview of programs and staffing. Noor said winter youth sports are underway, with a record number of girls’ basketball teams, kindergarten and preschool sessions, and a slate of youth offerings including soccer, track, theater and an introductory pickleball program. Noor said swim lessons continue through mid‑January, the department recertified 15 lifeguards during a staff training while college students were home, and summer jobs have been posted online.

Noor described the town’s use of Ella (the small pool facility) and said the town operates the pool under a lease from the state. She said the pool is small (about 10 yards long, 2–5 feet deep), that the state still uses part of the building for offices, and that ownership or a permanent transfer would be a town‑council matter. “I think while they’re still using it, they might not want to be giving it to us full time,” Noor said.

Other operational items raised during the meeting included maintenance and monitoring of Rosehill Forest (staff said they monitor trails and respond to requests but do not perform heavy trail maintenance on a fixed schedule), a citizen suggestion to add dog‑waste bag stations (staff noted placement and collection logistics), and the ongoing Morgan Francis property item, which staff said remains stalled until spring pending state agency timelines.

The chair asked whether members were comfortable holding upcoming meetings by Zoom while the town hall undergoes renovations; participants expressed support for Zoom as convenient and likely to increase attendance. The next meeting was announced for Thursday, Feb. 6, at 5:30 p.m.

Votes at a glance: The commission approved the minutes from the regular December 2024 meeting (motion by Greg Bartone; second not specified; approved unanimously) and later voted to adjourn (motion attributed to Rick Marconi; second not specified; approved).

The meeting included multiple directions to staff rather than formal policy decisions: playground designs will be returned to the commission for review before bids are issued, and staff said they will scope the Hyde Park proposal once submitted through the director’s office.