Torrington council renames sports complex for longtime volunteer Art Thompson

The Torrington City Council on July 1 approved a resolution renaming the Torrington Sports Complex the Art Thompson Sports Complex.

The vote came after the council read and discussed Resolution No. 2025-07, which recounts Art Thompson’s role in organizing Torrington’s first youth baseball program in the mid-1960s and the subsequent growth of local youth sports. Mayor Herb Dobie read the resolution aloud before the council moved and seconded approval.

The resolution notes Thompson and others created Torrington’s first dirt field on West C Street around 1965, helped expand fields to the Jordan Little League fields in 1967 and later to the Torrington Sports Complex, and coached youth in baseball and other sports for many years. The council recorded the resolution as adopted and effective July 2025.

Family members attended the meeting. Marty McKee, identified in the meeting as Thompson’s stepson, told the council, “Our family is very privileged that you guys did this for us,” and thanked council members for the dedication. City staff said a brass plaque will be completed in time for a formal dedication scheduled for July 16, planned to coincide with the opening ceremony for the district Little League tournament.

Action on the resolution was by voice vote; the mayor said there were no nays and that he would sign the resolution.

The council has previously dedicated individual Little League fields at the complex to other local volunteers; this resolution names the entire complex for Thompson.

The council’s action will be formalized by the mayor’s signature and the placement of the plaque before the July 16 dedication ceremony.