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Simsbury selectmen move $75,000 surplus from pickleball project to Tarafel Park improvements
Summary
The Simsbury Board of Selectmen voted Nov. 10 to close out the Tarafel pickleball project and move $75,000 of surplus funding into a new Tarafel Park improvements account.
The Simsbury Board of Selectmen voted Nov. 10 to close out the Tarafel Pickleball Court replacement project and transfer $75,000 in surplus funds into a new Tarafel Park improvements account, staff said.
Parks staff told the board the replacement courts were finished and that about $198,000 remained from the original project. "We have a $198,000 left over," a parks staff member said during the presentation. Staff proposed using the balance for modest upgrades at Tarafel Park including formalizing parking, rehabilitating the existing pavilion, replacing benches and bleachers, repairing dugouts, installing an ADA water fountain and adding selective tree removal to open views of the river.
First Selectman (speaker 1) said the town could have some improvements ready for spring 2026 if the board authorizes work now. "We have capacity to have this ready for '26," he said.
Board members discussed constraints tied to FEMA floodplain rules for pavilion work and agreed to keep pavilion construction funded from an existing $75,000 appropriation rather than the pickleball surplus. The board also removed a proposed security-camera purchase from the list of items to be funded from the surplus. Staff noted cameras would carry ongoing storage and monitoring costs.
After line-by-line discussion and small adjustments, First Selectman moved and the board approved a motion to close out the pickleball project and appropriate $75,000 to a new Tarafel Park improvements project; the board agreed to recommend the transfer to the Board of Finance. The motion passed on a voice vote. The vote record did not include a numeric roll-call tally.
What happens next: staff will refine cost estimates, check conservation and inland-wetlands permitting needs for tree work and river access items, and present a draft motion to the Board of Finance for the transfer. Some larger items (for example a relocated pavilion or a formal kayak launch) were described as future phases that would require additional engineering or permitting.
