Simsbury board recommends $75,000 transfer to Tariffill Park improvements after pickleball project underspend

Simsbury’s Board of Selectmen voted Nov. 10 to recommend transferring $75,000 in leftover funds from the recently completed Tariffill pickleball courts to a new Tariffill Park Improvements project.

The funds were identified after the pickleball courts were built with asphalt rather than concrete — a change required to satisfy Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain rules — leaving an estimated $198,000 remaining in the original project budget. Tom, a parks staff presenter, told the board, “we have a $198,000 left over,” and outlined a package of possible uses including modest parking upgrades, pavilion rehabilitation, selective tree removal for improved river views, repaired bleachers and dugouts, a new scoreboard, and an ADA water fountain with a dog bowl.

Why it matters: the board framed the transfer as an opportunity to finish small, high‑value items while the larger Tariffill master plan remains under development. Several board members stressed that larger moves, such as paving a new parking field or relocating the pavilion, would require additional engineering, conservation‑commission review and coordination with FEMA mapping. First Selectman moved the transfer as a year‑end closeout and recommended it to the Board of Finance for final approval; the motion passed on a voice vote.

Discussion and priorities: board members debated which items to include in the first package. Concerns centered on ongoing costs and permitting: security cameras came with an estimated $30,000 upfront and recurring storage/monitoring expenses, while pavilion replacement raised FEMA compliance questions that could delay work for years. Several members favored removing cameras and keeping the pavilion funding in a separate $75,000 allocation already in place so that the immediate package could focus on parking formalization, tree clearing for river views, bench replacement and a water fountain. Parks staff said many of the proposals are intentionally modest: the parking work would formalize long‑used informal spots with limited grading and perhaps some striping rather than a full engineered parking lot.

Next steps and fiscal process: the board’s vote closed out the pickleball project and directed staff to prepare transfer paperwork for the Board of Finance, which must approve year‑end transfers. Staff said any work involving shoreline access, tree removal or larger grading will go through required inland wetlands and conservation reviews. The board also set a 15% contingency as a planning guideline for the package.

The Board of Finance is expected to consider the recommended transfer at its next meeting; if approved, staff will return with more detailed scopes, permit needs and firm cost estimates before contracts or construction work begin.