Cromwell council approves design for least-intrusive drainage upgrade to school fields

The Cromwell Town Council and Board of Finance voted unanimously to proceed with the design of Option One, a sand-cap buildup with subsurface drainage chambers, for the West School athletic fields.

Council members said the motion authorizes completing engineering design work so the project is "shovel-ready" and eligible for state grant funding. The vote came after engineers described three alternatives — a sand-cap/top-dress approach (Option One), partial reconstruction (Option Two), and full-depth reconstruction with a gravel blanket and underdrains (Option Three) — and residents gave split public comment on whether to spend town money on the fields.

Why it matters: the design choice determines grant eligibility, construction downtime and taxpayer exposure. Town engineer John Heramman told the joint meeting that groundwater monitoring showed the high groundwater elevation was about one foot below the proposed underground system and that poor subsurface fill from prior agricultural use limits straightforward drainage solutions. "We observed the high groundwater level this past year was one foot below the proposed underground system," Heramman said, noting the subsurface soils are "unsuitable for drainage." That soil profile informed the engineers' recommendation to pair a surface treatment with subsurface chambers rather than a costly full excavation.

Engineers' options and trade-offs: Ryan Shimalooi, the landscape architect on the team, said Option One uses a sand cap and underdrains spaced across the fields plus underground chambers sized to handle a 50-year storm. He said Option Three (full reconstruction) would allow faster recovery after heavy rain but comes with much higher costs and longer downtime. "A sand-based root zone generally can drain 8 to 12 inches per hour," Shimalooi said, adding that the more extensive reconstruction would improve return-to-play time further but at substantial expense.

Public comment and fiscal concerns: Residents who spoke were divided. An emailed comment from Joseph Da Vinci, who identified himself as a lifelong Cromwell resident with landscaping experience, said spending on the "Whistfield" fields would be "a waste of taxpayer money" and noted recent aeration work and the absence of standing water after recent rain. Resident Mike Canado said his tax bill made him oppose using taxpayer funds for a multimillion-dollar fix: "If another penny out of the taxpayers' funds has to be spent on these fields, I say stop," he told the council. Other commenters, including Jason Leblanc, urged the town to consider that the fields serve baseball, softball and school activities and argued that deferred maintenance over decades has increased remediation costs.

Financial and procedural framing: Council and finance officials said funds currently under discussion cover completing the design only; no additional appropriation was required for the design phase. Several Board of Finance members said Option One was the most realistic path given competing town priorities and the need to avoid a large immediate tax impact while preserving grant eligibility.

Motion and next step: Council member Mr. Waters moved to approve the design for Option One; Mr. Droto seconded. The council voted by voice and approved the design unanimously. The action directs staff to proceed with the engineering design so the town can pursue external funding and develop a construction/phasing plan; the vote does not itself commit the town to construction funding.

What comes next: Staff and the design team will finalize design documents so grant applications can be submitted; council members and finance board members asked staff to explore phasing and lower-cost interim measures (improved aeration equipment and maintenance regimes) while pursuing grants. The meeting adjourned soon after the vote.

Sources: meeting testimony and public comments read into the record by residents and town staff.