Commission Seeks Funding for Lawton Road Fields, Trail Project

This week the Board of Selectmen will discuss a request to consider bonding for the Lawton Road Park project. 

In September, the Parks and Recreation Commission voted to request that the Board of Selectmen considered bonding for the plan, which includes a full-sized field, practice field, a portion of the Farmington River Trail, parking and more on town-owned property at 55 Lawton Road. The total projected cost is $1.1 million, although the town is hoping to get a grant to help fund the $339,174 trail portion. 

Wednesday night, selectmen will discuss the request at its regular meeting.

On Wednesday, selectmen will also discuss the 2014 round of Small Town Economic Assistance Program grants, under which towns can receive up to $500,000 in funding for capital projects. First Selectman Richard Barlow said the town has learned that the projects should be "shovel ready." 

Barlow said the field plan and Mills Pond Park Complex improvements are two possibilities for which the town could seek funding. A Mills Pond project could include improvements such as tennis and basketball court resurfacing, a revamped skate park and a new pool house, he said. 

While some have advocated the need for more fields others have suggested the town first improve what it has. 

"I think there's benefits to both," Barlow said, adding that other possibilities might also come up during the discussion. 

If the town does pursue the Lawton Road project, Brian Wilson, director of Parks and Recreation, recommends it be fully funded and not be done in phases. 

In a memo to town officials and selectmen he stated that breaking it into phases would increase the overall cost. Simsbury-based Landscape Architectural Design Associates designed the project to utilize existing materials as much as possible, Wilson said. 

"The design has an extremely efficient approach to it, which ideally should be done all at once as opposed to piecing together over time," he wrote. 

Fields at the town-owned site at 55 Lawton Road have been discussed for decades but in 2012, LADA formalized a plan that was first endorsed by the Park and Rec. commission with input from neighbors. 

Selectmen later approved the idea but asked LADA to also design parking lot lighting and irrigation for the fields. 

In February of this year, the Canton Zoning Commission approved the plan but there were no immediate plans for funding. 

The commission's request is that selectmen consider it for the next time the town sells municipal bonds for capital projects. Bonding is essentially the town's way to "borrow" money and pay back with interest over time. 

Previous stories on the field plan include: 

http://canton-ct.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/lawton-road-park-plan-gets-the-go-ahead

http://canton-ct.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/selectmen-delay-decision-on-lawton-road-fields-pla...

http://canton-ct.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/some-residents-oppose-proposed-lawton-roa...

http://canton-ct.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/canton-parks-and-recreation-department-pr...