Tolland Sports Fields More Accessible Thanks To Girl Scout Duo

TOLLAND, CT — It's easy to notice the improved potties — and access — at the athletic fields in Tolland.

It's all due to a combined effort by two eighth-grade Girl Scouts — Kaylee Garritt and Julia Kasai — town officials and an ambitious Silver Award project.

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the second highest award in Girl Scouts. Those who want to earn it must complete a "journey" toward a "sustainable service project" in their communities.

The girls said when they were looking around their community for ideas, the girls noticed, at their weekly soccer games, that friends and family members with mobility challenges were having
difficulty navigating the fields. Garritt and Kasai said they knew then it needed to be easier for everyone to have access to the fields.

They started working on the project right away and contacted Tolland Town Engineer Chuck Eaton for a field evaluation.

Some of the things they looked at included handicapped parking, accessible restrooms, and how easy it was to get to the fields. After a presentation to the Tolland Town Council, town officials were quickly on board.

Garritt and Kasai said one of the main problems was that most of the fields didn’t have accessible restrooms. They met with the Tolland Soccer Club and Tolland Little League presidents, who agreed to pay the additional cost to upgrade the portable potties.

They said another concern was that not all of the handicapped parking spots were clearly marked. They alerted Tolland Town Manager Brian Foley and the Tolland Department of Public Works who agreed that this was an issue they needed to fix.

The girls have also helped raise awareness on accessibility issues townwide and are assisting with projects like a fully accessible egg hunt, a paved sidewalk on the Tolland Green and a paved path that is fully compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act at the Cross Farms baseball fields.