New Wallingford Community Pool Plan Heading To P&Z Commission

WALLINGFORD, CT — The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a hearing on the application for the new Wallingford Community Pool Park at its next meeting, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 9 in the Robert F. Parisi Town Council Chambers at Town Hall.

The proposed project, which carries an estimated $5.65 million price tag, includes an 8,000-square foot pool, a splash pad area, a 3,060-square foot bathhouse, a sand volleyball court, shade structures, a playground area, a picnic pavilion, an activity lawn, concrete sidewalks and a 116-parking space lot that allows for bus circulation and drop-off interior of the site.

The Town Council unanimously approved a projected $5.65 million design concept for the renovation of Community Pool, 739 North Main Street Extension, in September. The existing site, which is about 7.12 acres, includes a 43,000-square foot pool, a 3,125-square foot bathhouse, a filter plant, shade structures, a 98-parking space lot, and grassed areas.

The improvements, according to the site plan application, consist of:

• Demolition of the entire existing pool, pool deck, walkways, building, asphalt pavement, and subsurface storm drainage network.
• Stripping of existing pavement to base. Installation of new parking lot layout including 116-parking space, which expands the existing parking area and allows for bus circulation and drop-off interior of the site.
• Installation of new subsurface stormwater network with modular concrete underground stormwater detention system.
• Installation of new bathhouse, picnic pavilion and shade structures.
• Installation of new pool and pool deck, which has a substantially smaller footprint than the existing pool and deck.
• Installation of a splash pad area.
• Installation of new walks, an activity lawn, sand volleyball court and playscape.
• Planting of new landscaping.
• Improvements to the site lighting.
• Construction of a new (plus or minus) 5-foot gabion retaining wall along the southern edge of the property line with a swale at its base with underground piping to convey ground and surface water and underdrainage behind to capture groundwater.

Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2020 and be completed before the 2021 swim season. The pool is likely to be closed for next summer to allow for construction.