West Hartford Council Buys More Time For Major Park Overhaul

WEST HARTFORD, CT — With a May 1 deadline staring them in the face regarding state grant funding an overhaul at Wolcott Park, local leaders have bought the town more time.

And with that added time, the park's bathrooms will have a much-needed renovation later this year.

The West Hartford Town Council voted 6-0 April 9 to grant West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith the authority to seek an extension of grant conditions with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

In 2019, West Hartford received a $750,000 grant from DEEP as part of the Urban Act, with much of those dollars already spent to improve the park's basketball courts and tennis/pickleball courts.

The project at the 131 New Britain Ave. park also includes reconstructing a parking lot; replacing the park's electrical infrastructure; and repaving the park's pathways.

But the work, namely bathroom renovations, isn't yet complete, so the town needed to seek a deadline extension to keep the funding awarded to West Hartford.

As a result, Ledwith is looking to extend the grant agreement's terms to May 1, 2026, giving the town plenty of time to finish the Wolcott Park bathroom project with state cash.

Ledwith said the town originally wanted to complete the project on time.

"But, due to some delays, we have an outstanding balance of $61,224 that this resolution will allow us to apply to roll these funds over," Ledwith said.

Council members had no issues with the decision.

"I think this is great to have the flexibility from the state and this is going to be a great use of the funds," said Councilperson Debra Polun, chairing the meeting for West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor, who was not in attendance.

"Wolcott has had a little renaissance in recent years and we appreciate the state's support of this park. I know pickleball is extremely popular and we'll be grateful to have the use of these funds for the next several months to complete these renovations.."

For the minutes of the April 9 West Hartford Town Council meeting and the resolution approved regarding the Wolcott Park project, click on this link.

For more information on Wolcott Park and other West Hartford parks, click on this link.