Two new sets of benches will be coming to the town green, inspired by residents who utilized the open space it provided for safe COVID-era gatherings. That idea prompted the Guilford Green Committee (GGC) to take up the project on grouping benches together to allow for conversation and meetings for multiple people.

Acting Chair of the GGC John Cunningham said the project was borne out of comments and feedback that the Committee and town officials received from residents.

“During COVID, there were many group meetings on the Green. They would bring their own chairs, because it was outside — it was on the Green, it wasn’t inside. I know that [Park and Recreation Director] Rick Maynard got some comments from folks saying ‘wouldn’t it be nice to group some benches together’,” said Cunningham. “At that time, we were already selecting a new bench for the Guilford Green. In fact, we had purchased six new benches, with the hope of getting six to eight more, because as benches deteriorate, we need to replace them. So, with these first six benches we are forming what we call ‘nodes’ or ‘pods’ where there will three benches, two on one side of an existing walkway and one on the other where groups of people can sit and discuss things.”

According to Cunningham, the GGC is an advisory committee to the Board of Selectmen (BOS) and responsible for the maintenance of the Guilford Green. The only funds from the Guilford Town budget are for the Park and Recreation personnel who maintain the mowing, seeding, and fertilizing the grass. According to Cunningham, funds to cover maintenance costs come from Green usage fees, sandwich board sign fees, and community donations.

“That’s one thing I don’t think most residents are aware of — that the Committee pays for much of the maintenance for the Green and for most projects. The money needed for that comes from grants and simple donations. We have to take care of the Green. All the lawn care is organic. We also do all of our own tree removal and tree pruning, as well. Those are not town items, and the Green Committee pays for all that,” Cunningham said. “The town does do a lot, so we are very appreciative of that, and town staff do work like putting down fertilizer and mowing the grass, but the Green Committee pays for that fertilizer ourselves, just like all of the tree removals and pruning.”

The bench project, like the day-to-day maintenance of the Green, does not have a financial allocation in the town budget. According to Cunningham, the Committee will be looking for grants and donations.

“(T)his bench project is one of those that we will need to fund with the help of any grants and from residents. This will not be a town project, so that is why we would like to reach out to residents about this and say, ‘We would love donations to the Committee for this new bench project’,” Cunningham said. “Anyone wishing to donate can contact Town Hall or Committee members. We appreciate every dollar that comes in.”

According to Cunningham, one way residents can help is by going through the proper channels to place signs on the Green. There is a sign policy procedure and a nominal fee that allows residents to place signs on the Green for two weeks, according to Cunningham, but those dollars are critical to help the Committee operate.

“The benches themselves cost around $2,000 apiece, but that is not installed. So, with this project we have the benches purchased, but we are now looking for someone to install them and for a way to come up with the money needed for that,” Cunningham said. “We are trying to come up with ways to say to residents of Guilford, you can donate to this project. It doesn’t have to be payment for an entire bench, they can give whatever they can afford. If you want to put a sign on the Green, you can go to Town Hall and get a Green sign application. We would ask people to go through the proper process, as there are often signs placed on the Green that haven’t gone through the application process, and that fee is one way we can fund our needs. So, we do ask that people apply for signs through the town.”

Cunningham said that the “nodes” will have brick installed around their area so that the area does not get worn down and become muddy. The benches will also conform to American with Disabilities Act requirements and allow for patrons to easily use wheelchairs to access the benches and the nodes.

“The benches will have brick around them, and one change that we feel is a great one is that these benches will have enough room around them to make them ADA accessible,” said Cunningham. “So, that a wheelchair can wheel off the main sidewalk and onto one of these areas and sit with someone on a bench and have a conversation. That idea was brought up by Town Planner Jamie Stein. She had done a tour of the site with a disabled person and brought their concerns to our attention and we agreed as a committee that this would be a great idea to incorporate into the design.”

One set of nodes will be along Park Street across from the Episcopal Church on what would be the lower to mid, east side of the green. The other set would be across the expanse along Whitfield Street and sited on the west side of the green across from Mix and the Greene Gallery, approximately 30 to 40 feet from the road.

One of the installed benches will be the memorial bench for Carl Balestracci that was approved by the BOS earlier this year. Balestracci, a former first selectman, educator, and multiple committee member, was honored by the Town earlier this year with the passage by the BOS of his bench tribute.

“That’s absolutely correct, one of the benches will be the memorial to Carl,” said Cunningham. “We haven’t quite worked out the details of where or how any plaque or memorial will be configured into the design, but definitely one of these benches will be dedicated to him.”

Maynard said the project is a great way to incorporate resident feedback.

“What’s cool about it…was this came from comments we heard from residents who honestly are out there all year long, even in winter. And what we heard was, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we had a cluster of benches, where we could all sit together and talk’. So, this design will allow for a cluster or groups to gather and sit and talk. The way the benches are set up now, it doesn’t really allow for that, so this was a great idea and a great way to address that issue.”

Maynard said that he was hoping that the benches could be installed by the end of the year, but the installation bids have just gone out and it now appears that the project may not get completed until early spring of 2023, according to Cunningham.

“Everyone is so busy, we can’t even get quotes from contractors. We obviously want to get this done as soon as we can, but we want to do this right, and not rush it,” said Cunningham.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Green Committee can contact Town Hall or contact Green Committee members via the town website, www.guilfordct.gov