NORTH HAVEN

On June 7, the Town of North Haven was awarded an Urban Act grant through the Department of Economic Community Development for $500,000 which will be directed toward several upgrades to athletic facilities for baseball, softball, tennis, and track and field in town.

These upgrades will contribute to North Haven’s broader goal of bolstering its athletic facilities, which upon completion will form a large, interconnected athletic campus which would ultimately include DeMayo Park for the baseball and softball fields, tennis, and an all-purpose field; along with Valley Brook Field, Vanacore Track and Football Field, the turf fields, and a concession stand. Much of this work is being supported by a $3.5 million capital bonding package approved by the Board of Education in June 2022, while the recently awarded grant is a complement on top of the larger spending package, said Public Works Director Lynn Sadosky.

According to Sadosky, all monies are draft costs of associated upgrades and include an additional cost for their design by Weston & Sampson.

There will be upgrades totaling $82,869 at Bailey Road Baseball Field. These upgrades will be for the outfield’s irrigation system, in addition to installing five-row aluminum bleachers which are ADA compliant, along with asphalt pads and walkways to provide access to bleachers which meet ADA standards.

At the DeMayo and Brozek baseball and softball fields, there will be $34,320 in upgrades which include installing 20-foot-high safety netting between both fields.

“That’s in case we have games going on at the same time. We want to protect the outfield portion of [the fields],” said Sadosky.

The tennis courts at the North Haven Athletic Complex at 222 Maple Avenue will see $133,110 worth of resurfacing. Sadosky said the resurfacing will address cracking at the courts, a process which may require excavation and refilling their sub-bases.

The grant will also contribute to a new addition to track and field in the form of a runway for the javelin event at the Vanacore facility. This has an associated cost of $28,000 for its asphalt and rubberized surface.

Finally, the grant includes $97,500 for Wi-Fi and Ethernet technology, marking a step in a process of providing internet connection across the interconnected campus from Vanacore to DeMayo.

“It helps for safety purposes, too,” said Sadosky. “If anything ever happens for safety reasons, it's great to have.”

Following an approval of the half-a-million-dollar grant by the Board of Selectman later in July, the next step will be going out to bid for the design and installation of upgrades. Sadosky said the town is hoping to contract with a vendor this fall, with construction beginning in spring 2025 and taking at least six months.