KENT, Conn.—The Parks & Recreation Commission already has many irons in the fire, but even as it works to develop and implement such things as a master plan for Emory Park, bus trips for seniors, and a carry-in boat launch to provide access to the Housatonic River, it is facing strong pressure from a growing cadre of pickleball players to provide dedicated courts for that sport.
During the commission’s Sept. 1 meeting, Chair Rufus deRham reported that he, First Selectman Eric Epstein and Parks and Recreation Director Matt Frasher met with Bruce Hoheb to discuss the issue.
“Bruce Hoheb is an advocate for pickleball,” Frasher explained. “He rallies the troops. There are more than 115 pickleball players in his group and he has provided videos that show more than 40 people at the tennis courts and only room for so many people to play at one time. It’s a big social thing.”
At present, Parks & Recreation has painted lines on the town’s tennis courts to allow them to be used for both sports. At the urging of the passionate pickleball people, the commission recently sought permission from the selectmen to prefund $80,000 listed in the capital plan to pay for engineering for dedicated courts. This would provide a basis for fundraising for construction by the pickleball players. The selectmen denied the request.
Frasher said that he went ahead and approached Cardinal Engineering to obtain quotes for possible costs and plans to bring that information to the commission in October. “We need a master plan for Kent Commons, but we’re not at that point yet,” Frasher said. “But the pickleball people are strong donors, and they are ready to write some checks.”
“If we get a good report [from Cardinal] we might be able to it push forward, regardless of a master plan,” deRham said.
But commission member Heidi Wilson argued for caution. “We must make sure of accessibility issues,” she said. “I know they are really gung-ho and want to get going, but we can’t fall into same trap as Emery Park [where the commission focused on the restoration of the pool without considering other factors].
“We should look into all options,” she continued. “Maybe we should rip out the tennis courts and create one court system; maybe we should put up an industrial barn so they could play all year, maybe it should be in the pavilion with a sliding door so it could be used for three seasons … We need to discuss the noise level and the adjacent residences—we need to look at the whole thing before we go to the selectmen again.”
The topic will be back on the table at the commission’s October meeting.
Turning to other business, the commission heard from Frasher that the fall youth sports programs are getting strong participation. He also reported that he has waived the $5 registration fee for the Leonard Segar Summit Club until January 1 because the current guest registration site requires “information hikers may find unnecessary for the activity.” Frasher agreed with the hikers and has created a Google Form for summit club registration. People can start registering January 1st,” he said, adding that the club currently has “16 people and one dog.”
The recreation director said a bus trip for seniors to Mohegan Sun has been planned for Sunday, Oct. 7. A previous trip took seniors to the beach for a summer outing. Transportation is provided by Northwest Transit District out of Torrington. “There are lots of options and we can take up to 14 people on the bus,” Frasher said.
Wilson noted that either Frasher or some member of the commission should go on each trip “to count heads and make sure no one is having an allergic reaction.” She asked if expense accounts could be provided to cover the lunch and other expenses encountered by the chaperones. The commission decided receipts could be submitted for reimbursement.
Frasher said he is working with the Social Services department to set up monthly shopping trips to New Milford and that the senior trips matching grant also be used youth and adults who have disabilities. “With Northwest District Transit it’s nice to be able to go beyond seniors and provide for other populations,” he said.
