Oak Grove roadwork, softball fields OK'd
May 16—MANCHESTER — Road work on Oak Grove Street and construction of two new youth softball fields off New State Road are scheduled to begin this summer after the Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday approved the permits and erosion and sedimentation control plans required to move the projects forward.
The $800,000 Oak Grove Street project, to be funded with bonding approved by voters in a 2021 referendum, involves renovation of 3,800 feet of road between Autumn and Porter streets.
The road is home to the Oak Grove Nature Center and hiking trails, and access to both could be affected during the work.
The project will rebuild the road at a uniform width of 22 feet and it will be designed for lower maintenance and better drainage. The project also includes sidewalk extensions and a multi-use path for the Nature Center.
The Public Works department plans to bid out the project in July and begin construction in July or August, to be completed in the fall.
The two youth softball fields will be funded by $250,000 in federal relief funds allocated by the Board of Directors in March, and will be built next to the existing Carl Silver Field on 250 New State Road.
Project costs are limited primarily to materials, as public works staff will perform the labor.
The new fields will span 200 feet from home plate to the outfield, smaller than the 300-foot adult field already on the site.
Features and facilities will include expanded parking, sidewalks, fences, and field lighting. Design documents identify an area for a restroom and concession stand building, but the project does not include that in its construction.
In March, players, parents, and coaches urged directors to set federal American Rescue Plan Act funds aside to pay for the new fields, in order to give local girls softball teams a new home.
The existing youth fields at Charter Oak Park were washed out by a storm in August 2021, rendering them unusable.
Town Engineer Jeff LaMalva said the old youth softball fields at Charter Oak Park were built within a floodway, which is why Tropical Storm Henri caused their destruction. The new site is unlikely to see that much damage in a storm, he said.
"Worst case, it's gonna come up, it's going to go on the field, but you're not going to have that extreme flow and erosion like you would in a floodway," LaMalva said.
Construction of the softball fields is expected to begin in June, with completion scheduled for spring of 2024.
Town staff and members of the PZC discussed impacts to wetlands around the Oak Grove Nature Center at their Monday meeting. A small pond and brook are on the wooded property.
Environmental Planner David Laiuppa said the Oak Grove Street reconstruction will have minor impacts on the wetlands because of planned work on drainage systems.
Assistant Town Engineer John DiBiasi said no state-listed species of special concern have been documented in the project area.
An amendment to the erosion and sedimentation control plan for the Oak Grove project requires the wetlands agent to conduct more regular inspections of the project, especially near a vernal pool where native species might breed in the spring.
PZC Vice Chairman Patrick Kennedy and member Chris Schoeneberger abstained from the vote to amend the application, with both citing a need to maintain the wetlands agent's autonomy and authority.
Joseph covers Manchester and Bolton for the Journal Inquirer.
