Benefactor, FAAC to Overhaul Baseball Field

At time a when money is scarce, an unnamed donor has offered to work with the town and the Farmington Amateur Athletic Club to renovate the John P. Grocki Baseball Field at Tunxis Mead Park.

The planned renovations, designed by TO Design LLC and presented by Jim Leblanc at the Town Council meeting Monday night, would include a new press box, dugouts and batting cage, a small concession area and seating for 500, with an estimated cost of $350,000.

The field is in need of improvement, said Russ Arnold, head of Farmington Public Works and town engineer.

“We are in dire straits; updates to the field are among the capital improvement projects we need to have done. But in tough economic times, this would be a luxury for us,” Arnold said. “It comes at a perfect time and would be a great asset to the town.”

The changes would solve several problems, Leblanc explained.

First, the current setup is a danger to both pedestrians and vehicles, he said, with foul balls routinely hitting cars parked behind the backstop. The plan calls to remove 10 parking spaces.

Second, the field currently doesn’t offer enough seating for the 750 or so baseball games that are played there during the summer months. The plan calls for expanding from 185 seats to 500 directly behind the backstop, including some more comfortable stadium seating.

In the past, Farmington has been passed over to host large tournaments because the seating is inadequate. FAAC President Jeff Cohen noted that after the improvements, the town would be able to rent out the facility and also possibly to charge for admission to games.

“We have a great field there. The thing that’s lacking is the viewing,” Leblanc said. "Existing bleachers seat 185, shoulder to shoulder, and much of that is well down the foul line, so it’s not in the best area.”

Third, it is currently not handicap-accessible.

Finally, the field has inadequate space for storage, the dugouts are outdated, batting cages are in need of repairs and there’s no concession area. The planned improvements would remedy all of that.  

Leblanc said the group hopes to create a park-like feel, with a slightly open design that relocates some of the elements of the field to their more traditional location behind home plate. The field and its lighting would remain unchanged.

Cohen explained that the FAAC, a youth organization that organizes and funds athletics in town, has been discussing a plan for the field for a while.

“We’ve had a couple of benefactors who’ve had children come through and we got to the point where we’re ready to go forward,” he said.

Though the benefactor has assured the entire cost of the project, he’s challenged the FAAC to do some fundraising so that the town will share a stake in the project. Cohen said the group already has $50-60,000 in commitments and the donor has given the FAAC three years to raise the funds.

“We’ve had kids come through and we want to leave program better than we’ve found it. That’s our only motivation,” Cohen said.

Town Council members voiced their thanks for the generosity of both the benefactor and volunteers who work to improve the town.

“This is what makes Farmington great: people like you and the people you’re working with in the town that do this for Farmington, for the kids and for the future of the town. It’s not just for today and because your child’s involved but because you love the town,” said council member Nancy Nickerson.

 “I’ve always said Tunxis is a gem for Farmington. This will enhance everything that’s down there and anything I or we can do to help, we’re behind you 100 percent,” Patty Stoddard said.

While no tax dollars will be spent to improve the field, the town would be responsible for providing in-kind services such as staff time and some limited work by Department of Public Works employees.

The Town Council unanimously approved accepting the gift. The project will require an 8-24 report and site plan approval from the Town Plan and Zoning Commission.