Kent moves forward with Emery Park master plan

KENT — The Kent Board of Selectmen accepted a $37,000 proposal for a master project plan for the redesign of Emery Park during a special meeting Tuesday, May 5.

The proposal was brought to the town by the Parks and Recreation Commission, which has been discussing a comprehensive survey of the site with Meriden-based firm Cardinal Engineering since early March. The rehabilitation project for the park has centered around a defunct swimming pond – a stream-fed, man-made basin that has been out of use for six years – but Cardinal’s plan intends to address general accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is requisite for municipal park facilities.

During the May 5 meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Matt Frasher said redesigning the swimming area without accounting for access would be irresponsible for what is intended to be a public resource. “If we’re limiting access, we’re really doing a disservice to the community,” he said.

The plan is meant to address features of the lower section of the park beyond the swimming pond, including a playground, sloping grassy field and proposed future installments such as toilets and showers.

Emery Park features a lower area with a pond, playground and several fields, surrounded by steep wooded hillsides with a growing network of hiking trails.

Late last year, an RFP was put out for just the swimming pond, but was later repealed due to issues with guidelines surrounding funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, $100,000 of which had been granted to the town for the project.

These funds, known by the acronym ARPA, are highly regulated and have to be spent before the end of the year, or they will be retracted by the federal government. Treasurer Barbara Herbst reported on May 5 that she has been in communication with the state as to whether the funds can be used to finance the plan itself.

Cardinal’s Vice President Timothy Cermola and engineer Roy Seelye were confident the funds will be applied to some aspect of the project that could be completed before the year’s end, and will not go to waste.

They anticipate the survey will be complete by the end of summer, which will act as a guideline for more specific construction and design plans down the road.