Lights planned for Poquonnock Plains Park, Groton Middle School fields

Jun 07, 2023

Groton ― Plans are moving forward to install lights at Poquonnock Plains Park and the fields at Groton Middle School, which town and school officials said will increase access to the recreational facilities.

The town plans to install, likely this fall, solar-powered LED lights along the walking path at Poquonnock Plains Park off of Fort Hill Road, which will allow more people to use the path during times of the year when it gets dark earlier, said Groton Parks and Recreation Director Mark Berry.

The school district has plans to add LED lights at Groton Middle School's artificial-turf, multi-purpose field and its softball field, probably next spring, said Samuel Kilpatrick, the school district's facilities director.

Poquonnock Plains Park

Berry said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the walking path at Poquonnock Plains Park provided a safe opportunity for people to exercise.

"We saw a substantial increase in the use of the path, which continues today," he said.

Berry said the project will increase the availability of the stone-dust path when darkness sets in earlier. For example, when it gets dark at 5 p.m. in October, people working during the day can still have an opportunity to walk the path. The town is also working on a project to widen the path.

The budget for the lights is $130,000 from American Rescue Plan Act funds, according to Berry.

The Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday approved plans for 54 solar-powered LED lights along the perimeter of the walking path and in the parking lot.

During a presentation, Chad Frost, landscape architect and principal with Kent + Frost Landscape Architecture, said the lights will slightly tilt inward toward the property. The project will create pools of light for people walking the path, and the lights can be programmed to turn on and off.

"The lights will be mounted to 15-foot aluminum poles, and will be buried 3 feet in the ground," according to the application.

The town also is proposing a capital improvement project to add a sidewalk from the entrance of the park eastward to a nearby gas station, Berry said. Director of Public Works Greg Hanover said the estimated cost is $100,000. Design and permitting would be done this fall/winter, and construction would be anticipated in the spring/summer 2024.

Groton Middle School

School officials said the addition of the lights on the fields will allow them to be used more by sports teams from both the school district and the community.

Superintendent Susan Austin said the lights are one of the last components of the $184.5 million project Groton 2020 schools plan approved by voters at referendum, but the lights project is being done separately.

Kilpatrick said the lights will add the opportunity to "layer" games, particularly on the multi-purpose field. For example, there could be a middle school game right after school and then a high school game later in the evening.

Kilpatrick said LED lights save energy, and are more efficient and brighter than traditional lights, but are more directed on the field so less light spills out beyond the field.

Last fall, portable lights were rented so games could be played later in the evening, Kilpatrick explained.

The Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday approved a variance, which was needed since the lights will be higher than the zone allows, he said. The application states that the lights must be on 60- to 70-foot poles.

The project will need further approvals, including site plan approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission.

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