Commission tables August minutes, hears path pitch

Parks and Recreation · Meeting of October 14, 2026

Old Saybrook's Parks and Recreation Commission weighed a resident's pitch for a Schoolhouse Road recreation path and heard beach revenue was down this year. Resident Katie Grossman proposed a roughly three-mile crushed-stone path linking Schoolhouse Road neighborhoods to Clark Community Park, saying "if anyone deserves a safe place, it's this woman and her family," referencing a neighbor who walks a disabled daughter in a stroller along the road; commissioners told her to approach the Board of Selectmen and zoning officials next. The director reported mini golf grossed $242,124, down about $40,000 from last year's record after roughly 30 weather-affected shifts, while Harvey's Beach grossed $133,310 despite a record 126 season passes sold.

The town sold 3,190 total beach passes for $55,435. A subcommittee has narrowed six architecture firms for the Saybrook Point project, which remains stalled on state septic approvals. Commissioners noted the board currently has no chairman and tabled approval of August's minutes.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,345 words

Source: the Parks and Recreation meeting of October 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

Call to Order and Minutes

The commission opened its October 14 meeting with brief confusion over whether the August 12 minutes had already been approved at a prior session. After discussion, the body opted to table the minutes rather than hold a formal vote, with one member saying, "so i just say table the minutes." No substantive business was lost to this delay; it consumed roughly the first two minutes of the meeting.

Correspondence and Review of Bills

The commission reported no new correspondence. During the review of bills, a member asked whether a bridge-repair expense at Clark Community Park fell "under partner rights budget" — an apparent reference to a cost-sharing or grant arrangement for several recent repairs at the park. The exact funding source and amount were not stated clearly in the discussion, and no commissioner asked for the figure to be read aloud. The bills were reviewed without objection and without a recorded vote.

Public Comment: A Recreation Path for Schoolhouse Road

Background and stakes: A resident, introduced by the commission's presiding member as Kate Grossman and referred to in her own remarks as Katie, returned to the commission a year after first raising concerns about pedestrian and cyclist safety on Schoolhouse Road. She said a previous proposal to straighten the road and add a conventional sidewalk had been rejected in an earlier meeting because it would require taking private residential property.

The question before the body: Grossman was not asking for a vote. She asked the commission for feedback on a revised concept — a compacted crushed-stone recreation path rather than a sidewalk — and for guidance on which town body should take up the idea next.

Substantive content: Grossman described a roughly three-mile multi-use path modeled on the Shoreline Greenway Trail in Madison, intended to serve a dual purpose: safe access between Schoolhouse Road neighborhoods and Clark Community Park, and a standalone linear park experience separate from the heavily used park trail system. She said she canvassed roughly four of the many small neighborhoods branching off Schoolhouse Road, naming Wood Pond, Tollwood, Kittredge, Beaver Dam, Stone Boat and Hook Out Hill, and reached more than 150 households through flyers, gathering what she described as substantial interest. She proposed phasing construction, starting with a shorter segment linking Clark Community Park to the area near Dairy Queen, which she said would require crossing only about five residential properties, while acknowledging the stretch toward the Westbrook town line is narrower, more residential and would be far harder to build.

The deliberation: Commissioners were broadly sympathetic. "I mean, we, I don't think you're going to find a single person on this commission that will oppose this idea," one member said, calling Schoolhouse Road "a very unsafe road" in an area with many young families. Another member raised the existing town-owned trail system as a partial alternative, noting a connection from the end of Kittredge Road to Old Boston Post Road, but Grossman pushed back, saying many parents she has spoken with will not send children into the woods regardless of trail access: "people aren't comfortable... people will not send their kids in the woods." Commissioners agreed that any phased path would face fewer obstacles near Clark Community Park than it would closer to the highway overpass and railroad crossing further north, where existing sidewalk fragments are disconnected.

Procedural steps and outcome: No vote was taken, consistent with the item being a public comment rather than a commission agenda action. Commissioners told Grossman that Schoolhouse Road is a town road outside the parks commission's jurisdiction, and that her next steps should be presenting to the Board of Selectmen, followed by a zoning feasibility review to determine whether the road's right-of-way can accommodate a path at all. One commissioner noted the town has previously used state funding, including STEAP grants, for comparable sidewalk work between Benny's and Westbrook, and suggested grant funding and a town-engineer feasibility study would likely be needed steps after a selectmen's review.

Implications and what is next: The proposal has no scheduled hearing date. Grossman said she intends to continue organizing neighborhood support and plans to approach the Board of Selectmen directly; the parks commission took no action to refer the matter formally.

New Business: Ferry Road Updates

The Ferry Road fields project is in active construction. The director reported that irrigation installation began October 14 and was expected to finish the following day, with sod scheduled to go down the week after. Drainage work, including correcting a previously low-lying drain, was already complete, and a new scoreboard has been installed. The director estimated three to four weeks of remaining work, targeting a finish around November, with biweekly project meetings continuing.

New Business: Harvey's Beach Food Vendor Location Discussion

Background and stakes: The commission has been evaluating relocating the Harvey's Beach food vendor truck, currently positioned against an existing building, to a new spot near the playground, which would require running new electrical conduit and resolving drainage and zoning questions the current location avoids by being grandfathered in.

The question before the body: Whether relocating the vendor is feasible given infrastructure costs, drainage, parking-space loss and screening from neighboring views.

Substantive content: The director said he had expected cost figures from a Public Works employee identified only as Billy, who had not yet produced them, and that a planned meeting with a zoning staffer identified as Chris Costa to discuss setback and structure-height requirements had been postponed twice, once due to illness and once due to vacation. Commissioners discussed that the proposed site holds standing water for extended periods and would need to be regraded and raised to avoid ponding, with runoff potentially requiring a stormwater structure. They also discussed that any new, taller structure to support conduit would likely trigger a zoning review that the current grandfathered location avoids. On screening, commissioners debated planting shade trees along the property's fence line, drawing on options from a group called Save the Shade, with members favoring a narrow, tall deciduous tree over evergreens to avoid blocking wind patterns that help maintain nearby dune formation, and to limit complaints from neighboring property owners who objected to screening greenery in the past. Air quality and cooking odor were also raised, with commissioners noting the vendor's existing equipment includes some odor-control hoods but that more advanced "scrubbers" exist that could be required.

The deliberation: No commissioner argued against evaluating the move; the debate centered on sequencing, with one member stating plainly that a final decision was not yet possible: "i don't have much more to add to it but i think for next week we'll have some more of those numbers... to make a real solid decision."

Procedural steps and outcome: No vote was taken. The item will return to a future meeting once conduit and zoning figures are available; the commission stated a goal of resolving the location before next summer's beach season.

New Business: Clark Community Park Updates

This item was addressed briefly during the review of bills, where a member referenced a new bridge installed at Clark Community Park and associated repair costs described as falling "under partner rights budget." No further detail, dollar figure, or separate discussion occurred under this agenda heading.

New Business: Saybrook Point Discussion

Background and stakes: The Saybrook Point redevelopment has been pending signed state-level approvals, including septic permitting, for an undetermined period, delaying the town's ability to formally engage an architecture firm.

The question before the body: Whether to bring the architect-selection process back to the full commission or keep it within the existing subcommittee pending the state approvals.

Substantive content: A commissioner reported that a subcommittee organized by a staff member identified as Carl, consisting of three commission members, two additional participants, the commissioner reporting, and another staff member, interviewed six architecture firms. The field has been narrowed to a smaller group, though the commissioner declined to name finalists, saying selections are not yet final. The commissioner described the firms as diverse in approach and said town interest in the project is high, citing conversations at a recent town luncheon.

The deliberation: Commissioners briefly debated process rather than substance, with one member suggesting the subcommittee, rather than the full commission, continue handling incremental Saybrook Point matters to avoid repeatedly re-briefing the whole body: "i think we should meet and go over it and then come back for the next commission meeting." No disagreement on substance was recorded; the exchange concerned whether and when the subcommittee should report back rather than any design or cost dispute.

Procedural steps and outcome: No vote occurred. The commission's portion of the architect search is effectively complete pending the state paperwork; once signed, the selected firm would begin work.

Implications and what is next: The Saybrook Point project's timeline now depends on state approvals outside the commission's control, not on the architect search, which commissioners described as essentially finished on their end.

Old Business: All Parks Review

Fields were aerated and received fall feeding the week of the meeting, the first aeration since the prior fall after a gap the year before. Mini golf closed for the season after its final weekend of operation. Pickleball courts have seen increased use, prompting the installation of two additional nets. A volunteer, identified as Bill Cahill in connection with his wife's participation in the commission's pickleball programs, started a bocce league at Cornfield Point involving roughly 12 participants; he splits time between Connecticut and Florida, where he also runs a bocce league, and plans to formalize the local league upon his return.

Old Business: Kayak Rack Discussion

This agenda item was listed but not substantively discussed in the recorded portion of the meeting.

Old Business: Preserve Update

The commission's Preserve subcommittee presented a preliminary trails map, including new trail segments and some removed segments, at a September meeting of the town's CMC (Conservation/Management Commission, as referenced by commissioners). The map was described as not yet complete. The mapping effort involves the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, with staff named as Alex Amendola and a colleague identified as Bradley, alongside town participants identified as Keith Cawthorne and Martin Tomatosi, the latter described as the state's recreation trails coordinator. The group plans to meet again within three weeks, after which an updated map will return to the commission.

Reports

A commissioner stated flatly that there is currently no chairman: "there's no chairman." No separate chairman's report was given as a result.

The director's report covered seasonal revenue. Mini golf grossed $242,124, down roughly $40,000 from the prior year's record total; the director attributed much of the drop to about 30 shifts affected by rain, heat or storms, including roughly 20 shifts lost entirely with no alternative work available. Harvey's Beach grossed $133,310, down about $15,000 year over year, despite record season-pass sales of 126, generating roughly $18,000 to $19,000; the town purchased 150 season passes to sell this year, the first time it had ordered that many, and the director said he may order 200 next year. Mini golf concessions totaled $11,732, down about $4,000, and Harvey's Beach concessions totaled $20,972, down about $3,000, though the director cautioned that annual price increases make year-over-year concession comparisons imprecise. Town beach passes overall totaled 3,190 sold for $55,435, which the director contrasted with roughly 1,500 passes sold about 20 years ago.

The liaison report covered an upcoming public talk, scheduled for November 5 at a local public library, on rodenticide use and its effects on birds of prey, which the liaison said affects a significant share of Connecticut's raptor population; flyers were to be distributed ahead of the event.

The meeting closed with a motion to adjourn, seconded and approved without objection.

Commission members present: Not individually named by role in the available recording; multiple unidentified commission members participated in deliberation throughout the meeting. The commission stated it currently has no chairman.

Staff in attendance: Parks and Recreation Director, referred to once by a commissioner as "Ben," who delivered the Ferry Road, Harvey's Beach vendor, programs and director's report updates. A staff member identified as Carl organized the Saybrook Point architect subcommittee. Additional staff referenced by first name only: Casey (ran the Monsters on Main Street program), Brad (received feedback on Teen Center program transitions), and Jerry (asked to measure playground equipment for comparison purposes).

Public commenter: Katie, introduced by the chair as Kate Grossman, a resident advocating for a Schoolhouse Road recreation path, citing support from more than 150 households in neighborhoods off Schoolhouse Road.

Outside parties referenced: A Public Works employee identified only as Billy, discussed in connection with Harvey's Beach vendor conduit cost estimates. A zoning staffer identified as Chris Costa, discussed in connection with vendor-location zoning requirements. A former law-enforcement officer identified only as Rob, referenced as a longtime presence and conversation partner near the Harvey's Beach parking lot. A volunteer identified as Bill Cahill, associated with organizing a new bocce league at Cornfield Point. State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection staff Alex Amendola and a colleague identified as Bradley, and town-affiliated trails personnel Keith Cawthorne and Martin Tomatosi, involved in the Preserve trails mapping project.

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEP) — state agency partnering with the town on the Preserve trails mapping project discussed under Old Business. CMC (referenced by commissioners as a conservation/management body) — received a preliminary trails map presentation in September, cited in the Preserve Update. Save the Shade — a group cited as a potential source of shade trees for screening the Harvey's Beach food vendor area. Shoreline Greenway Trail, Madison, Connecticut — cited by resident Katie Grossman as a model for the proposed Schoolhouse Road recreation path. STEAP grants and prior state-funded sidewalk work between Benny's and Westbrook — cited by a commissioner as precedent for possible grant funding of a Schoolhouse Road path. August 12, 2026 regular meeting minutes — tabled rather than approved at this meeting.