Clark shares parks’ history

#MiddleburyCT #Parks #Ledgewood #Meadowview #Bristol

Ron Clark looks out over the Meadowview Park soccer field toward the baseball field. Clark said the land was once a “dust bowl.” (Marjorie Needham photo)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Imagine Middlebury with no Greenway, no Ledgewood Park, no Meadowview Park. That’s what it looked like a mere 43 years ago. Ron Clark, who just resigned from Middlebury’s Parks and Recreation Commission after serving on it for 43 years, shared with this newspaper how these amenities were developed over those years.

They weren’t the only thing that didn’t exist. Back then, there also was no Parks and Recreation Commission. “Basically,” Clark said, “there was no anything.”

Townspeople had two parks: the Middlebury Recreation Area (MRA) and a Little League field up a hill on Route 63 (Straits Turnpike) on Timex property where Middlebury Edge stands today. The field behind Mary I. Johnson School (Schoolhouse Park) on Whittemore Road (the park is accessed from Maple Drive) was in poor condition due to sinkholes where logs had rotted under the topsoil.

Clark said conversations about having a Parks and Rec Commission began during First Selectman William Longo’s term. Longo called for a committee to work on forming a group to be in charge of parks. Clark was on that committee. One of the decisions they made was whether it should be an advisory group or a policy-making group. They chose the latter, and the Parks & Recreation Commission became a reality.

Clark said two significant things helped with park development. One was the state started to turn over properties to towns. What is now Bristol Park was once state property. It straddles Route 64, with part of the park on the North side of the road and part on the South side at Steinmann. The other was that Quassy Amusement Park gave the field across from Quassy to the town. This gave Little League a place to play when Timex’s change in plans meant they could no longer play at the field on Straits Turnpike.

The Parks and Recreation Commission’s first office was in the old firehouse that once stood in what is now a lovely pocket park at the corner of Regan Road and Middlebury Road. Clark said when First Selectman Edward B. St. John first got elected in the early 1980’s two things happened: St. John began to develop the town’s public works department, which Clark said was tiny back then, and he also began to improve the town’s parks.

Clark said St. John started with the MRA, which Clark described as dilapidated and with the cottage needing a roof. The road was redone, and tennis courts were built. “In the 80s, tennis was a big deal,” Clark said. The Parks and Rec department assumed responsibility for staffing the MRA with caretakers and lifeguards.

Then work began on developing playing fields. Ledgewood Park was the first of the newer parks to be built. It has playing fields, a track, a tennis court, a basketball court, kids’ playground, skateboard park, concession stand, bathrooms and picnic area, and it also has a memorial to Middlebury residents who lost their lives serving in the military.

Development of Meadowview Park changed what Clark described as a former “dust bowl” into a sprawling facility with bocce courts, baseball field, soccer field, children’s playground and a large covered pavilion with picnic tables, a concession stand and bathrooms. Clark said multiple town departments worked together on these projects, including the police and fire departments, Department of Public Works, and Town Hall. He said town employees in all these departments are really helpful and it seems as if people don’t always appreciate them.

The 4.5 mile Greenway draws people from near and far seeking a safe place to walk, run and bicycle. That major project required a huge amount of work, including applying for state and federal funding and convincing landowners (some of whom were not enthusiastic about the project) to allow the Greenway to pass over their property. Initially, it was to be stone instead of asphalt, Clark said, but they quickly realized stone would wash off the path and decided to go with asphalt instead. Now, he said, “It’s probably the biggest attraction in Middlebury.”

The town gained Shepardson Community Center when Region 15 stopped using it as a school and gave the building to the town. It now houses both the Parks & Rec Department and the Senior Center/Social Services offices, hosting classes and activities in the building and on the grounds, which also have a children’s playground. The latest addition there, donated by the Lions Club, is the gazebo, which is being used during summer concerts organized by the Parks & Rec Department.

Clark said proper equipment for a kids’ playground is very expensive. He noted, “Our whole thrust was we wanted children and adults interacting with each other … We try to offer programs for all ages.” This is perhaps most evident on the field at Shepardson Community Center, where the children’s play equipment sits side by side with equipment for adults.

Clark said he will really miss emceeing two annual events put on by Parks & Rec – the Memorial Day and Christmas on the Green celebrations. Carole Cipriano, Middlebury’s first Parks & Rec director, organized the first Memorial Day parade. He said the next director, Betty Proulx, a Navy veteran, took the parade to a new level. A lot of veterans live here, Clark said, and Middleburians are very patriotic.

He said Christmas on the Green used to be a simple ceremony; then they added singing carols around the green. Next came dancers and then the arrival of Santa on a fire truck. A Christmas tree, with decorations made in the past by town children, serves as a gathering place.

Westover School continues the tradition of also having a menorah on the Green. It is part of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, which this year begins at sundown on Christmas Day.

“It’s a winter wonderland,” Clark said. “People get together, and it’s a great time for the kids.”

He said Middlebury is a nice town with nice people. “We just need to stop for a moment,” he said. “Think before you talk. Think about how it will affect other people.” He also encourages residents to get involved in the community by serving on a board or commission.

Clark said of his resignation, “You know when it’s time to move on. I’m from the past. Carolanne is from the present,” referring to the new chair of the commission, Carolanne Browne.

Clark said the Parks and Rec’s philosophy is “We serve the public, the public doesn’t serve us.” He said his mother emphasized the importance of service to others and that is what he has tried to do over the years. In addition to his volunteer work for the town, he became a registered nurse in 1969, and he served as a Connecticut state trooper for 25 years.