Renovations Continue at Stamford's Scalzi Park

, frequented by skateboarders, dog-walkers, and Little League players alike, is undergoing a $2 million renovation that began on June 27.

As part of the renovation, an eight-foot wide walkway, which will include benches, lighting, and plantings, is being installed around the perimeter of the park’s central oval. The walkway will be approximately 2,800 feet in length, according to senior construction manager Domenic Tramontozzi.

NMP Golf Construction Corporation of Williston, Vermont, is carrying out the renovations. Project Superintendent Neal Matthews said the company has previously worked in Greenwich and New Haven.

Along with the walkway, a splash pad is being built as part of the renovations. A splash pad is a play area for kids featuring nozzles that spray water up from the ground. Since they typically have no standing water, they eliminate the need for lifeguard supervision. In addition, a 39-foot diameter pavilion is being constructed for “any kind of gathering — having picnics, watching your kids play in the splash pad, or offering some shade,” Matthews said. 

The park’s playground is also getting an upgrade and the middle softball field will be adjusted to reduce sun glare and avoid conflict if multiple fields are being used simultaneously. Lights will be installed on the middle field and replaced on the north field. Scalzi’s baseball field — Cubeta Stadium — will not be renovated. Work on the softball fields and playground will begin after Labor Day so the facilities can be used throughout the summer.

Park visitors are just beginning to notice the renovations, and the feedback is generally positive. “It’s good they’re fixing up Scalzi,” 11-year-old Hannah Suarez, said. “My mom sometimes comes to walk here, but there’s no sidewalk so she has to walk on the grass.”

Stantec Consulting Services Inc. (formerly known as Vollmer Associates) planned the renovations to Scalzi Park in 2004 based on ideas residents shared at public workshops. As part of the plan, Scalzi’s tennis courts were renovated in 2005 and a skate park was built in 2007. The subsequent renovations were divided into two phases. Phase I includes the work being done now, while Phase II involves resurfacing Scalzi’s roadways and parking lots. Both phases of construction are expected to wrap up by the spring of 2012.

“Over the last few years, they’ve been budgeting funds for the work. In the 2010-2011 budget, the funding became available,” Tramontozzi said. The renovation money was allocated under “park and field improvement,” he added.

Stamford resident Paula Denas told Patch that she visits the park, which is located along Bridge Street and Washington Boulevard, “mostly every day to exercise and take my kids.”

She noticed the construction when she arrived at the park on Tuesday morning. Her thoughts? “It’s time the park gets a makeover,” Denas said.