Cromwell Town Council Selects Least Costly Option to Advance WISP Field Drainage Design

Town Council · Meeting of June 25, 2026

CT CROMWELL — Cromwell advances least expensive drainage fix for WISP fields, eyeing state grants. The Cromwell Town Council voted unanimously at a June 25 special joint meeting with the Board of Finance to pursue engineering design of Option 1, a sand-cap buildup drainage system, for the fields at the West Intermediate School. Town Engineer John Harriman and Weston and Sampson landscape architect Ryan Chmielewski presented three options ranging from a roughly $1.5 million sand-cap approach to a $3.1 million full-depth reconstruction; staff recommended Option 1 as the most grant-competitive and least disruptive, noting that Option 3 would take the fields offline for 18 to 24 months.

Council members questioned whether the performance gap between the two options — Option 3 drains at more than 10 inches per hour versus Option 1's 4 inches — justified the additional cost, with the town manager noting that a grant at the $3.1 million level was "a snowball's chance" while $1 to $1.5 million in state assistance was realistic. Two residents spoke against any taxpayer spending on the project; a third argued the cost has grown because "the town has delayed doing anything about it for over 20 years."

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Source: the Town Council meeting of June 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

CROMWELL — June 25, 2026 — The Cromwell Town Council voted unanimously Thursday to move forward with the least expensive of three drainage-improvement options for the fields at the West Intermediate School, selecting Option 1 — a sand-cap buildup system — to advance to full engineering design in hopes of making the project eligible for state grants.

The vote, taken at a special joint meeting with the Cromwell-Paris Board of Finance, directs the town's engineering team to complete shovel-ready design drawings using Option 1. Town Engineer John Harriman and licensed landscape architect Ryan Chmielewski of Weston and Sampson presented the three options and their associated costs. Option 1 carries a price tag of roughly $1.5 million; the full-depth reconstruction of Option 3, which would involve ripping out and replacing all existing soil, was estimated at approximately $3.1 million.

The Full Story

Harriman opened the technical presentation by explaining that the underlying cause of persistent drainage failures at the WISP fields is fill soil placed about 20 years ago when the school was built on a former agricultural site. State environmental regulations at the time required removal of the top three feet of chemically treated farmland soil. The replacement material, Harriman said, is "not ideal" and "unsuitable for drainage," creating a chronic problem compounded by pipes that back-drain toward the property rather than away from it.

Chmielewski walked both boards through slope analysis data showing that large portions of the soccer fields carry less than 1 percent pitch — below the 1.25 to 1.5 percent considered adequate for natural turf drainage. Existing dry wells on the site have become choked with sediment over time, further limiting outflow.

Option 1 involves installing lateral under-drains at six-foot spacing beneath the existing topsoil, connecting those drains to new underground stormwater chambers, and building a two-inch sand cap over the existing surface without re-grading. Chmielewski said the system is designed to handle a 50-year storm event and drains at roughly 4 inches of water per hour. Option 3, by contrast, would install eight inches of pre-blended root zone mix over a gravel blanket with tighter drain spacing and re-graded subsoils, achieving drainage rates above 10 inches per hour.

Several council members pressed Chmielewski and Harriman on the real-world performance gap between the two options.

"I just don't hear that — anybody else? I'll chime in — like the town manager said, if there's a way to phase this in." [01:34:00] — Council Member Al Waters

Council Member Jamin DeProto asked directly whether a field treated to Option 1 and a field treated to Option 3, placed side by side, would perform similarly after a one-inch rain. Chmielewski said the results would be close in many conditions, though Option 3 would allow return-to-play more quickly after back-to-back rain events.

Council Member Anne Hulick pushed back on the framing, arguing that the only option that truly addressed the bad soil was Option 3 and that the performance gap between the options was being understated.

"Option one gives you a sand cap layer that when the water precipitates and hits that hard layer underneath, it has somewhere to run. And when it runs, it's running into drains that aren't there now. That's the difference." [01:12:00] — Town Engineer John Harriman

Town Manager Sharon and Town Manager Tony — both identified only by first name from the dais — stated that given the town's current fiscal environment, they concurred with Harriman's recommendation for Option 1, citing the low probability of securing a $3.1 million grant versus a more realistic chance of winning funding in the $1 to $1.5 million range.

Two residents spoke during citizens' comments, both expressing skepticism about any spending on the WISP fields. Mike Cannata of 136 Nooksell Road called the cost "out of control" and urged the boards to halt any taxpayer spending unless a grant fully covered the project. An email from Joseph DaVincio, a 35-year landscaping professional and lifelong Cromwell resident, argued the fields were adequate for youth soccer and that overuse, not drainage infrastructure, was the core problem. Jason LeBlanc of 3 Cedar Drive spoke in support of moving forward, saying the cost had already grown because the town had "delayed doing anything about it for over 20 years" and that a shovel-ready design was a prerequisite to applying for grants at all.

Board of Finance members who weighed in, while not required to vote since the engineering funds were already allocated, broadly expressed support for Option 1 as the most financially prudent path.

Why It Matters

The WISP fields serve soccer, baseball, softball, and physical education activities for West Intermediate School students. Persistent drainage failures have forced game cancellations and required extra maintenance labor. Without a completed shovel-ready design, the town cannot apply for state drainage-project grants or state bonding assistance, which town officials identified as the most realistic path to offsetting a project cost the tax base cannot easily absorb alone. The council's vote Thursday triggers the final design phase for Option 1. No construction funding has been appropriated; the town's next step will be to pursue grant opportunities once the design is complete.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Motion to proceed with engineering design of Option 1 (sand-cap buildup drainage system) for the WISP fields Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Cromwell's community access TV: Town Council meeting, June 25, 2026