$2.5 Million Upgrade Announced For Norwalk City Hall Track, Field

NORWALK, CT — The city announced this week $2.5 million in state funding going toward upgrading the track and field at City Hall and converting it into a multi-use sports field.

During a media event at the track Wednesday morning, Mayor Harry Rilling and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, along with other city and state officials, noted how frequently the Mary Roman Track and Field are used by Norwalk residents.

The track was renamed last year in honor of Roman, a former city clerk and athlete who trained on the track for the Senior Olympics, according to additional press materials provided by the city.

"As you know, this field is going to be designated in memory of Mary Roman," Rilling said, "who had been a longtime city employee, but more notably...she became a world-class senior athlete, bringing back trophies from all over the world, and it was really amazing to see some of the things that she did."

According to the city, the track and field are in a central location and utilized by residents for walking and running, as well as students on Norwalk High School's junior varsity and freshmen baseball teams and members of the Norwalk Junior Soccer Association.

The planned upgrades will allow the field to be even more widely used for track, baseball, softball and soccer. The soccer field will also serve as a lacrosse, field hockey and practice football field, according to the city.

"This track now will be something we'll be proud of," Rilling said, "that will be worthy of the name Mary Roman."

The city plans to completely replace the current gravel track with a new rubberized track and install LED field lighting, allowing for greater usage during evenings.

City officials also noted the field already has ample parking due to its location at City Hall and requires very little sight modification, making it an ideal space for expanded recreation opportunities in the community.

"It's going to be able to be used for so many different things," Rilling said, "and it's going to be something right behind City Hall of which we can be very proud."

Duff noted the track and field were already located behind the building when City Hall opened in the 1980's, and there was talk at the time of replacing it with more parking spaces.

"We see so many people using this field all the time," Duff said. "Norwalkers just coming and walking, jogging and all kinds of [activities] day and night on this field."

He also praised the efforts of local and state leaders that led to funding being available for projects in Norwalk like the track and field upgrades.

"We're really investing in our parks," Duff said, "we're really investing in our kids to make sure they have safe places to play, and that they have good quality places to play as well."

Director of Recreation and Parks Robert Stowers acknowledged the large amount of residents who use the track to run but often struggle to have "a smooth run" due to it being a gravel track.

Superintendent of Parks and Public Property Ken Hughes said the city plans to bring a designer on board for the project as soon as possible, with work currently planned to begin in the spring.

Hughes said the track will most likely not be useable while work is taking place for safety reasons and estimated the project would take about four to six months to complete.