A Field of Their Own

A proposal is working its way through town agencies that could lead to the development of a softball field – and potentially a sports complex in the future - at a site off Route 117.

The Ledyard Girls League is asking the town to locate a softball field on about 100 acres near the Preston town line at what is commonly known as the old Clark farm property.

“The field at the middle school isn’t adequate,” said league president Matt Schmahl. “People from other communities come and look at it and quickly see that it’s not up to standards.”

Schmahl and Donald Grise, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said the existing field doesn’t have a fence or dugouts, and suffers from both poor drainage and overuse.

While the current proposal is only for a softball field at the Clark property, both Schmahl and Grise feel that the site has plenty of potential as a complex that could include soccer fields, a walking track and a dog play park, among other things.

“There’s plenty of room for all of that,” said Grise, who believes the plan could eventually become a revenue generator for the town.

The proposal being advanced by the softball league is before the Land Use, Planning and Public Works Commission. The Parks and Recreation Commission is expected to consider it at its November meeting.

Middle school field inadequate

The middle school site is in constant use between April and November, according to Grise. Fighting for time there are soccer, lacrosse, and softball teams. It also is used for football practice.

“Everybody is competing at the middle school complex,” Grise said. “It would be nice to give the middle school some rest for a year or two so we could do some maintenance, such as aerating the field.”

The land in question is part of two parcels – one  acquired several years ago in a land swap with the Mashantucket Pequot tribe – that together total 102 acres.

Grise said the girls’ league approached the recreation commission and he and Schmahl walked the property together. “So we’ve’ looked at the property and now it’s one step at a time,” he said.

The land has been leased since it was acquired by the town, but has been largely unused.

Mayor Fred B. Allyn Jr. was charged by the town council to request proposals for use of the property. He said he had hoped to receive a proposal to actively farm the land, but that hasn’t happened.

Allyn, who hails from a long line of local farmers, said he worries about an increasing scarcity of farmland in town.

“Some day we may be sorry,” he said. “Some day we may wish we could do what our forefathers did, which is grow our own food.”

Schmahl, however, agreed with Grise that the land has great long-term potential as a sports complex. “It could be a beautiful complex,” he said.

And besides, he added, the girls deserve to play on a better field.

“Ledyard used to be a juggernaut in softball,” Schmahl said. “It won state championships a number of times. What we’ve come to realize is that now we’re holding the girls back.”