Cromwell Council Unanimously Backs Option 1 Design for WISP Field Drainage
Town Council · Meeting of June 25, 2026
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."
In the full story:
- The three options, in summary
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,386 words
Source: the Town Council meeting of June 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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