Colt Park Update January 2023

Letter from the Chair

Prior to 2022, the Friends of Colt Park organized clean-ups, plantings and events for residents. We advocated for park improvements and held annual events like Trunk or Treat on Halloween. The organization felt that to better serve the community, we needed to become a more formalized organization. This past year, Colt Park Foundation (CPF) completed requirements to become an 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. As a registered nonprofit, CPF will be able to apply for more grants, significantly more funding and to be a better partner with the Hartford Department of Public Works and the National Park Service, for whom we are ever thankful.

CPF has already secured several grants in 2022. Our nonprofit prioritizes the selection of grants in terms of natural, recreational, public safety and maintenance needs of the park. We appreciate support from a wide variety of sources: Eagle Scout Troop 105, Hartford Public Schools Art Department, Wadsworth Atheneum, Los Amigos Softball League, Mega Education, CID, Coltsville National Historical Park, Greater Hartford Garden Club, Sustainable CT, Eversource, Our Piece of the Pie, Love Hartford, Luna Productions, River Growers CT, Unity City of Hartford, the Connecticut Urban Forest Council, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council.

CPF conducts community outreach efforts including; a notice board on the little library, Colt Park Foundation and Friends Facebook, Instagram, Coltpark.org, articles and images in the Hartford News. Our board is represented by community leaders with members on the City's Park and Recreation Advisory Council and a board member on CSS Con NRZ. Every two years we gather resident input to assist in prioritization of improvements in Colt Park.

CPF had a great first year as a nonprofit. The Greater Hartford Arts Council awarded us almost $10,000 in Hartford Creates funding, an all-season events grant for 2023 programming. We look forward to providing upcoming art-infused events and other community-centered activities in Colt Park.

Gratefully,

Donna S. Swarr

Colt Park Update June 2022

Dear Friend,

We did it – TA DA! We have completed the non-profit process with both the State of Connecticut and the IRS. The CPF’s mission is Colt Park Foundation’s mission is to promote a safe and healthy environment, preserve its natural appearance, enhance its active and passive use, and to increase public and private support for the enjoyment and betterment of the park by city and area residents.

The foundation has been working done over the past 12 months to seek ways to meet our mission. We held a community outreach effort to ascertain the wants and needs for improvements in Colt Park. From that we have a list of priorities which we work with the City’s DPW, Treasurer and seek other sources of funding. The priority projects includes completion of the Clemente and softball fields 1 & 2, maintenance of the pools, walkways, concession stand, Wethersfield Avenue fencing and trees. The city will be working on maintenance of the pool this year, which it will open the weekend after school gets out. The city’s CIP budget includes a renovation of the old skating rink into a futsal court. This court is used to play soccer in tight quarters and hones players control of the ball.

CPF was awarded four grants this year. We applied for four small grant this year and managed to be awarded all of them. We received funding from DEEP’s Community Forestry Small Grants Program for pruning young trees and four dogwood trees. The Connecticut Valley Garden Club, Sustainable CT and donations from many supporters provided funding for six horse chestnut trees. Four Knox planters and an extension of the Wadsworth Atheneum of Museum of Art and Hartford Public Schools Hartford Youth Art Renaissance juried art show is being funded by a Love Your Block grant. The art show will be installed around the same time as when the pool will be opening. It will be located on the pool fence along the walkway. The City of Hartford is managing an enrichment programming grant this year, Unity. Colt Park Foundation has been awarded sufficient funding for paint parties, a movie in the park, sound healing, and a bouncy house.

So as always, Colt Park has plenty to do for everyone. With the new picnic tables and benches, you can just relax and enjoy the park, grab a book from the little library, bring an instrument, come with your family and friends. If you want something more active you can hop in the pool, play softball, baseball, football, tag football, kickball, soccer, or rugby. Please look out for an announcement of the dates for the enrichment activities.

Donna Swarr

Colt Park Foundation, Chair

Colt Park Update April 2021

Dear Friend,

The construction continues this spring, but the park will be open. Currently, softball fields 1,2,5 and 6 are being groomed. Roberto Clemente Field and Johnny Taylor Field will be open as April 25th. To see images of both projects, please go to facebook.com/coltparkfoundation. The new soccer fields will not be open until later in the summer. But the youth soccer field, Vintage baseball and the three football/soccer fields are available for use. The East Entrance (Hendrixcsen/Maseek) is well underway. There is a pedestrian entrance on Curcombe or you can go through Kinsella School to enter the park. The pavilion and walkway along Stonington are TBD and a fustsal court is being designed to refurbish the old skating rink. Deconstruction an old, ugly, rusty fence along the sidewalk between Stonington Street and Morris Street Ext. has been removed. An old, ugly, weedy fence between the new Taylor baseball field and soccer fields was removed as well.

Colt Park Friends transitioning to becoming a foundation. Our mission is to promote a safe and healthy environment, preserve its natural appearance, enhance its active and passive use, and to increase public and private support for the enjoyment and betterment of the park by city and area residents. By becoming a foundation, we will be able to raise funding to support improvements and maintenance of Colt Park. Last fall we planted over 500 daffodils in the park at several locations for the Hope Gardens. Recently, we raised monies for some trees, installed a Free Little Library on the pool fence as well as a temporary StoryWalk which the Hartford Public Library has lent us.

This spring and summer there will be Park Ambassadors staff by the Recreation Division on Saturdays and Sundays between 12pm-6pm starting Sunday, April 18th. Don’t miss “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” on April 22nd between 12 -2 pm Earth Day by the playscape. You need to register on MyRec for a kite to build or a airplane. Go to hartfordct.myrec.com. The Amigos Softball Leagues’ Opening Day will be on April 25th at 11 AM. The pools will be opening on a staggered schedule, the date is TBD. You will need to register for this as well due to Covid protocols.

We are planning a grand reopening event in Colt Park in early October. We hope to do it earlier, but that will depend on when the construction projects are completed.

Donna Swarr

Colt Park Foundation, Chair