Aug 14, 2011
04:28 PM
How much did the renovation to the Ciuccoli Field cost and who paid?
Batter Up
How much did the renovation to the Ciuccoli Field cost and who paid?
Well, to find the answer we went in search of the man behind the undertaking and found him hammering down a sprinkler into newly sodded grass at Ciuccoli field. He is Bob Alicea, and was putting finishing touches on what has been a six-year effort by a group of private donors and contractors.
Ciuccoli Field sports two baseball diamonds—the main one next to the Ridgefield Playhouse is used by the high-school baseball team and Little League. The new concession stand is the crown jewel of the renovation. The 600-square-foot brick building sits behind home plate and is capped by a shingled roof with a lustrous copper cupola. There is also a new pair of dugouts—brick to replace the old chain link—and new fencing, bleachers, and stone patio.
So who paid for it? “I raised all the funds myself,” Alicea says of his efforts to generate more than $500,000. Half of that came from a single donation from Ridgefield residents Liz and Steven Goldstone. Parks & Rec also contributed manpower.
When Alicea moved to town 25 years ago and watched his sons go through the baseball system, he wondered why Ridgefield didn’t have the same high-quality facilities he had as a kid in Massachusetts. “Things happen when you build it. You draw players and people come,” he says. —Gordon Rago
Playhouse Cleaning
I hear the Ridgefield Playhouse will be closed for much of August. Why?
Renovations. The Ridgefield Playhouse has been closed since August 8 and is expected to reopen at the end of August. A few things that are being done: Larger and cozier seats with cup holders were a large part of the renovation. These renovations, financed by a donation from the Anne S. Richardson Fund, will provide extra legroom for people and more seating capacity. In addition, carpeting is being replaced and the audio system will be upgraded. “We currently rent additional sound for pretty much every show,” says executive director Allison Stockel. The money to pay for that came in part from a Cultural Capital Grant from the State of Connecticut. New lighting is also being installed in the aisles—so you don’t spill popcorn on the new carpeting. “We’ve been around for ten years,” says Stockel. “With 110 shows per year, the theater gets a lot of wear and tear.” —Jolie Smith
Choo-Choo
Will the Danbury-branch train service ever return to normal?
Yes, after months of constructing a new signal system, the Danbury branch plans to resume midday trains by August 19. Since April, Metro-North buses have been running instead of the diesel trains for the 9:37 a.m., 12:21 p.m., and the 2:54 p.m. trains that ran from Danbury to South Norwalk. Buses also replaced the 8:50 a.m. through the 4:02 p.m. trains that returned from South Norwalk. Buses took over entirely the weekends from June 4 to July 9. The signal system, which is set to begin operating in early 2012, will include a variety of safety precautions, including drop-gates at railroad crossings and signals that will tell trains whether to proceed or stop. —Robin MacFadden
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