Tiger Hollow renovations: Track repairs, turf replacement on selectmen’s radar in 2020

RIDGEFIELD — Renovations at Tiger Hollow are planned, and the expectation is that they’ll at least get started in the upcoming year — starting with the track.

What’s not clearly established yet, at least in First Selectman Rudy Marconi’s mind, are the costs — and what the town’s share of those will be — for all the various projects envisioned by Tiger Hollow Inc., the successor committee to the one that originally built the artificial turf field.

The projects include renovations to the track, new artificial turf for two or three fields, and various enhancements such as a cushion below the fields and different construction approach on the track that could allow the renovated track to last much longer.

Of course, what the town does, how much it all costs, and how great taxpayers’ share will be are all questions the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance, and eventually town voters will have to decide.

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Costs, of course, are a huge factor in the decision-making.

“It’s the numbers,” Marconi said. “We haven’t even gone out to bid. We haven’t even had a discussion about this. This is the Tiger Hollow ask, at this point.”

But Marconi said he’s comfortable with the general idea of the town taking over costs at the facility — which was built largely through private donations, after fund-raising by the Tiger Hollow committee.

“Those are assets of the community,” Marconi said.

“The worth is there. It’s a good investment for the town,” he said.

“We own them, we accepted them, we thank the people who donated them. Now we just need to pay or the normal maintenance and care and replacement.”