Park Commission files three backup CPA plans

Park Commission · Meeting of September 28, 2026

Groton's Park Commission voted 3-1-1 to file three separate Community Preservation Act applications as backup funding for a baseball and soccer parking project ahead of a town meeting vote on the full $3.9 million plan. CPC Representative Jack Petropoulos and member Jeffrey Ohringer voted yes, Vice Chair Mark Presti voted no, member Anna Eliot abstained, and Chair Mary Jennings voted yes. The three applications ranged from roughly $1.2 million for a connector road and field replacement up to $4 million for a full parking buildout.

Presti warned against presenting field removal as an acceptable fallback, saying "you need to have a spine" on the issue. The commission separately authorized a $51,500 CPA filing by staff member Mark Haddad and approved a pavilion permit for a fitness boot camp. A state conservation restriction forces the complex's access road to close November 1 regardless of the town meeting outcome.

In the full story:

• Call to Order, Minutes and Turtle Monitoring Recognition
• CPA/CPC Report
• Permits and Routine Business
• Baseball and Soccer Parking and Access Project: Backup CPA Proposals
• Town Meeting Preparation and Presentation
• Other Business and Scheduling
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,177 words

Source: the Park Commission meeting of September 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.