Hartford plans restoration of Ellis Park

The City of Hartford is seeking the community’s input as they begin plans to restore Ellis Park.

The city is in the beginning phases of a multi-phase project which has already received approval from the city council.

“Everyone is really excited about moving toward a restoration of the park,” said Ashley Evans Smith, Hartford Community Coordinator. “We’re going to start by sourcing information from the community about what they would like to see at the park.”

The community is encouraged to take a needs assessment survey on the city’s website which will help in determining the wants and needs of the park.

“We’re asking people to give feedback on what they would most like to see and what their family would most utilize at the park,” Smith said.

The city will also be hosting a community event at the park Nov. 7 in hopes of bringing people back to the park to look at the condition it is in now and imagine what it could be in the future, Smith said.

Smith said the current condition of the park isn’t great. The two baseball fields at the park, while still utilized from time to time as practice fields, need work.

“For too long Ellis Park has gone without any improvements or basic necessities being completed out there,” said Hartford Mayor George Chinn. “The community needs a place to relax and enjoy.”

Chinn said that the project would be a long-term project that would eventually offer families a place to gather, exercise and experience a wide range of activities.

“We recognized not just with the pandemic, but just also as we gain more information about how important health is and how important parks are to the overall health and economics of a community, that this is something that would be really valuable for the citizens of Hartford and the surrounding areas,” Smith said as to the importance and timing of the project.

Smith hopes the event in November helps provide a picture of what the community wants in its park because it will be the community who will be using it.

“We want to see what the people want and what the people will use. We want to see their vision not just mine or the council’s,” she said. “My personal take on it is that people will take care of and use something that they need and that they want and something they will be passionate about and that’s what will make the park sustainable by really creating that sense of community.”

The restoration project will be funded mostly through a 50/50 land and water grant, Chinn said. The city’s half of the funds would come from the occupational tax set aside for infrastructure.

Pending a increase in COVID-19 cases in the county, the event at the park will be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 7. Smith said plans are to have community involvement with local law enforcement officers and the fire department present as well as local businesses selling their products. The city will be providing hot dogs.