The Future of Manchester’s Parks
Several Town of Manchester and Department of Leisure, Family and Recreation facilities will see continued expansion and renovation throughout the 2025 construction season.
Starting next spring, several town parks and facilities will undergo vast renovations to better meet the evolving needs of the local community. Facility and park improvements for the 2025 construction season include, but are not limited to, the Nathan Hale Pocket Park & grounds improvements, Charter Oak Park West, trails wayfinding stations and much more.
For further information on these and other improvement projects, please visit the Town of Manchester’s Your Voice Matters campaign page at yourvoicemattersmanchesterct.com.
Nathan Hale Pocket Park & Facility Improvements
Since its closure as a public school more than a decade ago, the Nathan Hale school building at 160 Spruce Street has long been the topic of community use and improvement plans. With renovations scheduled to begin in 2025, the Nathan Hale building and surrounding grounds will undergo vast renovations which, alongside the current Charter Oak Park updates, will help establish another public recreation facility within Manchester’s Eastside neighborhood.
Nathan Hale Elementary School closed in June of 2012 due to an aging heat
piping and boiler system that required substantial repair. Immediate occupancy
was established by the Town of Manchester to provide community use to keep the
building open, primarily as a deterrent for vandalism and to meet the needs of
community partners that needed space for sports, recreation, and leisure
activities. This occupancy, which began in 2012, continued until the summer of
2024.
Facility updates to Nathan Hale’s surrounding grounds will be robust,
including the creation of new programming spaces to be operated by the Town of
Manchester and programmed through the Neighborhoods & Families Division.
Current facility updates include:
Pocket Park: A new pocket park will be established at 160 Spruce Street, with the relocation of existing parking to the corner of Birch Street and Spruce Street. The park will be connected to the expanded sidewalk and will include a shaded pavilion, cooling station, recessed water features and night-time illumination that is open and accessible to all.
Revitalized Playground: The current playground will be replaced with a new model on the Cottage Street side of the Nathan Hale grounds. It will serve as a connection to Downtown Manchester and will be part of a linear park system with updated landscaping and programming space.
Street Update: The portion of street at 153 & 160 Spruce Street will undergo several renovations, including a sidewalk expansion to accommodate the Spruce Street Farmers Market and other programs and a raised speed table that slows traffic and connects 153 & 163
Spruce Street.
Public Parking: Additional mixed-use parking (residential & public) will be installed on the rear of Nathan Hale, in addition to new parking stalls alongside the Spruce Street Community Garden for Eastside Neighborhood Resource Center staff, visitors and program attendees.
The Nathan Hale school building itself will be revitalized and operated as apartment units by Parker Benjamin. Parker Benjamin, who is a “leading firm in adaptive reuse historic real estate development,” plans to renovate the existing structure to include 40 residential units and workforce housing consisting of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.
For Recreation Supervisor Anthony Mazzotta, who is based out of the Eastside Neighborhood Resource Center at 153 Spruce Street, the Nathan Hale renovations are an exciting next step in the Town of Manchester and the Department of Leisure, Family and Recreation’s continued expansion in establishing equitable recreation facilities for all.
“The Nathan Hale facility renovations are a crucial point in the Town’s commitment to the Eastside neighborhoods,” Mazzotta said. “In addition to the expansion of Charter Oak Park, this will help to further establish recreation and leisure opportunities for all, regardless of age, ability or location.”
The Oak
Right down the street from Nathan Hale lies Charter Oak Park, which in the past months has already seen the beginning of the Charter Oak Park West expansion. Celebrated with its new branding, The Oak will see a connection between the existing park grounds and new facilities, bridging together two park grounds into a cohesive, multi-use space for all.
Phase 1 of the project, which began in the summer of 2024, consists of
the new park entrance, parking and turf soccer field. Phase 2 of the project,
scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025, consists of the skate & pump
track and associated landscaping.
This project is funded through a combination of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, state grants and local capital improvement funds, with over 80 percent of funding coming from external sources.
Further information on Phase 2 of the Charter Oak Park improvement
project includes:
●
A 360’ x 240’ synthetic turf soccer field marked for
both adult and youth play
●
Combination skate/pump track designed by the
American Ramp Company
● 74-stall parking lot at 30 Charter Oak Street
“The improvements are community-driven and informed by recommendations from the 2021 Town of Manchester Parks and Facilities Master Plan,” Town Manager Steve Stephanou said. “At that time, survey results showed that Charter Oak Park is one of the most used parks in Town, with 56 percent of respondents saying they have used the park for recreation. This project was made possible thanks to the Board of Directors, local taxpayers and generous contributions from the state and federal government, with critical assistance from our state legislative and federal delegations.”
This project is in addition to the vast improvements made to Charter Oak Park in 2017, which included new playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts, a softball field, music garden, improved walkways and much more. Charter Oak Park, already one of the most well-utilized park facilities in Manchester, aims for continued growth and connection through its planned expansion.
“What is so exciting about the updates to Charter Oak Park is that it continues to flesh out a space that is already so well used and loved by the Manchester public,” Mazzotta said. “From your more typical recreation offerings such as soccer to more modern facilities such as the pump track, this opens the door to all kinds of new projects, programs and community-use.”
For further information on the Charter Oak Park project, follow along on the project’s Your Voice Matters page (https://shorturl.at/Aoh9C).
Modernized Basketball Hoop System – Leisure Labs at Mahoney Center
Housed at 110 Cedar Street, the Leisure Labs at Mahoney Center is a three-floor programming space overseen by the Department of Leisure, Family and Recreation. Housed at the former Washington Elementary School building, the facility plays host to school-year evening programming, summer day camps, early voting election centers and much more.
In an effort to further modernize the gymnasium space, the basketball hoop system at the Leisure Labs was replaced this fall, updating the original hoop system of the one-time school building. Now updated, the system will allow for more adaptive use of the gymnasium, a space that hosts adult volleyball and youth sports clinics, in addition to league and drop-in basketball.
The new hoop system is just another update in a long line of updates to the Leisure Labs in the past few years. The center is continually evolving to meet the needs of Manchester’s youth and families, Recreation Supervisor TaylorMcBride, who oversees the center, said, further emphasizing the Department’s commitment to serving local youth.
“The new basketball hoop system is only the next step in the continued growth of the Leisure Labs at Mahoney Center,” McBride said. “Between the new hoops, our revamped Tech, Dance & Art labs and the Manchester Sports Hall of Fame exhibit, the Labs will be able to continue to offer a variety of recreation programs, traditional and non-traditional alike.”
The Leisure Labs at Mahoney Center is open October through May (Monday-Friday, 5:00 – 9:00 PM) for drop-in & programming use; the Center is available by appointment or reservation only between late May-September. For further information or to reserve a space at the Leisure Labs, please contact the Recreation Division at (860)647-3084.
Additional Facility Upgrades
Additional Department of Leisure, Family and Recreation facility upgrades include:
● Trails Wayfinding Stations will be installed at
several trail points, including at Elm Street, Broad Street and more.
● World of Manchester art exhibit installation within
the Culture Lab at Mahoney Center.
● Renovated Town Hall parking lot off of Trotter
Street.
● Renovated welcome signage at Center Springs Park and
the Community Y Recreation Center.
● Native American mural installation at Center Springs Park
While this year may be winding to a close, stay tuned for what the Town
of Manchester has in store throughout 2025. These new facilities and planned
renovations are for all, so be sure to
visit them, enjoy them, and care for them.
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About Author
James Costa is the Neighborhoods & Families Coordinator for the Department of Leisure, Family, and Recreation. He began working with the division during his sophomore year at Manchester High School, and he is now a UConn graduate with degrees in Journalism & Film Studies.
Fun Fact #1: I won my car in a raffle during Manchester High School’s Project Graduation.
Fun Fact #2: My all-time favorite movies are All That Heaven Allows, Punch-Drunk Love & Twin Peaks: The Return.