Matt Ritter

We broke ground on Batterson Park (closed since 2015) in Farmington and New Britain…with the hope of a September grand opening of a beautiful regional park. 

I want to thank Mayor Arulampalam for hosting the event and Council President Shirley Surgeon and Majority Leader Marilyn Rossetti for their commitment to the cause and support as we moved through the process. It was a huge team effort with the state DEEP, Hartford, New Britain, Farmington, and my legislative team – especially the delegations from Hartford, Farmington, and New Britain. 

The state has committed funding for the renovation project and operation costs will be covered by the state's Passport to Parks program. 

Batterson Park is a bit of a mystery to many people in central Connecticut – a Hartford city park in Farmington and New Britain?  The lake was originally used as a drinking water reservoir before the Hartford Water Department donated the tract to the Hartford Parks Department in 1928 leading to a park located miles outside the city limits.