Valley Community Foundation President James Cohen is always happy to be in Ansonia, just not for the reason he was Tuesday — to present $1,000 toward fixing the vandalism perpetrated last month at Nolan Field.
“The last time we were here on an incident like this was because of the desecration of the veterans’ memorials,” Cohen said, noting that whoever did that probably wanted “to make a few bucks,” in contrast to the Nolan Field damage.
“There’s nothing in this for the people who did this other than the perverse pleasure in destroying public property,” he said.
Luckily for Ansonia, the VCF — in addition to other groups and organizations throughout town who have helped out, from the merchants of Main Street to a lemonade stand run by two fifth-graders — was ready to chip in.
The VCF’s donation was broken down into three parts — a $500 grant from the foundation’s board, and $250 apiece the foundation’s Cohen-DeToro Charitable Fund and John and Paraskeve Vonetes Vartelas “AGAPE” Fund.
Click the play button on the video above to see remarks by VCF Board Chairman Greg Stamos, Cohen, Ansonia Youth Football and Cheer President Jon Chrzanowski, and Della Volpe at Tuesday’s presentation. Click here to read more about the VCF’s funds.
Police were alerted to the damage about 6 a.m. Aug. 1. A vehicle of some kind caused an estimated $15,000 to the field by driving on the grass and leaving deep tire marks behind.
Mayor James Della Volpe said that while the vandalism was saddening and whoever did it hasn’t been caught, the community’s response has been uplifting.
“We haven’t been able to find out who’s done it yet, but the community has rallied and I’m extremely proud of what the business community and the residents of the City of Ansonia have done to support the repair fund,” he said.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Ansonia Police Department with information. The number is (203) 735‑1885.
The total cost to repair the field — the work has already been done on an “emergency” basis — totaled about $15,000, Della Volpe said.
The city’s insurance company picked up $5,000, because the city’s deductible is $10,000.
The mayor said about $8,000 has been raised to fund the repairs — 20,000 square feet of new sod — including the money donated by VCF Tuesday.
That leaves about $2,000 still to be raised, though Della Volpe said that “donations are coming in on a daily basis.”
“We’re close to that goal and if there’s any money left over we’re just going to use it on the field to maintain it,” the mayor said.
The field is used by at least 350 children every year, Della Volpe said.
Stamos said Tuesday that athletics are “really just one thread of the fabric of the greater whole of the community.”
“It’s very important that our youth have a place to go, a place that’s safe that gives them a good outlet,” Stamos said. “It gives them a diversion and makes them well-rounded.”
Chrzanowski thanked Cohen and Stamos “not only from my board, but from all the parents and best of all the kids, to help them get back on the field and enjoy what they need to be doing out there.”
Click here to check out the website for Ansonia Youth Football and Cheer.
Della Volpe ended the ceremony with a personal recollection of helping to maintain the field when he was a student in the 1960s, when he would help then-coach Charles “Boots” Jarvis drag hoses out to water the field during the summer months.
The same attention to detail existed throughout Della Volpe’s 27-year tenure as an assistant coach with the team, he said, and continues to this day under Sean Rowley, of the city’s public works department.
“We take great pride in the fact that it’s one of the best grass fields in the state,” Della Volpe said.
