Valley Indy photo
The new Lou DeFilippo Field in 2019.
DERBY — An appointed committee that oversaw the construction of a new football field and track met Tuesday to discuss a lawsuit involving the project.
Members of Derby’s “Athletic Complex Building Committee” went into executive session — a type of meeting closed to the public — to discuss the lawsuit filed against the city by Turco Golf of New Jersey. A copy of the lawsuit is embedded at the bottom of this post.
The committee met in private for about 36 minutes and did not take any action afterward.
Back in 2016, the state bonding commission authorized $3 million for a new track and multi-sport turf field (Lou DeFilippo Field).
The city hired Turco Golf as a contractor on the project. According to Turco’s website, the work included the installation of the turf athletic field, netting, fencing, a new, rubberized running track, a press box, bleacher modifications, lighting relocation and other improvements.
Meanwhile, a private donor financed the construction of a new field house and softball field next to the new multi-use field.
The project hit a major snag during a heavy rainstorm in September 2018 that caused mud and rocks to cascade off the construction projects, damaging nearby houses on Hawthorne Avenue, E Street, Cedric Avenue, Chatfield Street, and Park Avenue.
Neighbors later filed a lawsuit saying no one involved in the project did enough to control erosion, and the city didn’t do enough to monitor the project. The companies hired for the projects in Derby blamed each other.
The lawsuit from neighbors is still pending.
Turco Golf filed a lawsuit against city government on July 2020, saying Derby breached its construction contract with Turco in a number of ways.
A screen shot of the June 22 online meeting of the Derby Athletic Complex Building Committee.
That’s the lawsuit the committee talked about Tuesday. Those who participated in the executive session included Alderman Ron Sill, Alderman Rob Hyder, former Derby treasurer/interim finance director Keith McLiverty, Derby Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway, corporation counsel Dennis Kokenos, and committee members Paul Mengold, Ken Marcucio Sr. (also a member of the Derby Board of Education).
In its lawsuit, Turco claims that the city assigned the company additional work that was outside the scope of the original contract, and that they therefore require additional money.
Turco, based in New Jersey, further claims the plans for the job provided by the city were flawed, resulting in more of Turco’s time and resources going toward the project.
The company is suing for at least $15,000, a standard starting claim in Connecticut civil court.
The city has denied the company’s claims, inviting Turco to prove the assertions in court.
Turco’s Lawsuit Against Derby by The Valley Indy on Scribd
