The Derby public school system will be receiving a $2 million donation, officials announced Thursday.
The money will be used to build a new field house at the Ryan Athletic Complex on Chatfield Street and to build a new baseball field at a yet-to-be decided location.
The baseball field is currently at the Ryan complex — but it has to move because the city received a separate $2.9 million state grant to build a new track and artificial turf field.
The Derby Baseball Field Relocation Committee has been tasked with finding a new home for the Derby High School baseball field. They’ve been leaning toward Witek Park in east Derby, currently home to Derby Youth Soccer.
Now, thanks to the $2 million donation, the city is taking another look at its field options.
At a 1‑hour meeting of the Baseball Field Relocation Committee meeting Thursday, Derby Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway said it might be possible to put the Derby High School baseball field on Nutmeg Avenue — instead of moving the high school field across town.
But if that happens, Derby Little League would have to find a new place to play. That could be behind the Bradley School — or it could be Witek Park.
League officials from Little League and Pop Warner (they also play on Nutmeg Avenue), like Derby Youth Soccer before them, wanted more information from the superintendent and the committee. They urged the committee to keep the leagues in the loop.
There’s a lot to mull over, but, as Derby Public Works Director Anthony DeFala put it — these are nice problems for a community to have.
Click play on the video above to watch Thursday’s meeting.
