Newington Parks Board Reorganizes, Approves Churchill Park Lighting Partnership
Parks and Recreation · Meeting of January 21, 2026
Newington's Parks and Recreation Board elected new officers and honored retiring Superintendent Bill DeMeo at its January 21 reorganization meeting. Eileen Francolino was unanimously elected chair, Phil Nolton vice chair, and Trish Feeney secretary, filling seats vacated after November's elections; former 38-year board member Don Woods called in by phone to praise DeMeo, who plans to retire April 3 after a decade leading the department and 31 prior years in New Britain. The board voted unanimously to approve four new business items, including public events at Mill Pond Park, Newington Goes Country on June 11 and the Life Being It Extravaganza from July 15 to 18, and a public-private partnership with Spark Social Sports to use Churchill Park's sand volleyball court and install lighting, a deal DeMeo projected would generate roughly $24,000 in annual net revenue after the first year.
DeMeo told the board the summer camp program, now a $750,000 budget line serving roughly 550 children, took in nearly $50,000 in online registration in a single day.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,088 words
Source: the Parks and Recreation meeting of January 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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