The surface of the Miracle League of Connecticut field at 1700 Asylum Avenue in West Hartford has been resurfaced and the rededication was celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Saturday.

By Ronni Newton

The Town of West Hartford took ownership of the fields at 1700 Asylum Avenue in December 2024, and with the security of long-term access, the Miracle League of Connecticut has now completed a long-planned resurfacing of its accessible ball field, celebrating the event with a rededication and ribbon cutting on Saturday morning.

Town officials, Miracle League of Connecticut Board President Jon Slifka and other Board members, Miracle League athletes and their families, town officials, and other supporters including from the West Hartford Little League which shares the field complex, gathered for the event, with multiple “first pitches” thrown out simultaneously following the cutting of the ribbon.

The funds to resurface the Miracle League Field had been raised from private donors over the course of many years, and had been set aside while the long-term ownership and use of the field had remained undetermined.

“With the property zoning being in flux over the years, we just didn’t feel like we. could commit to spending that much money without certainty that this field would be here,” Miracle League of Connecticut Executive Director Mike Michaud said Saturday. With the town now being the owner, it was time to install the new synthetic surface, at a cost of $400,000.

“And we are proud to say, not a penny of taxpayer money was used,” Michaud added. The original field, installed 13 years ago, cost $325,000, but they immediately started fundraising again because they knew the surface would need replacement at some point. Fundraising for future replacement will again take place, and having the field in town possession makes “such a huge difference,” he said.

Mayor Shari Cantor expressed her thanks to the many people and organizations that made the creation of the original field possible, including Beth Bye, who was then a state senator and helped secure a $250,000 grant to start the field construction. “The partnership with UConn was great, but then when UConn moved there was a lot of anxiety and a lot of unknowns and it was a journey to get us through the process,” said Cantor. “So this is a really special day,” she said, noting that the town owns the field and the Miracle League founders – including Scott Franklin and Ronit Shoham, who were present – continue to work to fulfill the vision of a beautiful, state-of-the-art, and accessible field.

“We are exceptionally proud of this field, and everything that went into it over the years … starting with the donation with the state many, many years ago and the work that our delegation did to provide us this opportunity,” said Town Manager Rick Ledwith. “But really, our thanks really go to the Miracle League … it was the Miracle League’s heavy lifting that got this done all along.” The town really appreciates what the Miracle League does for the community, providing opportunities for children of all abilities, he added.

According to Michaud, who thanked the many loyal volunteers, the Miracle League of Connecticut provides program about 45 weekends a year. It started with baseball, but in addition now includes swimming, bowling, dance, and iCan Bike.

The fields – ball fields, a basketball court, and a playground – at 1700 Asylum Avenue were donated to the town in late 2024 by West Hartford 1 LLC, the developer of Heritage Park.

In August 2024, the entirety of what had been 1700 Asylum Avenue was split into two parcels, and 14.866 acres were sold for $22.7 million to a newly-created entity, West Hartford Developers LLC, which is managed by Eli Pechthold of Garden Homes. That newly-created entity is now in the process of developing the 322-unit multifamily residential development The Residences at Heritage Park – which now has the address of 1360 Trout Brook Drive – that will include four buildings as well as a community green and a variety of amenities for residents and the public.

When the lot was split, WeHa Development Group East LLC retained ownership of the portion of the property that includes the ballfields and playground that they then donated to the town.

The Heritage Park mixed-use development at 1800 Asylum Avenue obtained approval from the Town Council in February 2025, but work on that project has not yet commenced.

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