Town officials on Tuesday approved a $15,000 contract with a New Canaan-based company to expand the patio area at the popular Mead Park Lodge.
Home to Apple Cart Food Co., the lodge has seen even more use amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann.
The town felt the need to convert a planted area into a temporary patio area as a result, and used crushed stone for it, Mann told the Board of Selectmen during their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.
“The problem with the crushed stone is that the children are getting into it, throwing it all over the patio which turns into a slipping and tripping hazard, or they throw it into the grass which is problematic for when we try to cut the grass,” Mann said.
The solution is to do the entire area in bluestone, he said.
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted 3-0 in favor of a contract with Fortino Escalante, Inc.
The company is offering to do it as a price that’s comparable to prices from 2013, Mann said.
Beyond expanding the patio, Mann said that the town is looking at future projects to create a walkway to the traffic island toward the Mead Park Playground entrance, and eventually another connection to the playground itself.