Tarrywile Park Authority

Members

  • Michael Marcus - Chairman
  • Marita Repole - Vice-Chair
  • Warren Platz - Treasurer
  • Barbara Talarico - Secretary
  • David Manacek
  • Nancy Wakeham
  • Janet Harner
  • Edward Prybylski
  • Julie LaValla

Overview

At 722 acres, Tarrywile Park is the largest municipally-owned town Park in the State of Connecticut and the answer to any nature lover's dream. The Park offers fields and meadows giving way to spectacular views, dense forests of hemlock, oak, and maple, steep hillsides punctuated by dramatic outcrops of granite, and glistening streams and ponds. There are twenty-one miles of cleared hiking trails and several picnic areas. The Park allows opportunities for observing wildlife and enjoying the scenery or an aggressive workout on rugged terrain. 

There are also many activities that the park is home to, such as National Trails Day, StoryWalk, Boy Scout, and Girl Scout events. Several area high schools use the park as their home course for cross-country meets. The Tarrywile Park Authority and staff, which manage the Park for the City of Danbury, are proud to offer most Park events free of charge. New program opportunities are offered and are published in the Calendar of Events which is available on our website. 

Within the boundaries of Tarrywile Park stand both the Tarrywile Mansion and Hearthstone Castle. These structures are listed on the National Register for Historic Preservation. The Mansion is a community center for the City of Danbury where many meetings, weddings, and social events are held. It is surrounded by formal gardens, an orchard, and beautiful specimen trees. A children's garden is located along the Mansion's front lawn and is the site of many an exploration by youngsters and families. An adaptive reuse study has been completed for Hearthstone Castle through a grant from the CT Trust for Historic Preservation and a Castle Task Force has been set up to look into the possibility of restoration of this magnificent structure. This year, another grant has been awarded to the City and we will be seeking Stabilization Construction Plans and Bid Documents through a bid process. 

The staff works very closely with many volunteers who help to maintain the Park including Eagle Scouts, Girl and Boy Scouts, Volunteer Hike Leaders, as well as corporations and those looking to complete community service hours. Without the help of these fine volunteers, we would not be able to maintain this Park as the largest municipally-owned Park in the State of Connecticut. We send out a big round of applause to all of our volunteers for their efforts no matter how large or small. Our motto is "many hands make light work." Consider the Mansion for your next event, whether it is a business meeting, retreat, birthday party, wedding bar/bat mitzvah, or a shower. There are affordable rates for weekday and weekend rentals. We hope if you have not already visited the Park, you will come and do so. It is a great gem in our community and we hope to share it with you.

Our Accomplishments 2017-2018

  • Working with the Construction Services Division, we completed the oil to gas conversion on Tarrywile Mansion. The Authority also converted all the Mansion stoves from propane to natural gas. We have already seen a reduction in our heating bills of 35%.
  • In conjunction with Macaroni Kid of Danbury, we co-hosted two new fundraising events at the Park. An Easter Egg event in the spring and a Candy Cane hunt in December. Our annual Harvest Dinner in November was our most successful to date, raising $4,000.
  • Utilized volunteer groups to do three different major trail projects, including the continued repairs to sections of the Orange Trail. Volunteers from the Jericho
  • The City of Danbury's CleanStart Program was utilized to make repairs to the Blue Trail.
  • An updated Mansion brochure was completed along with updating the Mansion website. We are trying different internet advertising locations in an effort to maximize our advertising budget.

Department Goals and Objectives

Department Goals Cared for by a staff of only five; 2 full-time and 4 part-time employees. Their responsibilities range from mowing lawns, snow plowing, garden maintenance, booking Mansion events, fundraising, building maintenance, just to name a few duties. Staff also helps raise a percentage of our funding through building rentals and fundraising. We will strive to continue to provide the level of service that Park users have come to expect including programs, activities, and opportunities for passive recreation, observing wildlife, and scenic views. Major Objectives 2018-2019

  • Increase our fundraising efforts including a new event in October geared for families. We also pursue grants for items that are unable to be funded by the Capital Improvement Program.
  • Expand our public outreach, through social media, our website, and public events. Many Park users are unaware of how the Park operates or how it is funded, we strive to better inform the public of these facts.
  • Further work on our marketing program including the development of a storefront on our website to sell merchandise.
  • Utilize volunteers for various projects around the Park. Including but not limited to trail work and garden maintenance.