PLAINFIELD — When future generations use the Plainfield Town Park — which features a ballpark with a grass infield, swings and play sets, and a covered pavilion with picnic tables — they will see that the park is dedicated to Ed and Sandy Morann.
Following a unanimous vote by the Select Board this month, the Plainfield Town Park, at 38 North Central St., was approved for dedication to the couple, who are both in their 80s, in recognition of more than a half-century of service. The vote aroused an emotional response from Sandy, who said she never expected the honor.
“I never, never expected that to happen,” said Sandy shortly after the vote. The formal announcement will take place at the Firefighters Bar-B-Que on Sept. 6, complete with a plaque presentation from the Plainfield Volunteer Firefighters Association.
Ed Morann served as a police officer for more than 50 years, including 30 years as police chief, while Sandy has served on the Recreation Committee for 53 years. At one point or another, the couple has served on every town board and committee, from the Select Board to the Recreation Committee. They also served as firefighters and police officers.
“I was actually a firefighter before there were any other women,” Sandy said. “I learned to drive the big trucks and to pump the water, but I can’t do it now.”
The dedication reflects the couple’s long involvement in building and maintaining the town’s recreational spaces and organizing community events.
“That is Mr. and Mrs. Plainfield you’re looking at right there,” resident Thelma Pilgrim said after the Select Board’s Aug. 11 meeting. “They’ve done a lot for the town, much more than anybody can even enumerate.”
Polly Ryan said the couple have helped bring residents together through community events.
“They’ve been the ones that have really brought a lot of fun family events to town and community together, so that’s why we’re honoring them,” Ryan said.
Building a ballpark
The town purchased the 17-acre park property for $17,000 in 1987, money raised during Plainfield’s bicentennial celebration in 1985.
At the time, the property was wooded, and Sandy said residents expected it would take years to prepare it for recreational use.
“When we got the land it was all wooded, and we figured it would take a long time to get it prepared for use,” she said. “At the same time, I was on the Select Board and we had worked to get Route 116 put through.”
The contractor working on the Route 116 project was looking for a place to store machinery. Sandy saw an opportunity.
“I came up with a suggestion that maybe we could get them to clear the land, and they could do it for free,” she said. “And that’s what happened. In the meantime, we formed a committee to see how we could use the land most, outside of just the park.”
One possibility was to leave room for a future public safety complex. That eventually became a reality, as the town’s public safety complex was later built on part of the property.
Plainfield Fire Chief Rob Shearer, 44, said that Sandy has been on the recreation committee longer than he’s been alive.
“They were thinking when they built the ball field, ‘We might use this other space up in front of the road for the fire department,’ and sure enough, that’s exactly what happened,” said Shearer. “Now we have a beautiful fire station and a beautiful park.”
Shearer thanked the Recreation Committee for allowing a permanent fire pit to be installed for his department’s annual BBQ fundraiser.
The fire station originally was located behind the town offices, where a small stand of trees now sits.
The ballpark itself was constructed largely through volunteer work.
“The ballpark was built almost all by volunteers,” Sandy said. “People brought in their bulldozers, and any kind of equipment that we needed.”
Town departments, including Fire and Highway, contributed equipment. Residents hauled in dirt, cleared rocks and helped transform the wooded property into a field.
“We hauled in dirt from wherever we could get it for free, and filled the field in after it had been cleared,” Sandy said.
A large boulder was discovered in the middle of the field and had to be dug out. Someone else donated grass seed.
Sandy estimated that the town spent no more than about $5,000 on the work.
A community magnet
The park eventually expanded beyond the ballfield, with additional recreational opportunities funded through community fundraising.
Residents sold cookbooks and calendars and held bake sales and potlucks, eventually raising $36,000 for play sculptures.
“I am very, very proud,” Sandy said. “That was my dream.”
Even the pine stumps and brush left behind during the clearing were turned into an opportunity for the community to gather.
“We had a big fire to burn all that brush,” Sandy said. “When we burned it all, we had a hot dog roast. We brought the hot dogs and brought sticks and poked our hot dogs and got hot chocolate.”
Once the ballpark was established, it became a gathering place for outdoor movies, baseball games, Halloween parties and the town’s annual barbecue, which has also served as the Fire Department’s largest fundraiser each year.
The park still contains about nine acres that could be developed or used in the future.
“I hope that later on, the rest of the acres down there, people can make walking trails,” Ed said.
