When Nick Quatrano was young, he wanted to be a golf course superintendent.
He majored in crop and soil science at Virginia Tech. He graduated, became superintendent of a Ridgefield golf club, and loved it.
After 5 years he was offered a chance to manage his wife’s family’s 30-acre farm in Watertown, so her parents could retire.
When their first child was born, he stepped away from the daily stress of farming. He landed a job as property manager on a private estate in Mt. Kisco, New York, overseeing all turf, gardening and landscaping. That led to a role as superintendent of buildings and grounds at Quinnipiac College.
In May, Quatrano became Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department’s parks superintendent. He’s in charge of hundreds of acres of parks, including Winslow and Baron’s South, along with Compo and other beaches. And Longshore.
So — among many other responsibilities — Quatrano really is a golf course superintendent.
Nick Quatrano, in his Parks & Rec office.
His current job is his “ideal job.”
He took over the position — vacant since the departure of well-regarded Michael West — as the parks’ busy summer season began. He inherited a “tremendous” team — in the Parks & Rec office, and on his maintenance crew — and dove right in.
Beaches are a new responsibility for him. “It’s been cool to learn,” he says. “Water adds such an element of challenge. But it’s a tremendous resource. It’s beautiful. And it adds so much value to the town.”
There is plenty of work to be done on land too, of course. “It’s no mystery that deferred maintenance needs to take place,” he notes.
Another area of attention is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance. Many of Westport’s facilities lag behind.
The new Compo Beach playground is ADA-compliant. But many other facilities in town are not. (Photo/DinkinESH Fotografix)
“It’s of paramount importance to (Parks & Rec director) Erik Barbieri, and the whole department. It’s a big factor in how projects will get designed.”
The town’s athletic fields are an important part of the parks superintendent’s portfolio. Quatrano knows they are over-used, and often poorly irrigated.
He also knows there support in town for artificial turf, at several sites.
Wakeman Field (center left) has synthetic turf. The field to its east (center bottom) is grass. It is rutted, and often closed after even slight rain. (Drone photo/David Pogue)
Quatrano calls himself “a plant and soil nerd. I like taking care of grass. I prefer it, if all the variables are within my control.”
However, he adds, “I see the advantages of synthetic fields. They can be used in all kinds of weather.
“I understand it’s a divisive topic in town. We have to strike a balance, between managing what we have and best serving everyone’s needs.
“We have to figure out how many synthetic fields we need. If we add more, we can rest our grass fields and get the optimal use out of them.”
The ultimate decision, he says, is “a question for the operations people.”
Quatrano has walked the Baron’s South property several times. He appreciates the work being done near the Senior Center, but because of the challenging topography sees the rest of the 23-acre property as a “passive park.”
“It’s overgrown with invasives,” the parks superintendent says. “We need a balance between naturalized and manicured areas.” He would like to see a “nice woodland garden, with native trees and improved walking trails.”
Baron’s South: 23 acres, a few steps from downtown Westport. (Photo/Wendy Crowther)
Also on Quatrano’s to-do list: collaborating on the master plan, and upgrading the 4 playgrounds under Parks & Rec’s purview.
The parks superintendent hears many opinions — often competing, even contradictory — from other public officials, and many private citizens.
He appreciates feedback, and finds it helpful to field calls and read emails.
“Citizens know these properties best,” Quatrano says. “There are 25,000 pairs of eyes here. I get photos every day of issues people see.” They includes “trash in the river by the Levitt Pavilion, tree branches above a picnic table — you name it, I hear about it.”
He recently heard about the shabby condition of the Kings Highway cemetery, on the Wilton Road corner, from a Westport resident.
Though Parks & Rec has not been directly responsible for its upkeep, Quatrano sent a crew.
“It’s a tricky property. There’s no access for equipment. All the work has to be done by hand,” he says.
The work got done. Brush was removed; it’s safer and more sightly now. He hopes to get a state grant to restore some of the headstone too.
Kings Highway cemetery, after Parks & Rec clean-up. (Photo/Harris Falk)
So — after nearly 6 months on the job — what is Quatrano’s favorite park in town?
“I really like Wadsworth Arboretum,” he says, about the 12 acres of woods and trails adjacent to Earthplace. “It’s peaceful.”
He also enjoys Grace K. Salmon Park, by the Saugatuck River on Imperial Avenue. “You can walk to town, and the Farmers’ Market.
“Plus, it’s quiet. It’s tough to find quiet space in this town.”
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