Wrapping up a long career
- Mark Jahne
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
William DeMaio retires as superintendent of Parks and Recreation
by Mark Jahne
Editor
William “Bill” DeMaio spent his entire career in public service. He worked for the town of Newington, then for the city of New Britain, and returned to his hometown to finish his career.
The superintendent of Newington Parks and Recreation retired a few weeks ago and is looking forward to the next chapter of his life. He will be remembered by many for his indefatigable spirit and unwavering positive attitude.
Born in town in 1958 he lived on Connecticut Avenue and Burdon Lane. He developed an interest in parks and recreation early in life and decided to pursue that as his career.
“Every fond memory I have is somehow related to parks and recreation,” he said. “When I turned 16, Bob Stanley [longtime department superintendent] asked me to referee football and direct ice skating,” DeMaio recalled.
So, it wasn’t a surprise when he took a career aptitude test during his junior year at Newington High School and the top recommendation was a parks and recreation career. He enrolled at Springfield College in Massachusetts to study that line of work and secured an internship with Rocky Hill Parks and Recreation.
“This my 47th year in public service. I came back [to Newington] as recreation supervisor in 1981,” he said.
DeMaio helped develop Parks and Recreation’s funding into an enterprise fund separate from general government and without dependence on tax dollars. That idea came from former town manager Peter Curry.
“No taxpayer’s money goes into recreation. We have to raise $2 million a year. Way back it was $30,000,” he said.
This amount covers four salariesand other costs. He was recruited to work in New Britain and spent several years there overseeing parks and recreation as well as 10 other departments.
“It was a lot of nights, a lot of weekends,” DeMaio recalled.
Newington asked him to come back to help design the new Mortensen Community Center that is part of the new Town Hall. It’s a dramatic upgrade from the previous community center that was part of the old Town Hall, which in turn had served as Newington High School until the current school on Willard Avenue was constructed.
“We’re open seven days a week. It’s a success story,” he said. “We moved the preschool from the [Congregational] church over here.”
The roof in the old building leaked. The basketball floor was warped. It was hard to control the heat and air conditioning. The new community center has more space and a greater capacity for multi-purpose use.
Most people would say that his greatest accomplishment was initiating the annual Life Be In It Extravaganza and over time expanding it from one to four days. While he is delighted with how it all turned out, he doesn’t take all the credit.
“Nobody does anything in government by themselves,” DeMaio said. “A big thank you to all the sponsors who became my friends.”
He praised the people who work in the Parks and Recreation for their efforts. In his opinion, the most important task of being a department head is to recruit high-quality staff.
“I’m proud of the successes the team has built,” he said. “I would put these guys up against any parks and recreation staff in the country.”
DeMaio also commented on the value of the large number of neighborhood and pocket parks scattered throughout town, more than in other area communities. He expressed his gratitude to the numerous mayors, town managers, Parks and Recreation Board members and staff for their support over the years.
“We’ve doubled our programs from 500 to 1,000,” he said.
In addition to all those programs his staff is also responsible for plowing and removing snow at all public schools, public buildings and municipal sidewalks. It also cares for the three municipal cemeteries.
A serious and slow-progressing disease began to cost DeMaio his eyesight at the age of 27. But even that didn’t slow him down. He has enjoyed the services of a couple of Fidelco Guide Dogs for the past 14 years.
Other people may have the advantage of sight but “nobody’s going to outwork me,” DeMaio said. “This is going to be my first summer off in 47 years.”
He and his wife Sue have been married for 45 years. They are ready for the next chapter in their lives that will including spending time in California with grandchildren. But they won’t completely leave Newington.
“We’ve known each other since high school,” he said of his wife.
Donald Woods, who served for many years on the Parks and Recreation Board, was asked to reflect on DeMaio’s career.
“He’s done so much. Without a doubt, he was the most aggressive parks director Newington ever saw and we’ve had some good ones,” he said.
Woods then shared comments he made at a retirement party held in DeMaio’s honor.
“Over the past decade, your leadership and ability to build strong teams have enabled your board and dedicated staff to achieve so much together. Never one to settle on one success, you also created popular events like Newington Goes Country, Food Truck Friday and Newington’s Night of Lights, and expanded free concerts at Mill Pond Park and Constitution Square downtown,” he said.
“After years of public debate, a referendum was held to approve a new Town Hall and community center. Once it passed, construction began, and thanks to Bill's persistence, expertise and guidance to the building committee, we now have the community center our town truly needed and deserved,” Woods added.
“Another project Bill and our board took on was the renovation of seven neighborhood playgrounds. Over the years these playgrounds had been overlooked and required some attention. With Bill’s leadership and the board’s support, we set out to make major upgrades and improvements, turning each completed playground into something the community could be proud of.
“I could go on forever about the countless ways Bill has contributed to our town but for me it was always about the man himself. The 10 years I worked with Bill were the most rewarding time I spent on the Parks and Recreation Board.” NL