Zak Fund Benefits Projects in Suffield

The Amiel P. Zak Public Service Fund has awarded $81,000 in grants for 13 projects in Suffield.

The grants benefit projects conducted by a wide range of Suffield organizations and institutions, from the new pavilion at Suffield High School constructed by the Suffield Rotary Club to the restoration of an antique horse-drawn carriage for the Suffield Historical Society and a new lighting system for the Suffield Players. The grants also benefit the town’s Mini-Bus program, The Suffield Middle School Parent Teacher Organization, Kent Memorial Library and the Suffield Fire Department, among others.

The $10,000 grant for the high school’s pavilion is the second from the Zak fund. The  project received a matching grant in 2010 as well as $5,000 from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, which administers the Zak fund, for design work, according to a press release from the foundation.

The pavilion will feature a concession stand, handicapped-accessible bathrooms and a covered patio. Construction is expected to be finished in July.

“Upon completion, the high school and the community organizations will have a convenient facility for sporting events, graduations and other outdoor activities,” said Scott Seabury, a member of the Rotary Club’s pavilion building committee.

The $10,000 grant to repair the carriage, a vintage piece that belonged to the family of Suffield farmer and 19th-century Connecticut legislator Parkes Loomis, will pay for the year-long restoration project.

“The carriage will fill a gap in the Historical Society’s collection of mainly 19th-century transportation items of sleighs and wheeled vehicles,” said Barry Sisk, a trustee of the Historical Society. “Each year, all fourth-grade students in Suffield visit the King House Museum and the Parkes Loomis family carriage will provide teachers with another teaching tool.”

This is the complete list of grants, according to a press release from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving:

• Suffield Mini-Bus – $10,000 for a mid-sized car to be used for doctor’s visits medical trips.

• The Suffield Players – $10,000 to assist in replacing the lighting control system at Mapleton Hall.

• Suffield Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization – $10,000 for water ionizers to sanitize furniture in school classrooms.

• Boy Scout Troop 260 – $6,374 for camping equipment.

• Suffield Parks and Recreation Department – $5,700 for a pre-constructed pavilion to provide a sheltered area at Sullivan Athletic Field on Hill Street.

• Friends of Suffield – $5,000 for a 10-by-20-foot tent to be used at the Suffield on the Green fair and other town events.

• Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association – $4,003 for communications equipment to be installed in a new ambulance.

• Kent Memorial Library – $4,000 for a display case for historical materials.

• Suffield Fire Department – $3,500 to develop a department website.

• Boy Scout Troop 66 – $1,760 for camping supplies.

• Cub Scout Pack 209 – $350 for a projector.

Michael Zak started the fund in memory of his father Amiel P. Zak, a veteran Suffield High School teacher who served in numerous elected and appointed capacities in town. The fund has awarded more than $504,000 in grants and $91,500 in college scholarships since 2002.