P&Z Endorses Recreational Plans For The Coming Decade As Part Of Town Plan Update

By Andrew Gorosko

In their ongoing update of the 2004 Town Plan of Conservation and Development, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have endorsed a detailed document submitted by the Parks and Recreation Commission describing that agency’s plans for the coming decade.

At a P&Z session earlier this month, P&Z members reviewed the 27-page document that explains how municipal parks and recreational facilities would be maintained and improved for public use during the coming decade.

Parks & Rec Director Any Mangold and Parks & Rec member Jan Brookes attended the P&Z session to answer questions.

P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean said, “I have absolutely no quarrel with it” of the recreational planning document.

“It’s very nicely done,” said P&Z member Peggy Fillion.

However, P&Z member Robert Mulholland pointed out that a granite sign posted along Berkshire Road, near the Old Bridge Road entrance that leads to the town-owned Eichler’s Cove Park, lists the site as “Eichler’s Cove Marina,” omitting any reference to the town beach that also is located there.

Mr Mulholland said the town bought the complex to acquire a beach there on Lake Zoar. The presence of boat docking facilities there is nice, but the town bought the site for the beach, according to Mr Mulholland.

Ms Brookes noted that the Eichler’s Cove complex is not yet ready to accommodate more beach visitors, when considering the parking facilities that are now available there.

Future plans for the Eichler’s Cove complex include creating improved parking facilities, a changing room/bath facility, a pavilion, and a concession stand. Eichler’s Cove is the only public access to Lake Zoar for Newtown residents.

The P&Z is updating the 2004 town plan and has asked town government agencies, including Parks & Rec, to provide information on their goals and objectives for the coming decade.

In its report, Parks & Rec states, “Parks and Recreation facilities are attractive components of Newtown’s landscape and provide residents with opportunities for activities which are both healthful and educational… Recreational facilities and programs act as community gathering places, fostering social interaction in an attractive environment.”

It continues, “The quality of municipal recreational facilities and [related] services benefit property values and the marketability of the community.”

In the past 30 years, recreational facilities and activities have significantly evolved in seeking to keep pace with rapid population growth and changing recreational desires, it adds.

The report lists some of the many recreational facilities improvements that Parks & Rec wants to make in the coming years.

Recreation Sites

At the town’s Lake Lillinonah Park, the agency wants to improve the boat launching ramp, expand parking for boat trailers, and construct a new access road for that park that would be entirely within Newtown. A section of the existing access road is in Brookfield.

At Dickinson Park, Park & Rec wants to provide a new playground to replace the existing dilapidated “funspace” facilities; create a “splash pad” water feature to replace the loss of the Dickinson Pond swimming area; create a bathhouse and concession stand, and also make parking and pavilion improvements.

Parks & Rec also is working toward creating an “off-leash dog park,” a facility that has gained approval for a site off Old Farm Road at Fairfield Hills. Parks & Rec and an ad hoc group known as Newtown Park & Bark have been raising funds for the project.

At Treadwell Park, town funds have been earmarked for new tennis courts, a new basketball court, and a renovated pool house. In the planning stages are improvements there in parking, access, sidewalks, and driveways. Treadwell Park has received many improvements in the past decade.

Park & Rec also wants to improve the playing fields at the town’s elementary schools and the middle school to make them more suitable for use by organized sports teams.

The agency wants to use the Fairfield Hills campus as a major component for recreational facilities during the coming decade.

Parks & Rec also wants to study creating active/passive recreational areas in various sections of town to serve as “pocket parks.”

“The Newtown Parks and Recreation Department will continue to develop facilities and programs that foster a variety of activities that contribute to a healthier town. We will continue to be inclusive of those with physical disabilities. [Activities include] the encouragement of disease prevention practices, [connecting] children and adults with nature, and [providing] physical activities to combat obesity and other chronic diseases caused by a lack of activity,” the report states.

The report provides details on the existing local parks and the recreational facilities provided by the town government and the public school system. It also addresses Parks & Rec’s plans for playing fields and a community center at Fairfield Hills, among many other topics.

The memorandum includes conceptual plans for the development of Dickinson Park, Eichler’s Cove Park, Fairfield Hills playing fields, and a community center at Fairfield Hills.

The 2004 town plan is available at www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_POCD/toc.