Date: Fri 27-Oct-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

greenway-selectmen-Concilio

Full Text:

Selectmen Establish A Greenways Committee

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The selectmen have approved forming a committee to study creating a town

greenways network, a system of multiple-use trails for low-intensity public

recreation.

The selectmen unanimously approved panel formation October 23 after discussing

the topic with representatives of several organizations interested in creating

a trail newtork for hikers, cross-country skiiers, horseback riders and

mountain bicyclists. Motorized vehicles would be prohibited from using such a

trail system.

A trail network largely would be composed of a series of easements granted by

private property owners for the use of their land.

The selectmen have asked that the new Greenways Committee's membership be

designated by the several groups which will have representatives on the panel.

These groups include the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Conservation

Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Newtown Bridle Land

Trust/Newtown Bridle Lanes Association, the Newtown Forest Association, the

Newtown Hikers Club, and local mountain bicycling enthusiasts, among others

including Selectman Gary Fetzer.

Caution

During the public participation portion of the selectmen's meeting, hiker and

cross-country skiier Harlan Jessup of 25 Taunton Ridge Road said "Multiple

uses of trails are sometimes incompatible." Mr Jessup, a member of the

Appalachian Mountain Club and the Connecticut Forest and Park Association,

said putting trails to a variety of uses can sometimes lead to conflicts. In

developing a trail network, interested persons must decide what uses should be

encouraged and discouarged, he said.

Mr Jessup, who coordinates Appalachian Trail maintenance in Connecticut, urged

caution in planning how trails will be used, noting the trail design and trail

maintenance are issues to be addressed if a local trail network is to function

successfully.

Pam Schneider of Toddy Hill Road, a bridle lanes group member, said she favors

the proposal for a multi-use trail network which has been advanced by the

Conservation Commission. Mrs Schneider noted that local land is being bought

up quickly for development, so steps should now be taken to preserve land in

the form of a trail network. Such a network could be jointly used by horseback

riders, hikers, cross-country skiiers and mountain bicyclists, she said.

Tom Lutz of 24 Point O'Rocks Road said "terrific" multiple-use trails can be

developed if they are well planned.

Susan Shifman of 150-A Hanover Road, a member the bridle lanes group, said

horseback riding and hiking are compatible uses on trails.

David McCauley of Rock Ridge Road said he enjoys both horseback riding and

hiking. Good horsemanship requires that horseback riders yield to hikers while

on trails, according to Mr McCauley. Allowing motorized vehicles to traverse

the planned trail network would be detrimental to hikers, horses and

vegetation, he said. Horses, hikers and bicyclists can all coexist on a trail

network, he said.

Phyllis Zygmont of Gelding Hill Road, who represents the Newtown Forest

Association, said that that land preservation group favors the trail network

proposal.

Esther Nichols of Pilgrim Lane representing local hiking enthusiasts said the

hikers back trail network creation and increasing the amount of trails

available for local hiking. The hikers support the use of bicycles on the

trails, she said.

Cascella

First Selectman Robert Cascella said he had learned about local horsemen's

interest in developing trails from Mr McCauley at about the same time he had

received a letter from Conservation Commission Chairman Donald Lawrenson

voicing interest in creating a trail network.

In a September 28 letter to Mr Cascella, Mr Lawrenson suggests that the town

use $300,000 of funds donated to Newtown by the Iroquois Gas Transmission

System for land preservation to create a trail network for hikers, horseback

riders and bicyclists as recommended by the 1993 town plan of development.

Mr Cascella suggested possible financial sources for the project including the

Iroquois funding, US Department of Transportaion Intermodal Surface

Transportation Enhancement Act (ISTEA) grant funding, or matching grant

funding.

Mr Cascella said the Iroquois company has allowed the town at least until the

end of 1996 to decide how it wants to spend the Iroquois open space funds.

Mr Cascella said he hopes to see a continuous greenway created throughout

Newtown. He suggested that a section of greenway be provided by developers

when each new subdivision is created in town.

"This is the beginning of a project that will continue as long as Newtown

continues to grow," he said. At some point in the future, there would need to

be an administrator to oversee the local greenway system, he said.

Long Term Project

James Allwein, representing the Newtown Bridle Lands Trust, prsented a slide

show to those at the selectmen's meeting explaining the land trust's

activities. The land trust is the sister organization of the Newtown Bridle

Lanes Association.

Those groups work to develop and maintain permanent horseback riding trails in

town by obtaining easements from property owners and developers for trails. To

make a multiple-use trail system work, cooperation among the various

participating groups is important, he said. Trail maintenance and signage are

important parts of operating a trail system, he said.

Noting that the land trust has a budget of less than $10,000 annually, Mr

Allwein said the organization largely relies on volunteer labor to accomplish

its objecvtives.

"We realize this is a long-term project," he noted.

Horseman Peter Concilio of Aunt Park Lane said that in the past there had been

consideration of creating a 26-mile-long loop trail around the edge of town to

allow horseback riders to make a circuit of Newtown.

Many of the horseback riding trails that exist today are simply "handshake

deals" which exist because of the goodwill between property owners and the

horseback riders who are given permission to use the private land, he said.

"This is not a new idea," Mr Concilio said of the greenways concept.

"We've been at it for 15 years now and we still feel like we've just begun,"

he said. Mr Concilio is a bridle land trust member.

Continuing Development

Mr Cascella noted that the pace of residential development in Newtown hasn't

flagged in recent years. Some 200 new homes been built annually in each of the

last three years, he said.

The concept of developing a town greenway system has been in the air for many

years, said Mr Lawrenson. Conservation Commission members believe that the

time is right to formalize the greenways project and do some planning work on

it, he said.

"Without some funding, it doesn't work. And basically that's our position," he

said.

The selectmen didn't approve any funding for a greenways network on October

23.

Mr Cascella said that after researching the trail network topic, the Greenways

Committee will return to the selectmen with a concise plan on forming such a

trail system. It would be good for the committee to keep the selectmen posted

on its progress, he said.

Mr Fetzer termed the trails project a good step toward preserving remaining

local open space land as residential development continues to consume that

natural resource.