2010

Posted by Bob on November 22, 2010 under Daily Blogs | Be the First to Comment

Two (2) new recreational areas are on scheduled to open by the Spring of 2011. While each is unique in its own right, the Gunntown Passive Park and Nature Preserve and the Fawn Meadow Field will offer residents new recreational space at a relatively low cost.

The Board of Mayor and Burgesses voted in 2009 to reserve the long-debated, thirty nine plus (39+) acre property along Gunntown

Parking area at Gunntown being prepared.

Road for passive recreational space. The decision put an end to a decade-plus controversy which caused tension between supporters of active and passive recreation. Since the vote, the Naugatuck Park Commission has spent countless hours planning the parameters of a passive nature preserve at the Gunntown property. A deed restriction was approved earlier this year which limits activity at Gunntown to passive forms of recreation as defined by the Park Commission regulations. Such activities include nature trails, bird and wildlife observation areas, fishing, educational opportunities and low-impact activities such as kite flying or tossing a football.

Work to create a parking area and the observation area is currently being performed by the Naugatuck Department of Public Works. Completion is scheduled for the end of the year (2010). There are also plans being discussed to host an educational opportunity at the park this Winter before a formal opening next spring.

In addition to their obligations at Gunntown, the Naugatuck Public Works Department has been preparing the Fawn Meadow Field on

Future site of Fawn Meadow Field.

the east side of town. Designated as field space per the subdivision approval earlier in the decade, the field has gone unused for many years. Earlier this year (2010) our Parks Commission invited residents in the area to a meeting to discuss any neighborhood concerns before proceeding. The general sentiment expressed was to ensure utilization is consistent with that of other neighborhood fields and provide a buffer to homeowners immediately adjacent to to the field.

Naugatuck Public Works has already planted trees that will provide a natural buffer to residents, and will be installing a guardrail for the parking area shortly. Work is expected to be completed in time for use in the Spring of 2011. Current plans determined by the Naugatuck Parks Commission will have Union City Little League permitted for use of the field during for the spring season, and Pop Warner Football for the fall.