Rutland Town planning commissioners and select board members discussed Phase 1 activities for a newly deeded pocket park on July 31, 2025, identifying immediate work on vegetation, parking and safety and opening a debate about whether to encourage informal kayak use at the site.

The pocket park will be managed by town parks and recreation staff after Green Mountain Power deeded the parcel to the town, officials said. "We now own the property because Green Mountain Power deeded the pocket park area to us," said Mary Ashcroft, a select board member, who outlined planned Phase 1 tasks including brush clearing, thinning and removing dead trees, removing invasive plants and replacing them with native species.

Why it matters: Commissioners and residents said early, modest improvements will make the site safer and more usable while leaving longer decisions — such as official boat-launch status — to future work and inter-town coordination. The discussion produced several near-term directions for staff and volunteers and flagged liability, access and downstream-safety questions that must be resolved before promoting boating activity.

Town priorities and near-term steps
Mary Ashcroft and Recreation Director Mike Rowe described a set of initial, non-structural tasks planned for Phase 1: clearing brush, removing invasive species, identifying trees to keep or remove, and addressing obsolete pipe ends and wiring. The team also proposed enlarging the parking area on Simons Avenue and adding signage about flood risk and combined-sewer overflows.

"I'd like to start getting the area cleared, cleaned up, getting the invasives out," Rowe said, adding he would not schedule volunteer workdays until a cut plan is agreed so volunteers and highway crews know what to remove and what to leave. He also said he can coordinate scheduling and highway-department assistance once the commission and volunteers identify specific work.

Volunteers and expertise
Ashcroft and commissioners discussed recruiting volunteers, master gardeners and the tree warden to identify invasives and preserve desirable trees before any large-scale cutting. "I'd like to see if we can start, working on the handicapped-accessible area," Rowe said; commissioners said a first walking visit to mark what should stay or go is the right first step.

Liability and insurance
Several speakers raised liability concerns about encouraging people to use the river for boating from the pocket park. Ashcroft said the town carries broad municipal insurance and that the Vermont League of Cities and Towns can provide coverage options. "We have a blanket policy covering a lot of stuff here in town," Ashcroft said. "We certainly could ask for a rider to an insurance policy to specifically mention that... what you're doing in the pocket park is covered." She asked the town administrator to follow up on insurance riders after returning from vacation.

Kayak access: safety and inter-town coordination
Commissioners and residents disagreed about promoting the pocket park as a formal boat launch. Andy, a planning commissioner, said he opposed establishing a kayak launch because inexperienced paddlers could be carried downstream by the current and be stranded. "The average kayaker really could not come back against that current if it was heavy," he said.

Howard, another commissioner, echoed safety concerns heard from local paddlers. "I've heard from several people who are kayakers... that is not the place for it," he said.

Other participants noted the site is already being used informally as a put-in. Mike Rowe and Ashcroft said the town can pursue more information from the League of Cities and Towns on coverage and consult the neighboring town of Proctor about safe pull-out locations downstream before any official promotion of boating. "There needs to be another part where you come out, and that's Proctor," Rowe said.

Other infrastructure items
Commissioners agreed the guardrail at the end of Simons Avenue needs repair; highway staff will be asked to assess and repair it. Rowe agreed to wait to schedule workdays until the commission and master gardeners verify which plants and trees should be kept.

What the commission directed and next steps
- Staff (Recreation Director Mike Rowe and the highway department) to coordinate a site visit with the tree warden and master gardeners to identify invasives and trees to preserve before volunteer workdays are scheduled. (Direction/request)
- Town administrator to check with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns about insurance coverage or a policy rider that would cover recreation or launching activities at the pocket park. (Direction/request)
- Recruit volunteers and schedule work sessions in August or September once cut/loss plan is approved. (Discussion/direction)
- Consult with the town of Proctor about downstream pull-out locations if the town considers promoting boating from the site. (Discussion/direction)

The conversation ended with consensus to begin the non-controversial cleanup work and to defer any decision about formalizing a boat launch until staff report back on safety, insurance and upstream/downstream access.

Ending: less urgent items
Commissioners said they will follow up with the tree warden and master gardeners to schedule the first assessment and will coordinate volunteer recruitment once the assessment is complete. The timeline for any accessibility improvements, permanent launch infrastructure or formal promotion of boating was left open pending those follow-ups.