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Confusion over ownership delays programming for Torrington food forest at 5 Points; conservation commission proposes pruning workshop and site walk
Summary
Commissioners learned 5 Points has disputed ownership of the university‑adjacent food forest at 5 Points, discussed pruning and harvest events, and planned site visits to assess tree health and maintenance needs.
Members of the Torrington Conservation Commission discussed next steps for the community food forest planted near the former Yukon campus and at Bowman/Goldman Gardens after staff reported that 5 Points questioned whether it owns the land where the plantings sit.
Assistant city planner Nate Nardi Cyrus said records and the city assessor’s deed indicate the parcel was transferred in a complex transaction when the former Yukon campus changed hands; he told the commission 5 Points’ executive director, Judith McElhone, disputes those records and has consulted attorneys. Cyrus said the commission will follow up with the group and suggested a lot‑line revision as a possible administrative fix.
Why it matters: the food forest includes apple, pear, peach, hazelnut and pawpaw plantings that the commission wants to bring into active volunteer care. Commissioners proposed practical steps: a pruning workshop and training with an arborist or Cooperative Extension, a volunteer maintenance plan, and a harvest‑time community event such as a cider pressing. The commission also discussed involving 4‑H and local gardening clubs for maintenance and programming aimed at harvest and stewardship.
Commissioners reported several of the apple trees are root bound in pots and will be repotted or given more time to recover before planting in the fall. Christine Altman and others volunteered to coordinate outreach; the commission set a tentative site‑walk for Thursday, Aug. 21, with a possible 1 p.m. start to inspect Bowman Gardens and the Mountain Road plantings and to determine pruning and volunteer needs.
Staff will follow up with 5 Points about deed records and, if necessary, recommend a lot‑line revision to clarify ownership before larger programming commitments are made.
