Essex Meadows files wetlands application to replace Bokum Road pedestrian bridge and add accessible sidewalk

Essex Meadows LLC submitted Application #26-5 to the Town of Essex Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission on April 7, 2026, proposing to replace an existing wood pedestrian bridge, install a concrete sidewalk to connect to the town sidewalk on Bokum Road, regrade limited areas for accessibility, and add stone walls and plantings at the site entrance. The application, prepared by applicant Michael A. Cegan of Richter & Cegan Inc., estimates the work would take about one month and says most labor will be by hand with a small skid steer used to bring in materials.

The filing lists the property at 30 Bokum Road as 109.06 acres with roughly 36 acres of wetlands and an upland review area of about 32 acres. The application states that no inland wetlands or watercourses will be altered; it quantifies the proposed disturbance as approximately 0.04 acres of upland review area. It also notes that a portion of the property lies within Special Flood Hazard Area Zone A (about +/-33 acres) and that wetland boundaries have been field-flagged previously by All Points Technology (2019–2020) and earlier surveys.

The submission includes required administrative materials: a list of adjacent property owners for notification, the town fee schedule reference and a $60 CT DEEP surcharge, and a completed Connecticut DEEP Statewide Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Activity Reporting Form that records 0.04 acres of upland alteration and zero acres of wetland or stream alteration. The certification section of the application grants the town and its agents permission to inspect the property as part of the review process; the owner’s signature block is signed by Kathleen Z. Dess (marked “Ex. Director”) and the applicant signature appears on the form.

No formal commission action appears in the submitted pages. The application notes that additional information may be required depending on project complexity and that technical review costs may be assessed per the town’s fee ordinance. The DEEP reporting form included with the filing is the state form inland wetlands agencies use to report actions to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Next steps: the application will be processed by the Town of Essex land use office and considered by the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission, which may request supplemental materials, conduct a site inspection, and determine whether a public hearing or additional technical review is required.