Town engineer outlines Garfield Street connectivity project; five mature white pines to be removed for accessible route

Chris Zabido, Newington’s town engineer, presented the Garfield Street Connectivity Grant plan to the Newington Town Council, describing a multi‑part project to link Market Square and Mill Pond Park with new sidewalks, dedicated bike lanes, rectangular rapid flashing beacons at crosswalks and electric vehicle charging infrastructure funded through a Volkswagen settlement grant.

Zabido said the scope expanded over seven years to include reconstruction of the town hall parking area, repaving Garfield from end to end, surfacing the Board of Education bus lot and adding a hydrodynamic separator — a water‑quality device — at the bus lot’s outfall “so by paving it and collecting anything that runs off of the buses now, we can treat it through this device and maintain it and keep our brook clean.”

He described several design choices intended to maximize safety and minimize future work: carrying the mill-and-overlay all the way to Main Street to avoid patchwork repaving, matching LED lighting in adjacent lots, and painting delineated multiuse walking routes wide enough to be plowed by truck. Zabido said some segments will be dedicated bike lanes on both sides; where pavement narrows at the Willard and Main Street ends the lanes will become shared space.

A sensitive element of the plan is tree removal. Zabido explained five mature white pines near the park and the utilities are “in a really bad place” relative to the required ADA grade for a new accessible route. He said these particular white pines are tall (roughly 45–50 feet), shallow‑rooted and near the end of their life cycle; because the route must meet grade and utility lines run through the stand “the decision had to be made to take these trees down. And that responsibility is mine. I made that decision.” He proposed replacing them with flowering species such as dogwood and magnolia and invited suggestions from council and residents.

Councilors and residents asked detailed questions about alternative alignments, the footprint and stormwater impacts, the timing of tree removal and replanting, and whether construction (including excavation for a larger catch basin to house the hydrodynamic separator) would affect the adjacent wetland or historic falls. Zabido said excavation is “minimal” for most elements and that the largest dig will be for the new separator at the north end of the bus lot; he also said some trees are technically in the town right‑of‑way while two are on park property and could be subject to a tree‑warden or parks‑commission hearing.

Multiple residents urged the council to delay tree removal until after the summer heat and asked for more public outreach before signage or work begins. One resident cited an online petition with more than 250 signatures opposing removal of the pines. Zabido and councilors responded that the petition triggers statutory procedures: the tree warden can set a hearing and park commissioners may hold a special meeting for park trees. Councilors agreed to schedule appropriate hearings (including a conservation commission discussion) in public chambers to accommodate turnout.

Zabido said the town is waiting for an Eversource transformer to bring online EV charging pedestals already in the ground, and he estimated a roughly six‑to‑eight‑week construction period once the contractor is on site. He identified early August as the start window, with milling in August and paving in September depending on contractor availability and weather.

The council did not take a final vote on the project at the meeting; instead the presentation was followed by public comment and commitments to upcoming hearings and additional outreach so residents can raise objections or offer alternatives before final permitting or tree removal.