Margerie Reservoir Trail advisory committee accepts conceptual feasibility materials, authorizes memo to Danbury and New Fairfield

Holly Robinson, chair of the Margerie Reservoir Trail Advisory Committee, opened the committee’s May 21 meeting in Danbury and led a unanimous vote to accept conceptual feasibility materials prepared by consultant Barton & Loguidice for the proposed Margerie Reservoir Trail.

Peter Hearn, a committee member from New Fairfield, moved to "formally receive and accept Barton & Loguidice’s conceptual feasibility materials that were presented to us for Meeting #17, tonight, including the conceptual alignment and preliminary conceptual cost estimates." Jeff Main seconded the motion, which the committee recorded as carried unanimously.

The committee also authorized Robinson to transmit the accepted materials and a recommendation memorandum to the City of Danbury and the Town of New Fairfield. The memorandum was approved substantially in the form distributed in January, with permission to include any emailed edits from committee members through June 25. Robinson said the final memo would need to be submitted to the City by Thursday, June 25, and that Barton & Loguidice remains obligated under its contract to provide final cost estimates; committee members requested those estimates be provided as soon as they are available.

Earlier in the meeting the committee rescinded a prior motion from Meeting #16 that had suspended additional meetings, solely to permit this properly noticed Meeting #17 to transact the limited agenda. The committee recorded two other routine motions — approval of the previous meeting minutes and a motion to adjourn — each carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:47 p.m.

The next steps are administrative: Barton & Loguidice is expected to supply the final cost estimates per its contract, and the chair will transmit the materials and recommendation memorandum to the two municipalities for their feasibility determinations.