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Windsor Locks discussion spotlights train-station delays, parking and bridge safety
Summary
Commission members spent the bulk of the meeting on downtown redevelopment: the new train station remains unopened, members debated reuse of the old station and parking for planned apartments and retail, reported bridge gate failures and discussed a planned heated pedestrian/bike walkway to Warehouse Point.
Members at the Windsor Locks EIDC meeting devoted extended discussion to downtown redevelopment, focusing on delays at the new train station, reuse of the old train station building, parking and traffic impacts from new apartments and businesses, bridge gate failures that closed crossings during the previous week, a planned 12-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle walkway to Warehouse Point, and staffing and motel/hotel safety concerns.
The Chair and other members expressed frustration that the new train station had not become operational as expected and asked whether demolition and cleanup of nearby structures had begun. The Chair said of the historic structure, “That's a museum piece,” when discussing potential reuse of the old train station as retail or a coffee shop.
Members raised parking concerns for mixed-use buildings downtown. One committee member noted developers planned to match apartment unit counts to available parking spaces; others worried retail customers would not be served by that approach and that overflow parking could shift to nearby properties.
Safety issues around the bridge drew comments after several members reported the railroad/bridge gate had been down at least twice during the prior week, blocking travel and forcing drivers to turn around. As one participant put it, “The gate was down,” and members called the situation dangerous and reported seeing drivers circle the gate.
The meeting also included updates on utilities and costs: a member associated with the Water Pollution Control Authority reported the WPCA raised connection fees by $1,500 and said routing additional flows into the Dexter pumping station could add roughly $250,000 in project costs.
Members discussed the long-delayed condemned Ramada hotel property and past failed sale attempts, and they acknowledged police staffing changes and a recent hire. On infrastructure, members described progress on a planned walkway across the river to Warehouse Point with a poured concrete pad and embedded loops suggesting snow/ice-melt systems; one committee member noted the pad had been poured about a month earlier and said the walkway should help with pedestrian and bicycle access.
The group asked staff to continue inviting the town planner or finance staff to future meetings to provide updates on development schedules and financial implications. The transcript shows extended back-and-forth and multiple speakers raising overlapping concerns but records no formal board action on downtown items at this meeting.
