Middletown commission approves one‑mile multi‑use trail near Lawrence School

The Middletown Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved site plan and related approvals Tuesday for a multi‑use trail through city property near Lawrence School on Kaplan Drive.

John Hall, director of the Jonas Center for Earth and Art, told commissioners the Newfield Corridor segment has been part of local planning efforts since 2012 and is a key link in the broader Central Connecticut Loop Trail. “This is just phase 1 of the Newfield Corridor Trail,” Hall said, adding the segment will let children in the Westfield neighborhood bike to Lawrence School on an off‑road path.

Mary Kosakowski, director of land use, introduced the City of Middletown’s applications (SPR‑2026‑34 and a GS 8‑24 report) and said the project has secured an Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Agency permit. Mike Doherty, landscape architecture studio director at SLR Consulting, laid out design details including a 10‑foot paved trail with 2‑foot shoulders, a raised tabletop crosswalk on Kaplan Drive, boardwalk crossings to span wetlands, fencing requested by the school to separate the trail from the access road, and an outdoor classroom behind the baseball field.

Engineers described boardwalk spans of roughly 100–140 linear feet where the trail crosses wetland pockets and said the structures will use helical piles to minimize excavation. Doherty said drainage changes near the raised crosswalk will be handled by tying new catch basins into existing systems and that the tabletop will taper up to about an 8‑inch height at the curb.

Commissioners pressed on maintenance and safety: Commissioner Emily McAvoy asked about boardwalk widths and was told the design calls for 10‑foot boardwalks, and Commissioner Sienkiewicz asked whether snow plows would damage the raised table; Doherty said local plow crews are familiar with similar treatments and the design should hold up. The design team also reported a National Diversity Database review and plans for exclusion measures during construction to protect eastern box turtles and other species where identified.

Kosakowski said the school, its PTA and facilities staff asked for several accommodations that were incorporated into the plans, including the fence and connection paths. After questions, Commissioner Nathaniel Spencer moved to approve the site plan and the favorable GS 8‑24 report; both motions passed by unanimous voice votes.

The approvals authorize the city to proceed with final design and permitting steps; staff said required erosion‑control and permit conditions from the wetland agency and state Natural Diversity Database will be included in the construction requirements.