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Public works proposes $916,000 reconstruction to fix drainage, add up to 125 spaces at Settlers Park
Summary
Public works presented a $916,000 proposal to reconstruct two existing parking lots and add a new lot at Settlers Park to resolve persistent drainage, rutting and safety problems; the Board of Selectmen agreed to postpone a funding vote to gather more information on phasing and financing.
Matt Turnowski, the town’s public works representative, presented a multi-part plan to address chronic drainage and accessibility problems at Settlers Park, including excavating silted material, installing geotextile fabric and building improved aggregate sections for the main and overflow lots. He told the board the subsurface investigation ‘‘confirmed our suspicions that, silt… had, filled voids in the existing aggregate’’ and described three alternatives considered before recommending reconstruction of all three lots.
Turnowski said the preferred approach would ‘‘reconstruct the 2 existing lots as well as constructing a new lot’’ near the entrance, and estimated the combined construction cost at about $916,000. He described the cross section to be: two 6-inch lifts of subbase and a 6-inch surface course of crushed stone, placed over geotextile on an 18-inch excavation. ‘‘This would… eliminate the dust and mud concerns… as well as reduce the accessibility issues,’’ he said. He also said the added lot would ‘‘accommodate approximately a 100 to a 125 new parking spots.’’
Board members pressed on technical details and seasonality. Turnowski said the geotextile, buried beneath 18 inches of new material, ‘‘will last as long as the parking lot,’’ and that construction could begin in a future April construction season or, where feasible, preparatory work could be done over winter. He noted inland-wetlands and planning commission permits would be required and that construction timing is ‘‘dependent on permits’’ and contractor availability.
The presentation included safety and operational rationales: Turnowski noted weekend events routinely overflow the lots and force cars to park along Kirkhorn Road, creating potential obstacles for emergency vehicles and damaging turf. He said the reconstructed lots would reduce shoulder parking and make the park easier to use during events.
The board did not vote on construction authorization or funding at the meeting. First Selectman and several selectpeople said they wanted more time to consider phasing and funding sources; the board later agreed to postpone the funding vote to the next meeting so members could review cost splits and options for staging the work.
