The majority of the Derby Board of Aldermen voted Sept. 6 to allow canoes and kayaks in the water at Witek Park.
The vote was 5 – 2, with Barbara DeGennaro and Thomas Donofrio voting against the measure.
Local laws usually take effect 30 days after being passed.
The vote means Derby residents will be able to go to the town clerk’s office inside Derby City Hall to get a free permit for their “non-motorized vessels.”
Witek Park is a 144-acre park that was previously used as a reservoir. The city purchased the land in 1997 and later built soccer fields.
The park is named after Pvt. Frank P. Witek, a posthumous recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroics during the Second World War.
The park’s immediate neighbors keep an eye on activities there, and are sometimes on edge when new uses are proposed. The soccer fields were not universally supported, even though the park doesn’t have lights, bathrooms, or running water.
A neighbor appeared at an Aldermen’s meeting in early August to oppose the use of kayaks and canoes on the water.
The Aldermen voted at that meeting, but the measure failed to pass because it did not receive at least five affirmative votes.
But last Tuesday Aldermen Carmen DiCenso and Anthony Staffieri voted in favor of the measure, enabling it to reach five votes.
Alderman Art Gerckens said the Derby law had to be modified slightly to comply with existing state boating laws.
Derby has been investing in Witek Park. A pedestrian bridge was installed by the Department of Public Works. The driveway and parking lot has been fixed, too.
Gerckens said the idea to allow kayaks and canoes came from residents. It’s a natural fit.
“We want people to enjoy the natural resources there,” Alderman Art Gerckens said after Tuesday’s meeting.
A unscientific Valley Indy online poll last month showed strong support for the Witek Park water proposal. About 70 percent of 263 respondents said they supported the ordinance.
A draft copy of the ordinance is posted below.
