The Conservation Commission wants to create a dog park and kayak launch in the town’s 229-acre Keith Mitchell Forest.
The plans are very preliminary at this point, but with town support — and a little funding — the Conservation Commission hopes to start attracting grant money to get the project moving.
Chairman Peter Jezierny asked the Board of Selectmen Tuesday to give the commission $5,000 from the town’s Open Space Fund in order to hire an engineer to start working on plans for the recreation site.
The board unanimously agreed, saying the land has a lot of potential.
The Open Space Fund, which is designated for land purchases and improvements, had about $43,900 in it before the transfer was approved Tuesday.
“With commitment from the town, it will be much easier to get a grant,” First Selectman Paul Roy said.
The planned location is at the Great Hill Reservoir, off Squantick Road just before the round-about.
“The town purchased the forest property from the old Ansonia Derby Water Company at a cost of almost $2 million back in the 1990s,” the commission wrote in a letter to the Board of Selectmen. “It is high time that the people of Seymour get some return on their investment with the creation of lake access and a dog park.”
Plans
Jezierny said the commission wants to create a parking lot on land that was previously cleared, but has become overgrown.
The commission hopes to build a road leading to that parking lot. The proposed dog park will be located near the parking area.
The kayak and canoe launch would be part of a second phase to the proposal. That phase would include a walkway from the parking lot to the reservoir.
Jezierny said the materials for the project would likely cost about $33,000. The commission hopes to receive grant money to pay for that.
Selectman Phillip Wilhelmy said he wanted the Conservation Commission to try to address security around the dam as part of the plan. Currently, people jump off the dam into the reservoir, Jezierny said.
“If there’s a small problem and we do all this work to bring people in, are we creating a larger problem?” Wilhelmy asked.
