Long-Planned Fishing Pier Off O’Sullivan’s Island In Derby Gains Momentum

DERBY — A recreation project that has been kicking around in Derby for 10 years took a step forward last month with a public session where officials announced construction could start in the summer of 2020 if all goes as planned.

The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments held an information session in Derby City Hall June 17 on a plan to build a handicap-accessible fishing pier/viewing stand in the water off O’Sullivan’s Island in Derby.

O’Sullivan’s Island is a peninsula where the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers meet under the Route 8 bridge connecting Derby to Shelton.

The project is being funded by a $325,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The money originates from a $15 million settlement the General Electric company paid for polluting the Housatonic River.

At the info session Max Tanguay-Colucci, then a regional planner with NVCOG, introduced the conceptual plan to the audience with Julie Schuler, an engineer with HRP Associates.

We know there are many people who are out in this area fishing along the Housatonic and along the Naugatuck rivers,” Tanguay-Colucci said. A lot of people are using wheelchairs, a lot of people are using canes, so we though a way to get people out on the water, for everybody.”

Initially the pier was to be built on the O’Sullivan’s Island shore. The new concept moves it into the water a bit, making for a better experience for fishermen and the general public.

The design is still conceptual at this point, with many details yet to be finalized. Environmental testing needs to be done as well.

Several government agencies will have to review the plans, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The pier, at this point, will be south of a boat ramp that was deemed improper and recently closed by the state Department of Transportation. The DOT may have to be involved because the entity controls part of an area used for parking by fishermen and people accessing the Derby Greenway, Mayor Rich Dziekan pointed out.

The pier could be about 60-feet long, though that could change as the conceptual plans are brought into a more formal state.

Charles Sampson, president of the Derby Board of Aldermen, noted that rescue boats need to access the portion of the river in front of O’Sullivan’s Island.

There’s a narrow channel in the area boats need to use, and Sampson said the pier’s precise location will have to take that into account.

Schuler, the engineer, said that would be taken into consideration, along with the fact that the area floods and ices over in the winter.

The Valley Indy live-streamed last month’s info session, which can be viewed by pressing the play button.

NVCOG Photo

Part of a conceptual design plan for the pier.

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