Twenty years ago it was only an idea, but on Saturday Shelton officials and city residents gathered to celebrate the reality of the Shelton Lakes Recreation Path.
The celebration was held near the new Shelton Dog Park at the corner of Shelton Avenue and Nells Rock Road, where the Recreation Path crosses the state highway at the center of the Shelton Lakes Greenway.
Terry Jones was chairman of the city Conservation Commission at the time when he visited Stowe, VT and learned about its interesting new recreation path that connected two major community centers.
Jones brought that idea back to Shelton at a time when local officials were acquiring a large tract of water company land from the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company.
The video below shows Jones’ remarks:
The two projects meshed and the city’s open space land acquisition continued until the Greenway stretched from Pine Lake to Lane Street, forming a woodland walking path linking downtown Shelton to Huntington Center.
Many of those who worked on the extended project over the last two decades were present at the ceremony, including Mayor Mark Lauretti, who noted that acquiring open space was an issue he embraced during his first election campaign in 1991.
Lauretti estimated the total cost of Greenway land acquisition and trail development at about $20 million, most of it already paid for.
“We all need to thank the residents of this city who footed the bill,” he said, noting that 93 percent of the voters supported the $2 million bonding referendum in 1997 for the initial purchase of 238 acres.
The Greenway has since grown to encompass 500 acres. Click here to learn more.
To recognize Lauretti’s support for the project, Conservation Commission Chairman Tom Harbinson presented the mayor with a compass for his desk.
State Rep. Jason Perillo also presented the city with a proclamation from the Connecticut General Assembly marking the completion of the project.
Shelton Conservation Agent Teresa Gallagher said the project was actually undertaken as a collection of multiple smaller projects, each contributing to the larger goal.
She and others noted the completion of the Recreation Path was possible because of thousands of hours of work by dozens of volunteers who worked on various aspects of it piece by piece over the years.
Jones recognized four residents who contributed much of that work, but who passed away before they could see its completion: Trails Committee volunteer Bob Wilkins, Conservation Commission co-chairman Harriet Wilber, State Rep. Richard Belden and Economic Development Commission chairman Fred Musante Sr.
