The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘They should be able to voice their opinions’
Vote to seek state funding for Torrington trail project put on hold over opposition
TORRINGTON — The City Council has delayed voting on applying for state funding for a new trail project on cityowned property following objections from a neighbor, with officials saying that the time will allow for additional public comment on the project.
Assistant City Planner Nate NardiCyrus has until the beginning of March to file an application for funding from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Recreational Trails Grant program to expand the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway, which runs from Winsted into Torrington.
If approved, Torrington would receive $439,700 for the latest leg of the greenway trail on city-owned property behind the Planet Fitness/Ocean State Job Lot building off Main Street. The property, which the city purchased, would open the area to hikers and cyclists with a trail that follows an old railway bed and ends on Newfield Road, where a bridge and railroad trestle leads walkers to the roadway.
“We knew it was wise to take this property, and we researched it, did a title search, in 2017-18,” Mayor Elinor Carbone said. “We were able to acquire the land, and now we can bring the railway (bed) into the trail as an active use.”
“Over the last several years, the city has made a significant investment in walkability and, more specifically, the design and construction of a 5-mile extension of the Sue Grossman Greenway,” Nardi-Cyrus said. “These efforts have included a detailed routing study, developing design plans, and the purchase of land from Pan Am that was the former rail line, extending from North Elm Street (Route 4) to Newfield Road.
“This trail section is a significant linkage between the Naugatuck River
Greenway and Sue Grossman Still River Greenway, offering a direct connection to the newly constructed Prospect Street bike and pedestrian improvements and beyond. The proposed route was identified in the 2019 Sue Grossman Still River Greenway Routing Study,” he said.
Members of the Torrington Trails Network are working on the portion of trail that will lead walkers from McDermott Street off North Elm Street, through a wooded area and ending at Newfield Road. This section is known as the Red Mountain Trail because it runs parallel to Red Mountain Avenue, off North Elm Street.
During Monday’s City Council meeting, resident Tom Whittaker said he knew nothing about the proposed trail extension, and that he and others in the area were concerned about the potential effects of use of the trail. He also pointed to Warrenton Mills condominiums on Main Street, which also borders the trail plan, and said people there were concerned about it.
“I have friends on Red Mountain Avenue who have heard nothing about this (project),” Whittaker told the council. “They should be able to voice their opinions on this.”
During their discussion, Nardi-Cyrus and Carbone said that the trails project, and plans to
use the property behind the Ocean State shopping plaza on Main Street, have been in development and discussion for nearly six years.
“We got a grant for the design for this part of the trail, about six years ago,” said Economic Development Director Rista Malanca. “We got a lot of input and had discussion with many people. When we talked to Warrenton Mills, they were thrilled about it. This is very much a positive, based on conversations I’ve had. It’s
been a long-running plan for this area.”
Carbone said the points raised by Whittaker were a good opportunity. “It’s a chance to remind and reeducate the neighbors about it,” she said.
City Council member Ann Ruwet asked whether the vote on the state funding could be tabled. “We could allow public comment (at our next meeting on) Feb. 21,” she said. That motion was approved, and the vote was tabled until the next meeting.
According to Malanca and Nardi-Cyrus, the trails project has included “significant collaboration” between the city’s land use department, economic development, the city engineer and Police Department, along with the trails network, a volunteer organization that has spent much of its time clearing trail areas, removing trees and overgrowth.
On the Red Mountain trail, which has flat areas as well as sections that ares sloped or with a slight grade, the clearing work
will require fallen trees and thick vine growth to be removed. There are also several homeless encampments in the woods along the trail; some have been abandoned and are damaged by the weather, while others are fairly new.
Plans for the trails project are in the land use office in City Hall. The Torrington Trails Network is planning public events on the trail to provide additional information, which also can be found at www.nwcty.org/torrington-trails-network.