Brookfield seeking funds to connect greenway to Danbury, New Milford
BROOKFIELD — The town hopes to secure $229,000 in state funds to complete a study on how to connect the Still River Greenway to neighboring Danbury and New Milford.
The application for a corridor study, which the town submitted last Friday to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, or WestCOG, was sent along with letters of support from Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo, New Milford Mayor Pete Bass, and the Connecticut Greenways Council. The minimum request for a grant was $150,000 and the project had to be regional.
The $229,000 requested by Brookfield in their application would fully cover a study on existing greenway construction gaps between the three towns.
“One of the things that have held [the committee] up is we never had the money to do a full design,” said First Selectman Steve Dunn of efforts to get a plan in the works for the tri-town greenway expansion.
Only three applications will be selected by WestCOG to be sent to the Department of Transportation for project grant funding, said Community Development Specialist Greg Dembowksi.
Trail usage was up 38 percent across the state in 2020, and local leaders are working together to strengthen and expand existing greenway trails for residents.
So with little notice, several town commissions and leaders worked together to put together what they’re hoping will be a strong application for the grant money. Dunn called up Cavo and Bass to ask for their support.
“You have to put your best foot forward,” Dembowski said. “We took it even a couple steps further.”
With help from one of the engineering companies working on the town’s streetscape project, the town completed a review of all existing studies on the Still River Greenway expansion, including those in Danbury and New Milford, in two days.
According to Dembowski, the commissioned study found in part that New Milford has already completed a preliminary engineering report on the greenway expansion and has an 11-phase plan to extend and connect the greenway into their town. Danbury has had plans in the works for years, too, Dembowski said.
“If we’re awarded the grant, obviously there will be a chance for public participation. There will be updates to see how the greenway is progressing,” said Bass.
This spring and summer, New Milford is working on phases two and three of their own greenway expansion project with the hopes of connecting two portions of the trail together to create a fluid line to the downtown area.
The finished New Milford project will be a 13-mile trail that will follow the Housatonic River south through the downtown area to Brookfield border.
“This is going to be a multi-decade project, so the goal is to chip away at it little by little and use as much grant money as we can,” Bass said.
In what officials hope will add yet more helpful weight to their application, the CT Greenways Council has selected Brookfield to host their annual awards ceremony on June 4 at 10 a.m. A document outlining plans at a recent Still River Greenway task force meeting said hosting the ceremony will “bring strong visibility to the [greenway] and our pursuit of expansion” in part because the 50 or so attendees will include representatives from WestCOG, CTDOT, and the council itself.
After awards are handed out, the town plans to have attendees stroll along the greenway.
“I think it’ll stand a good chance of winning,” Dunn said of the town’s application.
On June 8, an advisory group will review applications and make recommendations to WestCOG. By June 17, WestCOG will have made its selections and will send their decision to the Department of Transportation on July 1.
“It really provides so much in the way of community character for our three towns,” said Dembowski. “I expect to see a lot of support for it.”