Reservoir trail faces procedural hiccup

DANBURY — Local leaders tasked with planning a proposed 2.5-mile trail between Danbury and New Fairfield have yet to meet.

Instead, the committee in charge of developing the Margerie Reservoir Trail had to delay its first meeting, despite plans to convene two months ago.

“The original meeting was postponed in September due to our corporation counsel needing to do more research in regards to a multi-town committee meeting,” Danbury Mayor Dean Esposito said last week.

He said the committee will move forward once the city has met with New Fairfield First Selectman Pat Del Monaco to “establish proper procedures” for the Margerie Reservoir Trail Advisory Committee.

Del Monaco could not be reached for comment Monday.

The New Fairfield Board of Selectmen voted last year to establish the advisory group for the purpose of developing a plan for a roughly 2.5-mile multi-use path along the Margerie Reservoir that would connect New Fairfield’s town center to Peck Road in Danbury.

The committee members include Danbury’s public utilities superintendent David Day, City Council president Vinny DiGilio and public works director and engineer Antonio Iadarola, as well as New Fairfield residents Peter Hearn, Jeff Main and Ann Marie Mellas.

Hearn is a longtime Margerie Reservoir Trail proponent and Main is an experienced trail-planner. Mellas — who will serve as an alternate — has been described as a trail advocate.

In addition to planning the trail, the committee will be responsible for advising the municipalities on requirements for its establishment and maintenance.

The project is estimated to cost between $2 million and $3.5 million and take about five years to complete, according to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments’ morethan-yearlong Route 37 corridor study.

Thanks to the efforts of outgoing state Rep. Ken Gucker, D-Danbury, $2.28 million in state grant money was secured last year for the design and planning of the trail.

As of Monday, there was no public notice of a meeting for committee.