Friends of Seaside meeting reflects optimism for park's future
Apr. 24—WATERFORD — Helen Post Curry said she was sad when she learned that the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection had announced its plan to demolish the buildings her great-grandfather, Cass Gilbert, designed at Seaside State Park.
In an effort to turn her sadness into action, Curry, the president of the Friends of Seaside, along with the Executive Board of Directors hosted a community meeting and discussion on Saturday to talk about the park's future.
Curry said the 60 people or so in attendance, including State Rep. Kathleen McCarty-R, Waterford, and First Selectman Rob Brule, made the event a positive experience.
"I was just really pleased that we had so many people and that everybody was in agreement that the thing to do was move forward and work on a passive park," Curry said by phone Monday.
DEEP announced in February its plan to remove the deteriorated buildings and implement a passive park, using $7.1 million of the $21.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds that Gov. Ned Lamont and the legislature authorized for infrastructure improvements at state parks.
So residents came together to discuss their own ideas of what the park should look like and how the buildings should be memorialized, which would include creating signage around the park and saving as many building materials as possible.
"That way, we have a way to tell the story of Seaside," Curry said.
Curry said the group worked to put together a wish list of what it would like to see done at the park, most of which, she said, are things that DEEP already agreed to do. These items include surfacing parking lots, adding restrooms and repairing the seawall.
Brule said Monday that he appreciates the efforts made by both the Friends of Seaside and DEEP. Though he is unsure if the funds set aside for the renovations will be enough, he is going to stay involved in the process.
"I will continue to listen to the neighbors and remain optimistic the state will commit to the funding needs and the National Register of Historic Places will support DEEP's plan," Brule said.
McCarty shared sentiments similar to Curry's in that the meeting was productive and collaborative and everyone was on the same page in continuing to push the project forward without losing the park's historical significance.
"Everyone wants to see this beautiful land for future generations," McCarty said Monday.
DEEP said in an announcement over the weekend that the concept for the park includes the removal of the deteriorated buildings; the implementation of restrooms, picnic areas, and walking trails; improvements to the shoreline area and parking area; and historic interpretive elements regarding past uses of the site.
Seaside served first as a facility for children with tuberculosis and finally as a center for the developmentally disabled before closing in 1996. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, though being listed on the register does not prevent a property owner from altering a property.
Seaside was designated as a state park in 2014.
Curry said the top priority for the group has already been taken care of.
For the last 18 years, a pair of ospreys have nested in the top of the chimney in the nurses residence building, which is set to be demolished. Nancy James, a osprey steward with the Connecticut Audubon Society, was at the meeting and explained she's been documenting the same pair of ospreys, which mate for life, for the last 18 years.
Curry said DEEP installed a new nesting pole within the last month that will allow the ospreys to stay in the area. The pole had to be carefully positioned so the birds believe they're still nesting in the same place.
"We gotta save the ospreys," Curry said.
DEEP reiterated in an announcement over the weekend its plan to involve the community in the passive park planning.
While the state's Department of Administrative Services starts the procurement process to hire a professional design firm to lead the design process for the passive park, DEEP is finalizing plans to meet with interested stakeholders and community members to help inform the historic interpretation that will be incorporated into the park's design.
DEEP said it plans for the group, named the Historic Mitigation Working Group, to begin meeting in June. DEEP created a contact survey to allow interested stakeholder groups or individuals to indicate their interest in working with the group and stay informed as the development process progresses.
DEEP said it will be collecting contact information throughout the month of May and will send an email out in June with next steps regarding a meeting of the group.
The survey can be found at the Seaside State Park Planning Project page of the DEEP website.
