Press Releases
09/30/2024
DEEP To Host Public Workshop October 17 on Passive Park Concept for Seaside State Park
(HARTFORD)--The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will host a public workshop to inform the design of the Passive Park Concept for Seaside State Park in Waterford. The public workshop will be held in the Auditorium at the Waterford Town Hall on Thursday, October 17, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This workshop is the culmination of a public outreach initiative to inform the Passive Park Concept, which has included various stakeholder meetings and a public survey. After the public workshop, the architectural engineering firm DEEP contracted for the project will use the information and ideas gathered through the outreach and planning process to prepare a design for the Passive Park Concept at Seaside State Park.
At the public workshop, DEEP and FHI Studio, the consultant contracted to complete the public outreach initiative, will present an overview of the project’s history, the current status of the planning process, findings from the stakeholder meetings that have been held as part of the planning process, and findings from the public survey that was conducted in July-August of this year. There will be an open house session for members of the public to review information on the planning process, followed by a question-and-answer session for attendees to ask questions and provide comments to DEEP representatives.
In 2023, DEEP announced the path forward for Seaside with $7.1 million of committed funding to implement a Passive Park Concept that will improve waterfront access along the Long Island Sound for visitors and protect the site from coastal flooding. The Passive Park Concept was identified as an option in the Comprehensive Planning Process in which DEEP engaged with local leaders, community members, and stakeholders. Through the Passive Park Concept, the deteriorated buildings on site will be removed and restrooms, walking trails, shoreline improvements, picnic areas, parking improvements, features to memorialize and commemorate the architecture and historic significance of the site, and other site improvements will be implemented.
While people are welcome to visit the park, no on-site work has been conducted at Seaside, and the buildings remain closed to the public due to their unsafe condition.
“DEEP looks forward to providing an update on the Seaside State Park planning process and meeting with members of the public at the upcoming workshop,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “Stakeholder engagement has informed our process throughout, as we develop our Passive Park Concept in way that commemorates the site’s history while bringing Seaside up to the standard of our other State Parks and providing residents with a beautiful new outdoor recreation opportunity on the Connecticut shoreline.”
“This local workshop offers our community a direct chance to directly learn about this important project and give feedback about the best approach for upcoming changes to Seaside State Park,” State Sen. Martha Marx, D-New London, said. “I hope people are able to attend and give their input about how we can best enjoy our coastal park for decades to come.”
“Waterford residents and anyone interested in the future of Seaside State Park are encouraged to attend the workshop hosted by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on October 17th,” State Rep. Kathleen McCarty, R-Waterford, said. “The workshop will offer an opportunity to comment and ask questions of DEEP regarding the Passive Park design. Your ideas and participation will be very valuable in honoring the architecture and historic use of the site. After numerous obstacles and challenges over many, many years, and as a neighbor in close proximity to this beautiful park, I am pleased that the process is moving forward. I extend my appreciation to DEEP, and FHI Studio for their outreach initiatives as part of the planning process.”
Seaside became a State Park in 2014 after serving for many years as a state health care facility, first for children with tuberculosis and then for many years as a mental health care facility. DEEP then engaged in a multi-year planning process to identify future concepts and funding for the park that included extensive community engagement. DEEP is looking forward to investing in Seaside State Park by honoring its historic legacy while also providing improved access to the Connecticut shoreline for generations into the future.
For more information on the Seaside State Park Planning Project: https://portal.ct.gov/deep/state-parks/seaside-state-park-planning-project.
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Contact
DEEP Communications
DEEP.communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110