Feasibility Study Is Next Step For Batterson State Park Designation

Public Hearings To Be Held in New Britain, Farmington and Hartford

By John McNamara

HARTFORD – Action on turning Batterson Park, the unused open space and pond between New Britain and Farmington, into a state park will not happen in 2023.

The newly adopted biennial state budget, however, includes a Batterson Park Feasibility Study. It requires the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes “to study the feasibility of, and recommend options for, public recreational access to Batterson Park.”

The DEEP Commissioner will hold meeting to take public comment on park redevelopment, in Farmington, Hartford and New Britain. The schedule calls for a report to the Legislature’s Environment Committee by January 15, 2024. Presumably the study will be used to draft legislation for funding of the park for recreation and other uses and moving ahead to utilize the open space that divides New Britain and Farmington. The Legislature has previously approved $10 million to revitalize the long dormant park that originally was part of Hartford’s watershed.

Advocates for state park designation were hoping for more than a feasibility study this year after House Speaker Matt Ritter revived the idea of a state park (Matt Ritter’s Batterson Park Redux, March 2023) on land owned by the City of Hartford. Two years ago the General Assembly at Ritter’s behest approved $10 million to refurbish the park. That wasn’t enough, however, to bring the three communities together to jointly oversee the revival of an accessible recreational area that has mostly been a little used natural buffer between urban New Britain and affluent Farmington.

The study will recommend options for, public recreational access to Batterson Park property in New Britain and Farmington. The commissioner “must consult with Hartford and other interested municipalities. Under the bill, the study must evaluate various park redevelopment options, including public and public-private partnerships. “

According to the budget language, DEEP’s feasibility study must consider each parcel of Batterson Park in New Britain and Farmington and assess the following :

1. recreational uses, including passive and active uses;

2. Batterson Park Pond’s water quality;

3. on- and off-site measures needed to support swimming in the pond;

4. existing and new infrastructure and capital investments needed to accommodate public recreation and park access;

5. ongoing park operation and maintenance costs;

6. public safety concerns;

7. funding needs for each redevelopment option.

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