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Walking trails, bike paths, community gardens, picnic tables, educational programs—these ideas and many more were on the table as people from all over Hamden and greater New Haven gathered this month for three public visioning sessions—in Newhall, Whitneyville, and the center of Hamden—to dream a future for Six Lakes. The idea was not to draw concrete plans but rather to share a vision for the 102-acre forested wetlands tucked away in southern Hamden—the last large green space that could become a much-needed park for the local community and for the region.
Justin Farmer, a member of the Six Lakes Park Coalition steering committee, attended all three public sessions and a fourth for the residents of Whitney Center, which abuts the property. Altogether about 100 people attended. Some had engaged on the topic of Six Lakes before; others were new to the process. All had a chance to view a stunning six-minute video of the property created by the Mill River Watershed Association and to share their desires for a future park through conversations with both small groups and larger gatherings.
“There is a consensus that people want to see green space and accessible trails,” says Justin, adding that opinions were mixed on development. “Even people who might not live to see the completion of the project were very strong in wanting the space to be preserved. One said, ‘I don’t think I’ll be able to enjoy this, but I know I want people in the future to enjoy it.’ That really stuck with me.”
Not everyone was in agreement about what a future park might look like. Some people wanted access for bicycles, while others wanted just pedestrians using the trails. Some wanted picnic tables and playground equipment, while others wanted a less developed space for wildlife and quiet contemplation. Few people have actually been on the property, which has been fenced off by its owner, Olin Corporation, for decades. “Without having seen it, it’s hard to imagine what it could be like,” Justin adds.
What’s next?
Justin says so far, about 175 people have filled out surveys on what they’d like to see in a park at Six Lakes—both those who were at the visioning sessions and those who weren’t—and steering committee members will be focusing for the next month on getting a lot more people to fill them out by going door-to-door and by promoting the survey at public events and online.
“We’ll be sharing the video Steve Hamm made [for Mill River Watershed Association] so people can see what the property looks like and some of the natural features,” Justin says. The Coalition will issue a final Vision Report based on its findings from the visioning sessions and surveys sometime this fall. That report will help inform future decisions by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and Olin as testing and, eventually, cleanup of the property moves forward.
Check out the Six Lakes video here. |
