At a meeting of the Design Selection Subcommittee of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission (SHPMC) Tuesday afternoon, May 3, Chairman Kyle Lyddy, members Sarah Middeleer, Alan Martin, Steffan Burns, and Agni Pavlidou Kyprianou considered a seventh possibility for vehicle and pedestrian access to a proposed 12/14 permanent memorial in the High Meadow at Fairfield Hills.presented to the SHPMC at its April 14 meeting.The next meeting of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission is scheduled for Thursday, May 12, at 7:30 pm, at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street.

SHPMC subcommittee members were joined by Land Use Director George Benson; Carl Samuelson, assistant director of parks from Parks and Recreation; Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold, and Parks and Recreations Commissioner Ed Marks.

Gary Sorge, vice president of Stantec Consulting Service in New Haven, presented Option G. Stantec had prepared six other options,

This seventh option shows a new vehicle road extending from the east side of Kent House at the end of Primrose Street, behind an existing ball field, and following a brief tree line to a parking area near the intersection of an existing walking trail. The parking area would be for one to two vehicles. From there, a new eight-foot-wide pedestrian path would cut across the High Meadow, following an existing swale, to where the commission would like to place a memorial.

SHPMC has not yet been granted permission to use any part of High Meadow for a memorial.

The purpose of Tuesday's meeting, said Mr Lyddy, was to "chat through" the newest option and determine which of the other options can be eliminated from consideration.

Option G is based on conversation with Mr Samuelson and others following the April 14 meeting, as to the feasibility of using space behind the existing ball field, Mr Lyddy clarified Tuesday afternoon. Mr Samuelson had "brainstormed" and contacted Stantec regarding an idea not included in options A through F, he said. Stantec was then invited to present Option G to the subcommittee.

Mr Samuelson's suggestion, said Mr Sorge, "opened our eyes to the possibility of a connection from parking to the High Meadow."

Discussion centered on accessibility, American with Disabilities Act compliance, drainage, and what kinds of surfaces would be desirable for walking and vehicle paths. The environmental impact to the area, as well as the cost of the project, was also considered.

Per foot, Mr Sorge said, Option G will be more expensive [than Options A through F]; but there is no cost estimate yet.

Mr Samuelson noted that Option G was potentially an environmental benefit, if the cul-de-sac at the end of Keatings Farm Road was closed to vehicles and returned to its natural state. All vehicle parking would be in the lot near Kent House, which is expected to be demolished at a future date.

There are portions of the Option G site that have not been disturbed for decades, and others [near the ball field] that have been disturbed in the last decade, Mr Sorge responded to an inquiry from Ms Middeleer, as to the environmental impact of Option G.

Option G has a shorter footprint and length, and the vehicle drive is situated in an area that has been disturbed. This makes Option G the choice of least impact, Mr Sorge said. The other benefit of Option G, he said, is that it makes the memorial site fully accessible from the meadow side and from the Kent House side.

Ms Mangold said she was appreciative of the collaboration between the commission and Parks and Recreation. She sees that this project could bring a lot of improvement to the High Meadow site.

If the memorial goes in at High Meadow, said Mr Benson, Option G seems to bring the least impact to the area.

"If a final decision on the memorial is to go [at High Meadow], Option G is best," he said.

Some widening of the current walking trail would be needed temporarily for construction access, Mr Sorge said.

Subcommittee members agreed to present Option G to the rest of the commission at the May 12 meeting, saying it seemed the most feasible of the seven options, and the one that would cause the least disturbance to High Meadow.

"This has not been done willy-nilly," Mr Martin said, after the meeting. "It has been a long, slow process to get where we are. We have a charge and we are going to carry out our charge to the best of our ability. The reality is," he added, "we do not have an alternative site that meets our criteria." He feels any temporary disturbance to the meadow will be rewarded by improvements to the property.

"In every decision we are making, we are looking at the impact it will have on the land, and we're trying to make decisions that will minimize disruption to the High Meadow," Mr Lyddy said.

"I think you will see that in this specific Option G. We know we have some convincing to do to the Board of Selectmen, but this isn't us coming in and saying rip apart the High Meadow.

"Those against the memorial location say it's 'all or nothing.' There's not compromise. And that's sad, as we continue to pick apart and try to make decisions that will potentially, in the end, better the property," he said.