New Trail Opening Marks

Next Step In FFH Development

By John Voket

With forecasts remaining sketchy for Saturday, May 2, officials hoping for clear skies were rewarded as they gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new paved walking trail at Fairfield Hills.

“It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day,” recalled Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold. She said by the 1 pm ceremonies a “nice size crowd,” put at about 40 by Health District Director Donna Culbert, had gathered to hear opening comments from Dr John Reed, the trails liaison for the Fairfield Hills Authority, a nonpolicymaking panel charged with the daily oversight of happenings on the town-owned campus.

Following his brief welcome and dedication of the trail, most in attendance headed out for the 1.6 mile health walk sponsored by the authority, the Parks and Recreation Department and the Newtown Health District. 

“It was very nice to have some forward vision of the wonderful benefits that the trail, and future trail plans will provide for the community,” Ms Mangold told The Bee.

Cody Foss and his staff from The Fitness Loft — Brandi Shelton, Joanne Sherwood, and Cathy Narducci — came out to assist members of the community with information about stretching, monitoring their heart rates, and other walking tips.

Ms Culbert took advantage of the opportunity to provide information on walking for health, as well as reminders about tick-borne disease prevention. Volunteers from Kevin’s Community Center were on hand with program information and to hand out pedometers.

Newtown Land Use Officer Rob Sibley handled any questions about the trail, and Mary Simpson from Canine Training Behavior Services staffed a dog information station to provide details about responsibilities of dog owners and their behavior at Fairfield Hills.

Other town officials who turned out for the activities included First Selectman Joe Borst, Selectman Herb Rosenthal, and members of the Fairfield Hills Authority, and former Legislative Council vice chairman Tim Holian.

Ms Mangold said she and her staff members had many opportunities to talk with walkers, and to hint at future plans for the trail.

Now that the trail is officially open, town officials also want to remind dog owners who take to the new walking path that dogs must be on leashes, and owners must clean up after their pets.

Coincidentally, Ms Mangold said, discussions throughout the day frequently touched on plans for a future dog park in the Fairfield Hills vicinity.

Speaking previously to The Bee, Dr Reed said the current milled pavement will eventually be replaced by asphalt, so in the coming weeks there may be some interrupted access to the entire loop.

“The first phase is open and planning and design is underway for additional trail access throughout the rest of the campus,” he said. “We plan to unveil a conceptual plan for the entire network to the public by late spring or early summer.”

Dr Reed said once completed, the trail could feature health stations where walkers can stop and consult informational kiosks to perform stretching and other complementary exercises, identification markers of historic or natural resources, public lavatories, and even a band shell or public performance venue.

“We hope this trail will become a public destination, but there’s still a lot to be done,” Dr Reed said.

Ms Culbert added that the Fairfield Hills Authority is very much interested in promoting walking as a good habit to improve and maintain health, acknowledges that the walking trail is a work in progress, and ultimately hopes to continue a path along Wasserman Way and up to Mile Hill Road South to complete the loop.

Town Conservation Officer Rob Sibley said all the trail work to date is being supplemented by a $50,000 grant, and there is another $50,000 grant opportunity available.