An Upstream Paddle?

A public canoe and kayak launch may seem to be a relatively simple project but the approval process would be a nightmare, town officials said Wednesday.

While First Selectman Richard Barlow has stated that permits would be needed, some of his colleagues noted Wednesday that it really is an extensive process.

Selectman Tom Sevigny said he has done some research and found that much work would have to be done at the local, state and federal levels.

“The regulations at all three levels are extensive,” Sevigny said during a Board of Selectmen meeting Wednesday.

The town is looking to put in a launch for non-motorized boats, such as canoes and kayaks, at the current town garage site along the Farmington River. A recent “Upper Mill Pond Master Plan” for the river and adjacent shoreline areas in Collinsville recommends using the site as a park once the highway garage can be moved to a new location. That has been a long-time goal and the town is looking at potential properties, but recently selectmen discussed a more immediate approach to the boat launch.

Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner said the Department of Public Works could move equipment it has at the site to create room for some parking and a path to a launch. He also agreed the regulations were “cumbersome” but, he said, not insurmountable.

“We can certainly do it  . . . but there are a lot of regulatory hurdles we have to go through to get there,” he said. 

Part of the issue is that the town would be dealing with flood-plain and wetlands regulations. Experts such as a hydrologist would have to be hired, Skinner said. 

At the board’s Wednesday night meeting, resident David Sinish, who was a member of a committee that helped formulate the master plan, again urged selectmen to move forward with ideas in the proposal.

“I believe there are a number if things that can be accomplished for spring/summer,” Sinish said.

Later in the meeting, Barlow said that he had an encouraging talk with officials from state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which funded the study, about looking into possible funding for suggestions in the plan including the boat launch, a fishing pier off of Bridge Street and some land acquisition.

“They saw the value of the report we got,” he said.

Barlow also asked Sevigny and selectman Steve Roberto to help work on the permitting issues and other plans for the river. Both agreed.