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06/05/2018 03:11 PMAfter swift public backlash essentially ended a proposal create a disc golf course at Peddlers Park earlier this year, the Parks & Recreation Commission is now looking to Bittner Park as a potential new site for the course. Acknowledging the need for public input and support, the commission is planning a public meeting and an open house to try to get more people involved or interested in the project before going for formal approvals.
Disc golf is a game that combines Frisbee and golf. A golfer is given a disc and has a certain number of throws to reach the “hole,” which is a stand with a chain basket sitting on top. Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard previously said disc golf is “growing like crazy” across the state. Nearly 80 people of all ages and experience levels came out to play in a town tournament last fall and Maynard said having a regular course can draw in even more enthusiasts.
Despite comfortably sailing through the Parks & Recreation and Planning & Zoning commission approval process, the proposed disc golf course at Peddler’s Park was greeted by strong opposition from park neighbors and residents at a special Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting on Feb. 13. While some spoke in favor of the course, most residents raised concerns about the location, safety, costs, property owner rights, and the process of approval.
Peddlers Park, on Peddlers Road, was chosen as the course location because of the 30-plus acres there owned by the town and because the park has very limited use in general compared to Bittner Park, the other proposed location. At the Feb. 13 presentation, Maynard said Peddlers Park has been in the Parks & Rec Commission five-year plan for some new use and this disc golf course is a good solution. The course would have minimal environmental effects and would open the land up to more people in town.
Now, after the meetings, Maynard said Peddlers is no longer a viable option due to neighbor concerns, parking issues, and environmental complications due to a former dumpsite on the property. Now Maynard said the commission is looking at Bittner because it is already an established park with parking and is large enough so that the course could be deep in the woods, away from the sports fields.
Maynard said the course has been laid out with stakes in Bittner Park, but wants to assure residents that nothing is set in stone. The course has been laid out so that residents can get a feel for what it might look like and be able to ask questions and offer comments. Maynard said just like the Peddlers proposal, no large trees would be taken down, only some small saplings and brush, because having trees as obstacles is part of the fun.
“I don’t want people to think we have gone ahead without any approvals and we are just starting doing this,” he said. “The idea is we are creating a fairway and then we are going to have a public open house on June 25 at 5:30 and our designer will lead a walk and we will go to that first fairway so people can see what it might look like and help people understand it.”
The stakes are estimates as to where the course could be; efforts have been taken to keep the course away from any of the hiking trails in the area. If approved Maynard said signs would be posted telling disc golf players that hikers have the right-of-way. While disc golf isn’t a typical golf course, Maynard said disc golfers would follow the same rules as golfers, meaning you don’t hit a ball or throw a disc if someone is in your line of sight.
“There is always that concern about the trails and the courses, but my counterparts in other communities, all of them have told me yes there are trails through the course, on the course, around the course and they don’t have any incidents or any issues of people getting hurt,” he said. “We are designing this in a way where we are trying to stay away from those trails and nothing is too close…Safety is obviously very important and we are making sure of that when we design this. We are staying away from trails as much as possible.”
Maynard said after the open house the town or commission will hold a public hearing to let residents have their say before the project would go to the Inland Wetlands or Planning & Zoning commissions.
Thus far Maynard said the commission has raised more than a third of the funds needed to create the course and more people are stepping up to help with sponsorships. Maynard said this would be the first disc golf course on the shoreline and said he thinks this could develop a strong following similar to the growth of pickleball in popularity.
“This is something all ages can do,” he said. “This is something that is a wonderful family activity and there are a lot of kids who maybe aren’t interested in baseball or soccer, but they like being in the woods and they can get out there and do a physical activity by throwing the disc and having a good fun time with their family.”
The open house is Monday, June 25 at 5:30 p.m. at Bittner Park. The subsequent public hearing will likely be in July and a date will be announced soon. More information is available on the town website; contact Rick Maynard at maynardr@ci.guilford.ct.us with questions.