State Grant Paves Way For 'Pocket Park' On Vacant Parcel In Vernon

VERNON, CT — A state grant is paving the way for a vacant parcel in Vernon near a school and a river to be transformed into usable open space.

Gov. Ned Lamont Tuesday announced that his administration is awarding $14.3 million in state funding to aid in the purchase and "protection" of more than 2,270 acres of open space through 25 properties in 22 towns and cities across Connecticut. The vacant lot at 8 Maple St., acquired via a tax delinquency more than a dozen years ago, is among those parcels.

The funds are being provided through the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program, both administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The Maple Street award totals $21,682.20 and is for the "Vernon Community Giving Garden."

The town of Vernon is to utilize the funding to construct a community garden and "greenspace" on the land. The site will feature accessible pathways, raised beds for native plantings, benches and "pollinator gardens," Lamont said.

"Open space is a big contributor to our great quality of life here in Connecticut, and we are excited to help all these communities improve access to the outdoors with these funds," Lamont said. "These community assets help our residents stay active and healthy by providing free recreational opportunities while also helping to improve air and water quality. Open space makes Connecticut a great place to live, work, and play."

A state law (C.G.S. Section 23-8) sets a goal of protecting 673,210 acres of the state's land base (21 percent) as open space, Lamont said. It calls for 320,576 acres (10 percent) to be held by the DEEP as part of the state’s system of parks, forests, fisheries, and natural resource management areas, and for 352,634 acres (11 percent) to be acquired by DEEP's partners, including municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations and water companies, Lamont said.

As of Dec. 31, 2024, the DEEP estimates that its partners held approximately 255,169 acres, or 72.4 percent of their share of the state's open space goal, and that thew DEEP held approximately 263,969 acres, or 82.34 percent, of its share. In total, 519,138 acres have been preserved (77.11 percent of the total goal), leaving an additional 154,072 acres remaining to meet the 21 percent open space goal, according to the DEEP.

"Since the state's open space program began in 1998, more than $190 million in state funding has been awarded to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations and water companies to assist in the protection of more than 48,000 acres of publicly accessible land," DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. "From large tracts of land to small pocket parks, this group of projects benefits a variety of communities across the state. DEEP is excited to see recent program changes bringing new communities and partners to the table."

Maple Street would become one of those pocket parks. The flat, grassy land sits at the intersection of Maple and West Main streets, adjacent to where the Hockanum River crosses West Main and down the hill from Maple Street School. In 2013, after the tax delinquency acquisition, town officials put the land on the market, but the municipality has owned it ever since.

In recent years, DEEP and the state legislature have made changes to both programs to remove barriers to participation and enable more communities across the state to benefit. The updates include allowing OSWA applicants to seek reimbursement for incidental costs associated with land acquisition, expanding UGCG eligibility to nonprofit organizations, and extending UGCG eligibility to more communities across the state. This year, 10 of the 31 awardees across the two programs took advantage of recent program changes, and DEEP hopes "those numbers will only increase in the years to come."

The latest grants are the 27th round under both programs. The DEEP has opened the application period for the 28th grant round for both programs, and the deadline to submit applications is Nov. 3.