College Land to Receive a Face Lift

Author: Matthew Rudolf

This Saturday the Otter Creek Audubon Society and Middlebury Area Land Trust held a meeting to discuss the development of a new public park in the town of Middlebury. Located on the corner of Pulp Mill Bridge Road and Weybridge Street, the park will be situated on land currently owned by Middlebury College.

The College is planning on selling the land to the Middlebury Land Trust with stipulations on how the land will be developed. The lot sits on 17 acres, six of which are cattail marsh along Otter Creek. Sixteen of the 17 acres will be conserved as a park with several trails and boardwalks along with a small parking lot.

Project Director Gioia Kuss said the park will "provide an open space to recreate and conserve for the use of the town of Middlebury." She added that an overlook will be created with a view of Otter Creek.

The primary attraction of this project would be the official creation of the neighborhood park. According to fellow Project Director Warren King, the lot has already been unofficially used as a park for the past 30 years. "The sale [of the lot] to the Land Trust will ensure that this use continues in perpetuity."

The sale also requires that three housing lots be developed on the land.

Kuss said that the development of the lots "will combat urban sprawl," a problem currently facing the tight-knit community of Middlebury.

Middlebury College and the town of Middlebury have had a good relationship in the past. This project helps the College provide the town with another open space for town residents. Furthermore, the building of the three housing lots will provide additional tax income, thereby generating additional fiscal support for the town.

In terms of aesthetics, the project's aim is to seamlessly combine the housing lots with the park by maintaining the natural landscape. Project Director Warren King said that the housing will be "visually screened." In other words, the housing lots will be built away from the park, so as not to be visible from the park.

Middlebury College student and local resident Joseph Powers '06.5, noted that even though there is a limitless number of outdoor activities to be enjoyed around Middlebury, the town itself lacks "the open spaces and parks that are found throughout the state."

He added the Middlebury Area Land Trust's project is "great for providing another space for Middlebury residents to experience the outdoors in town."

For years, the area located behind Alexander Twilight Hall was one of the only other areas located around town being used as a park. This new project ensures an alternative option for a park not located on the Middlebury campus.

Although the land has not yet been purchased from the College, town residents are already eager for the project to be completed so they can enjoy a park overlooking Otter Creek.