Environment Committee Hears Testimony on Rep. Callahan’s Proposed State Parks Safety Capacity Bill

Hartford— The legislature’s Environment Committee held a public hearing recently on a bill proposed by State Representative Patrick Callahan (R-108) and State Senators Julie Kushner (D-24) and Stephen Harding (R-30) to make activities safer at Squantz Pond State Park.

Callahan co-introduced H.B. 5009, An Act Concerning The Public Safety Capacity of State Parks, to help ease overcrowding at Squantz Pond, an issue that New Fairfield officials have been asking for assistance with for decades.

“We want to keep all visitors safe who visit our beautiful state parks. This is not an issue of not welcoming visitors from out of town, it is an issue of keeping everyone safe so that future tragedies are prevented. Legislators prior to me, have also tried to assist the local town officials and the local police in resolving the issue of overcrowding,” said Callahan.

If approved, there would be several factors for DEEP to consider when setting a park’s capacity, including the number of visitors that can be safely supervised based on staffing, if there’s a body of water at the park, and parking capacity. DEEP would also be tasked with determining if pedestrian safety would be threatened by traffic volume or if the number of vehicles parked along the road would impede emergency vehicle travel.

“In a typical summer weekend, cars are lined up as early as 4:30 am to get into the park and it usually fills up between 8 or 8:30.  Once the parking lot reaches full capacity, the park is closed.  Unfortunately, visitors then park illegally in spaces reserved for local businesses, in residential neighborhoods and private property as well as trespassing on Fire Department property, causing local traffic issues, and concern to emergency responders. This impacts our local businesses and endangers our residents and the park visitors as well,” said Callahan.

Several local residents, as well as elected officials, provided public testimony.

In testimony, New Fairfield First Selectman Pat Del Monaco said, “Between 1996 and 2007 there were 13 drowning deaths at Squantz Pond State Park. Recognizing the danger, the state made safety improvements to the swim area and determined that 250 cars is proxy for the maximum number of guests that can be safely accommodated in the park. By continuing to allow walk-ins, it creates safety issues both within and outside the park. Measures such as electronic signs along the highway have not deterred walk-ins. I have also observed local roads made inaccessible to emergency response vehicles by the number of illegally parked cars on both sides of the road.”

New Fairfield Selectman Khris Hall testified, “The park provides many benefits, especially heavily used in the summer. The seasonal heavy use can pose a risk to public safety that the Town of New Fairfield is having a hard time coping with. We appreciate the help from State Police, but a more fundamental look is sorely needed. There were approximately 15 drownings in 15 years which led the state to limit the number of cars allowed to park at Squantz. On hot summer days, visitors fill our roads with cars. Walking into the park on State Route 39 with no safe shoulder on the road, carrying coolers and even children, creates a serious risk for these pedestrians.”

The Environment Committee will review testimony on the bill and must take favorable action on it, prior to the committee’s March 27, 2023 deadline, for it to be debated on the House Floor. Callahan is encouraged that this concept will solicit enough support from the committee, where he serves as ranking member, as they review testimony and decide whether to advance it in the legislative process.