January 26, 2023

Public Hearing Scheduled for Proposed Bill on State Park Public Safety Capacity

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Hartford— The legislature’s Environment Committee has scheduled a public hearing on a bill proposed by Representative Patrick Callahan, along with state Senators Julie Kushner and Stephen Harding, to make activities safer at Squantz Pond State Park, H.B. No. 5009 AN ACT CONCERNING THE PUBLIC SAFETY CAPACITY OF STATE PARKS. The public hearing on Monday, January 30, will be at 10am in Room 2B of the Legislative Office Building. The committee meeting can also be viewed via YouTube Live.

The legislators are seeking a measure requiring the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to establish a safety capacity of each state park. This would allow for the closure to new entrants when a park reaches capacity, regardless of entry by vehicle or on foot. The goal is to improve the public safety of state parks, such as Squantz Pond, and the transit areas surrounding the entrance to state parks.

Callahan has spoken with members of law enforcement, New Fairfield town leaders, and park staff, who have all asked for this legislative action.

There are 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.

If you would like to testify, the registration form must contain your name and a unique email address for each person who will be testifying. Registration will close on Sunday, January 29, at 3pm. Speaker order of approved registrants will be listed in a randomized order and posted on the Environment Committee website on Sunday, January 29, at 6pm under Public Hearing Testimony.

You can also submit written testimony using the Online Testimony Submission form. If you do not have internet access, you may provide testimony via telephone. To register to testify by phone, call the Phone Registrant Line at (860) 240-0145 to leave your contact information. All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information.