Friends of Ruggles Landing group formed

Friends of Ruggles Landing group formed
Friends of Ruggles Landing founding members, from left: Chris Jacques, Rick Martin, Christian Allyn, Tim Abbot, Kurt Stampfle, Steve Allyn, Lynn Fowler, Jack Anstine, Kathy Ducillo, and Aimee Davis. 
Photo by Riley Klein

NORTH CANAAN — Those passionate about the future of Ruggles Landing gathered at the Douglas Library on Tuesday, June 20, to form a non-profit organization intended to oversee the Housatonic River access site along Route 44 in North Canaan.

The group chose to name the site after Fred Ruggles, who was on the Housatonic River Commission for over 30 years and was instrumental in forming the Inland Wetland and Conservation Commission in North Canaan, to recognize his contributions to conservation in the area.

Of the 14 individuals in attendance of the meeting, ten stepped forward to form the incorporating board for Friends of Ruggles Landing. Roles within the group are still to be determined, but the formation of a nonprofit will enable them to begin negotiations with the state to offer public river access to the community.

“The next steps are all about an amenity that we can be proud of. The first public access in our town to our river,” said founding member and North Canaan Planning and Zoning Board Chair Tim Abbot.

“We’re the only town in the upper Housatonic wild and scenic area, which is all six towns in Region One and New Milford, that does not have access,” said founding member and North Canaan Selectman Christian Allyn.

Goals of Friends of Ruggles are to ensure the site is properly prepared for public use and to maintain the land through lawn mowing, picking up trash, posting appropriate signage, and monitoring use of the land.

“All we want to do is just clean up the site and make it user friendly,” said founding member Steve Allyn.

Currently, the property in question is owned by the state. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s position is that the agency is unable to tend to the day-to-day operations necessary to maintain a public river access site.

With the formation of a nonprofit to oversee Ruggles Landing, conversations with the state about demolishing the building on the property and other necessary steps to remediate the land can proceed.

“It’s not going to be a simple negotiation,” said Abbot. “That negotiation is going to take a little time, but I think we should aim for having a site that we’re excited to welcome people to next spring.”

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