Sharon Could Share In GE Decree River Funds

SHARON — Among the 92 proposals for Housatonic River basin natural resources restoration projects submitted last month, there are two of particular interest to Sharon residents.

These proposals are for addressing Natural Resource Damage to the Housatonic River as part of the October 2000 Consent Decree concerning PCBs from the GE plant in Massachusetts. Frost Family Fields

The first proposal of interest to this town involves about 20 acres of undeveloped land along the Housatonic off River Road, near the junction of routes 7 and 4.

The proposal, developed by the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) and the Sharon Land Trust, features a conservation restriction on about 15 acres of river frontage, a small island, and open fields owned by the Frost family. The land trust would also acquire a five-acre parcel owned by Connecticut Light and Power.

These properties are immediately north of the Appalachian Trail and will augment five miles of permanently protected waterfront on both sides of the river — land that is owned by the National Park Service, the Connecticut Environmental Protection Agency, Housatonic Valley Association and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Elaine LaBella of HVA said the desire of the Frost family to conserve the land from further development, and the availability of almost $9 million in funds from the settlement with General Electric, coincided nicely.

"The Frosts had been considering options for conserving the farm, and it isn’t often there is a source of money for protecting riverfront land."

The area will be included in the Housatonic Trout Management Area, prized by fly-fishermen. LaBella said the Frosts have agreed to an "informal" trail for anglers and hikers, and hope that neighboring landowners will voluntarily continue the trail to the north.An Outdoor Amphitheater

The second project is at the Housatonic State Park Campground, a bit farther north on Route 7. Currently the park naturalist provides interpretive programs with makeshift equipment: a portable movie screen, a picnic table and an extension cord to run the projector.

Gary Nasiatka, the state park supervisor and the author of the proposal, envisions something a little more deluxe. In his proposal he describes "an outdoor, accessible ampitheater complete with projection booth, permanent projection screen and stage."

The current set-up has no formal seating, the extension cord arrangement is fraught with peril, and the lights and sounds of traffic disturb the programs.

An amphitheater, on the other hand, would be permanent, professionally built to code, accessible and far enough away from the activity of the campground to give audiences maximum benefit from the interpretive programming.

Nasiatka said the DEP’s interpretors, naturalists and other guest speakers and presenters who frequently lecture or make presentations in the park would make the most use of such a facility.

And, he added, he hopes the new facility will bring in better presentations and bigger audiences. "The quality and caliber of presentations would rise with a better facility."

An array of programs are offered at Housatonic Meadows on weekends from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. They are open to all, not just to park visitors and campers.

"Some local families do bring their children to see the presentations even when they are not camping," said Nasiatka, and such venues have proved popular elsewhere.

"When I worked at Zion National Park in Utah, their amphitheater basically had an inclined seating area with permanent benches. A raised stage and permanent projection screen was constructed for viewing. The small projection booth had openings for projectors, shelves, a ventilating fan, and of course was wired for electricity."Proposals Under Consideration

The 92 proposals are being evaluated for eligibility. Projects that make the first cut are scheduled to be announced at a Feb. 27 meeting at the Town Hall in Kent.

All 92 proposals can be seen online at housatonicrestoration.org.