Note: This is part three of a four part series regarding the future of the Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, CT. Part 1reported on the new Shoreline Greenway Trail parking lot, part 2reported on the new rustic cabins, part 3 focuses on the new West Beach Pavilion, and part 4 will inform readers about the new Meigs Point Nature Center.
Storm Damage
During the summer of 2011, Tropical Storm Irene left her mark on Hammonasset Beach destroying large sections of the boardwalk and severely damaging the two 2,000-square-foot West Beach Bathhouses. Two temporary restroom trailers have been placed seasonally at West Beach and a new sand dune is now in the same location where the bathhouses once stood, a Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) press release reported.
Find out what's happening in Wiltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Project Components
Hammonasset Park and Recreation Supervisor Harry Alves said that a new West Beach Pavilion will be built in the middle of the West Beach parking lot as a “retreat from the waterfront” approximately 13 feet above flood zone. He hopes that ground will be broken by the end of June 2014.
Find out what's happening in Wiltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Alves said that the pavilion will feature outdoor picnic tables, concessions, first aid services, along with two large summer restrooms and four smaller heated winter restrooms. When completed, it will replace the temporary restroom trailers.
Currently, the only heated restrooms in Hammonasset are at the Meigs Point Nature Center.
An artist’s rendering of the wooden pavilion, done by Bargmann Hendrie and Archetype, Inc., shows two buildings with a walkway in the middle providing access to the beach, parking lot, and boardwalk. One of the buildings has solar panels on its roof.
The rendering’s description states that the project will also include the creation of more dunes between the pavilion and Long Island Sound.
The State Properties Review Board reported that the project’s scope will additionally add a communication center and lifeguard station to the pavilion, renovate the West Beach parking lot, demolish the 1,150-square-foot West Beach concession building, and possibly implement alternative energy conservation measures.
Cost
While the project is still in the design phase, it is expected to cost approximately $8 million, DEEP State Parks and Public Outreach Division Director Tom Tyler explained, adding that “a final construction budget will be established after the project is competitively bid.” State obligation bond funds will be used to pay for the project, estimated to be completed by June 2015, Tyler said.
Middle Beach Bathhouse
“The building will be a bit bigger than the Middle Beach Bathhouse but it will have a conventional septic system,” Alves said. It will have a lower height profile than the Middle Beach Bathhouse, he said, which has a Clivus composting toilet systemrequiring it to be further from the ground.
The Middle Beach bathhouse was completed in 2009 at a cost of $2.5 million, Tyler said. According to TLBA Architecture, the 2,500-square-foot Middle Beach Bathhouse has 4,000 square feet of decking and boardwalk.
Boardwalk
The boardwalk once extended from Middle Beach to the West Beach Camp Store. After falling victim to Tropical Storm Irene only 1/4 mile of boardwalk remains ending past “Pavilion #2”.
Before it ends, it turns toward the south then veers slightly towards the west.
Alves said that those sections will be removed and the new boardwalk will connect to the existing boardwalk.
He explained that the new boardwalk, between ½ and ¾ of a mile, will be built in a straight direction behind an existing sand dune. It will consist of the same materials as today’s boardwalk and will connect to the new West Beach Pavilion, Alves stated.
“Someone five feet tall will be able to stand on the new boardwalk and look out onto the water over the sand dunes,” he said.
The boardwalk is especially enjoyed by seniors who have difficulty walking on the sand, Alves explained.
Parking
Tyler said that the project will remove 300 spaces from the West Beach parking lot.
“We have never fully utilized the field parking available at West Beach and we are preparing to supplement the loss of spaces with more organized field parking for the July and August months. For the few times each year that we reach full capacity the park thinks the benefit of the improved aesthetics will outweigh the loss of these paved parking spaces,” he explained.
Alves added that West Beach is getting smaller each year due to erosion and that there is not enough beachfront to accommodate a lot of people. However, erosion is making the Middle Beach and East Beach areas bigger.
Visitors rarely spend the entire day at the beach, he explained, adding that the unique dynamic of a constant turnover of parking spaces allows the park to usually have ample parking even on hot summer days.
There is a total of 2,600 parking spaces in seven parking lots and at two parallel parking areas.
