Public has say on Heron Park at multiple public meetings

By Cindy Hoffman Staff Writer

(July 21, 2023) As promised, Berlin officials continued to provide opportunities for residents to share their opinions about the potential development of Heron Park during last Tuesday’s Parks Commission meeting and last Wednesday’s Planning Commission session.

Most people who spoke seemed to support the idea of a garden center and small entertainment venue on the property, as well as Rails and Trails to connect the property to the downtown area.

Much of the discussion revolved around protecting the natural assets on the property, the demolition of existing structures and whether the offer from Coastal Ventures was enough to address the $2.3 million the town owes on the property in bought in 2016.

There was also extensive discussion of a skate park on the property.

“The biggest question in this room is: ‘Where is the skate park going to be?’ That property could be the ideal place for a skate park,”

Parks Commission member Laura Stearns said.

Resident Ed Hammond agreed that Heron Park is the most logical place for a skate park to go because it would create the least environmental issues.

Parks Commission member Sarah Hooper thought skaters could use the rails and trails pathway to get to the skate park, getting them off the street.

Resident Marie Velong, however, disagreed and advocated selling the entire parcel.

“It is a dangerous place for children. You have bars on both sides, an auto place with a bunch of junk. You put kids back there with no way to monitor them,” Velong said.

But Palmer Gillis of Coastal Ventures Development, the would-be purchaser of roughly 20 acres of the 63-acre tract, encouraged the idea of a skate park on Heron Park. He said the skate park would take up less than one half of an acre.

“Families can go to the garden center and send their kids to the skate

See HERON Page 18