Groton Open Space Association

GOSA Urges Better Bus, Rail In Comments On State Plan

GROTON–Among wide-ranging comments on the draft of a state plan on conservation and development, GOSA has called for strengthened bus and rail transportation in the Groton area.

The organization said that the major obstacle to reducing vehicle traffic in Groton is “the inadequacy of the regional bus system (SEAT) and the absence of passenger service on existing rail lines east and west of the Thames River.” It said the Connecticut Department of Transportation “remains highway-oriented in its expertise and politics, and local government is powerless to fill the funding gap left by paltry federal and state transportation programs. Meanwhile, tourism and commercial interests generally press for widening I-95 and the extension of Route 11 to further tilt the region to highway dependency and increased VMT [vehicle miles traveled], with attendant environmental degradation.”

GOSA made the statements while commenting on the state’s Draft Conservation and Development Policies Plan for Connecticut, 2004-2009.

Among other observations by GOSA:

–”Existing and proposed intrusion of expanded [Groton-New London Airport] runways into sensitive tidal wetlands and waterways at the airport is rejected by those in Groton who value our coastal environment.”

–”Preserved open space of at least twenty one per cent [as supported by the draft] is fundamental to quality of life in Connecticut for future generations.” It cautioned, however, that the draft’s emphasis on multiple uses for state-owned lands raises concerns about possible degradation of the open space that is being passed on to posterity.

–The Watrous property off the Noank-Ledyard Road “is a significant resource which should be protected. However, the permitting process in Groton has approved the … property for a gated residential life care community.”

–The draft plan’s designation of various sections of the water supply watershed north of I-95 as conservation, preservation and rural areas “is a strong first step in preventing watershed degradation. However, a hotel has been built in proximity to Poquonnock Reservoir, and a hospital expansion is presently taking place there. Both projects were avidly supported by the town.”

GOSA’s comments, addressed to the Office of Policy and Management, were signed by Edith Fairgrieve, a GOSA director.

[This article originally was dated "about February 2004," without a specific date. In transferring the article to a new program, we have arbitrarily assigned it a date of Feb. 15, 2004 to meet technical requirements of the program.]