Who Will Be Able To Access Great Island? Darien Selectmen Begin Discussion

DARIEN, CT — Darien officials are beginning discussions about who should be able to access Great Island, and they hope to get feedback from the public as the parking and access plan progresses.

The Board of Selectmen received an update on Great Island during this week's meeting, which is available to watch on DarienTV.

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"We definitely need to talk about how access to Great Island will be restricted once parking is put in place. This is another one of the issues where there's a range of opinions," First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said.

Some residents have "expressed a very strong preference" that the island should be for town residents only. Others have suggested restricting the property similar to Darien's beaches, according to Zagrodzky.

In written comments submitted to the board, Alexis Sweet, a town resident, said Great Island needs a physical barrier to prevent unauthorized vehicle access after hours, arguing that signage alone is insufficient and asking what data the town has gathered on compliance. She said protecting the property and surrounding neighborhoods should be a priority.

"The goal should not be to exclude non-residents, but to create a fair system in which access is managed responsibly and users contribute to the property's upkeep," Sweet added.

Sweet urged officials to make decisions on security and access before design plans are finalized because they could affect infrastructure and access design.

Zagrodzky said he wants to broaden the discussion and engage the public to get opinions on what the correct access restriction combination should be for Great Island.

"Once we've come to a point of view on that for this board, that's going to then dictate the physical measures we need to put into place to effectuate that set of restrictions," he said.

Zagrodzky mentioned staffing a guard booth to check visitors' credentials and turn away those without proper authorization, and noted there are plenty of physical options that could be deployed to create restrictions.

Selectman Michael Burke said he wanted to ask the public for ideas. Fellow Selectman Marcy Minnick said the largest concern for Great Island is the safety of the property.

Selectman Sarah Neumann said after capital improvements to the property are complete, she'd like to see access opened to anyone.

"I do think the island is large enough. I've walked at Waveny [in New Canaan]; I think it's lovely," she said. "I would love for other people to see Great Island as well."

The Great Island Parking Design Committee's next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 24 at 4 p.m. via Zoom.