Pocket Park Built In Fairfield With Grant

FAIRFIELD, CT — A new pocket park offers a place to rest and native plantings in the Black Rock Turnpike area of Fairfield.

Officials gathered last week to cut the ribbon on the pocket park, which is the result of a $5,000 placemaking grant the Greater Fairfield Board of Realtors received from the National Association of Realtors.

The pocket park is located at 355 Burroughs Road on a 2-acre wooded area owned by the town and across the street from Lawncroft Cemetery. The park project included the installation of two benches, adding two tupelos donated by the Fairfield tree warden, and putting in native plants that were purchased by the board and donated by the Mill River Wetland Committee.

“It’s a very heavily traveled sidewalk,” board President Michael Traum said of Burroughs Road after Tuesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony, adding the group wanted to provide a rest area, particularly for the elderly residents of nearby Parish Court. “People walk to the commerce area of Black Rock Turnpike all the time.”

The Burroughs Road project is the fourth pocket park the board has brought to Fairfield since 2017. Many community groups contributed to the board's most recent undertaking. Local Boy Scouts helped clear the site. The Fairfield Forestry Committee assisted the board in navigating the Conservation Commission process. The Fairfield Pollinator Pathway and the Connecticut Audubon Society were also involved.

There are plans to add more plants to the pocket park in the spring.