Milford Officials Want to Take Back Portion of State Park that Has Become 'Blighted' and a Target for Criminal Activity

State Senator Gayle S. Slossberg (D-Milford) testified along with Mayor Benjamin Blake and State Reps. Kim Rose (D-Milford), Pam Staneski (R-Milford) and Charles Ferraro (R-West Haven) Monday in support of legislation to take back ownership of land at Silver Sands State Park from Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

The legislation, HB-6998, An Act Concerning the Conveyance of Certain Parcels of State Land, contains a section that would convey the land, once owned by Milford, back to the city. The testimony was given as part of a public hearing on the bill held by the Government Administration and Elections (GAE) committee.

In reviewing improvements planned by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP), the City of Milford found that many of their concerns regarding the cleaning of blighted areas are not included in the plan.

“The state of Connecticut failed in their duty to keep this beautiful property well-maintained. The language in this bill simply permits Milford to once again own the property; a property I know the city of Milford will safeguard and protect if in their hands,” said Staneski in a prepared statement.

“Over the years the city has voluntarily conveyed land to the state with the understanding that the state would treat it in a manner that was environmentally sound, and respectful of the historic, densely populated community,” Slossberg said in a prepared statement. “DEEP has failed miserably in its stewardship of the land. We’ve seen crime, the dumping of waste and the closing off of critical emergency vehicle access points.”

“The city has asked repeatedly for cooperation from the state, and these attempts have fallen on deaf ears,” Slossberg continued. “It is time for us to take these pieces of land back—to protect our local neighborhoods and to be the environmental stewards DEEP has failed to be.”

During the public hearing Rose said in a prepared statement, “While the DEEP has ambitious goals to restore the area with offices, dining and other amenities, the city’s priorities for restoring the park’s natural beauty and engaging massive cleaning efforts to get rid of undesirable debris have not been committed. Serious concerns have been discussed, such as street parking congestion and other issues that would be detrimental to homeowners if the proposed improvements were to be undertaken.”

“If DEEP was willing to come to the table and work with Milford to protect the sensitive coastal environment, help ensure the safety of our citizens, and consider new resiliency efforts along our embattled shoreline, we would be happy to withdraw our request for this land conveyance,” said Blake in a prepared statement.

“The city of Milford’s vision for Silver Sands State Park stands in stark contrast to that which is depicted by DEEP. For example, the city would prefer that DEEP first restore the Park’s natural environment by addressing the blighted and dangerous conditions which limit access to visitors and deteriorate the local ecosystems before it constructs massive guard houses, dining facilities and beachside administrative offices. Let us do what is right for the environment and for the city of Milford. This land deserves to be treated like the gem it is and if the DEEP is willing, the city is prepared to do that,” said Ferraro in a prepared statement.