UPDATE: State Says No to Naming Silver Sands Boardwalk After Doris Gagnon

A movement started in Milford last month to name the Silver Sands State Park boardwalk after Doris Gagnon, whose home was taken and destroyed through eminent domain to help pave the way for the park, but she ended up living on the beach for 23 years and work on the park was delayed until more than 20 years.

It appears that the movement may not end up exactly the way organizers want.

On Monday morning, state Rep. Kim Rose, D-Milford, posted the following statement regarding the effort to name the boardwalk after Gagnon.

“I wanted to update you all on the progress that I have been able to make with DEEP. DEEP is unwilling to change the name of the boardwalk for a variety of reasons. I was however able to negotiate with DEEP to set up a memorial bench in Doris’ honor.

“The public could purchase a bench and place a plaque on it in memory of Doris. I am awaiting a price for the bench and we would have to find a private vendor to produce the plaque. Any wording on the plaque would need to follow state protocol and DEEP would need to approve the wording in writing. I am happy to help you all facilitate this if you decide you’d like to move forward. I have attached a picture of the bench, Thank you all for your interest and enthusiasm for this cause, I am happy to help in any way that I can,” Rose wrote on the Facebook page set up in Gagnon’s memory.

But organizer and former Milford Aldermanic Chairman Leader Gregory Smith wrote back, “Respectfully, the bench is a nice idea, but I think the history of Silver Sands and the redevelopment of the area, with a hat tip to the efforts of Doris Gagnon, warrant more than granting the right to buy a bench in her honor. Here are some examples of State Historical markers for reference. Don’t you think one of these would be appropriate, maybe along with a bench?”

Rose said she’d look into the issue further with state officials.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection released a statement Monday afternoon to Rose stating, ““The Parks Division has made it clear to that they plan to tell the story of the property as part of the work. We will have some displays describing the history and some of the major individuals. However, it may not be in the form of a historic marker from the national register. It will more likely be designed as an education kiosk. But this work is probably a bit premature. If that is what the constituents are interested in we do have this in mind moving forward. Maybe this helps clarify our intention.”

In 1971 Doris Gagnon’s home was demolished to make way for Silver Sands State Park, according to Jean Tsang and David Gregory. In spite of an eviction notice, Gagnon erected a squatter’s camp.

In 1988 Gagnon was ordered out of the park by January 1989; health reasons were cited. In 1990 state officials deemed that previous health problems had been cleared up and she was allowed to stay. The decision was recorded in the New York Times.

The Connecticut Post reports that Gagnon’s small cottage was demolished via eminent domain in 1971 and she then moved onto the beach where she lived until 1994 when she died.

She lived in a trailer and raised chickens and the park project didn’t actually begin until 1997.

On the Facebook page, support is growing for Gagnon and there are more than 1,100 people who have become “members” of the movement in about a month’s time.

You can visit the Facebook page here.