McHale Property, Next to EGHS, May Finally Be Developed

The is at long last completed, according to school officials. But on Monday night the Town Council took up one aspect of that project - development of the McHale property - that was left behind with the decision to build a turf field and other unexpected expenses.

Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Bradley asked the Council to approve applying for a grant from the state Department of Environmental Management that could provide up to $200,000 toward a road and nature trails on the property.

McHale lies between the high school and Frenchtown Road and was once seen as a possible school site. But the land is accessible only from the same two-lane road - Avenger Drive - that serves the high school.

In the last decade, the state precluded any access from McHale to Frenchtown Road, and homeowners in the nearby River Farm neighborhood argued successfully against any access through that area. So, when the decision was made to increase the number of ball fields in town, McHale was seen as a possible site.

The Fields Project was originally designed with six ball fields for McHale. But the decision to build a turf field as well as other extra expenses resulted in a hold on that part of the project. More than $900,000 was set aside for McHale - money that the town now wants to use to build a road into the property as well as nature and cross country trails. Grant money from DEM would augment those funds.

Whether or not fields are ever built there, access to the property is deemed paramount by town officials.

“The key is to get back there,” argued Public Works Director Joe Duarte Monday night. “If you don’t get a road back there, it only gets worse…. The longer we take, the worse it’s going to get. The more wetlands are going to encroach and we loose the use of the land.”

The wetlands permit from DEM would take about a year, Bradley said.

Peter Dion, Cole Middle School P.E. teacher and EGHS cross country coach, urged the Council to approve the grant application, citing McHale as a perfect spot for a high school cross country course.

The Council voted 5-0 in favor of the grant application. The town should know by January if the grant is awarded.