Westport parks get lots of love.
Big ones like Longshore and Winslow bustle with activity. Smaller ones like Grace Salmon on Imperial Avenue are visited often too, by ardent fans.
For decades though, Riverside Park was an afterthought.
Tucked away near the busy Riverside Avenue/Saugatuck Avenue fork, it was easy to overlook. Trees and brush covered the entrance. Parking was limited. Hardly anyone knew that — past the overgrowth and weeds — lay a magnificent view of the Saugatuck River.
Riverside Park, before improvements.
Now they do.
A Parks & Recreation Department project removed invasive species and a few trees. A new design created truly open space, plus a wooded area with rocks.
It’s inviting. It’s handicap accessible.
And — even driving by — it’s easy to see the beautiful river.
For a small spot, Riverside Park has a long history. In the 1950s, it was where contractors dumped rocks as I-95 was built nearby.
In the 1970s, the town bought the land. At some point, officials thought, the Saugatuck fire station would be relocated there.
That never happened. It became a little used, barely maintained, often overlooked ugly stepchild.
No longer.
One view of the “new” Riverside Park …
Parks & Rec director Jen Fava is proud of the transformation. In addition to the removal of invasives and improved vistas, it includes new plantings, a pollinator garden and rain garden.
The I-95-era rocks have been been moved, to create a more natural look and feel. Some have been repurposed for seating.
The project also adds picnic tables; a permeable surface stable enough for people with wheelchairs and walkers; a new parking lot, and an extended sidewalk on Riverside Avenue.
The cost of the new park was $436,000. The parking lot and sidewalk were another $74,000, funded through the Department of Public Works.
… and another …
As with any municipal project, it did not happen overnight. The department worked with its Parks Advisory Committee and SLR Consulting on the design. It was approved by the Parks & Recreation Commission and Board of Finance.
“It’s important get people right down to the water,” Fava says. “And if we’re doing the work, we should make it as accessible for as many people as possible.”
Work began this summer. It’s almost complete.
Fava says that many Westporters are already enjoying the “new” Riverside Park.
And, she promises, “it will look especially great this spring.”
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… and a third. This one looks north.