I’m extremely pleased to hear reports that Batterson Park will be maintained again, finally. There’s a whole article where you can read all of the details here. Aside from the gist of things, I don’t intend to rehash them. I’m simply writing this post with my thoughts on the matter as someone who lived within walking distance of the park for several years and who fishes it often. Who knows? Perhaps those tasked with restoring this park will see this article and take some of the thoughts into consideration.
The Gist of Things at Batterson Park Pond
Batterson Park is situated between Farmington and New Britain, Connecticut, but curiously owned by Hartford. This situation seems to have caused some issues with keeping the park operating well, especially with all the financial trouble the capitol has had in recent years. As a result, the park has been “closed” since 2015.
This closure led to several issues:
- The boating ramp deteriorated. Despite a total lack of outboard motors and, thus, no power loading to speak of, there are huge potholes in the ramp.
- The expansive Farmington side becomes completely overgrown by wild grass and weeds just in time for Memorial Day.
- The actual “park” itself (on the Farmington Side, and with a beach) has been shuttered. One of the buildings sustained considerable fire damage.
At one point a few years ago, people were just driving their vehicles through the road fence (which was broken). They’d park all along the Farmington side and party. This was eventually stopped (while there was no money for mowing, there was money for no-parking signs and to drag giant felled trees out to make a new fence).
What This All Meant
The situation above basically meant that unless you had a boat, it was tough to take your kids fishing at this park any time the fish might reasonably bite. As soon as the weather warmed up enough that you’d want to go outside for the weekend, the grass and weeds took over and the place became a haven for ticks and snakes. My wife wouldn’t even let me take our son out there once the grass grew too high, which stunk as we were within walking distance at the time.
As much as that personally troubled me, the far greater impact was to all the families and children who relied on the actual park itself for some clean summer fun. Once upon a time the park was open and kids could swim or have a picnic, perhaps shoot some hoops or just, well, be kids. Now those same areas that used to service them look like something out of Chernobyl. Even the basketball court is overgrown and decrepit. That’s a shame as despite all the great work New Britain has done under some excellent leadership the past few years, much of the city isn’t exactly renowned as a great place to let your kids run around outside. Places like Batterson Park, if operational and maintained, would provide a safe haven for kids to just have fun without their parents needing to worry about who is on the corner.
My Input on Improvements for Batterson Park Pond
Not that anyone has asked, but I do have a little bit of a Batterson Park “Wishlist” based on a few decades now of fishing there.
1. Mow the Darned Lawn
This is a simple step but one that is critical. Look, while we all hope that the pandemic will subside with the new vaccine, no one knows for sure. We might have a situation where we need to socially distance for the foreseeable future, or may have new pandemics down the road that once again compel this. As great (and vital) as fixing the actual park area is, someone needs to mow the lawn regularly. It should never get long enough to prevent families from enjoying the wide open areas along the Farmington side. Otherwise, people will be forced to concentrate at the boat launch and near the beach. The grass along Batterson Park Road in Farmington needs to be accounted for.
2. Fix the Park Area
We can’t have burnt down buildings and basketball courts overgrown with weeds. I trust this is definitely in the works at least. If I might make a suggestion, however, it would be to try and increase some shore access for fishing over in this area. The waters right around the basketball court make for a pretty good fishing spot where you can catch bass and walleye. Unfortunately they’re very difficult to reach without a boat. Much as this will impact me (it’s one of my favorite spots!) I’d really like to see kids have the chance to be more successful and they need a few places they can cast.
3. Repair the Boat Launch at Batterson Park
The boat launch at Batterson is, how should I say, “not ideal.” As mentioned earlier, it somehow has managed gigantic potholes without allowing any power loading whatsoever. Address this to prevent property damage or injury. A number of very large submerged rocks on either side of the boat launch that makes it challenging to safely beach your boat to go retrieve your trailer. This is especially true in high winds (which Batterson Park is notorious for). While these rocksmight be creating a bit of a breakwater, they are a real hazard and some consideration should be made if they can be moved.
4. Consider a Dock or Fishing Pier
A dock or place to tie up the boat would be outstanding. I understand that docks are not cheap, but they do no cost anywhere near $7 million. Frankly, I would invest in a few. One that is meant to allow boats to tie to (perhaps with a no fishing from dock sign, or at least on the ramp side) and then 1-2 others towards the sides that were meant for fishing. While it would be an investment and would require yearly maintenance (in that someone needs to drag it in each winter), a few floating docks would make the lake so much more accessible for anglers, especially those who require mobility assistance.
If there was only money for one, I’d let the boats continue to beach and deal with it and put in the fishing pier for the kids. Docks provide shade and cover for fish and good fishing opportunities for the kiddos. It would be a great improvement at the boat launch, or even near the park itself.
4. Add a Walking Path Along the Farmington Side
The Farmington side of the park is by far the largest expanse of open space. Unfortunately, much of that space is a swamp. Because of the grading, it gets extremely muddy along the way and you need good boots to walk there. Consider either grading this differently so that water will drain instead of collecting. You might even create a walking path of sorts along this way. Right now, I think it would be extremely challenging to maneuver a wheelchair through the area for much of the year (even if someone mowed the grass).
5. Create More Shore Access for Fishing
Really, this park needs more shore access for fishing. I’d consider trimming bushes where it’s safe to do so and the environmental engineers indicate it won’t cause erosion issues. Years back a great job was done of opening up the norther, rip rap side. That’s a good start, but more can be done. Batterson Park Pond is so important because it provides a quite place to enjoy nature for those who may not necessarily have the money to afford a boat. Reasonable steps should be taken to increase their options, if possible and environmentally sound.
6. Consider More Parking on the Northern Side of Batterson Park
This one probably won’t go over too well with the lake house owners on the Farmington side of things, but I will point out that there are only 2 true parking spots on the entire northern side. This means most who want to access this enormous section of the park are going to need to hoof it quite a ways.
There’s a gated that allows presumably mower access to the northern section. I wonder if there’s any way to have a little road that goes down into the valley for more parking. For one thing, this would allow more people to access the part of the park they wish to easily. Secondly, Batterson Park Pond is 140 acres. The northern end is a hike with a kayak and if you wanted to spend your time there, it would likely be easier to carry it in from a closer launch site.
Thank You to House Speaker Matt Ritter!
I would be remiss if I didn’t say thanks to the man who is leading the charge to restore Batterson Park Pond, House Speaker Matt Ritter. I don’t know if he will ever see this but if he does, I’d just like to say thanks for taking the lead on this and doing something much-needed for the communities of Hartford, New Britain, and Farmington. I’ve spent many years shaking my head at the state this park has gone too and it’s refreshing to see leadership taking a new interest in the park. Thank you for your hard work, Sir! It is very much appreciated!
Thanks,
John Paxton
