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04/28/2017 12:00 AMThe great daffodil massacre unfolded on a rainy Friday, April 21. An Old Saybrook Department of Public Works (DPW) crew member on a mowing machine arrived at Ingham Hill Road next to David Brown’s farm, ready to clear the road right of way. But the mowing arm, rather than being set high to clear brush, was set at ground level. Within an hour, hundreds of daffodils in full bloom were lying like dead soldiers in front of Brown’s stone wall.
Confronted by Brown and by his neighbors about his actions, the DPW employee reportedly said he was doing was he told to do, to clear that section of the Ingham Hill Road right of way on that day.
“I was one of the first people to ask him to stop cutting them. He heard me, but then turned around and continued mowing,” said David Brown.
Brown’s neighbors also noticed what was happening along the officially designated scenic road. Former first selectman Barbara Maynard was one of the those neighbors.
“It was kind a shock,” said Maynard.
Maynard said that, when confronted, the worker told her he was doing what he was told to do, to clear the road edge to improve the sight-lines for drivers. And he kept mowing.
“I’ve never seen anybody have an accident because they couldn’t see over a daffodil,” said Maynard. “I was furious.”
After the destruction was over, neighbors poured out their outrage about the daffodil incident in online postings on the Facebook group “You Might Be from Old Saybrook if...”. Neighbors also used the online conversation to express their gratitude to Brown for the hundreds of daffodils he had planted over the decade to beautify the neighborhood.
“I understand that the first selectman received over 40 calls about it,” said Brown.
Brown was saddened not just by the daffodil cutting, but also by the timing. Daffodil bulbs need six weeks after blooming for the leaves to do their work, restoring energy to the bulbs to fuel the next year’s bloom. With all of the bulbs’ leaves now cut down, none of these bulbs will get the nutrients they need to bloom next year, and the hundreds of bulbs Brown planted along Ingham Hill Road will die away.
“The daffodils were my gift to the neighborhood. I’m guessing that over a thousand daffodil bulbs were blooming before they were cut down,” said Brown. “Every fall, I would plant 50 more.”
First Selectman Carl Fortuna, Jr., has heard from many residents about the issue and, according to Brown, is working to correct the damage,
“I’ve been very pleased with First Selectman Carl Fortuna’s response to the incident,” said Brown. “He’s been very respectful.”
Fortuna, when asked whether the town was investigating what happened, only could confirm that an town inquiry was in process, since it involved town personnel.
Brown reported to his Facebook friends on April 28, that Fortuna had apologized for the daffodil destruction and “offered to make it all right in terms of more bulbs and planting.”
Neighbors may also get a chance to show their appreciation for the flower display Brown has annually offered. On the Facebook page, Brown asked neighbors and friends to stand by for a bulb planting project this fall.
In the April 21 DPW action, only the road right-of-way in front of David Brown’s rock wall on Ingham Hill Road and a small section of road right-of-way in front of his next door neighbor’s land was cleared down to the ground level.
Ingham Hill Road was officially made a town scenic road in 2002 and the designation is codified in Section 169 of the Old Saybrook Town Code.
The code lists the criteria for Scenic Roads: “Free of intensive commercial development and intensive vehicular traffic, the travel way also must be characterized by any of the following: unpaved, bordered by mature trees and stone walls; no more than 20 feet in width; offer scenic views of areas of features of distinctive character, landscape or historic value; blends naturally into the surrounding terrain or parallels or cross over brook, stream, rivers, coves, lakes and ponds.”
The purpose of such designations is recognize the unique scenic and historic features and to seek to prevent the town from taking actions to over-improve the road right-of-way in ways that would compromise its unique qualities.
In the Scenic Roads section of the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development on page 15, it speaks to the town and state role with respect to scenic roads: “Each can more proactively create a culture of stewardship within the surrounding neighborhoods. The biggest threat to the scene remains over-improvement of the road by the town of the state itself.”
Stupa Rededication May 7
On Sunday, May 7, David Brown will hold a ceremony to rededicate the Stupa at his farm at 155 Ingham Hill Road on its 10th anniversary. A stupa is a dome-shaped Buddhist shrine.
The celebration is open to the public and begins at noon with a potluck brunch. Anyone attending is asked to bring a memorable dish to share with others attending the event. Speeches and public blessings of the Stupa will begin at 2 p.m.. Brown has asked representatives from many faiths and religious traditions to come and offer a blessing at the event.
Brown said that as many as 500 people may attend and parking is very limited. He asks that those attending try to carpool or use a bicycle to get the farm site.
For more information about the event, email David Brown at hayhouseonline@gmail.com.