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01/08/2018 11:00 PMThe Parks & Recreation Department plan for a disc golf course at Peddlers Park went to a Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) public hearing on Dec. 20 and, after the PZC heard from residents opposed to and in favor of the project, the course got the green light from the commission.
Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard is excited about adding a new facility to the town and believes even opponents will approve of the completed project.
“All of the issues raised are resolvable,” said Maynard. “I think there has been some misunderstanding as to what a disc golf course is and people are thinking of large, open fairways, but the course goes through the woods and besides in the parking lots, we aren’t taking down any trees with greater than an eight-inch diameter.”
The parking lot currently fits about five or six cars, but it will be expanded to 60 feet by 100 feet to accommodate up to 20 cars. Bartlett Tree Experts is donating its services to clear the parking lot. The trees that will be cleared have already been posted.
In addition to the donation of services to clear the parking lot, the town also received an in-kind discount on surveying costs from Anderson Engineering. Two local eagle scout candidates are also contributing to the course with James Crowssley building the rules kiosk and Cliff Mackowiak building all of the tee pads, which are where the disc is originally thrown from for each hole.
Guilford Parks & Recreation is also seeking sponsorships of the fairways and the tee pads. Those interested can call 203-453-8068. Maynard did request that up to $25,000 be set aside from the department’s program fund should any needs arise.
Other than that, no tax dollars are being used or set aside, said Maynard.
“A lot of the work is being done by volunteers or donations,” he said. “I can think of no other recreational amenity that is so inexpensive that benefits so many people.”
One of the things Maynard is most excited about is sharing the beauty of Peddlers Park with even more people. He stressed that beyond the parking lot, there will be only minor changes, with most not even noticeable from the trails as much of the course is through the woods.
“There will be some small seedlings and brush coming down, but nothing large and no old-growth trees; the rock walls will stay,” said Maynard. “It’s a beautiful piece of property with 30 acres of woods that haven’t been used for anything. Parks & Rec sees it as a good marriage between hiking and disc golf.”
Maynard has also been working closely with the Guilford Land Conservation Trust to address any concerns for safety, noting that the rules state disc golfers must yield to hikers. He has also contacted several of the state’s other disc golf courses, including Wickham Park, which is the oldest, largest with 27 holes, and most-used course in the state, about usage and traffic.
“At peak times on a Saturday or Sunday morning, they see maybe 20 people so that might be 10 cars,” said Maynard. “We’re not talking about a lot more traffic, maybe 100 cars over the course of the week.”
For now, though, the focus is on the creation of the course. Craig Smolin, a professional disc golfer and environmentalist, has volunteered his services to design and lay out the entire course. Jason Michael, who designed the disc golf course in Wallingford, spoke with Guilford Park & Rec about his experiences as well.
“Craig is the perfect guy for us to be working with,” said Maynard, noting Guilford’s would be the first disc golf course on the shoreline among Connecticut’s 26 courses. “We’ve been talking about it for more than year since the tournament at Guilford Lakes Golf Course and we’ve been talking about Peddlers Park since June. A lot of the timeline depends on volunteers and when we can get them, but it’s an exciting project.”