Windsor Pond Hosts Swimmers, Not Cars

Windsor — There will be swimming this summer at Kennedy Pond but vehicular access will be limited, if available at all, at least for the part of the season, Town Manager Tom Marsh said.



A project to rebuild about 150 feet of sidewalk in front of the recreation area has come to a halt after coal ash was discovered during excavation. Marsh said the material is being tested, and even if the tests reveal nothing hazardous, the work will continue into July at least. Originally it was scheduled to be finished June 15.



“The beach will be open (June 15) and we will come up with a plan to accommodate parks and recreation (for the swim program),” Marsh said.



Marsh said town officials will make provisions to allow for pedestrian access to the beach and as for general parking, he said vehicles cannot drive down to the beach but he said they will work on an alternative location for cars to park.



The project is funded by a $250,000 Safe Routes to School federal grant the town received several years ago. When complete, it will move the sidewalk toward the pond and farther away from Route 44, also known as Ascutney Street.



Marsh said there was a lot of work to administer the grant and obtain the required approvals, which used some of the money that was intended originally for speed monitoring equipment and a sidewalk at the school as well as Kennedy Pond.



“When construction started (earlier this spring) they dug into the hillside and hit coal ash,” he said.



That discovery shut the project down until the test results of the material come back, perhaps later this week, Marsh said.



Coal ash is the residue of coal burned for electricity. It is not considered a hazardous waste. However, Marsh also said officials found a lot of old bottles in the materials, raising concerns about other contaminants.



“Right we don’t know what is in there,” he said.



If there is nothing hazardous in the ash, Marsh said the town has an approved sand pit where the ash can be mixed with other material, such as dirt and stumps.



Should the ash contain any hazardous material, Marsh said, the town could try to obtain other grants for disposal.



As for its origin, Marsh said, that is a mystery right now.



“There are no town records indicating anything like that would be there,” he said.



Marsh said if the test results come back favorable, it could take until mid-July to finish the sidewalk.



The swim program begins June 22 and the pond is open for daily swimming 1 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., on weekends. It is scheduled to close for the season on Aug. 7. Marsh said the town could provide bus transportation to the pond from the recreation center for the swim program.



Also excavated at the site was the foundation of an old ice house. Marsh said officials were aware of the ice house but did not know the foundation was still there.



“That was kind of a surprise,” he said.



A tarp now covers the pile until the town dtermines what it can do next.



Patrick O’Grady can be reached a pogclmt@gmail.com.





