Redding First Selectman Julia Pemberton announced today that the Town of Redding will receive $170,000 in Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition funds to help fund the acquisition of the Biehn Property as permanently protected open space. The Town submitted an application to the State back in March, 2014.
“I am gratified by Governor Malloy’s announcement today that the Town of Redding is the recipient of a $170,000 grant from the State of Connecticut towards the preservation of the Biehn Property, 30.7 acres of pristine open space and watershed land, located at 18 Hill Road in Redding,” said Julia Pemberton, Redding’s First Selectman. “This parcel is often referred to as the Gateway to Redding and is identified in the 2008 Town Plan of Conservation and Development’s Open Space addendum as land of continuing conservation concern. The grant is a big win for Redding and for those who recognize the important role open space plays in preserving the character of Redding and protecting it for generations to come.”
The Biehn Property will also provide a valuable resource for passive recreation, in addition to the more than 60 miles of existing trails, by allowing off road linkage of the Redding Trail systems in the western Saugatuck valley with those to the East, and will get us closer to a continuous set of trails linking to the Eastern Aspetuck Valley area including Huntington State Park, The Aspetuck Valley Trail and the new 5 mile extension of the Saugatuck and Aspetuck trails in Easton and Redding that opened today and were constructed by The Conservation Land Committee of Centennial Watershed State Forest (Aquarion Water Company, CT DEEP and The Nature Conservancy) and Connecticut Forest and Park Association.
Ms. Pemberton went on to say, “Support from the Redding Land Trust, and Board members Laurie Heiss and Sean McNamara in particular, was instrumental to the grant’s success. Conservation Commission Chair Dave Pattee and member Stuart Green, along with Toby Welles and Diane Taylor from the Planning Commission, all provided invaluable assistance to me during the grant writing process. The Redding Land Trust is celebrating its 50
th anniversary this year and has committed funding towards land acquisition costs not met by the State’s grant. The Nature Conservancy also wrote in support of the grant as did recently retired HVCEO Executive Director Jonathan Chew.”
The Town will now work with the Redding Land Trust to negotiate the successful acquisition of the parcel, which must ultimately be approved by the Town Meeting. The Town has a year to complete the acquisition.
