The Day – Tree cutting begins for first phase of the Chelsea Botanical Gardens project in Norwich – News from southeastern Connecticut Tree cutting begins for first phase of the Chelsea Botanical Gardens project in Norwich
Norwich After nearly 23 years in the planning and fundraising stages, the first tree cutting has started at the proposed 80-acre Chelsea Botanical Gardens in Mohegan Park, and planners hope to obtain major grants to open the first phase of the project by 2017.
Hugh Schnip, acting president of Chelsea Gardens Foundation, gave the City Council an update on the project Monday after the first signs of construction raised questions about the project by neighbors and city officials.
Schnip said all environmental and planning permits have been in place for several years, and the organization has progressed slowly, using funding to date to do environmental testing and architectural drawings. The master plan for the project was redesigned twice, and the current plan calls for minimal clear cutting in the land leased from the city.
The project would be located along Wilderness Drive and Judd Road behind the Norwich Rose Garden. On the western boundary would be a 50-foot buffer zone behind houses on Butternut Drive, Schnip said, and most of the buildings would be at least 500 feet from neighboring homes.
Schnip said the work going on now includes six acres of tree clearing to create the main access road from Wilderness Drive, a parking area for 61 cars, and an area where the first buildings will be constructed including a year-round butterfly garden, administration building, gift shop, and a garden school building to be leased to a British organization as its “U.S. Two high-quality vernal pools are in this area, to be called “the Fens,” and Chelsea Gardens Foundation plans to erect educational signs to explain how wetlands work, Schnip said.
The group mostly will use walking trails that already traverse the property to create the 8-foot wide walking trails, he said.
The tree cutting is costing only $5,000, as the contractor will retain the wood, Schnip said, but the overall first phase is expected to cost $20 million. Schnip said it was crucial for the foundation to show some progress in its attempt to secure major grant and foundation funding.
If a major grant is secured, the group would embark on a local capital campaign fund drive to raise any required matching shares.
Future phases in the southern and eastern portion of the property take up to 20 years to complete as funding allows, Schnip said.
Schnip said project planners have estimated that the project could attract 100,000 to 150,000 visitors per year to Norwich.
“I think we’ve got a good plan,” he told the council.
