To the editor: Open house on Lowell Lake Master Planning set for July 25
The Chester Telegraph | Jul 08, 2019 | Comments 1
The Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation will host an open house on the Lowell Lake State Park Master Planning Project from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, at the Londonderry Town Hall, 137 Middletown Road in South Londonderry.
Concept design alternatives will be presented at stations with detailed information available for viewing and opportunity for comment. Stations will be staffed by members of the planning team and staff from the Agency of Natural Resources. A 60-day public comment period will follow the open house with a master planning overview, park history, concept design alternatives and a detailed survey available through the state park’s web page by clicking here.
Lowell Lake State Park was established in 1977 when the former Lowell Lake Lodge property was acquired by the state for recreational access to Lowell Lake.
Additional property (the White parcel) was acquired in 1996 with the assistance of the Vermont Land Trust after a private home development on the western shore of the lake received Act 250 permitting but was never constructed. Following this acquisition, a two-year long-range planning process was undertaken to complete a General Management Plan, which was adopted in 1999 and included 14 public meetings.
Lowell Lake State Park currently encompasses 356 acres and provides opportunities for fishing, picnicking, hiking, swimming and nature observation. Following a competitive bidding process in the summer of 2018, FPR selected SE Group and partners Cushman Design Group, Engineering Ventures and CHM Government Services to complete the Master Plan. Master Planning is under way to investigate options to make improvements for visitor safety, visitor experience, resource protection, and to explore alternatives for re-utilization of cabins that came with the 1996 acquisition.
Ethan Phelps
Parks Regional Manager
Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation
Filed Under: Commentary • Letters to the Editor • Lowell Lake
The Windham Conservation Commission has joined the Londonderry Conservation Commission is opposing plans by Vermont Forests, Parks & Recreation to develop overnight lodging facilities and expansive infrastructure at Lowell Lake. The statements from the two town commissions and wide spread opposition from residents in Londonderry, Windham, Weston, Andover and Chester call into question the viability and wisdom of the state’s proposal.