Sherwood Millpond Opening Ceremony

Westport's newest park will be opened officially on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 10 a.m. with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.  The Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve is located at 191 Hillspoint Avenue, on the site of the former Allen's Clam House.   The ceremony will include a brief history of the site followed by the ribbon cutting by First Selectman Gordon Joseloff.

The Town of Westport purchased the property on the western side of the Mill Pond for the Preserve in 1999 to prevent it from falling in the hands of developers.  The purchase was funded from a combination of public sources and generous contributions from local residents. 

The former site of the restaurant and its large parking lot has been transformed into an environmentally sound, passive setting for nature observation.  The Preserve now features native wetland plants at the water's edge, a range of native plantings designed to withstand the occasional flooding of the property, benches, walking paths, and a kayak/canoe launching area. Most plantings were done last fall thanks to the work of many volunteers.  There will be another planting day Saturday, October 2  from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and all volunteers are welcome.  Next summer an educational board will be installed that will feature some of the species of wildlife associated with the Mill Pond.

The actual development of the Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve has been funded by grants, donations and individual contributions, and labor supplied by volunteers and the Town of Westport.  A committee led by Sherry Jagerson and Liz Milwe spent hundreds of hours over the past few years bringing the Preserve to its fruition.  The design for the Preserve is the product of the landscape architect firm Erskine Middeleer Associates of Wilton.

Volunteers still are needed on a continuing basis for maintenance of the Preserve.  Also, since development funds now are depleted, further contributions for the ongoing support of the Preserve will be welcomed and will be used for maintenance of the existing plantings and replacements that may be needed in the future.  Anyone interested in helping to support the Preserve with a donation should contact Sherry Jagerson at (203) 227-7413 or sjagers@optonline.net.