Residents will soon decide the future of the Naugatuck River Greenway in Thomaston, an element currently part of the Elm Street reconstruction project. A special town meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Lena Morton Gallery at Town Hall, where voters will be asked whether the greenway portion of the Elm Street LOTCIP project should be “rescinded and omitted” from the plan, according to the notice posted by the town. A “yes” vote would remove the greenway from the project, while a “no” vote would likely allow the project to proceed as designed.

The Elm Street project originated years ago when the town sought assistance from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments to address aging infrastructure, drainage, and pedestrian safety in the area. Through that partnership, Thomaston secured a Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) grant for roadway reconstruction. The project was initially estimated at about $3.5 million and later expanded to approximately $4 million after a section of the Naugatuck River Greenway was incorporated into the design. The additional work was approved with the LOTCIP grant and does not require town funding beyond initial engineering costs of up to $200,000, which were approved at town meeting in June of 2023.

According to the project proposal, the Elm Street reconstruction will involve drainage upgrades, new sidewalks, lane narrowing, and on-street parking. Those improvements would proceed regardless of whether residents at the town meeting vote to keep the greenway part of the project.

At its Sept. 16 meeting, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to advance the engineering phase using “Design Alternative 2”, a plan developed by engineers from Tighe & Bond and presented at a public information session on Aug. 14. That design includes a trail along the west side of Elm Street, on-street parking between Goodwin Court and Park Street, and pedestrian facilities on both sides of the roadway.

Under the proposed timeline shared at the August meeting, the project would advance to preliminary design this fall, with final design anticipated in spring 2026, bidding in summer 2026, and construction beginning in late 2026 and continuing into 2027.

Following the board’s vote to proceed with Design Alternative 2, a petition was submitted requesting that the question of whether to include the greenway be brought to a town meeting. The board’s agenda described the item as a “potential town meeting,” which led some members of the public to believe the discussion would focus on scheduling a meeting rather than voting to advance the project. In response to the petition, the Board of Selectmen scheduled the Oct. 22 town meeting to decide the fate of the greenway in town.

Information about the Naugatuck River Greenway project and the Elm Street LOTCIP design can be found through the town’s website or through the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments.