DATE: MARCH 18, 2009
TO: WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
MEMO FROM: CYNTHIA KNAUF, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
RE: THOUGHTS ON THE PROPOSAL FOR DISC GOLF IN LEDDY PARK
On February 18, 2009, I accompanied my friend, Carolyn Bates, on a walk through Leddy Park off of North Avenue in Burlington. A frequent visitor to Leddy, she informed me of the proposal for installing a Disc Golf course in the park and asked me for my thoughts on the suitability of such a use in Leddy. I am quite familiar with this area of Burlington.
A. EXISTING CHARACTER OF LEDDY PARK
Leddy Park, located along North Avenue, is owned by the City of Burlington City and managed by the Burlington City Recreation Department. It is bordered on the east by busy North Avenue road, 2 residential developments on the north and south sides, and Lake Champlain on the west side. It is an isolated park of primarily woodland surrounded by dense development. A few other wooded areas exist in the same general area along North Avenue, including the Ethan Allen Park on the opposite side of North Avenue and the Rock Point peninsula, owned by the Episcopalian Diocese of Vermont just south of Leddy Park.
The shape of Leddy Park is long and narrow as it begins close to North Avenue and extends to the lakefront. It is primarily wooded with walking biking trails. The central core dedicated to a road, parking, sports fields and ice hockey rink. The woodlands run mostly in two long corridors along the north and south perimeters.
Our walk on February 18 took us along the paths in the two wooded corridors. There were other folks walking, some with their dogs. We were speaking softly and we couldn’t hear other voices. It was quiet. My impression of Leddy Park is that for some of the users it is a place of retreat from the dense development and busy traffic of the City, especially in the wooded corridors of the park and along the lakefront. It also seems that the wooded corridors provide serene edges to the neighborhoods on the north and south sides. On the west side of the Park, these woodlands probably help to discourage extensive foot traffic and prevent extensive erosion along the lakefront, an issue which plagues other properties up and down the lakefront.
The woodlands are a healthy mix of primarily deciduous or hardwood trees and some evergreens or softwoods, with a good diversity in age among the species. I suspect the wooded environments support a diversity of wildlife as well.
B. CURRENT PLANS FOR LEDDY PARK
Currently, there seems to be no mission statement, master plan or land use plan for Leddy Park.
C. FUTURE OF LEDDY PARK
1. Current Proposal Before the City: Disc Golf is being proposed for much of the south woodland corridor and a portion of the north woodland corridor along the lakefront. Incorporating Disc Golf into Leddy Park in the recommended configuration could potentially change the aesthetic character and use of the park, and the health of the woods and lakefront. The setting for a DG course must be open with mature trees spaced very far apart, as in a manicured park.
POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES. Without proper study of how this use is incorporated into Leddy Park, the following consequences could occur:
A. Aesthetics: Leddy Park could significantly change from a wooded character to a more open one, and no longer be a quiet retreat summer through fall. Disc Golf promotes elevated activity and voices, and requires a significant removal of trees, which currently provide some noise attenuation.
B. Safety and Uses: Leddy Park is a narrow park with passive and activie uses. The Disc Golf proposal currently being recommended will likely reduce or eliminate most of the passive walking in areas in or near the course or a serious injury will likely occur. An impact to the head, face or neck with the disc of substantial weight could be very serious.
C. Woods and Lakefront Health: The health of these areas could experience the following negative impact:
1. Woodlands need diversity in species and age to remain sustainable and survive a blight or pest that could potentially destroy an entire woods.
2. The diversity of wildlife could be significantly reduced.
3. White oaks, which are increasingly rare along Lake Champlain, will be removed.
4. Trails help to consolidate foot traffic. Increased foot traffic along the lakefront could lead to erosion problems, which has happened on other lakefront properties, including Rock Point and Lakeview Estates.
D. Maintenance: Opening woodlands to more sunlight increases the growth of first succession plants, which could include invasive species. These first succession plants establish quickly, which typically results in increased maintenance.
2. Potential Next Steps
No review of the Disc Golf proposal or any other proposal for a new use should occur without first developing a mission statement for the character, use and maintenance of the Leddy Park, and then a master plan for the allowed uses and how they integrate with the natural environment. All proposals must be reviewed with respect to the mission statement and master plan.