The approximately five-acre Walter Kelley Park was established in 2009 in conjunction with the adjacent main station of the Middlesex Fire Department. The Park was established for public use, with the intention that it would host a river access. While users of the Park often access the adjacent Winooski River for recreation, there does not currently exist a formal river access point and recreational users blaze trails down the hill to the river as needed, at times disturbing the bank and contributing to erosion. 

The land around the Walter Kelley Park is best described as rural. The Park sits at the confluence of the Winooski and Mad Rivers, granting access to both rivers. The Winooski River forms the western border of the Park, and to some extent also the southern border of the Park. The river is slow-flowing, ideal for canoe portage, fishing, and sitting on the beach. The Town desires a location for the local fishing derby. The river adjacent to the Park is reasonably stable. To the north, the Park borders an undeveloped parcel with some scrubby vegetation. To the east, the Park borders a small industrial park including several businesses and the main station of the Middlesex Town Fire Department. 

Walter Kelley Park was selected as the location because the town does not have a good, formal river access point. The Town of Middlesex gained a riverfront property near the Three Mile Bridge through a FEMA buyout, but this site can never be developed. Middlesex had a river access point at Shady Rill (built through collaboration with WNRCD) that was destroyed in the July 2024 flooding, but the State has determined that the site will not be restored. The Walter Kelley Park would be the only good river access for the residents of Middlesex. 

The proposed project will focus on infrastructure improvements to the access area and reducing environmental impacts on the shoreline of the Winooski River. Infrastructure improvements include stairs/ramps for access to the water for fishing and as a boat launch/portage. The stairs/ramp will provide the co-benefit of creating a universally accessible river access and reducing environmental impacts on the area by keeping residents off riverbanks when launching canoes or fishing. This project intends to limit soil disturbance, reduce riverbank erosion, maintain a low invasive knotweed presence, and reduce the spread of harmful aquatic species.

RFP_WalterKelley_LandscapeDesign