Davis Forest DGC - Brooklyn CT

[Mike Oatley]

Hopefully I will know a lot more when we have the January P&Z, Conservation, and Recreation meetings. This is where we stand right now:

The application to Planning & Zoning got withdrawn in the fall due to the board asking for additional information. Recreation Department is supposed to re-submit and have it on the January P&Z agenda. Once the application is approved, we can use the funds in the town budget to make the basket purchase.

Timber Harvest was also delayed but is supposed to happen this winter. I'm looking for an update of the timeframe at the next Conservation meeting in January.

I plan to spend some time this winter working on the design and temporary layout so that we are ready to install the tees and baskets in the spring.

Still waiting to hear back from NEFA board on what the sign requirement is with respect to the grant award.

I'm available to walk the course if you are interested in seeing it.

[Titan Bariloni]

kinda the same exact situation in Gardner Ma
would love to walk through with ya..get some exercise before a long work grind..will post when I know I am heading down

gps coordinates?

[Mike Oatley]

Not sure of the coordinates. google maps says this:

Latitude, Longitude
41.783059,-71.905657

It's located off of South Street in Brooklyn CT near the Brooklyn Golf Course. The road is Salmon Drive, but it is not listed on google maps. The entrance to the park is located at the end of the cul-de-sac. Head down Salmon drive and go through the opening at the end of the cul-de-sac. Parking area is a bit overgrown, but I usually go into the entrance and park on the side of the trail. Timber harvest is supposed to clear the parking area. Residents get angry if you park in the cul-de-sac, plus it is illegal.

[Titan Bariloni]

Timber harvest is supposed to clear the parking area.

same as gardner again..lol

I am thinking thurs/or friday next week

[Mike Oatley]

maybe later in the day Thurs if I leave work early. I have a meeting that morning. Friday might be OK. I'd have to see about taking the day off though.

[Titan Bariloni]

do ya have weekends offs? or what time do ya get out off work? any daylight left?

we will make it work so ya don't have to miss work...

[Mike Oatley]

I have the weekends off. I don't get home early enough for daylight. I don't mind taking some time off. I've got a lot of vacation time and comp time to use from all the extra hours I worked this summer.

[Titan Bariloni]

ok...pick a time on thurs or fri..and I will be there

[Mike Oatley]

let's say friday. What time do you prefer?

[Titan Bariloni]

pm response sent

[Ryan Kasprzycki]

For whatever its worth I was wondering about the lack of courses in southern/south eastern CT, I know of a few places near me used for hiking, one place that comes to mind is branford supply pond

http://branford.patch.com/listings/branford-supply-pond

another would be WestWoods in guilford


http://guilfordlandtrust.org/wordpress/properties/westwoods

plenty of room at both but I know nothing about getting a course approved/designed, and built. just throwing out a couple locations I thought would be nice to have courses. Anybody know if it was already tried at either of those locations? While I would have no problems running leagues for course funds like Isaid I know nothing about getting them approved by the town and would need major help in that department

hope I did the links right, first time trying it on this site =)

[Mike Oatley]

Looks like nice properties.

You need to get acquainted with the city/town organizations that manage the properties and make a pitch to someone. You might even find that someone in the local government is knowledgable of disc golf or even plays it, so they can help promote the idea. You need to ensure that the disc golf location won't interfere with the existing trails and determine how much cutting/landscaping is needed. The impact of this could make or break the proposal.

In the case of Davis Forest, it is owned by the town and the conservation commission is responsible for the trails. The town plan for conservation and development identified a priority for the Recreation department and Conservation commission to identify additional recreation activities for the property. Disc golf was a natural fit. In addition, there is very little cutting landscaping needed, so impact is minimal. Still lots of politics to get through, but it can happen.

[Mike Oatley]

I did another walk through yesterday to work on the design. It's been a while since I was out there due to some health issues. I added a couple of more holes to the preliminary design to try and get a good loop. Now just need to remove a few extra holes. Here's the link:

http://www.arcgis.com/apps/OnePane/cont ... 91d54ed113

[Mike Oatley]

Another design session today. Trying to finalize the map for Planning & Zoning meeting in February. Online view has been updated.

[Greg Wintrob]

Looking good. So many nice pre cut fairways.

The tough part is getting down and back through the narrow area.

[Mike Oatley]

yeah, that's the trade-off I want to show you. Current map has what I think is the best 18 holes but with a few long walks. If the walk is too much, we could downgrade a couple of holes to have a better loop.

[Paul Oechsli]

yeah, that's the trade-off I want to show you. Current map has what I think is the best 18 holes but with a few long walks. If the walk is too much, we could downgrade a couple of holes to have a better loop.

Unless the walks are excessive, I would always favor "better holes" over "shorter walks".

[Mike Oatley]

The way I have it layed out right now, the only long walk is when you finish. I don't have it looping back to the start, but dropping off at the scenic lookout point over the river. So you would have a bit of a walk back to the car.

[Mike Oatley]

Good design session with Heather & Gregr. We tightened up the loop a bit. Here's the new look:

http://www.arcgis.com/apps/OnePane/cont ... 91d54ed113

[Mike Oatley]

P&Z approved the application by Recreation department tonight. Final step is in place to begin installation!

Next up: timber harvest this winter.

[Travis Brougham]

I'm moving down to CT from Vermont in 2 weeks on Feb 24th. I will keep an eye for work days to come help out. Look forward meeting you all in the next few months.

[Shannon Leclerc]

Brooklyn, Conn. —
It may not be 18 holes of disc golf for Brooklyn this summer.
The 18-hole course planned for the 125-acre Davis Property is on standby, waiting for the logistics of tree harvesting to be hashed out.
“The property won’t be open to the public while harvesting is going on,” said First Selectman Austin Tanner. “We’re going to see if we can get a section taken care of to at least get some of the holes open.”
Tanner plans to tour the property with the harvester Tuesday along with Recreation Director Bucky Lohbusch and Conservation Commission member Michael Oatley, who designed the course.
Lohbusch said the idea would be to get at least nine holes open to the public this summer and do it in a way that would be safe for the public to be on the property while harvesting is going on.
Disc golf is much like traditional golf, but is played with a flying disc rather than clubs and a ball. “Holes” are usually baskets, and can be elevated off the ground.
Disc golf uses natural elements, such as trees and rocks, as obstacles on the course. Unlike traditional golf, disc golf does not require fairways and greens that have been clear-cut.
Brooklyn’s course is not going to be a competition-level course. But, Lohbusch said, the natural obstacles left on the course will make it a challenge and engaging for players.
The 18-hole course will use the existing trails on the Davis Property and have a gravel parking lot on Salmon Drive for about a dozen cars.
The recreation commission does have to deal with both its $1,500 grant and $10,000 in capital funding from the town, however. Lohbusch said the $1,500 grant has a time limit, but he can purchase the equipment for two or three baskets with the money even if the course is not ready. He has also asked the Board of Finance about the logistics of rolling over the capital expenses if needed.
“There’s some big equipment that has to go in there for the tree harvesting,” Lohbusch said. “We don’t want to get things set up and have something damaged because of the harvest. We’re hoping there will still be some disc golf this summer.”


Read more: Disc golf delayed for tree harvesting in Brooklyn - News - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x20 ... z2Onycbfaz
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[Mike Oatley]

Timber harvest is in process. In about three more weeks they should be clear of the disc golf side so we can start the installation process. Probably will need a few design tweaks depending on what was cut.

Bids close on the baskets at the end of the month so basket purchase should happen in the next couple of weeks as well.

[Titan_Bariloni]

sweet..been taking the back road instead of the highway 138--206--12 I think it is

entire area of CT is so nice..esp woodstock and that stretch

this is gonna be a gem..I checked the area out briefly the other day from afar

seems to be a BG area so golf is on the locals minds already

will meet ya someday bro..TY for your work filling a DG deadzone

[Greg Wintrob]

Great news Mike.

[Jake LaFlamme]

the anticipation is killing me. any new news?

[Mike Oatley]

baskets purchased.

[Titan_Bariloni]

nice..a step closer to filling that DG deadzone

this truly is gonna be awesome

TY again Mike

did the timber harvest demo the place? or are they not just leaving slag everywhere?

[Mike Oatley]

I haven't stopped by there lately, but they are supposed to cleanup after they are done. They are also leveling and creating the parking area in the front at the end. There was lots of brush and brambles growing, so I'm hoping they crush it all up and we have less brush clearing to do.

[Mike Oatley]

Timber harvest still in progress. Baskets have arrived and waiting to go in the ground. Here's some pics of the park entrance: