Public invited to walk trails, learn about plans for park at former St. Vincent de Paul Camp site

WESTPORT -- The former St. Vincent de Paul Camp is getting closer to becoming a community park, with picturesque walking trails surrounding it, according to Westport Land Conservation Trust Executive Director Ross Moran.

Moran and the WLCT will host a public event this Saturday at 10 a.m. and preview the walking trail system and also update the public on the plan for a community park.

The land is located off 573 Adamsville Road.

Moran indicated that planning for the open area, totaling around 22 acres and eyed for possible youth sports or other activities, is still in the works. He expressed hope that by next spring, people can at least begin using the park.

Moran envisions that families and other take advantage of the open space with frisbee, pick-up football and other activities.

“This will be one of just a few places in Westport where unstructured open space is available to the community. We will also partner with local and regional environmental organizations to connect families, individuals and groups to nature,” Moran said. “The property is a prime example of the beautiful natural world Westport has, and we want to use it as the foundation to tell the town’s story.”

There is a gymnasium on the property and officials are still mulling over how it should be activated. Luckily, the town’s Recreation Commission has been revitalized in recent years and Commission Chairwoman Renee Dufour recently received final permission from selectmen for the commission to appoint a director.

Still, the WLCT says around 1.025 million must be raised for that area of the property to create the “park-like landscape” that member sof the community envision, Moran says, adding that surveys conducted helped WLCT craft the vision for this property.

The WLCT is taking the leading on further improving some of the walking/hiking trails on the 82-acre former camp, and might even go across state lines to Rhode Island to further expand the trails.

“It already has about 2.1 miles of trails and we will be working towards creating about 3 miles of contiguous trails on site. In addition to our property, the Little Compton Agricultural Conservancy Trust and the Sakonnet Preservation Association have abutting protected lands which we hope to connect to in the future,” Moran said. “ This has the potential of getting close to 4 miles of trails over 120 acres of land.”

After a few years of planning and fundraising, the WLCT earlier this year purchased the former camp from the Diocese of Fall River.