Meeting Monday on plans for a new river access park in Middlesex
September 19, 2026 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
The park site (red pin) is along the Winooski River near the Middlesex Fire Department station. Google map image
The first of two public forums about a new riverside park project in Middlesex happens on Monday evening, with the second community meeting scheduled for Saturday afternoon on Oct. 3.
Plans are finally coming together to improve a stretch along the Winooski River for the public to use for recreation and fishing, with improvements designed to prevent erosion and protect the riverbank.
The Town of Middlesex worked with the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District and Mad River Trout Unlimited to secure a grant to develop a public river access area at the Walter Kelley Park off U.S. Route 2 near the Middlesex Fire Department station.
Interested community members are invited to meet at the park on Monday, Sept. 21, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for the first of two planned community forums to mark the start of this project.
Project leaders will be on hand along with representatives from design partner DuBois & King. They will share background on the park’s history and look to community members for ideas to incorporate into the design plans.
The goal is to have a preliminary design by the end of the year, according to Lucas Goldfluss, conservation specialist with the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District. “We hope to break ground on the river access sometime in 2027,” Goldfluss said.
The park property occupies approximately five acres along the Winooski River near its confluence with the Mad River. It was created in 2009 beside the fire station for the purpose of having public river access. Without any improvements to the property, however, recreational users have improvised on the site, blazing trails down the hillside to the water, at times disturbing the bank and contributing to erosion, according to the project summary.
In addition to general public river access, town officials have suggested the park could be a good location for the annual fishing derby. Another river access spot at Shady Rill was destroyed in the July 2024 flooding and the state has determined that the site will not be restored. “Walter Kelley Park would be the only good river access for the residents of Middlesex,” the project summary explains.
The project now envisioned would create infrastructure improvements such as stairs and ramps to reach the water as well as a boat launch. It also would aim to reduce shoreline environmental impacts.
The area for the Walter Kelley River Access park is undeveloped so far. Courtesy photo
“This project intends to limit soil disturbance, reduce riverbank erosion, maintain a low invasive knotweed presence, and reduce the spread of harmful aquatic species,” the project summary states.
Funding to design the park comes from a $9,500 grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program, according to project information in the request for proposals for landscape designers.
Monday’s meeting will begin at the park for a tour, followed by a brainstorming session indoors at the fire station. There will be pizza and beverages for attendees as well. A second similar event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Goldfluss said registration is not required for either forum, but an email to him at Lucas@winooskinrcd.org is appreciated so organizers can plan to have enough refreshments for all. Entry to the park is off Welch Park Drive along Rt. 2, across from the Middlesex state offices, the same access road for the fire station.
Find more information about the park project, including the request for proposals for design contractors, online on the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District website.