Filley Park
The Town of Bloomfield’s beloved town Center Park was once a recreational hub of activity for residents and visitors, providing space for fishing, ice skating, hiking, and community gatherings.
Over the years, it had fallen into decline and the slow degradation of the park’s structures, pond, brook, and amenities lead to a decline in the park’s usage. The bridges became impassable, and fishing and ice skating were halted due to the rising sediment load in the pond.
The Town of Bloomfield hired Fuss & O’Neill’s multidisciplinary team of landscape architects, designers, bridge engineers, civil engineers, and water resources engineers to revitalize the 17-acre park and pond to its former grandeur.
Context-sensitive Design
Fuss & O’Neill brought a creative approach to revitalizing Filley Park. Our team developed a sustainable water quality approach to the brook and pond, created a walkable streetscape to the Town Center, and provided new fresh ideas to modernize the park.
The park design features a natural playground, educational nature trails, ice skating, fishing, an outdoor fireplace, and a picnic pavilion. The park’s unique island was transformed into a one-of-a-kind arboretum and event space, which can be used for gatherings, weddings, and educational enjoyment of native plant material.
Fuss & O’Neill is a proponent of multi-modal design and we leveraged funding for the park revitalization to create an enhanced streetscape along the park frontage, connecting the park to the Town Center, which was once only accessible by car.
Water Quality Improvements
The sustainable water quality construction activities for the park included restoring Wash Brook to an unimpeded water course while removing the existing dam and creating a fish passage.
Removing the pond’s flow offline from the brook decreased sedimentation and provided inlet and outlet control to balance flow between the pond and brook. Our water resource engineers designed a shore-accessible forebay that requires minimal maintenance and allows for ease of future sediment removal. This helped the Town achieve their goal of not continuing to dredge the pond every 10 years.
These improvements provide a sustained improved water quality, ensuring recreational enjoyment of the brook and pond for many years to come.
