By M.J. STAFFORD mstafford@observertoday.com

Representatives of Revitalize Dunkirk resurrected a dormant plan for recreational trails at Battery Point, during a meeting of the Common Council’s Economic Developmemt Committee this week.

“There’s a lot of citizens who have thoughts on that,” committee chair Natalie Luczkowiak said to open the discussion. She called for activity to see what would make it “more than a vision.”

Monday’s discussion was about revisiting the vision, which was gathering support in late 2019 but went into hibernation with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We really envision a nature area, not a park that needs a lot of upkeep,” Mary Rees of Revitalize Dunkirk said.

However, she acknowledged, “There’s so much work that would have to be done” to open it up. The 12-acre parcel next to Lake Erie is heavily wooded and only has unofficial, crude trails cut by residents for walking their dogs.

At the same time, the land was cleared for farming as recently as the 1970s, so it’s not exactly large trees in an old-growth forest, Rees continued.

She noted, “The land was purchased by the city specifically for a park … but nothing has been done with it.” The Battery Point parcel is just to the east of Wright Park and the city’s sewage treatment plant.

Rees suggested clearing the site in stages, focusing on opening it to the public first and then doing more advanced work later.

City Attorney Richard Morrisroe offered an important point: There are really two “Battery Points.” There’s also a privately owned parcel, abutting Route 5 and south of the city-owned land, that was going to be the site of villas until the developers pulled out in 2021.

Morrisroe said he wanted to investigate any deed restrictions on the city’s plot before it gets developed.

Randy Woodbury, Department of Public Works Director, said the area would be difficult to make completely safe. He noted that the the lakeside cliffs there are about 100 feet high.

Because of that, trail planners would need to ensure people stayed away from the cliffs, Woodbury comtinued. If done correctly, trail construction and signage could keep people away from them.

The bottom line, he said, is that the site is far from ready for public use. “There’s some additional observation and maintenance that needs to be done,” he said.

Battery Point was named after a group of cannons, called a battery, placed there during the War of 1812 to defend the local lakeshore from British attacks.