Rigby Ready to Flex Muscle for “Revival” Project in Winsted

Folks in Winsted want to straighten up a park that once played host to the pageantry of the town’s annual Laurel Festival, and John Rigby showed up to help Saturday with a friend — his chain saw. Rigby, state representative-elect for the 63rd House District, dropped a bunch of pine trees and cleared overgrown underbrush that’s killing the lure of Platt Hill State Park: its Mountain Laurel bushes. Rigby was one of several volunteers working at the park, once sprawling farmland that offered panoramic views. The town used to crown its Laurel Queen there, several volunteers said. But the state took over the land years ago and it wasn’t long before trees, bushes and prickers took over–the type of growth hungry cows used to keep at bay. As most people in this particular area know — Winsted, after all, is the Laurel City — Mountain Laurel needs sunlight to thrive. Theresa Cannavo, a Winsted resident and an organizer of the Mountain Laurel Revival Project, is leading an effort to give the park’s remaining laurel bushes a little breathing room. Cutting back the overgrown vegetation will give the plants the sunlight they need. Cannavo and a handful of other volunteers had one chainsaw between them Saturday. They dropped a couple of trees and buzzed through thickets, but dropping the bigger lumber was slow-going until Rigby and a buddy arrived with a couple more chain saws. Together, the crew cleaned out an area 50 yards from the park’s entrance while a team of Boy Scouts, led by 17-year-old Winsted resident Ethan Hampton, worked on widening a scenic outlook in a different area. Thanks to Hampton and friends, the view of Highland Lake is better than it’s been in years. Going forward, Cannavo said she would lean on Colebrook resident Rigby as she tries to get help from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. One of the goals of the volunteer organization is to plant more Mountain Laurel throughout the 100-or-so acre park off Platt Hill Road. The 63rd House District includes Winsted, Norfolk, Canaan, Colebrook, North Canaan, Hartland and Barkhamsted.