Jungle to Riverside Park: A Dream Becomes a Vision

The old shed and accumulated junk that defines the 3-acre "Jungle" that the village owns along the river at the eastern gateway to Woodstock. (Photo credit: Anne Macksoud)

Jack Rossi, Laird Bradley, Mary MacVey, Trish Compton, Joby Thompson, and Sharon Earn, members of the East End Action Group, hold the plans the group has created for the redevelopment of the "Jungle" into a riverside park. (Photo credit: Anne Macksoud)

by Christopher Bartlett


Picture this. As you drive into the east end of Woodstock, the unsightly, overgrown, junk-strewn property long known as "The Jungle" has been replaced by a riverside park and recreation area with scenic vistas across the national park to the hills of Pomfret. Children are playing on the river bank, and people are gathering in the restored historic railroad terminus shed that has become a community activity center.


To some, this may seem an impossible dream, but for members of the Sustainable Woodstock East End Action Group it is an achievable vision. "It's a matter of public pride and community self respect," said Jack Rossi, landscape architect and co-creator of the park design. "It's the only village-owned land with access to the river, and it's just a shame that this property at the gateway to our town has become so unsightly."

Beyond its contribution to beautifying the entrance to our town, and providing residents and visitors with a place for social gathering and recreation, the plans also have important economic implications. "We believe that this will act as a catalyst to encourage people to make private investment in other properties in this area," said Laird Bradley, a local real estate expert and member of the Action Group. "Reviving the East End will expand our tax base and create new jobs."

The Action Group has been meeting regularly since last spring to develop their plans. They have solicited advice from others who have previously worked on this project, met with several owners of adjacent properties, developed a detailed plan and proposal for the riverside park, and taken their ideas to the Village Trustees. Last month, the Trustees endorsed the plan and encouraged these committed Sustainable Woodstock volunteers to pursue their ideas.

The group is very aware that such bold plans will need strong community support and engagement if the vision is to become a reality. After winning the village trustees' endorsement, they have continued to share their evolving proposals, most recently at last Thursday's Sustainable Woodstock Earth Day event at the Town Hall. A video illustrating the proposals made by local film producer Anne Macksoud was extremely well received, and now is accessible through the Sustainable Woodstock website.

"We are actively soliciting comments from the community," said Sharon Earn, environmental designer and co-developer of the park plan and proposal. "Over the next few months we will seek input, and hope we can get a large number of people engaged and involved in the project."

The choice would seem to be a no-brainer - a beautiful riverside park clearly trumps an overgrown village snow dump. But in the end, the distance between an impossible dream and a realized vision will almost certainly be measured in the level of community engagement. We hope you'll get involved.

You can watch a video about the project or for more information, email Sally Miller at or call 457-2911.