New Rip Rap Arriving

It’s not an earth work or otherwise a piece of public art. It’s not a series of well coordinated meteorite landings.

It’s tons of rock recently delivered to Criscuolo Park in Fair Haven to be used for new rip rap to replace the stones damaged or washed away at the riverine location during Hurricane Irene.

The stones were delivered to the park and neatly placed on the grass by the fishing platform early in the week. The average size stone is about 36 inches and two tons, according to City Landscape Architect David Moser.

“Hurricane Irene did a lot of damage to the existing rip rap stones that were adjacent to the water. We are doing a project to place much larger rip rap stones that will hold up to a large storm. The stones will vary in size from 8 inches up to 48,” he wrote in an explanatory email.

Hurricane Irene not only swept away rip rap, but knocked down four or five sections of fence to the north of the fishing platform at the confluence of the Mill and Quinnipiac rivers.

A stretch of the asphalt walkway that circles the park was also carried away. The damage has remained untouched — broken up path, dangerously knocked down fence, and of course lost rip rap — for all this time.

After the rip rap is placed, the chain link fence will be put back and the eroded soil will be seeded as lawn, Moser said.

The majority of the cost of the project is coming out of the city’s capital budget, although a small portion of the work is being paid by FEMA, Moser added.

Moser said he expected the work to commence within one or two weeks.