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May 17, 2019

In Sleeping Giant’s shadow: Hamden businesses hurt by park’s closure

PHOTO | Michelle Tuccitto Sullo One year after a devastating tornado, fencing still blocks visitors from entering the tornado-ravaged Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

Every year, thousands of hikers and nature-lovers enjoy the trails and scenic vistas at Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden, often treating themselves afterward to ice cream or a meal at a local restaurant.

Ever since a tornado ravaged the park on May 15, 2018, toppling trees and making it too dangerous for visitors, businesses in the giant’s shadow have lost customers.

Sleeping Giant Park Supervisor Jill Scheibenpflug said the park’s closing has particularly impacted nearby businesses like delis, restaurants and ice cream parlors, which park guests often frequented after spending hours exploring the trails.

Anthony Improta, owner of Tonino’s Pizzeria on Whitney Avenue, said the effect on his business has been “huge.” His restaurant, which has been there for 32 years, is one of the closest eateries to the park’s main entrance.

“Typically, the park attracts a lot of school field trips, and they would order a lot of pizzas from us,” Improta said. “With schools going elsewhere for their field trips, we are missing out.”

“[The park being closed} has had a huge impact on us,” he added. “I am looking forward to it reopening, which should bring a boost in business.”

Scheibenpflug said this week the park will reopen “some time this summer,” but she declined to give a specific date. While officials previously indicated the park could reopen by Memorial Day weekend, Scheibenpflug said it definitely will not reopen this month.

“We are going to open this summer and there will be an official announcement when we do,” Scheibenpflug said.

While workers have removed the trees impacted by the storm, contractors still need to work on the main trail which leads to the tower. They need to fix drainage problems and resurface the main trail with stones, according to Scheibenpflug.

The Department of Energy & Environmental Protection gave an estimate of late June for the park’s reopening to media outlets this week.

Dale Kroop, Hamden’s director of economic and neighborhood development, said he expects the park to reopen between mid-June and mid-July.

“We are very happy to hear it will reopen in the next 30 days or so,” Kroop said. “I’m certain the restaurants have been hurt by the closure, and it will be nice to see park visitors visiting our restaurants and ice cream shops again.”

Charlie Hague, owner of Aunt Chilada’s Mexican Eatery, a restaurant which has a scenic overlook of the park, also said the year-long closure has impacted his business.

“We’d get a lot of people after a hike for lunch, and we saw a lot less hikers and walkers,” Hague said. “Initially, we had a lot of tree [removal] guys here for lunch, but that was short-lived.”

“The park has been closed for a year now, and while it hasn’t hurt us that much, we definitely have seen a difference,” Hague said. “It is unfortunate, but at least no one got hurt. It could have been much worse. Hopefully the park will open soon so we will see more hikers.”

Regina Banos, owner of Wentworth Homemade Ice Cream, called the tornado a "devastating storm," which took down trees on her business' property too. When the park was open, she routinely would have buses parked on her property, with customers lined up to order ice cream.

"The impact on us has been a lot," Banos said. "A lot of people come to hike at Sleeping Giant, especially in the spring and fall. For our business, it has been a big hit, but it is hard to evaluate exactly how much."

Improta, meanwhile, said he expects to see an immediate increase in business from hikers once the park reopens.

“I think there will be a lot of curiosity to see what has happened to the park because of the tornado, and how it is different now,” Improta said.

For announcements on the park’s reopening, visit Sleeping Giant’s website here.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com

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