Revamped Earl Newhouse Waterfront offers accessibility to all

A canoe launch will soon be added to the newly refurbished Earl Newhouse Waterfront. (Candace Paris photo)

This story originally appeared in the August 18 edition of the Citizen.

After years of negotiations, planning, and hard work (including some ongoing supply chain issues) by Canton town officials and citizens, the Earl Newhouse Waterfront at Reservoir Pond is now transformed into a welcoming, user-friendly recreation area. Featuring a paved road entrance from Pleasant Street plus improved facilities for fishing, non-motorized boating, picnicking, and walks, it has something to offer for everyone.

“I’m delighted that it’s finally happened — and before the end of the summer so people can enjoy it,” remarked Select Board Vice Chair Lisa Lopez.

Originally a private body of water, the approximately 300-acre pond was part of the Plymouth Rubber Company properties and later owned by the Napleton Company. Following voter approval at a 2011 town meeting, the town officially acquired the ‘Rez’ in 2013. Making the area more enjoyable had been a priority for some time, and the Reservoir Pond Advisory Committee was formed to explore options. Members included representatives from town departments and committees as well as citizens at large.

In 2017, voters at Canton’s annual town meeting authorized the use of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds to finance the development of a master plan for the property, and the plan was completed in July 2018 by Boston-based Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture, Inc. The plan called for adding amenities and features to improve already-existing facilities, including making them accessible to people with disabilities. Funding for the actual improvements was approved in 2020, with half slated to come from a grant from the U. S. National Park Service and half from CPA funds. Then Town Planner Laura Smead was principally responsible for the grant applications, with input from Conservation Agent Regen Milani.

The Park Service then experienced a COVID-related national hiatus, which slowed the timeline for grant awards, resulting in a delayed start for the Newhouse Waterfront project. Lopez noted that once the monies were in hand, there were some minor changes to contend with during the construction process plus escalating costs related to supply chain issues — details managed by then-Town Engineer Jay Mello. With all the work involved, it was “quite an achievement,” Lopez said.

Primary access to the revamped area is at Pleasant Street, with access from Williams Street limited to emergency vehicles only. That was done intentionally to allow neighborhood residents more privacy, Lopez noted.

The area includes several picnic tables and 12 designated parking spaces plus two reserved for people with disabilities. Marked walking trail loops, Woodland and Lake Shore (which is accessible), as well as a path to the adjacent William Armando Recreation Center, offer short hike options. Other amenities include fishing platforms, a boat storage stand, an outdoor learning area, and a dog waste station.

Some planned features of the waterfront remain incomplete. Josh Gittings, engineering technician and DPW representative with project contractors, noted that the DPW has been working hard “trying to close the project given setbacks and delays.” A specialized kayak launch for use by people with disabilities was ordered and originally projected for installment in late June, but installation was postponed first until early August and is now undetermined. “The supply chain keeps giving us problems,” noted Gittings.

Plans for a washing station to enable boaters to avoid the risk of transferring invasive plants and animal species — “aquatic hitchhikers” — are also in progress, with the exact design and projected completion date currently under discussion.

The waterfront carries the name of a beloved Canton police officer who loved fishing on the Rez. Originally from Tennessee, Earl Newhouse moved to Massachusetts following his service in the Vietnam War and became a well-known and admired community figure. Newhouse passed away in 2003, and the decision to name the waterfront after him, Lopez said, “was a testament to the personal relationship he had with so many residents.”

An unofficial memorial also stands at the waterfront, according to Gittings. Consisting of a stone prominently placed at the intersection of two paths, it was inscribed earlier this summer with the name of Jimmy Paschal, who died in a boating accident on the reservoir in 2018.

The door is still open for additional, smaller projects at the waterfront. Lopez said nothing is definite yet, but the master plan described further possibilities such as permanent restrooms. (The facilities currently include two portable toilets, one of which is disability accessible.)

In addition, results from a Community Preservation survey provided evidence of what many residents have long said: that Cantonites have a strong interest in being able to use town bodies of water for recreational activities. Noting that some potential project locations, such as Forge Pond, would involve addressing easement issues before they could be opened to public use, but expressing an interest in stewarding resources for future generations, Lopez said she hopes the Newhouse Waterfront project will be the “first of many.”

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