State Wants to Demolish Sunrise Resort Buildings

The state intends to tear down the former resort buildings at years after the tourist attraction was bought and, some say, neglected by the state.

The state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which oversees the property in Moodus, believes the best course of action on it now is to tear down the 82 structures on the 144-acre property, many of which have been badly vandalized since the state bought Sunrise in 2008, the Hartford Courant reports today.

The DEEP last year sought development proposals for the property, which was once a thriving resort where locals from around the region worked, but rejected two ideas that were deemed financially unfeasible.

Melissa Ziobron, the recently elected state representative for the 34th District, has filed legislation requesting that the state do something with Sunrise, which was turned into a state park. The property abuts other state-owned parks in the area, but there is little public access to Sunrise.

Most of the buildings have become eyesores and present a hazard to curiousity-seekers, officials have said. Ziobron has called the state's oversight of the property a "disgrace." 

Sunrise was once part of a large and thriving resort community in Moodus that included Johnsonville Village, a privately-owned, recreated 19th century village that is now for sale, and the Klar-Crest resort next door to Johnsonville.