Sunrise State Park Bill Headed To Environment Committee

A bill that calls on the state to take action on Sunrise State Park in Moodus has been sent to the General Assembly's Environment Committee for review.

On her Facebook page today State Rep. Melissa Ziobron, R-East Haddam, the bill's sponsor, said the move is a "Huge first step."

Once in environment committee, the panel's members will decide if it warrants having legal language added and then being sent on for additional review to other committees.

Ziobron has made the reclamation of the former Sunrise Resort in Moodus one of her priorities this session. Her legislation, House Bill 5261, simply states that it seeks "to require the development of a plan for the use of the Sunrise State Park." Ziobron has said that while the legislation may have no expenditures attached, or much teeth at all, she's hoping it will elevate the issue of the former resort's status among state lawmakers.

Once a thriving tourist attraction amid several resorts that used to flourish in Moodus, the 146-acre Sunrise property, now owned by the state, has sat vacant for years. 

Ziobron, who has called the current state of the park "disgraceful," said she and many of her constituents in the region are frustrated by the state's lack of impetus in getting the property redeveloped and back on the tax rolls.