Westerly gateway design to be unveiled

Westerly — The proposed design for a $500,000 gateway entrance on the Pawcatuck River bridge is scheduled to be unveiled tonight at a meeting of the Westerly Town Council.

Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Konicki is slated to make the presentation at the 6 p.m. meeting at Town Hall, according to the council’s agenda.

The project was announced last fall, but after the chamber’s board of directors was unable to come to a consensus on which of two original designs to choose, it decided to hold a contest to come up with a design. One of the original designs was described as more traditional and the other modern.

The gateway is envisioned as creating a sense of place and arrival and reflecting the history, culture and connection between Westerly and Pawcatuck while becoming a tourist attraction.

Chamber officials have likened the gateway to landmarks such as the Frog Bridge in Willimantic and the pine cone arch on Federal Hill in Providence.

“Seattle has the space needle, St. Louis has the arch, Hollywood has the ‘Welcome to Hollywood’ sign in the hills, Sydney has the opera house, Venice has the giant hands emerging from the river — these are all major cities with a dramatic architectural landmark. We are a small New England community and desire something noteworthy that is scaled/designed in the context of our charming environment, rich history, culture and growing arts scene,” stated the chamber’s explanation of the project.

The chamber also would have to obtain funding for the project. Gaining municipal funding for the project could prove difficult as Stonington is in the midst of a $65 million elementary school project and the $2.2 million Mystic Boathouse Park project, both of which have to be paid for as well as a possible upcoming project to upgrade the town’s sewer system to accommodate increased development in Mystic.

Meanwhile, Westerly taxpayers are being asked to fund $7.45 million of upgrades to the town’s athletic fields.