Stonington’s riverfront park opportunity

Stonington residents now have an exciting opportunity to open up more public riverfront access by creating what’s being called the Mystic River Boathouse Park off Route 27 just north of Mystic Seaport. We urge residents to join the town’s Board of Selectm

Mystic is synonymous with the sea, yet despite the village’s strong seafaring history and the namesake river bisecting it, both local residents and tourists are barred from much of its most scenic waterfront areas.

Stonington residents now have an exciting opportunity to open up more public riverfront access by creating what’s being called the Mystic River Boathouse Park off Route 27 just north of Mystic Seaport. We urge residents to join the town’s Board of Selectmen in embracing this possibility.

The proposed park packs a lot of potential into a relatively small package of 1.5 acres. If the proposal is accepted, the popular and successful Stonington High School crew program gets a permanent and secure boathouse for its expensive and delicate equipment. Residents and visitors walking or driving on Route 27 gain a beautiful new riverfront vista as well as a lovely walkway and boardwalk to stroll. Meanwhile paddlers, who represent a growing portion of the water recreational scene, gain a launch with convenient on-site parking.

The site is now occupied by a garage and house that, along with large trees and shrubs, blocks the river view for passersby in an area often called the gateway to Mystic — a top tourist destination. The possibility of developing a park there was first championed by those overseeing the high school crew program, which in its relatively short existence has grown from 30 participants to 90. Coaches now fear the team’s growth is over-taxing Mystic Seaport, where it currently launches its boats for practice and competition.

The Board of Selectmen formally got on board earlier this month when it voted to bring the plan to spend up to $2.2 million to purchase, clean up and develop the park to a town meeting vote Sept. 20. The selectmen have asked the Board of Finance to approve a supplemental appropriation for the project.

In addition, the town enlisted the Trust for Public Land, with its wellearned reputation for preserving open space for high public use. The group now holds an option on the Mystic property, but if the project moves forward, the park will be turned over to the town of Stonington.

First Selectman Rob Simmons enthusiastically supports the park. He said the town mistakenly shut the door on previous opportunities to preserve coastal property for the public’s use.

The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission has also given its approval to the concept as consistent with Stonington Plan of Conservation and Development. Nearly 80 percent of those responding to a questionnaire that helped shape the 2015 plan said they wanted more of both open spaces and water access. This site — one of the few remaining undeveloped properties along the Mystic River — could be one of the last chances the town has to acquire such an asset.

It is also important to note that the boathouse itself will be built and maintained using private donations, with public funds directed at buying the land and developing the park.

Crew has a long association with prep schools and affluence. The Stonington program, however, is open to all students across the demographic spectrum. And while the Stonington crew is a club sport dependent in large part on parental financial support, the program accepts all students regardless of the ability to contribute financially.

Many crew students — about 50 percent of the girls and 30 percent of boys, according to program officials — have won college scholarships, some getting access to schools that would otherwise be beyond their reach financially.

While the project cost may give some residents of the generally frugal town pause, we ask everyone to consider that the amount of waterfront property is finite and private development makes more of it off-limits to the public each year.

The Board of Finance meets Wednesday. We urge it to support this project, which is listed on the agenda.

Stonington residents should seize this important opportunity to preserve this land for today, as well as for generations to come, while supporting a worthwhile program.