Riverside Park Question Approved In Close Vote

In a neck-and-neck result finally reached after the counting of absentee ballots, voters approved the sale of a portion of to the on Tuesday.

The official total was 2,117 in favor of a sale and 2,104 opposed. Bill Giesing, the Democratic registrar of voters, said a recount will take place due to the close result.

"We are pleased with the outcome of the referendum and believe investing in the future of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is good for the nation and New London," said Rear Admiral Sandra Stosz, superintendent of the academy. "We make a significant contribution to the local economy and have made solid, lasting contributions to the community.  We believe this expansion will help us continue to contribute for many years to come."

The City Council previously turned down an offer by the academy to purchase the entire park, but on Sept. 20, 2010 it voted 4-3 in favor of selling a portion of the site. The matter was brought to Tuesday’s election after a successful petition effort to put the question to voters.

The vote authorizes the sale of 9.14 acres of the park to the academy for $2.9 million, leaving 9.44 acres to the city. The academy’s plans for the new parcel include the construction of a shipboard simulator building and a diversity and cultural center, as well as an expansion of athletic fields. David Santos, the academy’s communications director, said the sale price is $1 million over the assessed price of two appraisals conducted on the property.

Commander Scott Gesele, facilities engineer at the Coast Guard Academy, said the simulator building is needed to update outdated simulator facilities used by cadets and officers in training.

Opponents to the sale criticized the sale as an unnecessary removal of open space that would leave a largely unusable park to the city. Those against the sale also argued that the park is an asset to the nearby neighborhoods, important for any effort to establish greater connections between the northern part of the city and downtown, and useful for programs when the new Winthrop School set to open nearby.

Four of the six mayoral candidates opposed the sale of Riverside Park, as did 11 of the 15 candidates for City Council. These included Daryl Finizio, the winner of the mayoral election, and Michael Passero, who earned the most votes in the .

The Democratic Town Committee voted in September to oppose the sale, and the New London Green Party has also opposed the sale. , along with the group Friends of Riverside, campaigned against the sale and held a number of events at the park to promote it as an active site.

On the Facebook page for Friends of Riverside, opponents of the sale were already considering how to continue their efforts.

"So the fight goes on," posted Wayne Vendetto. "We fought for a year and a half, I guess it will go on a little longer."