Community Corner

Revitalization Plan Suggests Restoring Fountain At Hodges Square

Master plan for eastern New London makes recommendations on landscaping and improving pedestrian access at Hodges Square and Riverside Park

Making Hodges Square more pedestrian friendly will be a key part in revitalizing the neighborhood, according to a master plan for the intersection as well as Riverside Park unveiled on Saturday.

New London Landmarks, along with the University of Connecticut Community Research & Design Collaborative and local partners, has been collecting data and feedback through “Creative Placemaking” workshops on the best ways to improve the neighborhood and utilize the park. Brian Kent, of Kent + Frost Landscape Architecture, said the master plan is a way to start raising funds for individual projects and motivate residents to support actions at Hodges Square and Riverside Park.

Kent said the main concern in area is a lack of aesthetics and pedestrian access. The plan suggests improving the streetscape to narrow roadways, establish on-street parking, expand sidewalks, and plant trees to provide a better corridor for college students and others using the route.

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“A white picket fence and some trees can do amazing things for the value of the property and the neighborhood,” he said.

One part of the plan advocates improving a plaza space outside a row of businesses and returning a fountain to the intersection of Williams Street and State Pier Road. According to the Creative Placemaking website, this fountain was donated to the square in 1907 by Mary Turner Allyn Henry. It was moved to the grounds of the Lyman Allyn Art Museum after the I-95 highway bridges were built.

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Kent also said the intersection could utilize rainwater flow to create a “Headwater Park” at the intersection. He suggested that Bailey Circle, a short road providing access to a pedestrian and bicycle walkway over the Gold Star Bridge, could be improved with an information kiosk and landscaping to welcome visitors coming over the walkway. The plan also suggests making the exit off the Route 32 connector into a T-intersection rather than the current setup of an on-ramp with a stop sign.

Art Costa, president of Thames Valley Sustainable Connections, said a community governance committee of Hodges Square residents and business owners has been formed to oversee neighborhood improvements. He said members will work on things such as corridor beautification, business and economic opportunities, and the Field of Greens Farmers Market which has started regular Saturday hours at Hodges Square from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The plan for Riverside Park also advocates making the site more pedestrian friendly, including replacing several auto roads with walking and biking paths. A “pedestrian spine” leading from the Winthrop School provides access to several activity areas, including a playground offered to the city by the New Jersey State Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association.

Sandy Chalk, director of New London Landmarks, said the process has brought together numerous partners and sponsored park events such as the Art Jams in Riverside Park. However, she cautioned that improvements in the area will take time.

“Nothing can happen immediately,” she said. “But it can happen incrementally if we have a long term plan and vision.”

Mayor Daryl Finizio said he has been glad to see increased use of Riverside Park after residents narrowly voted against a proposal to sell about half of the property to the Coast Guard Academy. He said the master plan for the park and Hodges Square builds upon similar studies, and recommended that residents take action on to begin improvements.

“Let us not allow this to be another plan in New London that gets written, put on the shelf, and nothing is done with it,” he said.

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