Riverside Park Is Central Issue At New London Landmarks’ 35th Annual Meeting

Eight months before the vote determining whether New London will sell 9.14 acres of to the , local residents expressed anger over the potential deal at the annual meeting of . At the preservation organization’s 35th anniversary meeting, held Thursday night at , citizens voiced their opposition to the sale and asked pointed questions about the academy’s planned use of the park.

Although New London Landmarks Board members and officers also conducted some regular business, the meeting’s primary focus was a discussion of the past and future of Riverside Park. An exhibit of maps and photographs set up in the Co-op showcased the park and the historic neighborhood and homes around it. Commander G. Scott Gesele of the Coast Guard Academy was in attendance to defend the Academy’s plan for the development of roughly half of the park.

Outgoing New London Landmarks President Susan Munger invited attendees to share personal stories of Riverside Park, and some did, recalling memories of skiing in the park and dressing up to view the Harvard-Yale Regatta. Most of those who spoke, however, did so to voice their criticism of or ask questions about the Coast Guard plan.

Gesele said the Academy hopes to construct two new buildings: a shipboard simulator center, where cadets as well as all Coast Guard ship commanders will be trained; and a cultural center, part of efforts to recruit a more diverse student body. Undeveloped space around the buildings would serve as a buffer zone, required for security since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

In response to questions, he said that the new buildings could not be constructed at another site, such as Fort Trumbull, because of cadets’ tight schedules. Nor could they be built on the academy’s existing land, due to lack of space and an unwillingness to compromise the historic status of the campus. Munger characterized the conflict between her organization’s interests and the Coast Guard’s as “pitching history against history.”

The mixture of frustration and remembrance in the room almost obscured the fact that the future of Riverside Park is still an open question. There were hints of the impending political debate, however. Mayor Martin Olsen, who voted against the sale last year, was in the audience, as were two mayoral candidates, City Councilor Mike Buscetto - he voted in favor - and Daryl Finizio.

Inside Fiddleheads, opposition to the sale centered around the integrity of the neighborhood and the preservation of open space. Sally Ryan, New London’s municipal historian, predicted a return to the neighborhood parks of pre-trolley days, when residents could access green space on foot without worrying about transportation. Several attendees spoke of the necessity of preserving the park for future generations, and the need for the space be walkable and accessible, especially for residents of the eastern portion of New London. New London Landmarks Executive Director Sandra Chalk said the students at , now being constructed on Grove Street, need not only the promised involvement the Coast Guard, but the lessons provided by the park’s wilderness. “We mustn’t forget what open space is like,” she said, and urged citizens to carefully evaluate the pros and cons before casting their votes.

The City Council originally voted 4-3 in September of 2010 to sell the section of the park to the Coast Guard Academy for $2.9 million. In October of that year it was decided that the question would be put to a referendum at the time of the regular vote, in November 2011.