State pledges $20 million for new Coast Guard Museum in New London
“The city will donate a piece of waterfront property and the state will pledge $20 million toward plans for a new National Coast Guard Museum, according to a series of letters among the mayor, the Coast Guard and local businesses.
A new ferry terminal for Cross Sound Ferry and a pedestrian bridge across the railroad tracks connecting Union Station and the museum is also part of the project, which is expected to cost $100 million.
“I have been in close contact with all the necessary parties and stakeholders for this project here in New London, and in the state of Connecticut,” Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio wrote in a March 19 letter to Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr., commandant of the Coast Guard, and James J. Coleman Jr., president of the National Coast Guard Museum Association.
“Cross Sound Ferry acknowledges the land use parameters for the museum, The Blackwall Company (owner of Union Station) acknowledges the need for a pedestrian bridge on their property, and the State of Connecticut commits up to $20 million for the project,” Finizio wrote.
Finizio had no further comment on the letters Friday. A press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. next Friday at the Science & Technology Magnet High School.
City Council President Michael Passero praised the city and the community for coming together and said there is strong support for the project among councilors.
“I think it’s great all the different parties are collaborating and trying to reach a consensus on moving forward,” Passero said. “The plans are exciting.””
read the entire articleEdgecomb,Kathleen. The Day 29 March 2013.