Thames River Heritage Park Transition Team

Transition Team Updates from the recent meeting

The Transition Team as a whole met Wednesday December 9^th, this time at the Submarine Force Library and Museum, located, cleverly, right next to the Sub Base on Crystal Lake Rd. (off of Rt 12) in Groton. And what a very cool place it is, with interesting items on the grounds and an interactive museum just like Fort Trumbull.

Here's the entrance — *Here’s the entrance*

There are all kinds of colorful thingamabobs outside the building.

Here’s a vintage sub—how cute!—from the 1950’s

This one looks scary

There’s the Nautilus, napping at the dock (and nearby will be the future site of the dock of the water taxi—we hope!)

You don’t realize how big these things are till you meet them face to face—this conning tower is at the entrance to the museum

The committees had lots of news to report, but it was kind of sad because this marked the last meeting for our friend and fellow Transition Team member, Captain Carl Lahti, the 50^th Commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Base New London (his official title, and yes, the base is on the Groton side of the river). Carl has been really great about keeping us in the loop regarding the status of the plans for future water taxi dock space near the Nautilus, and we learned more at this meeting regarding that. At this point the Navy is waiting for an updated proposal from the CT DEEP (one is in place but it is ten years old so time to update it), which will happen when permits and funds are in place, so the water taxi dock at the Nautilus will not happen in 2016. However, all parties are quite positive about it, and our new liaison, Captain Paul Whitescarver (the 51^st Commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Base New London), was also at the meeting and promised to pick up where Capt. Lahti left off.

Water taxi committee Chair Marian Galbraith gave an overview of what’s in store for our new boats this winter: first the “de-preservation” of the engines, then a marine survey to tell us what’s needed to bring the boats up to USCG passenger-carrying standards, then the development of a budget. Meanwhile, the hulls will be painted before it gets too cold. A big plus is that all the canvas is in good shape—phew! One expensive bullet dodged.

The Team also discussed the continuing hunt for permanent office space for the new 501 c 3, the RFP for water taxi operation, and the bylaws and articles of incorporation for the agency, which will be in place by the end of the year.

The City of Groton is also looking into obtaining insurance so volunteers can work helping get the boats ready. And we couldn’t have done any of this without the generosity of our pals at Crocker’s Boat Yard on Howard Street in New London where the taxis are being stored free of charge.

When is a park . . . more than a park? When it’s a Heritage Park

The Communications and Programming Committee had a most productive meeting at Fort Trumbull Thursday. Chair Penny Parsekian had occasion to return to the Fort in the evening and took this great photo.

This really is a remarkable structure and we urge everyone to visit it, as well as its comprehensive Visitors Center and museum.

Anyway, as you might guess, lots of the meeting centered around our new acquisition of 2 Navy surplus utility boats (yay!) which will arrive at Crocker’s boatyard in New London the week of November 30^th. Water Taxi Subcommittee Chair Marian Galbraith will be planning a press event for the occasion, so stay tuned for details.

Now that the boats are no longer merely figments of our fevered brains, the Committee set to work to draft a water taxi marketing budget, along with the marketing plan specific to the water taxi. As our DEEP Liaison and Director of State Parks Tom Tyler reminded the group, this is the first State of Connecticut Heritage Park, and as such it is more than the sum of its parts.

*Communications Committee members from L to R: Tom Tyler, Emily Ross Feltes, Chris Cox, Penny Parsekian, and Deborah Donovan. Alan Levere of DEEP took the photo and is a resource for the committee.*

So one of the next tasks on the Communications Committee’s agenda is the development of a Map and Guide for the park, to introduce the idea of the Heritage Park and list all the reasons (well, maybe not all, since there are hundreds) why people should visit it. Andrei Harwell, who designed the Yale Urban Design Workshop report and the THRP logo, has agreed to design this new publication as well. Transition Team Chair Chris Cox will be arranging for the Committee to meet with master map maker and way-finding designer Dennis O’Brien, to acquaint him with our project and share ideas.

The Committee has also continued its outreach to potential partners and supporters, having met with the Connecticut Explored Magazine staff as well as representatives from the Community Foundation. We are hoping and anticipating that when 501 c 3 status is approved and the non-profit Thames River Heritage Park Foundation is finally a reality, the non-profit will have a great foundation of information and partnerships on which to build. It won’t be long now!

We have a Name, and a Mission!

The Transition Team met on October 28^th and various subcommittees reported on their progress; all activities appear to be on schedule, and even potential office space for the new non-profit was discussed.

What was really exciting, though, was the final approval of the name of the new entity, as well as its mission statement.

The new non-profit will be called the Thames River Heritage Park Foundation.

This is its mission statement:

“The Thames River Heritage Park Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission and purpose is to develop, promote, coordinate, and help preserve a new type of Connecticut state park known as the Thames River Heritage Park, which will include sites of national and historical significance along the Thames River in and around the City and Town of Groton and New London, located across from each other near the mouth of the river. The Foundation carries out its purpose in collaboration with the State of Connecticut, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Navy, local municipalities and regional authorities, and the numerous heritage sites within its area. A primary role of the Foundation is the oversight and operation of a water shuttle system designed to transport visitors to and from sites of significance on both sides of the Thames River.”

We are now eagerly awaiting word, which should come in two weeks, on the two Navy surplus boats we’ve applied for. With the boats plus the approval of our Urban Act grant application, which we hope will be on the Bond Commission agenda in January 2016, we will be well on our way to having the water taxis operational by next summer. Fingers and toes crossed!

It’s Official

The Thames River Heritage Park Steering Committee met for the final time last Wednesday, and agreed that the Transition Team would take over the coordination of the next steps in forming the non-profit that works in collaboration with the sites within the Park on both sides of the Thames River. One of our favorite reporters, Judy Benson of the New London Day, has been covering both the Steering Committee and Transition Team’s activities since their inception; you can find her article on the hand-off here.

The Steering Committee met for over a year to “revive a plan to join existing historical sites on both sides of the Thames River into a multi-site state park.” Many members are now members of the Transition Team, including Chris Cox, who is its new Chair. This is really helpful, since it ensures the continuity of the activities planned and the timeline for completion. For example, the two grant applications initiated by the Steering Committee are now being overseen by Transition Team sub-committees, and hopefully we’ll hear some news regarding their status within the next few weeks. At the Team’s next full meeting we’ll be approving the mission statement and reviewing the status of the 501 c 3 application. So stay tuned!

The Team is zeroing in on the TRHP’s nonprofit status . . .

. . . and not a moment too soon, to judge by all the great events going on this month in and around the borderless borders of the Park, that we’d love the new non-profit to be part of. As members learned at the last meeting of the entire Transition Team, all sub-committees have been working hard and had great news to report. Progress has been made on the setup of the 501 c 3 organization that will be set up to develop the heritage park in coordination with the towns and DEEP, the initial locations being Fort Trumbull, Fort Griswold, and the New London waterfront area. Nautilus Museum representative Captain Carl Lahti also reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to be part of the park and water taxi transport system, as soon as necessary dockage is in place. The Governance and Organization sub-committees have drafted a mission statement which will be reviewed at the next meeting of a whole; then Bylaws can be created and we’ll have all the pertinent documents in to the Secretary of State within approximately two weeks after that.

With a mission and Bylaws, Team members can flesh out the draft marketing plan and accounting system, and then begin to really concentrate on promoting the park for next year, and teaming up with all the great historic, educational, and entertainment activities offered by organizations and businesses in the area.

But non-profit status or not, the areas comprising the Park are loaded with fun and exciting things to do this fall (we hope you all survived the pirate invasion in nearby Mystic this weekend). Coming up is the increasingly popular and educational Fall Thames River Cruise held by the New London County Historical Society on October 18^th. Held on the Cross Sound Ferry, this year’s program will include both indoor (below deck) and on-deck presentations, this year centering on Native American maritime life in the area, and featuring guest speaker Dr. Jason Mancini who will be giving a presentation on Indian Mariners. It’ll be awesome!

And whatever you do, do not miss the 2015 New London Food Stroll on Wednesday October 14^th –walk around downtown and sample an uncountable variety of yummy things from over 50 participating restaurants and vendors, enjoy music, and enjoy the great weather.

Be sure to visit the “Minutes” page of our website to get a full report of team meetings. And check our Facebook page—if something interesting is afoot in the Groton/New London area, especially within the borderless borders of the Heritage Park, we’ll do our best to promote it here!

Also visit the New London Waterfront District’s web page for a calendar of events, adventures, and festivities.

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