A Living Shoreline

Site plan courtesy Kent&Frost

Stonington Awarded $1.2 million grant for
Mystic River Boathouse Park 

Exciting progress is underway for the long anticipated Mystic River Boathouse Park. The project hit a critical milestone, receiving $1.2 million in federal funding. The grant will go towards the creation of the living shoreline, which in itself is a unique and important part of the project, along with other aspects related to the creation of the Park.

The living shoreline feature will enhance the ecological resilience of the Park while protecting its shoreline from erosion and rising sea levels. The living shoreline will incorporate native plants, natural materials, and sustainable engineering practices to support marine habitats and improve water quality. You can see a video that may be of interest here. 

“These living shoreline grant funds represent another success by the Town and the Mystic Boathouse Park Implementation Committee in our efforts to provide a rare waterside resource for the entire community” said Committee Chair Nick Kepple. 

The Long Island Sound Futures Fund award, which is funded through the US Fish and Wildlife Foundation, comes at an important time in the Park’s timeline, as the Stonington team continue to work to solicit bids to create this long awaited Park. As of June 2024, an updated estimate for the Park project cost came in at $4,857,345. Pending the results of the final bids, the community will know where the project stands on final funding figures likely by early February 2025.

To date, the community bonded $2.2 million for this project in 2016, since then the Stonington team has worked to obtain outside grants to fund the remainder of the project’s cost. The project was awarded $953,000 from the State of CT Brownfield grant program and the State’s STEAP grant program has contributed $500,000. With this new federal award, the total amount of funding secured for the Park is just over $4.8 million. 

Stonington Community Rowing, Inc., the nonprofit that will construct and operate the rowing center and care for the historic building on the site, has raised $1.88 million and is steadily closing in on their $2.5 million goal. 

The proposed Jim Dietz Rowing Center

The project has been a truly collaborative effort, spanning nearly a decade with input from local stakeholders, environmental experts, and state and federal agencies. Once completed, the Park will feature a state-of-the-art boathouse, picnic areas, access to the Mystic River for non-motorized boats and outdoor recreational opportunities. 

“Thanks to partners like our Recreation team within Stonington Human Services, the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, the Mystic Seaport Museum and other organizations, we will be able to offer additional recreational and educational programs through the Park for residents of all ages and abilities,” shared Danielle Chesebrough.

Updates on the bid process, final costs and construction schedule will be shared with the community over the coming months.

For more information please visit the Stonington Community Rowing, Inc. at www.stoningtoncommunityrowing.org, and the Town website will continue to provide project updates.