Help Our Parks

To Everyone Who Calls New London Their Home: 

Now that spring has come to New London, aren’t you thrilled to see Nature awakening from its winter slumber? Doesn’t it give you new hope to be a witness to a cornucopia of beautiful flowers and plants coming forth from the fertile earth?

Spring is a time of renewal. Although this winter felt like it would never end, spring came eventually. The grass turned green and bulbs revealed their hidden splendor. Unfortunately, not all the green areas of our city fared as well. New London is going through a renaissance; the Waterfront Park has greatly enhanced the draw of the downtown district and a plethora of new restaurants has brought a small taste of culture from around the world. And with the arrival of the big cruise ships this summer and the outpouring of tourists ready to wander through our historic areas, the downtown district is an exciting destination.

But there are sad and miserable looking places that we should not be proud of. The City Parks desperately need help. The New London Parks Conservancy (NLPC) has been struggling to restore the parks for nearly a decade now. The Conservancy was founded by city councilor Peg Curtin: it is a non-profit organization that works with the City of New London. Everyone that works with the Conservancy is a volunteer.

We have selected Williams Park to be our first priority for restoration. A plan was drawn up and donated by Lee Kurklewski, a resident of New London and landscape designer. It is her plan that we are following. Currently it is on display in a viewing box at the corners of Williams and Broad Street, at one of the entrances to the park.

In November of 2007 upon a recommendation by the NLPC, the City Council adopted a resolution making Williams Park, the “City’s Green”. This past April Williams Park turned 150 years old.

Make the time to take a walk through the park. There is a lovely statue of Nathan Hale that sits in a surrounding of flowers on a raised stone foundation. (The statue is to be restored: some of the letters are missing and there is graffiti that will be removed by the Whaling City Restoration Committee.)

The walk ways need to be replaced, the lighting updated to provide better safety, and an irrigation system is in need of installation. As you can see, we need a lot but it will be worth it. We believe that the residents of our city will come to events that are being planned for this spring, summer, and early fall in Williams Park.

Right now the Conservancy is a very small group of dedicated individuals. We are always looking to expand our ranks which will truly enable us to breathe fresh life into the parks. Help us in any way you can by becoming a member of the Conservancy or by making a donation to help in the effort to restore our City’s Green.