Mission: Riverside Park is a lovely 18-acre wooded open space that rises from the Thames River to the Northeast New London neighborhood and the new Winthrop Elementary STEM Magnet School. Created in 1893, the park was a popular recreation spot - for games, picnicking, swimming and viewing the annual Yale-Harvard Regatta - for generations of New Londoners, until it became isolated due to the construction of I-95 and urban renewal. It remains a hidden gem whose unique landscape and sweeping views offer peaceful respite from the stresses of everyday life. The Riverside Park Conservancy, Inc is a Connecticut-based nonprofit corporation, exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, that was established in December 2011 to restore, manage and enhance Riverside Park, in partnership with the public and local government, for the enjoyment of present and future generations, and to improve the quality of open space for all New Londoners.
Website: https://www.riversideparkconservancy.org/
Community Partner Representative: Ronna Stuller
Student Team Members: Alex Bajohr ‘22, Richard Gilman ‘22, Matthew Giuttari ‘22, Zach McCrystal ‘22, Joanna Rucker ‘21, Emily Sanidas ‘21, MT Tshuma ‘22
Funding Source: New England Grassroots Environment Fund
Funding Request: $2,000.00
Project Summary: Our project is to construct a rain garden using plants native to Connecticut. The playscape at the park was built on a concrete slab and is next to a hill. Because of the landscape of the park, stormwater falls on the roads and playscape before running down the hill into the Thames River. A stormwater expert told the community about these coconut fiber logs that could be used to trace an outline by going along a ridge that’s built on the slope. Eventually the soil will accumulate to form a smooth outline and the roots of the plants will stabilize the berm and it becomes a part of the landscape. The reduction in the amount of stormwater flowing into the Thames River will improve the water quality and be beneficial for the natural habitat in and around the river. Adding the rain garden will not only be of importance for the abatement of storm water, but there is also good educational value to it. The addition of it along with a sign explaining the rain garden will bring awareness to the stormwater issue and hopefully interest some more students and young kids into the environmental studies world.
Presentation: Slides in PDF format