Grant Awarded for Mill River Greenway (CT)

Stamford, CT, 8/2/04 – The Trust for Public Land announced today that it has been awarded a discretionary grant of $20,798 from the Fairfield County Community Foundation (FCCF) to support the development of the Master Design Plan for the Mill River Greenway Project.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a member of the Mill River Collaborative, a civic group comprised of community, business, and government representatives committed to providing leadership to ensure a successful Mill River Greenway Project.

The FCCF grant money will be used to hire a world-class design team that will work with the Collaborative to create a Master Design Plan for the Mill River Parks. The design team will build upon the Mill River Concept Plan, completed by Sasaki Associates in February 2000 for the city. The design team is expected to be selected by early September.

The Master Design Plan will physically and visually unify the Mill River Parks and ensure a world-class park system that will be enjoyed by Stamford residents for many generations. It will also include a program for park-wide activities and unify the various bicycle and pedestrian pathways and playground projects that are already underway, including a downtown signature park for the city.

When completed, the Mill River project will add 26 acres of open space to the downtown area of Stamford, creating a signature park in which downtown workers and neighborhood residents can relax, picnic, and enjoy nature. The park will also become a central link in larger Mill River Greenway, planned to reach Long Island Sound.

Mayor Dannel Malloy said, “The creation of an ideal Mill River Park can only result from a public-private partnership to redefine the vision for the future of downtown Stamford. This grant from the Fairfield County Community Foundation is a milestone in elevating the vision for the park to the level of world-class.”

Mill River Project Director Milton Puryear said “We want to thank FCCF for helping the Collaborative’s work to make the Mill River Greenway the very special place it is destined to be. We’re excited to be able to proceed with the Master Design Plan, which will bring this world-class Greenway much closer to completion.”

David Queeley, TPL’s new Parks for People Director, acknowledges “FCCF’s support for the Master Design Plan will help to leverage additional private funding for the development of the Mill River Parks and Greenway and will ultimately improve the quality of life for Stamford residents.”

The Fairfield County Community Foundation is a growing community foundation with assets of $54 million in over 200 different donor funds established by individuals, organizations, families, and corporations to serve Fairfield County now and in the future. Through the Community Foundation, donors support programs operated by not-for-profit organizations in community and economic development, children and youth, women and girls, health and human services, the environment, arts and culture, and nonprofit organizational effectiveness.

In the past year, according to Fairfield County Community Foundation Board Chair Wilmot Harris, the Community Foundation awarded grants to nonprofit organizations totaling over $6 million. For more information about the Fairfield County Community Foundation, please call (203) 834-9393 or visit www.fccfoundation.org.

The Mill River Collaborative is a group of civic, governmental, and business interests committed to create and sustain a successful Mill River Greenway. The Collaborative includes the Friends of the Mill River, The Downtown Special Services District, The Stamford Partnership, The city of Stamford, the Stamford Urban Redevelopment Commission, and representatives of the business and West Side residential communities. Their vision is to have a world-class urban park in the Mill River Corridor that will serve as both an oasis in city life and a vibrant, diverse green space for the Stamford community.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit organization that works with others to conserve land for people to enjoy as working landscapes, parks, gardens, and natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. TPL has a long-standing commitment to improving open space opportunities in urban communities, and its work on the Mill River Greenway is a major component of its Parks for People program in New England. For more information, please visit www.tpl.org/connecticut.