After decades of work, a little rain wasn’t going to stop the town from officially opening Cos Cob Park.
And while it wasn’t quite the warm and sunny spring day planners had hoped for, spirits were still extremely high as the ribbon was cut on the park, which features nine acres and panoramic views of Long Island Sound. There are walking paths, a playground, a patio area and a playing field.
“There’s the expression that a picture is worth a thousand words,” Tesei said with the backdrop of the Sound behind him. “I think today, just looking out here, that you can really see the true beauty of the property that is now Cos Cob Park. We are very fortunate that visionaries before us took the steps to secure this property for the enjoyment of residents now and in the future.”
Work on this stretched back to the 1980’s when the first commission was formed by then First Selectman Rebecca Breed to study what do with the site of the Cos Cob Power Plant. Other commissions and panels followed after and several plans were formed as the plant was torn down and the property purchased from the state.
Tesei estimated that two thirds of the people in attendance for the ribbon cutting had direct involvement from former and current members of the Representative Town Meeting and Board of Estimate and Taxation to members of the community who had volunteered to help develop the plan that eventually became the park.
The ribbon cutting was a chance for the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Public Works to take a bow. Deputy Commissioner of Public Works David Thompson, who was credited as being instrumental in the project, declared, “We deserve to celebrate.”