Mill River Park Celebrates It's My Park Day and Groundbreaking

Mill River Park Breaks Ground on Phase 1

It's My Park Day at Mill River Park Features Groundbreaking

STAMFORD, Conn., October 11, 2011 -- Mill River Collaborative will hold the first It's My Park Day, a family fun event with entertainment and celebrations including the groundbreaking ceremony for the 12-acre Phase 1 of Mill River Park, on October 15.

Speakers at the 11:00 AM Groundbreaking Ceremony include Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Mayor Michael A. Pavia, Dudley Williams of GE Asset Management, Mill River Collaborative Board Chair Arthur Selkowitz, and Campaign Chair Don Brownstein. Sustaining supporters as well as major capital campaign contributors will be recognized at the event.

Each of the sustaining supporters has provided $100,000 or more in operating support to the Collaborative over the years of the project’s development. Sustaining Supporters include Fairfield County Community Foundation; UBS; Purdue Pharma; Reckson, a division of SL Green; RBS and Xerox.

Entertainment at It's My Park Day includes face painting, pumpkin decorating, and the Great Pumpkin Carving Contest. Fairgate Farm will present its Harvest Celebration, and there will be story telling by the Stamford Tree Foundation about Junzo Nojima and his donation of the original Mill River Cherry Trees.

"The creation of Mill River Park will change the trajectory of Stamford Downtown for centuries to come," says Selkowitz. "Stamford has waited for over 100 years to have a vibrant attractive Mill River Park, and now we are breaking ground for the major area of the park."  The first phase of construction will extend from Broad Street to Main Street. Expected grand opening is early 2013.

Ambassador Level Sponsors for It's My Park Day are Reckson, a Division of SL Green, and RBS. Advocate Level Sponsors include Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Nestlé Waters North America, Purdue Pharma, Dotworks Design and UBS.

Don Brownstein, Capital Campaign Chair, says, "We are honoring sustaining supporters and early contributors to the capital campaign because they have brought us to this watershed moment. They have recognized the value of the vision and have given it life." 

Mill River Park and the restoration of Mill River have been on the drawing board for Stamford twice before – in the 1860s and in 1929.  Both times events intruded to prevent the city from moving forward.  But in the early 1990s, the current plan began to take shape.  By 2006, Olin Partnership had been retained and had completed the Master Plan for Mill River Park.   In 2009, the Army Corps of Engineers undertook the restoration of natural habitat and river flow using a design jointly developed with Olin Partnership and Mill River Collaborative.  Today, Mill River runs freely. 

During the river restoration, Mill River Park’s beloved cherry trees had to be removed.  Mill River Collaborative promised Stamford residents that a new cherry tree grove would be created that is larger and better maintained.  “We are pleased to have representatives of the Japan Society of Fairfield County and the Japanese-American Association of New York joining us at It's My Park Day to honor Junzo Nojima who donated the original trees to the City of Stamford,” remarked Milton Puryear, Mill River Collaborative’s Executive Director.

-- About Mill River Collaborative --

Mill River Collaborative, www.millriverpark.com, is a public/private partnership of government, corporate and community interests whose mission is to provide leadership for the creation and maintenance of a successful Mill River Park and Greenway.  Mill River Collaborative staff manages the design and development of the park and maintains newly developed park facilities.  Mill River Collaborative, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation, is working to secure private resources to complement city funding for construction and maintenance.  To date, Mill River Collaborative has raised over $5 million from corporations, foundations and individuals.  More than 500 people are members of the Mill River Collaborative, providing annual financial support for project management, park maintenance and the capital campaign for Mill River Park.

During the past two years, Stamford’s Mill River has seen enormous changes.  Today the river flows freely in its natural channel.  There is a busy playground, built by 1500 volunteers in 2006.  There have been annual playground birthday parties to celebrate the anniversary of this major building event and weekly Saturday morning entertainment for small children.  The Big Apple Circus was held in Mill River Park in 2010 and 2011.

“Half of Stamford’s 119,000 residents live within one mile of Mill River,” said Selkowitz.  “And all of lower Fairfield County is within an easy drive or train ride,” he continued.  “The Mill River Collaborative is committed not only to building this exciting and inviting park and greenway, but also to assuring its maintenance and programming for Stamford and the surrounding communities.”

Today the benefits of city parks are widely recognized.  Central Park is certainly the best known example in this part of the U.S., but Boston and Chicago, as well as cities closer in size to Stamford, such as Hartford, have built urban parks.  Parks make physical exercise easier and more accessible, and physical exercise makes people healthier. Property values are improved by nearby parks and open spaces. Businesses are more attractive to employees when there is a park close at hand.  Stamford is long overdue for its own urban park. Now Mill River Park is becoming reality.