Donations through the Decades-The East Lyme Public Trust Foundati

$35,000-Foundation Donations

People who walk the Boardwalk for the first time are always engrossed with reading the outstanding educational signs. What a treat to read titles such as “Where Rivers Meet the Sea”, “The Nehantics”, and “Shellfish”. People are fascinated with this story of life that enfolds with these signs.

When the Foundation began its work in the 90’s, one of the key goals of the East Lyme Public Trust Foundation was to have an educational component to the Boardwalk. Once it seemed clear that the Boardwalk would become a reality, the Foundation immediately set to work to obtain a grant that would help finance 16 educational signs to be placed strategically on the Boardwalk.

After many years of work, in 2005, the Foundation was pleased to report the completion of the Design and Installation of the Educational Signs on the Niantic Bay Boardwalk. In compliance with Long Island Sound License Plate Project Grant (Niantic Bay Overlook Signage) Identification No. P.S. 2003-30276, the Foundation used a grant of $25,000 from the DEP to hire a consultant who worked with artists to produce the signs and to partially cover the cost of installation.

Their choice of topics deftly blended history, geology, nature, and home-town lore. The artists who ably worked on this project were Larry C. Ayer, Daniel Price, Peggy Price, Susan Siegel, and Susan Stone. The signage was produced by EHS Educational, LLC, Niantic.

In addition, in 2005, the East Lyme Public Trust Foundation donated an additional $10,000 to help with the cost of manufacturing, mounting, and installing the signs.

A summary of the 16 educational signs plus two entrance signs is available on our website. http://publictrustfoundation.org/niantic-boardwalk-educational-signs/

Of those 16 original signs, subsequent storms severely damaged eight of them. In 2013, Amtrak re-installed the eight undamaged, original signs on the eastern half of the Boardwalk when it completed its bridge reconstruction project.

In 2016, Kathie Cassidy, The Foundation Treasurer, ably augmented the efforts of Bob DeSanto, the President, to restore the remaining signs by successfully obtaining sponsors for each of the damaged signs. The Foundation is deeply grateful to the businesses that contributed $800 for each sign in this project:

Charter Oak Federal Credit Union-“A Glimpse of the Past”

Chelsea Groton Bank-“Hole in the Wall”

Dime Bank-“Fishes of Niantic Bay”

Dominion Energy-“Life in an Estuary”

Donna and Richard Gada and Family-“The Iron Horse”

Heritage Properties Niantic-“A Place for Play”

Lillian’s Café and Protek Auto-“McCook Point” Niantic Dairy Queen-“Shellfish”

The Restoration was completed by FourColor, Inc., Pannier Graphics, and Fast Signs, Inc. of Waterford.

The next time you are walking on the Boardwalk, stop to once again view and read these signs which tell us “The Stories of the Land”, “Fishes of the River and Bay”, and “The Glacial Legacy”. Both children and adults are educated by the wonderful stories told in this beloved place of Wind and Waves.

The donations to the town of these signs on the Boardwalk were:

$25,000 in Grants $10,000 in Foundation Donation $$6.400 in Business Donations

Total Donations-$41,400

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