IT'S ABOUT RESULTS - Riverfront Recapture

“Riverfront
Recapture
gets results –
tangible results
that people can
see, touch, and
experience.”
THAT’S HOW ONE of our Board members
summed up why he and his corporation
support Riverfront Recapture.
“And it’s not just a one-time benefit,” added
Bob Annon, Regional President of Webster Bank.
“Look at the numbers of people who visit the
Riverfront parks – and it’s obvious that changes
on the Riverfront are changing people’s lives.”
Nearly one million people visited the
Riverfront last year – drawn to an urban
destination that was difficult to envision when
Riverfront Recapture was created to restore public access to the Connecticut
River in Hartford and East Hartford.
The results are stunning – thanks to the generosity of our supporters.
The physical changes are the most obvious: a plaza over I-91 reunites
downtown with the river, and riverwalks and walkways on two bridges
connect parks on both banks of the river, where visitors find performance
spaces, boat launches, picnic areas, and a boathouse.
Perhaps less visible are the ways these ambitious physical improvements
affect the lives of people who use the Riverfront parks.
A Hartford Courant editorial last spring noted:
“Hartford’s most significant quality-of-life improvement in the last three
decades is its reconnection with the Connecticut River. The city was blocked
from the river by the construction of I-91 in the 1960’s, and some kids grew
up unaware that they lived in a river city. Now youngsters and adults row, fish,
bike, jog, cruise, listen to music and otherwise enjoy this great natural asset.”
We’re proud that you share the vision of a vibrant Riverfront. Together,
we’re introducing residents of Hartford and East Hartford to recreational possibilities
now available in their own hometowns, along a magnificent river.
We’re also pleased that people in rural towns, suburbs, and other cities are
making the Riverfront one of their favorite destinations, too.
People who use the Riverfront parks go home with a rich variety of
memories and stories to share. But they have one thing in common: they’ve
discovered the benefits of the “most significant quality-of-life improvement
in the last three decades.”
And that’s a result that all of Riverfront Recapture’s supporters can feel
really good about. Thank you for helping to make it possible.
With warm regards,
THOMAS P. CODY, Chairman JOSEPH R. MARFUGGI, President and CEO
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