[PRCo] Re: Shore Line Trolley Museum to receive $1M Grant from State

[Herb Brannon]

Wow, what an idea.............build ABOVE the flood plain !
On Sat, Aug 25, 2012 at 8:37 AM, Dennis F Cramer <trombone at windstream.net>wrote:

>           Dennis F. Cramer
> http://home.windstream.net/dfc1
>
>
>
>
>
>         GOV. MALLOY, SHORELINE DELEGATION ANNOUNCE STATE BONDING FOR SHORE
> LINE TROLLEY MUSEUM
>
>         (EAST HAVEN, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Democratic state
> legislators from the East Haven area announced today that the State Bond
> Commission is expected to approve a $1 million state grant for the
> non-profit Shore Line Trolley Museum on River Street in East Haven to
> construct new trolley storage buildings above the flood plain.
>
>         Trolley Museum General Manager Wayne Sandford said a majority of
> the museum’s collection of 100 trolleys – which are an average 100 years
> old – will be moved from their current location on a flood plain to two new
> buildings that will be constructed above the 500-year flood level and
> several feet above the high-water mark of the 1938 New England Hurricane,
> which is considered the most devastating New England hurricane in recent
> history and which buried the trolley property under 12 feet of water.
>
>         Sandford has spent the past 18 months fundraising from museum
> members and the public to fund the estimated $2 million cost of building
> the new trolley sheds and track. The value of the trolley collection is
> estimated at several tens of millions of dollars, he said.
>
>         “This action by the state will preserve an important part of
> Connecticut’s heritage for many, many years to come,” Sandford said today.
> “This grant will help get these trolleys out of harm’s way. It means so
> much to us. It’s huge.”
>
>         “The Shoreline Trolley Museum in East Haven preserves a valuable
> link to Connecticut’s past, allowing visitors to view and learn the history
> of antique trolley cars that once served as a routine mode of
> transportation in the Greater New Haven area,” Governor Malloy said. “This
> funding will allow the oldest operating trolley museum in the United States
> to continue serving as a celebrated attraction and reminder of what has
> made Connecticut revolutionary.”
>
>         “The Shore Line Trolley Museum has many valuable collections from
> the Trolley Era, including thousands of photographs and books and other
> artifacts as well as 100 vehicles,” state Senate Majority Leader Martin M.
> Looney (D-New Haven) said. “Obviously it is of paramount importance to
> protect and maintain this valuable collection, especially considering the
> museum’s proximity to the shoreline and the possibility of future storm
> damage.”
>
>         “All year long the museum is a travel destination for families
> looking to celebrate Halloween or Christmas, to earn a Boy Scout Merit
> Badge or practice their photography skills. It’s really quite an active and
> vibrant tourist attraction,” state Senator Ed Meyer (D-Guilford) said.
> “Hurricane Irene caused some real damage to the museum facilities last
> August, so I’m happy to see the state taking a proactive stance in
> protecting this historic collection.”
>
>         “I am so appreciative of Governor Malloy’s trip to the Trolley
> Museum to see first-hand the need for protecting this historic treasure.
> The governor actually drove one of the trolleys as we traversed the route!”
> said state Rep. Pat Widlitz (D- Guilford), who is House co-chair of the
> Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. “My husband Gary and I are in the
> process of acquiring an extensive collection of original negatives that
> chronicle the rapid transit history of Connecticut. The collection,
> including negatives that cover the New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk and
> Hartford trains, documents the car numbers, their history and – in many
> cases – the conductors.”
>
>         The Widlitzes are working with a family friend to donate their
> collection to the Museum.
>
>         “As a member of the State Bond Commission, I eagerly look forward
> to casting my vote in favor of funding for the museum,” she said.
>
>         “The Shoreline Trolley is not only an important historical
> treasure and fun for the whole family, it’s also a gateway into all kinds
> of tourist venues on the upper shoreline, such as Branford’s Thimble Island
> cruises and Guilford’s colonial sites,” said state Rep. Lonnie Reed
> (D-Branford).  “Elevating the trolley barns is an essential investment as
> we work to entice more vacationers to visit our shoreline, experience all
> that we have to offer and spend money here. We are grateful to the governor
> for his support.”
>
>         “The Trolley Museum is a treasure for East Haven, the greater New
> Haven region, and an important link to our shoreline history,” state Rep.
> Roland Lemar (D-New Haven) said. “It is an incredible resource for
> students, our local schools and an important training ground for our future
> engineers at Gateway Community College.”
>
>         “This investment in the Shoreline Trolley Museum will allow the
> museum to build two buildings well above the flood plain where their large
> collection of trolleys can be stored in case of extreme flooding, like we
> saw last August,” said state Rep. James Albis (D-East Haven). “In addition
> to its historical value, the Trolley Museum is a great tourist attraction
> for East Haven, bringing in 20,000 tourists annually and providing an
> economic boost for our community. I applaud Governor Malloy for seeing the
> importance of this project to our region.”
>
>         The State Bond Commission is scheduled to meet next Friday, August
> 31 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 1-E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.
>
>         ###
>
>         For Immediate Release: August 24, 2012
>
>         Twitter: @GovMalloyOffice
>         Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy
>
>
> __._,_.___
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-- 
Herb Brannon
In Cuyahoga Valley National Park