SoundWaters, the Stamford nonprofit dedicated to creating broad access to the Long Island Sound, today announced the receipt of a $3 million leadership gift from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation to support construction of SoundWaters Harbor Center in the city”™s Boccuzzi Park.
Construction on the 12,100-square-foot building, which also includes beach restoration and public access to the water, is underway and is slated to be completed in mid-2022.
“Steven and Alexandra Cohen, through their charitable foundation, have made a tremendous investment to advance opportunity and access at the heart of Stamford ”“ our waterfront,” said SoundWaters President Leigh Shemitz.
“At SoundWaters, we believe that our community is stronger when we are connected to, and learning from, the sound,” she continued. “Complementing our existing Coastal Education Center and Schooner, the Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center in Boccuzzi Park will enable the next generation to develop life skills, job skills, and college skills through study and training on Long Island Sound.”
“SoundWaters has played a critical role educating and enriching youth in Stamford for more than 30 years,” Stamford Mayor David Martin said. “The new Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center allows SoundWaters to expand this role and anchors the city”™s revitalization of Boccuzzi Park, while increasing resources for education, maritime job training and recreational access to the Long Island Sound.”
The Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center will be the base for three core programs:
Ӣ Young Mariners, which instills life skills and energizes young students through sailing, academics, and a sense of community;
Ӣ Harbor Corps, hands-on maritime job skills training for young adults; and
Ӣ Research Intensive, college-level marine research opportunities for high school students.
It will also include launch access for SoundWaters”™ fleet of sailboats and publicly available kayaks and paddleboards, as well as the organization”™s research vessel and its iconic three-masted schooner.
The Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center is a community-funded project with 80% of the funding coming from private sources. A groundbreaking ceremony for the center will take place later this spring.
