NORWALK – A group of state, local, and federal elected officials gathered at 200 Woodward Ave. on Manresa Island on the morning of Friday, June 20, to mark the “passing” of three oil tanks that once graced the site of the former Connecticut Light & Power and NRG power plant.
The celebration of life, if you will, even included a eulogy by state Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and three cakes in the shape of the aforementioned tanks baked by Something Sweet Bakery of Greenwich.
“I would like to say those oil tanks were lovely oil tanks,” Duff said. “They were earnest oil tanks. They gave their life for this community. It’s time to say, ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’ It’s a little bit like a funeral here. But like with any funeral, you have a rebirth that is going back to a place that is more natural. And something that the public can enjoy that is cleaner that speaks to our dragon flies that are flying all around us here and saying thank you for reclaiming this land for us.”
He went on to share the feedback and support he has seen from the community once it was announced that the former plant would be a park – Manresa Island Park. “Hearing the excitement from folks about the future of this property has really been nothing short of transformational,” he said.
A major milestone
Manresa Island Corp., a nonprofit leading the former industrial site’s rehabilitation into a public waterfront park, is estimated to cost up to $120 million. This includes the purchase price of the island, cleanup of environmental hazards like coal ash and asbestos, and the development of the park’s amenities.
Officials on Friday celebrated a major milestone: the demolition of three 7.5-million-gallon steel oil tanks, that have sat empty on the island for over a decade. It is the first of what the organization expects will be a long list of milestones achieved between now and 2030, when the park is expected to fully open.
“Repurposing Manresa Island into one of the most ambitious environmental and public space projects in Norwalk’s history will enhance the quality of life for our community for decades to come,” said Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling. “The park will substantially increase access to Norwalk’s shoreline and recreational experiences, providing endless social, environmental, and economic benefits—from protecting our coastline and wildlife to creating a new destination for families and educators. We’re proud to see the first signs of progress taking shape.”
The project was made possible with the donation of the property by Norwalk natives Austin and Allison McChord, who purchased the property last fall from Manresa LLC for an undisclosed amount of money. Austin McChord is the founder of the IT software firm Datto, which he sold for $6 billion in 2022 to Kaseya.
“This is a milestone for this project,” Allison McChord said. “I want to thank state and local government and for the partners and the members of the community who shared their thoughts. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from the community. It gives us a lot of energy. We are super-excited to get this project to get to where it needs to be.”
Demolition plan
The demolition of the tanks has opened up 76,000 square feet of land for subsurface investigation to inform a comprehensive site remediation plan, according to Jessica Vonashek, executive director of Manresa Island Corp. Also, the deconstruction and removal of the oil tanks, which took place from May 19 until last week, netted about 1,500 tons of recycled steel. The broader site remediation plan that is being done by engineering consultant AKRF with the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection will address ash and other residual materials from the former coal-burning and later oil-powered facility. The permitting phase for the remediation is expected by the end of this year, according to Manresa Island Corp. documentation. Implementation of the plan is due to begin in 2026.
The station, which is part of a 125-acre site, was retired in 2013 after providing electric to Connecticut for six decades.
On Friday Manresa Island Corp., community leaders and elected officials, including Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, Duff, Mayor Rilling, and Norwalk Common Council President Barbara Smyth, marked the moment with a press conference held in front of the former plant, which operated on the island between 1953 and 2013.
“Imagine a five years from now, sailing in on a day like this, seeing what this is, stopping at the marina, going to the beach front, maybe something happening at the community center there,” Gov. Lamont said. “It just doesn’t just happen. It takes imagination. It was sort of interesting to see the history of this place. You know you see there was a guy named John Kaiser about 200 years ago that built the bridgeway and turned this into farmland.”
Vonashek told the story about meeting with Rep. Himes some years back to discuss what could be done with Manresa Island.
“For the first time in decades, we’re seeing physical change on-site that reflects the vision this community has been shaping: a healthy, welcoming, and inspiring waterfront,” Vonashek said.
Himes reiterated the importance of the project, which will incorporate the nearby Maritime Aquarium in South Norwalk.
“The Manresa Island project promises to be a game-changer for Norwalk and the entire region, unlocking access to a stretch of shoreline that has been closed to the public for more than 70 years,” he said.
Next steps
The removal of the oil tanks represents the first physical update on the island since it was designated as a brownfield site in 2013. Located within a 5-acre bermed area on the southeastern end of the island, the three 1971-built tanks stood at approximately 40 feet tall with a 180-foot diameter, each encompassing a footprint of approximately 25,450 square feet.
Manresa Island Corp. announced its mission of transforming the island into a publicly accessible park on Oct. 1, 2024. Since then, the organization and its partners have toured well over 500 people on-site, gathered thousands of surveys from the community, held two community engagement meetings that drew around 800 attendees in total, partnered with the schools on the planting of pollinator gardens, served as a training facility for the Norwalk and Stamford Fire Departments, and engaged with dozens of local business and community leaders.
On July 13, Manresa Island Corp. will host its third community engagement session in the form of a Community Day Festival at Cove Point, where the latest vision for the park will be revealed. Led by renowned landscape architecture firm and community engagement facilitator SCAPE, the latest design was informed by this robust period of feedback, aligning with the organization’s pledge that Norwalk voices will continue to shape the development as it evolves.
