A Beautiful View Downtown

Showcasing the beauty of our town is important. I would like to commend the Rockville Downtown Association, the Friends of the Hockanum River Linear Park Committee of Vernon, Inc. and the CT Main Street Center for working together in securing a $10,000 beautification grant to benefit our town.

Their commitment to the beauty of the historic Hockanum Falls behind Amerbelle and Anacoil is admirable.  Opening a clear view or “lookout point” for public viewing of the falls is a great idea and a wonderful attraction for residents and visitors alike. Being familiar with the good work of all three organizations, I have no doubt that the project will come to fruition and will be of great benefit to our town for many years to come.

I applaud the effort and congratulate them all for working together to make it happen.  It’s a big step in reaching the goal of making downtown Rockville a destination for the surrounding region.

It is also important to note that the work of the Rockville Downtown Association (RDA) continues to be an important and vital link for ongoing improvements to downtown Rockville. The RDA vision is as important today as it was when I was fortunate enough to work with Mayor Steve Marcham in winning the Connecticut Main Street Program Designation for the formation of the RDA over eleven years ago.

Having further served with Mayor Marcham during his presidency of the RDA Board for many years, I can recall a number of enthusiastic discussions about the potential for “lookout points” for public viewing of water falls as attraction points to downtown and possibly beyond.  I’m pleased to see that the wonderful idea was not forgotten and has been actively pursued under the leadership of new RDA Executive Director, Cliff Edwards.

I had the pleasure of working with Cliff on the Bicentennial Committee and know how committed he is in making things happen no matter how time consuming or difficult the task may be. He will do a great job and will work well with others for the benefit of our town.

The acquisition of the Falls Project Grant is a great example of successful positive collaboration and I would like to again commend the Rockville Downtown Association, the Friends of the Hockanum River Linear Park Committee of Vernon, Inc. and the CT Main Street Center for working together in securing the grant.

It is, however, much more than that. It is the spark, the beginning of a vision that is important to carry out and move forward step-by-step for the benefit of our town.