Grand opening Friday for Uncas Leap Heritage Park in Norwich
Oct. 29—NORWICH — For years, the east bank of the Yantic River at historic Uncas Leap consisted of an abandoned mill overgrown with poison ivy and an unkempt gravel parking lot, with brush often obscuring views of the river gorge.
No longer.
At 9 a.m. Friday, the city plans to host a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony at the new $3 million Uncas Leap Heritage Park, the second-largest project funded by the city's $28 million American Rescue Plan Act grant. Only the replacement of obsolete police department radios at $3.4 million received more funding.
The event will begin with attendees walking the grounds at 196-200 Yantic St. to view the river and walk the new pathways. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. and will include traditional Mohegan tribal ceremonies and comments by city and tribal leaders.
"If it wasn't for the ARPA money, we never could have done it," Norwich City Manager John Salomone said about the project.
Prior to the 2021 federal COVID-19 recovery law that pumped millions of dollars into local municipalities, Norwich had planned to tackle improvements at the park site in a piecemeal fashion, using whatever grants were available. The city acquired the abandoned small granite mill building and parking area for back taxes and used a state brownfields grant for the initial demolition and cleanup.
Salomone, who oversaw the city's use of the two-year grant, made the Uncas Leap park project a top priority, and the City Council endorsed the plan. City and state leaders celebrated the groundbreaking in August 2023, and this week will mark its near completion.
"Everybody involved has done a wonderful job restoring this space to be a place we can all be proud of and enjoy," said Kevin Brown, president of the Norwich Community Development Corp. and a Mohegan tribal member.
Brown praised lead contractor Wiese Construction of Norwich, headed by Mel Wiese, saying the contractor was very patient and accommodating, as city officials frequently stopped by to check on the progress of the work.
"They've been diligent," Brown said. "We've all been showing up on the work site and pestering him and he's been gracious."
Wiese said Monday the park will be 90% complete by Friday's ribbon-cutting event. A stairway leading down from the main entrance to an observation platform at the edge of the Yantic Falls dam is expected to be installed by the end of this year, Wiese said.
The park plan called for partially demolishing the mill building to create mill ruins, using some of the excess granite blocks to help stabilize the walls still standing. Walkways allow visitors to go through openings in the ruins to explore the city's early Industrial Revolution history.
Some of the granite blocks have been incorporated in the park's retaining walls and other features. A stone story circle, or amphitheater, was created adjacent to the ruin.
Paved walking paths and landscaped green space now traverse the former gravel parking area, and observation spots overlook the rocky gorge. A new bathroom facility stands in the center of the park.
The area was a key part of the 1643 battle between the Mohegan and Narragansett tribes prior to the settlement of Norwich. The legend of Mohegan Sachem Uncas leaping across the gorge is told on a display panel.
Uncas Leap is one terminus of the city's riverfront Heritage Trail that connects the area to Norwich Harbor at the Howard T. Brown Memorial Park. The city has received state grants to improve the Brown Park end of the trail.
Next spring, an old concrete stairway leading from Uncas Leap to Sachem Street will be reconstructed, connecting the area to the Mohegan tribe's royal burial ground at the corner of Sachem and Washington streets.
City leaders plan to lobby federal officials to designate the area as a national park site.
"I think it's going to be a great amenity to the city," Wiese said about the park.