Project Update as of December 19, 2008
At their meeting on December 15, the Board of Warden & Burgesses voted 6 to 1 to proceed with the Cummin Plan for Cannon Square (See rendering on home page) with an ongoing review of the tree selection. Just before that meeting, an anonymous donor contributed $30,000 to the project and requested that it be used for the electrolytic bath process to permanently preserve the two cannon tubes. This process will begin in 2009 and will be completed in 2011, with one tube being off-site at a time.
All other cannon restoration and landscaping will be finished by June of 2009...just in time for a special 4th of July celebration at Cannon Square.
Project Update as of December 4, 2008
On December 4, the Borough of Stonington mailed over 500 letters to all of the taxpayers in the 06378 zip code. The letter outlined much of the information shown below and invited all citizens to a special public meeting to be held
Saturday, December 13 -- Borough Hall at 2 PM
Final decisions on the overall project plan will be made by the Board of Warden & Burgesses following that meeting.
Project Update as of December 2, 2008
The Borough of Stonington owns this historic property and is overseeing the entire project. The SVIA is assisting in fundraising and project management. The Stonington Historical Society has been involved from the beginning, researching the history of this special place.
Our project consists of two categories of work:
The Cannons Restoration of the cannon tubes, wheels and carriages will take place in the Amish country of Pennsylvania and in Pawcatuck, CT.
The Grounds This work includes trees, handicap access, flagpole, topsoil, grass, cannon mounts, etc.
The two cannons will be restored off-site this winter and, while they are away, the work on the grounds will begin. Soon, you will see a temporary sign advising the public why the cannons are missing and what is happening to the square. The cannons will be returned in June of 2009, and landscaping will be completed after the restored cannons are in place.
Financial Details:
 Total project budget is $68,000 with 2/3 of the expense related to the cannons.The Borough stake in this entire project is $10,000 (not $99,150 as implied in the recent petition). A combination of state and private funding will cover the remaining $58,000.On Tuesday morning, Dec. 2, Warden Don Maranell oversaw the placement of the temporary sign shown below at Cannon Square.
 Since October 20, when the Warden & Burgesses approved the project, a group of Borough citizens attended the next board meeting and challenged certain aspects of the project. After hearing their input, the board has taken steps to better understand the total scope of the project and to explore ways that the plan could be modified to best serve the interests of all Borough citizens; past, present and future.
Part of the problem to date has been the lack of factual information about the project, including the rationale behind the landscaping plan developed by Cummin Associates. The Warden & Burgesses are sending out a letter this week explaining the facts about the project and inviting everyone to a meeting at Borough Hall on Saturday, December 13, at 2 PM. Following that meeting, the board will finalize their plans for the Cannon Square Restoration Project.
Project Update as of October 20, 2008
On the evening of October 20, The Board of Warden and Burgesses unanimously approved the Cannon Square restoration project as depicted on the home page of this website. The cannons will be removed in November and a temporary sign will be at the site during their absence.
Project Update as of August 18, 2008
A public review meeting was held at Borough Hall on August 16 at 10 AM. The meeting was chaired by Warden Don Maranell and featured presentations by:
Jim Hicks, SVIA President and Project CoordinatorSarah Blair, Borough Burgess and Commissioner of Parks and TreesBob Abramson, Cannon Restoration EngineerJim Boylan, Historian (representing Stonington Historical Society.For the most part, our plan was received very well and there appears to be a growing enthusiasm in the Borough. The current budget stands at $70,000 with about 60% of that devoted to the cannons themselves. The remaining funds will be used to ensure that the finished product will convey the beauty, dignity and care that this place of honor deserves.
Project Update as of July 30, 2008
Architect Peter Cummin proposes a landscape plan to beautify the site in keeping with historical precedent; his plan includes the planting of (high canopy) Princeton Hybrid Elms at each of the four corners. Ken Gear has prepared an estimate for the earth, stone and lawn work required to execute the plan. $25,000 Our latest estimate from Bob Abramson for the cannons is $31,200; this does not include the costly and time-consuming electrolytic reduction process that we may defer for a later project.Other budget items include: irrigation system, temporary and permanent signage, additional trees and planting costs, and transportation costs.Total Budget is now estimated at $70,000.Project Sequence (Approval and Planning in 2008; execution in 2009)
Get price quotes; prepare budget and project plan schedule. July of 2008. Prepare a rendering of the finished project. Peter Cummin should complete by Aug 15. Present budget and plan to Borough officials. July 2008 Hold public meeting in August of 2008.Gain approval from the Board of Warden and Burgesses by September 1.Begin fundraising process: businesses, nearby residents, SHS... Prepare signs for the square to "tell our story" while the cannons are missing. Oct. of 2008 Remove the fence and dispose. January of 2009. Remove cannons for restoration. (will be gone for an estimated 10 weeks)  Remove concrete cannon mounts. Temporarily remove two remaining trees. Remove earth to a level 6 inches below the curb height... Place concrete mounting slabs for cannons (to be buried...per Bob Abramson and Peter Cummin) Fill earth back up to curb height with good topsoil. Install underground irrigation system. Re-plant two existing trees; plant two new trees (all elms) Replace the cannons. April of 2009. Install sod; Ken Gear says that the key here is that the sod gets a lot of water. May '09.Turn on the water. Add permanent signage regarding the history of the cannons and Cannon Square and the restoration project: date, joint effort of SVIA, the Borough and SHS. June of 2009. CELEBRATE!! July 4, 2009 and August 10, 2009 (195th anniversary of repressing British)Other Notes:
Note that items 10-16 take place while the cannons are being restored off-site.We have opted not to try to bring power to the square but to work on a greener, and more attractive, alternative of using solar power. Project Update Following June 6 Cannon Meeting
1. June 6 Meeting at SHYC. Our project team met with Peter Fix of Texas A&M University to discuss his specialty of restoring historic cannons using an electrolytic reduction process which can take up to a year. Apparently, it's the only known method for arresting the rusting a decay process that anything made of iron will always suffer.
2. Questions. We came away from our meeting with a few questions for Peter.
What is your estimated budget (per cannon) for the process that you recommend? How long would that process require for the cannons to be off site? Will your price include the waxing and painting such that the cannons are ready to be replaced directly to their carriages?3. Possible Conclusion. We are thinking that we might want to just touch up the two cannons in 2009, wait a year and then send one cannon for the electrolytic reduction process in 2010 and the other the following year. This way there would always be at least one cannon present.
4. Rendering from Architect Peter Cummin. Before moving forward with our public hearing, we need to finalize our budget and we need the rendering. Hopefully, we can schedule the hearing for sometime in July.
5. Budget and Fundraising. As of today, we have $10,000 pledged from the Borough, $20,000 pledged from the state of CT, and $11,350 already collected from interested Borough citizens. Total Project cost is estimated at $70,000, but there are still a few unknowns, particularly related to the cannons themselves.
Other notes of interest Posted on June 18:
1. Light for Cannon Square flagpole. From a flag etiquette standpoint, our flag should be illuminated in the evenings if it is not taken down every night. Hence, we have decided to go with a very inexpensive solar powered light that attaches to the pole. It is unobtrusive, very efficient and a green, earth-friendly way to go. Pasted below is a photograph of our new solar light at Cannon Square....second photo is during installation.
  2. Plaque for Cannon Square. After the completion of our restoration project, we are planning to install a bronze plaque that describes the history of this special place. As a comparison, here is a photo of the current plaque at Stonington Point.
 Project Update as of May 19, 2008
1. Historical Significance. We will work with Stonington Historical Society to research the history of Cannon Square and, with their help, will design a prominent bronze plaque that will be permanently placed at Cannon Square upon completion of the project.
2. Calendar. We have all concluded, for many reasons, that this will be a 2009 project. During 2008, we will work on:
Finalizing our budget Preparation of rendering from Peter Cummin Getting approval from Warden & Burgesses Encouraging public support with public hearing. Working on fundraising campaign Design interim sign with rendering explaining what is happening, when and why.3. Projected Schedule:
August 1 -- Get approval Sept-March -- Fundraising with SHS November, 2008. Install interim sign January, 2009. Remove cannons for repair. March, 2009. Begin landscaping and pouring of concrete slab, etc. for cannons, monument, flagpole, stone steps, water supply. May, 2009. Re-planting of the trees, sodding the lawn. June 1. Cannon re-installed. July 4. Public celebration....Back-up date is Aug. 9, the 195th anniversary of the date when these cannons were used against the British fleet.4. Our budget will include:
Cannon numbers from Bob Abramson Projected annual maintenance numbers, including water usage, from Bob Abramson. Landscape numbers from Ken Geer Underground sprinkler system from Shoreline. Planting numbers from Jim Wightman Flagpole lighting from Don Maranell Temporary sign from Jim Hicks Permanent plaque from Jim HicksTotal current estimate for our budget is $70,000.5. Budget Summary:
Total Restoration Project budget is currently estimated at $70,000.The cannons alone will account for almost half of that number.The Borough has agreed to contribute $10,000 of taxpayer dollars.The State of CT, with the assistance of Senator Andy Maynard, has pledged to contribute $20,000 for the project.The remaining $40,000 will be raised via private fundraising efforts.6. Project Management. Jim Hicks (SVIA) will continue to coordinate with the Historical Society and Sarah Blair will continue to coordinate with architect Peter Cummin.
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To contribute to this project, make your check payable to SVIA and mail to Cannon Square Restoration Fund, Stonington Village Improvement Association, PO Box 18, Stonington, CT 06378
Jim Hicks, President of SVIA
860-535-2212 -- president@sviastonington.org
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