RMA Manresa Wilds Park Tour
Our speaker on January 6 will be Tech entrepreneur Austin McChord, the founder of Manresa Wilds Park. To commemorate this occasion we are happy to announce this tour.
Manresa Wilds Park is a 125 acre private waterfront park under development in Norwalk. It is the site of a massive Power Plant that was decommissioned in 2013. The former power plant will not be torn down. Instead, it will be repurposed into year-round community spaces, learning labs, indoor climbing areas, and event venues.
The landscape features salt marshes, coastal forests, and pedestrian hiking trails. The site is not yet open to the public, but RMA Members are offered a sneak preview tour.
The tour will be on Thursday morning, November 12, at 9:30 AM, lasting about 90 minutes. Rain date will be November 19.
The RMA Walkers and Talkers are signed up, but all RMA members are invited. Carpools are being organized.
Further information is provided below and all attendees must sign the liability waiver below.
Location + Parking: The address is 1 Manresa Island Road (or Avenue), Norwalk, CT 06854. Upon arrival, check in with the security guards at the gate; they will be expecting your group! There is ample parking at the main building—please fill in spots as needed. For safety, security will NOT be allowing guests onsite more than 15 minutes early, or 15 minutes late without exceptions.
Tour Details: Tours are approximately 90 minutes and include an extensive walk through the office wing, turbine hall, and boiler building—totaling approximately 500 stairs. (including to and from the roof). Please note that some of the stairs are open-style metal grates, and there are no elevators at this time. We will also explore the water’s edge for a view of the Norwalk Islands and Long Island Sound.
What to Wear: Closed-toed, fastened, flat shoes are required. It is breezy on the water, so please dress appropriately for the weather. As with much of New England, ticks may be present on-site, so we recommend wearing pants and socks.
Please remember: Pets are not permitted for this visit. Visitors must be 18 years or older. For safety, security will NOT be allowing guests onsite more than 15 minutes early, or 15 minutes late without exceptions. Tours are weather dependent, meaning we will need to cancel should it be raining heavily the day of. The rain date is November 19.
ALL attendees need to sign the required liability waiver form for themselves prior to going on the tour. While hard copy will be available at the site, it will save time and be better for all if the waiver is signed electronically through the link below.
https://app.hellosign.com/home/reusableLink?guid=2sMQ8vcR&in_person=
John Denne and Peter Berg are available to answer questions.
