Residents Speak For And Against Borrowing Money To Rebuild Thames Street

The Groton Town Council heard Tuesday night from a public hearing of supporters and opponents of a $6.37 million proposal to rebuild Thames Street.

Supporters of the work said the street’s disrepair has become a safety hazard and the town is failing to capitalize on a business opportunity by leaving the road in a bad state.

Opponents said taxpayers can’t afford it.

 “You don’t have the money for it and I’m frankly not willing to pay for it,” said William Price, of Harvard Lane. He said sooner or later, the bill for borrowing will come due, and “I’m sorry, I just don’t want to do it.”

The $6.37 million bond referendum to repair Thames Street goes before voters in May. The Town Council also held public hearings Tuesday night on a proposed $133 million school building program and a plan to repair River Road.

Susan Bailey, who lives on Monument Street, said Thames Street has continued to deteriorate to the point that drivers are using other residential streets to avoid it, which will cause problems on those streets.

She said the road could attract businesses, but not in its current state.

“It is a neglected gem,” she said.

Thames Street runs along the Thames River, is one of the oldest roads in Groton, and is a major gateway to town. It brings commuters to Pfizer, Electric Boat and the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. But the road has become a patchwork of temporary fixes that won’t hold up.

During flooding last spring, a retaining wall near Paul's Pasta collapsed. A slope near Electric Boat also came down.

Ralph Scott, of Thames Street, said the town should fix the road, but also consider routing traffic onto other roads so the narrow street is not so heavily traveled.

Others said they won’t pay to have the road work done.

“I’m fed up with having my taxes go up,” said Peter Weissgarber, of Shennecossett Road. He said Pfizer and Electric Boat could lend a hand. “Maybe they should kick in a little money,” he said.

Archie Swindell, of Monument Street, said Thames Street is a unique part of Groton that, if restored, could bring in business to town and with it, needed tax revenue. He said the project has been discussed for years.

“This has been around for a long time,” he said. “And it’s time to do something about it.”