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42 Hartford Business Journal • November 26, 2012 www.HartfordBusiness.com Celebrating 20 Years of Business News STORIES 20 Years of Hartford recaptures its riverfront By Karen Sackowitz S ome changes come to a city with a bang. Others slowly unfold over the years, carefully orchestrated by those with quiet tenacity and unwavering vision. Such has been the case with Hartford's vibrant waterfront revival. Riverfront Recap- ture, an organization formed in 1981, set out to do exactly that — recapture the city's his- torical link to the river, which had been all but obliterated in the decades prior. Joe Marfuggi has lead Riverfront Recap- ture for more than 25 years, and remembers the once bleak site where spring clean-ups were measured in terms of how much gar- bage was removed. "It was completely isolated and over- grown," he says. "The whole area had become a dumping ground." It wasn't surprising, then, that when Riv- erfront Recapture first announced plans for a complete transformation of the waterfront, the vision wasn't immediately embraced. "Even after we had renderings produced, there was skepticism," Marfuggi says. "The general response was 'Interesting — too bad it will never happen.'" But it did — little by little. After several years of studies, planning and small improve- ments, Riverfront Recapture's designs for a landscaped platform over the newly restruc- tured I-91 and a pedestrian promenade on Founder's Bridge became a reality, officially restoring access between downtown and the river. By 1992, con- struction began on major improvements to Riverside Park. The next decade brought with it a new net- work of riverwalk paths, the completion of an out- door amphitheater, and increased pedestrian access to downtown and docking for excursion boats. National fishing and rowing tournaments came to the city. Each year brought with it a new ele- ment. And people began to notice. "We always kept the big vision in mind, but took achievable steps toward incremental goals — a piece of a park, a section opening," Marfuggi says. "As things fell into place, people could start to see it happening and get excited about the possibilities." One project highlight was the opening of the Greater Hartford Jaycees Community Boathouse in 2002. Built adjacent to River- side Park, the boathouse allowed Riverfront Recapture to grow its small rowing program to one which welcomes all ages, including 250 high school students a week from Hartford, East Hartford, and surrounding communi- ties. On a larger scale, national competitors come to Riverside Park to participate in dragon boat races and regattas, including the Head of the Riverfront event, which drew 10,000 spectators this past September. Marfuggi says that seeing the riverfront through the eyes of visiting competitors only reinforces what he always knew the area could be. "The teams are so impressed with our venue, and the fact that they can stay in a hotel close enough to walk to the riverfront, and they can walk to a restaurant afterward," he says, referring to the many amenities which have joined the waterfront landscape over the years. "As access to the river is opened, development follows, using the riv- erfront as its front door." Marfuggi says the riverfront offers a tremendous benefit to local residents, too. "We have bike trails, riverwalks, fishing, bald eagles nesting; it's a wonderful natural resource in the heart of the city," he says. "The parks are open, accessible, and free any day of the week." Riverfront Recapture's efforts are far from over. New ideas include an additional river access point at Coltsville, including a possible national park. Brain- storming sessions focus on cre- ative lighting schemes for the riv- erfront's three bridges. What began as an idea met with skepticism so long ago, now seems to be one without limits. n The Riverfront Recapture has drawn crowds back to the banks of the Connecticut River, whether for summer concerts (above) or Dragon Boat races (at left). Joe Marfuggi dresses as a duck to encourage donations.