Newsletter #2

An Island for All.
Hello everyone!

We can’t wait to see you at Brien McMahon High School on March 5th (tomorrow) at 6:30pm for our first Manresa Island Park community engagement session!

Please note the new location: Brien McMahon High School (300 Highland Avenue, Norwalk, CT, 06854).

Click here to RSVP to the first community engagement session for Manresa Island

As part of community engagement, we will collect feedback and ideas on the masterplan for the site, and these responses will ultimately feed into the final plan for the park.

At our meeting on March 5, 2025, we will begin with remarks from philanthropic investors Austin and Allison McChord, followed by an introduction of the project team by Manresa Island Corp. Executive Director Jessica Vonashek. Gena Wirth, Design Principal and Partner at SCAPE – the landscape architecture firm leading the park’s design will then present a three part overview of the project: the history of the site; the current status of the site; and the overarching goals for the future of Manresa Island.

Community members are invited and encouraged to share their ideas for the site and respond to the current iteration of the masterplan. Following the presentation, attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the project and provide feedback through interactive tabling. Each table will highlight a key aspect of the project, including the early history and industrial era of Manresa Island, the site’s ecology and the decommissioned power plant facility.

We will also host a children's activity table, in addition to a digital story booth that allows guests to share their personal stories about Manresa Island.

Project leadership, including representatives from the project’s landscape architecture firm SCAPE, architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), and engineering firm AKRF will be present to share insights. A follow-up survey will be circulated to guests and posted online following the meeting.

Additional community engagement meetings are planned for late spring and mid-summer, with exact dates to be announced.

Looking forward to meeting and speaking with you all!

Jess Vonashek
Executive Director of Manresa Island Corp.