Extensive research into how tourism can be expanded in the region is given the green light

May 8, 2024 3:41 PM • Last updated: May 8, 2024 3:41 PM

I tend to fall asleep a little – not unlike, I think, Donald Trump in his criminal trial – when people start talking about creating a government task force charged with studying something.

Maybe it’s just my anti-bureaucracy bias, but I tend to see task forces as a proposed solution to a virtually unsolvable problem like nuclear waste storage.

But I’m excited about the prospects of a new study group – to be fair, it’s called a “working group” and not a task force – that was given the green light in the closing hours of this session of the General Assembly.

It is charged with creating a tourism expansion plan for the entire Mystic coastline region – from New London to the Rhode Island border in Stonington – with a wide range of participants, a large mandate and a tight deadline.

I know. I know. Many people here, especially in Mystic, already think that there is more than enough tourism and a better topic might be how to close the gates instead of trying to open them further.

But the tasks assigned to the group include many suggestions to deal with the increasing number of tourists, from looking at developing a multimodal transportation center to green solutions to better move people.

Water taxis, dredging of the Mystic River, new parking lots, bike paths and trolley services are among the options being explored.

The authorizing legislation also suggests conducting a study of federal and state money available for infrastructure improvements in the region, a labor force study and an analysis of tax revenues and how best to direct them.

Representative Aundré Bumgardner of Groton was instrumental in including language pushing the group to look at the impacts of climate change flooding and how to better address them, especially in low-lying, flood-prone Mystic.

Bumgardner said Tuesday after the Senate’s unanimous yes vote on the study bill that the measure was the work of the region’s entire delegation.

“It was all hands on deck. There is a lot of momentum,” he said. “And we’re all fighting for tourism, but in a way that balances so many of our other needs, housing affordability and education.”

“I suspect a lot of things will happen.”

The work must have a tight deadline and begin immediately, within two months of the elapsed time. The deadline for a report is January 1, 2025.

The composition of the group, as mandated by legislation, is notably inclusive: representatives from each municipality, including transportation experts, representatives from the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes, someone from the governor’s office, and representatives from major tourist attractions. business, hotel and hospitality associations, a historical society, a climate resilience advocacy group, government agencies and some legislators.

The group receives logistical and administrative assistance from the General Assembly’s Trade Committee.

That’s a broad representation of interests, but I hope the group will also reach out to the public, with open, public meetings and public hearings to solicit input from the people who matter most, those who are being asked to do more and more to receive tourists in their communities.

I didn’t hear back from the messages left for Governor Ned Lamont asking if he would sign the bill.

I don’t consider the governor a great advocate for the region, but I don’t suspect he would stand in the way of a focused look at the region’s problems and opportunities.

This is the opinion of David Collins.

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