These are heady days for the beautiful little village of Niantic, its growing success a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of its business community and the vision of civic and elected leaders.

This week the 1.1-mile Niantic Bay Boardwalk reopened after nearly two years of reconstruction. Always popular, the pathway along the bay had suffered repeated serious damage from ocean storms. When the latest reconstruction began in the summer of 2014, the intent was to build a pathway strong enough to withstand whatever nature threw at it.

The price tag was not cheap — $4.9 million — put together with a combination of lawsuit settlements tied to prior failed designs, damage compensation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant. Completion arrives about a year late, but the specialized concrete and steel bulkheads should assure that there will be no need to again rebuild, at least not for a very long time.

It becomes another drawing card for a village already a destination point, offering a mix of restaurants, shops and offices and featuring the Niantic Cinema and the Children’s Museum of Southeastern Connecticut. Period lighting lining Main Street adds to the charm.

News of the boardwalk’s reopening followed the announcement a week earlier that the town had taken ownership of the former gas station at the corner of Main and Pennsylvania Avenue. Efforts to buy the strategically located parcel began under former first selectman and now state Sen. Paul Formica and continued with the current administration of First Selectman Mark Nickerson. Addressing environmental concerns slowed the process.

The purchase price is $550,000, money well invested by the Town of East Lyme, in which Niantic village is located. Developing the key location as a small park, with benches offering bay views, will enhance Main Street. Also under discussion is potentially locating an information booth there, which may well become a necessary asset given increased interest in what Niantic has to offer.

Congratulations to Nickerson and his predecessor, Formica, and the many other local leaders, both in and out of government, who have driven this positive transformation.

We’ll see you on the boardwalk this summer.