New London — Amid ongoing questions about the availability of parking in the city, the executive director of the National Coast Guard Museum Association said Wednesday that his group is awaiting the results of a state-funded study before making any plans with regard to parking.

Wes Pulver said it's premature at this point to say what the museum association would support as far as parking in the city. The group is raising funds to build an estimated $100 million National Coast Guard Museum on New London's waterfront.

Pulver and CEO Dick Grahn submitted a guest commentary that will appear in the Sunday edition of The Day that says, in part, that the museum association is an "active participant" in the $105,200 study by consultants Milone & MacBroom to assess present and future downtown parking, traffic and safety concerns.

The museum project, the anticipated pedestrian overpass — which the state has committed $20 million toward — that will connect from the museum to Parade Plaza, the ferry services, the relocation of the Greyhound Bus terminal and the expansion of the Shore Line East service all will be taken into account, according to a memo about the study.

Development in the surrounding area, such as Electric Boat's planned facility expansion, also will be considered.

"I see it all being worked out in time for the Coast Guard's opening," New London Mayor Michael Passero said of the parking challenges.

Organizers hope the museum will be open in 2020. They expect 500,000 visitors in its first year of operation, based on a study commissioned by the Coast Guard. Museum attendance is usually the highest in the first year of operation.

The memorandum of agreement among the state, city, Coast Guard and museum association says that the state will help "coordinate, support, and advise on ancillary work associated with the museum project, including property purchases, feasibility studies, traffic redesigns, rail transportation concerns, parking needs assessments, and other components of the project."

The city's parking challenges need to be addressed regardless of the museum project, according to Passero.

"That's not the only pressure being applied to parking right now in New London," Passero said, explaining that even if the Coast Guard museum were "not on the table, we'd still face challenges to parking."

As for any improvements that would need to be made, the city likely would seek out any relevant federal transit grants.

After reading a column in The Day last week, downtown property owner Bill Cornish approached the museum association to offer 350 spaces in his 450-space parking garage at Governor Winthrop Boulevard and Union Street. He said he has 110 regular parkers there now.

"If they need them, they got them," Cornish said by phone Tuesday.

The museum association, while appreciative, turned down Cornish's offer, Pulver said, citing the ongoing study.

Cornish also issued his strong support for the downtown site, though there are still those in the region who feel strongly that Fort Trumbull would be a better location.

Museum organizers and representatives from various federal agencies have been working through issues associated with the proposed site being in a floodplain.

j.bergman@theday.com