After some rather gloomy and sad years that saw numerous businesses close due to the pandemic, downtown New London’s future again appears bright. Not only has a makeover resulted in a more beautiful downtown business district, but several new restaurants and other businesses are helping restore a lively vibrancy to Bank and State streets and their environs.

More than 60 enclosed trash containers sporting the colorful and beautiful work of local artists were installed throughout downtown in April. More recently, 65 new streetlight toppers were installed and are making for a brighter atmosphere on Bank Street after dark. Early in June, new cobbled road pavers were installed on Bank Street and there are plans to put in place brick-accented sidewalks and walkways after Labor Day Weekend.

In addition, the always lovely plantings and hanging flower pots displayed each summer thanks to the New London City Center District, along with the newly refurbished Whaling Wall now greet visitors to the downtown area. Future plans call for major improvements to the Water Street parking garage, easing access at the train and ferry transportation hub.

The revitalization efforts come at the same time as the city welcomes several new restaurants - New London Eats, Su & Sa Sushi and Salad and Favorites Bistro Bar among them - that are luring locals and visitors to New London’s historic downtown in time for the busy summer months.

The hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of public revitalization projects are being paid for with an assortment of state and federal grants and help from New London City Center District money. It all will help prepare the city for an estimated 300,000 visitors annually when the National Coast Guard Museum opens on the waterfront in 2025.

“It’s the city’s responsibility to create a safe, clean environment where businesses can thrive,” Felix Reyes, New London’s director of planning and development, told a reporter for The Day recently.

We agree with Reyes that safety is a key component to downtown success and that is an area where the city will continue to face some challenges. Restaurants can offer delicious food and lively music and retailers can offer interesting products, but if customers won’t venture downtown because of safety concerns, the revitalization efforts will be for naught. Numerous residents who read The Day’s June 23 article about downtown revitalization said just that.

While there has long been a hefty amount of unfair and somewhat arrogant criticism directed at New London by residents of nearby suburban, and generally much wealthier, communities, even an unwarranted perception can be damaging. If such a perception deters the public from venturing downtown in large numbers, it will not be good for local businesses nor the city as a whole.

As city officials focus on downtown revitalization, we urge them also to work towards having a more robust police presence in the business district. We believe that having uniformed officers walking or bicycling the streets, talking to business owners and greeting residents and visitors, instead of just sitting in parked patrol cars, would help boost both residents’ and visitors’ confidence in the safety of downtown.

New London, as have so many municipalities, has struggled to fill police vacancies in recent years. Increased staffing and finding ways to put some of those officers on foot or bike patrols downtown should be as much of a priority, however, as improving streetscapes and landscaping.

New London already has a deep and rich history, a culturally rich and vibrant diversity, beautiful beaches and shoreline landscapes. Its many assets should entice the throngs of visitors expected to come to the Coast Guard Museum to also stay and explore the city’s other attractions. A visible police presence in the downtown business district would assist in convincing visitors to enjoy all that New London has to offer and also plan to return for subsequent visits.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.