COLTSVILLE STUDY ACT PASSES THE HOUSE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 23, 2003

COLTSVILLE STUDY ACT PASSES THE HOUSE
Bill Will Go Directly to the President for Signature

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The House of Representatives today by voice vote passed legislation that is the first step in the process of bringing a National Park designation to the historic Coltsville section of Hartford. The Coltsville Study Act, which passed the Senate earlier this year, will now go to the President's desk for his signature. The measure directs the National Park Service to complete a study exploring the possibility of making the Coltsville area part of the National Park system. Senators Christopher J. Dodd and Joe Lieberman sponsored the legislation in the Senate and Congressman John B. Larson sponsored the House version. The House considered the Senate bill, S.233, to ensure that it could proceed directly to the President's desk after passage.

"Coltsville is one of the rich and storied threads that helped weave the fabric that is Connecticut. It needs to be preserved for future generations," said Dodd. "Thankfully, this takes us one more step toward that goal, and also in revitalizing and renewing the city of Hartford, leading to a better, brighter future for the region and our state."

"The House's swift action today brings our bill nearly to the finish line," Lieberman said. "When the bill becomes law it will be a major step forward in our efforts to grant Coltsville the recognition and protection it deserves as a part of our National Park system."

"This is a great day in the drive to make Coltsville part of our National Park system," said Larson. "I eagerly anticipate the President signing this bill into law, bringing Coltsville another step closer to receiving the historical recognition it truly deserves. Protecting and cultivating the history of this area through a National Park designation fits perfectly with the redevelopment and revitalization efforts that are currently underway. Along with Senators Dodd and Lieberman, I am proud of the hard work that was undertaken to make certain this legislation moved through Congress and I look forward to working together as this process continues."

At a hearing before the House Resources Committee in April, a representative of the National Park Service testified in support of the Coltsville Study Act, which also has the support of the prestigious National Trust for Historic Preservation. The bill requires the National Park Service to make a recommendation on adding the Coltsville property to the National Park system within three years of the bill's enactment. Connecticut currently has only one National Park area, the Weir Farm National Historic Site, which sits on the Ridgefield-Wilton Town Line.

The Coltsville property, inspired by Samuel Colt and his wife Elizabeth, is built around the original Colt armory and features additional historic structures such as Victorian homes, old mill housing, the Church of the Good Shepherd, and the Colt Memorial. Samuel Colt's legacy is representative of a time of great industrial innovation and technological development that changed the American way of life.

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