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10/28/2012 12:00 AMThe Shore Line Trolley Museum has begun to take steps to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. The Museum will stay open Friday night, and Saturday during the day for the Pumpkin Patch and in the evening for the Haunted Isle, but will close on Sunday to allow time for the volunteer staff to move trolleys out of harm’s way.
This situation is all too familiar to the leadership at the Shore Line Trolley Museum. Just over a year ago the Museum closed down to prepare for Hurricane Irene. “During Irene only three cars where left undamaged,” says Wayne Sandford, the Museum’s General Manager, “If Sandy only matches Irene’s magnitude we are hopeful we can increase that number to twelve. But, if Sandy raises the water higher than Irene all bets are off and we don’t know what will happen.”
The impending storm further illustrates the critical nature of the Museum’s campaign “Elevating the Collection.” When completed, the Museum will have two new barns above the 500-year flood line and its collection of nearly one hundred vintage trolleys will be protected from flooding. According to Mr. Sandford if the buildings were in place today the most valuable cars in the collection would be at no risk from the coming storm.
The Museum is hopeful that Hurricane Sandy is the last one that it will have to track looking for signs as to the fate of the collection. “Elevating the Collection” has reached 75% of its fundraising goal and the groundbreaking ceremony for the project is scheduled for Saturday November 3rd at 11:30 AM located at The Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River Street, East Haven, CT 06512.
“We are hopeful that Hurricane Sandy will spare the Museum and that the groundbreaking next Saturday takes place in front of a collection of undamaged trolleys,” says Mr. Sandford, “But even with the upcoming groundbreaking our work is not done.” Elevating the Collection must raise an additional $500,000 by December 31, 2012 to ensure that the full project can be completed on schedule, and the collection is protected from the next storm. To support this goal The Shore Line Trolley Museum has launched the Bricks Drive (www.elevatingthecolllection.org/bricks) to give individuals in the community the chance to have their support of the Campaign permanently memorialized through the purchase of a brick paver that will be part of the new campus.
The groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 3rd at 11:30 am, and speakers will include: Branford First Selectman Unk DaRos, Shore Line Trolley Museum General Manager Wayne Sandford, Shore Line Trolley Museum President Jeff Hakner, and Elevating the Collection Executive Committee Member Carl Sprague.
For more information about the groundbreaking ceremony or how you can help the Museum prepare for Hurricane Sandy please contact Wayne Sandford at 203-804-8364 or wsandf@att.net.