Press Release from The Guilford Land Conservation Trust

In the coming weeks, construction will begin to repair the seawall at Olmsted Outlook—the garden park on River Street at Broad Street that is owned by the Guilford Land Conservation Trust (GLCT). The wall has held the historic park back from the West River for over 100 years. With the movement of a century’s worth of twice-daily tides, combined with the increasingly heavy storms and flooding induced by climate change, the fieldstone wall has begun to fail.

The park will be closed during the months-long process, and the public is asked to remain on the opposite side of River Street, away from the project at all times, even when workers are not present, in order to ensure public safety and the integrity of the fragile construction. The parking area will also be closed during this time.

Once the project is complete, the park will look nearly the same as it does today, aside from the loss of some of the riverside trees, whose roots are intertwined with the wall. Please visit guilfordlandtrust.org for more information and updates on the project and to learn how you can support the park’s future.

GLCT is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. With donations from thousands of Guilford residents since 1965, GLCT has protected 3,200 acres of conservation land in Guilford. Although Olmsted Outlook is unlike other and more-natural GLCT properties such as Bluff Head, Westwoods, and Nut Plains Woods, the organization accepted the gift from neighbors Howard and Deborah Weaver in 1981, so that the public could continue to enjoy the scenic area with views of the river.

GLCT extends its thanks to the Town of Guilford for directing significant American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support this beloved local asset, in addition to Janice Plaziak, town engineer, for her ongoing help. The GLCT appreciates the community’s patience during this process and looks forward to sharing a renewed Olmsted Outlook with the community for the next 100 years and beyond.