FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2003

DODD, LIEBERMAN, LARSON REINTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO DETERMINE FEASIBILITY OF COLTSVILLE INCLUSION INTO NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM

WASHINGTON - Yesterday Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman joined Congressman John Larson in reintroducing legislation to study the possibility of including Hartford's historic Coltsville property in the National Park System.

"This is a crucial first step in the fight to preserve one of our states most treasured landmarks," said Dodd. "Coltsville represents Connecticuts long time reputation for ingenuity and innovation and its preservation will allow for future generations to experience its rich history."

"There is no more deserving location for this designation than Coltsville, one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution," Lieberman said. "We made great progress last year in convincing the Congress of that, winning unanimous approval here in the Senate, and I am optimistic that we will take the next step this year and turn this legislation into law."

"Coltsville is a unique national and international landmark and its historical value is immeasurable," Larson stated. "By reintroducing this legislation we are again beginning the process of gaining Coltsville the recognition it truly deserves. In conjunction with local efforts, we have the opportunity to cultivate, preserve and reinvigorate the entire Coltsvile area."

The Coltsville Study Act of 2003 requires the National Park Service to conduct a study and make a recommendation on adding the Coltsville property to the National Park system within three years of the bill's enactment. Such a study is a necessary and critical first step for Coltsville to receive designation as a National Park. Connecticut currently has only one National Park site, the Weir Farm National Historic Site, which sits on the Ridgefield-Wilton Town Line.

The bill unanimously passed in the Senate last year, after Dodd and Lieberman testified at a Senate Natural Resources Committee hearing on the legislation. In addition, the bill has received the support of both the Interior Department and the prestigious National Trust for Historic Preservation. The legislation failed to pass in the House of Representatives last year.

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.

Dodd, Lieberman and Larson today expressed their eagerness to work, once again, with their colleagues on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Resources Committee to ensure swift consideration of their legislation.

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