Mill River Collaborative is built on partnerships. Its formation was initiated by the Stamford Partnership, the City of Stamford, the Urban Redevelopment Commission and the Trust for Public Land (TPL), which is in the business of building partnerships across the country for the preservation of open space for people to enjoy. Because the vision of creating and sustaining a world-class urban park and greenway in Stamford Downtown is beyond the capacity of any single entity, including the government, the Collaborative seeks to engage stakeholders at all levels to contribute to realizing the vision. The City of Stamford is the first and most critical partner marshalling municipal resources in close coordination with the Collaborative for planning, parkland acquisition, construction and funding. The City holds or appoints four seats on the Collaborative Board, and under the leadership of Mayor Michael Pavia is furthering the development of Mill River Park & Greenway.

click image for larger view Photo Credits: Sue Sweeney & Jeff King

The constructive support of the Board of Representatives and the Board of Finance has made it possible for the Collaborative to successfully coordinate the restoration of Mill River. The Collaborative’s work in managing the design and implementation of the park master plan continues to rely on the City’s elected and appointed boards including the Planning Board, Zoning Board, Environmental Protection Board, and Urban Redevelopment Commission.

A project this large, complicated and expensive could not be designed and implemented without collaboration between a host of partners.  At the inter-governmental level, Stamford has worked closely with the State, in particular the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the Federal Government, in particular the Army Corps of Engineers.  This collaboration includes funding, permitting and design/engineering services.
In addition to the Stamford Partnership and TPL, key institutional partners include the Stamford Urban Redevelopment Commission, Charter Oak Communities and the Downtown Special Services District.

Financial Partners

Many corporations and foundations that recognize the importance of Mill River Collaborative’s mission to the economic, environmental and civic future of Stamford have supported our operations. Mill River Collaborative is very grateful, and welcomes others to join us as Corporate or Foundation Partners, those whose contributions are $1,000 or greater.  To become a Corporate or Foundation Partner, contact Catherine Onyemelukwe, Campaign Director. 203-977-5398.

Collaborative Members

Early on it was recognized that a successful, intensively-used Downtown park would require a high level of maintenance. Stamford residents are an increasingly important source of support for the Collaborative’s ability to maintain and operate Mill River Park at the appropriate standard. Annual contributions from over 500 Collaborative Members match our government support and provide staff, equipment and supplies. We thank the members of the Mill River Collaborative for their contributions and commitment to the mission. If you are not yet a Mill River Collaborative Member but would like to become one, please join here. Your contribution makes you a valued Mill River Collaborative Member!

Volunteer Partners

Numerous organizations have contributed employee hours to the maintenance of the river, planning events and programs and making improvements in Mill River Park. In 2009 and early 2010, the following organizations combined to contribute over 2,100 volunteer hours.

Playground Partners
In 2006, thousands of individuals, organizations and businesses contributed volunteers, money, materials and services to the construction of Mill River Playground. A partial list of Playground Partners can be found here.
In addition, individuals, families and organizations have contributed funding to the establishment of an endowment for Mill River Playground that will provide annual revenues for maintenance, replacement and repairs to the structures built in May 2007. They are:

• Antares
• Stillwater Investment Management
• Donald Brownstein
• Robert Salomon  Jr.
• TR Broad Street
• Mark & Jennifer Lapine
• Stamford High School Student Activity Fund
• Paul Hastings
• Diana Lenkowksy & Family
• Arthur Selkowitz & Family
• AP Construction
• Joan Osman Grey
• Maddy Shapiro, Jim Shapiro & Cristin Tierney in loving memory of Amy Shapiro
• Pitney Bowes Employee Involvement Fund