Planned Coast Guard museum has raised more than $50M

NEW LONDON, Conn. – More than $56 million has been raised to build a Coast Guard museum in Connecticut.

The Day newspaper reports that the National Coast Guard Museum Association has secured $15 million in federal funds, $21 million in private donations and $20 million through state borrowing for the downtown New London waterfront project.

Wes Pulver, the museum association’s president and a retired Coast Guard captain, said the current fundraising tally is a “significant” accomplishment.

The newspapers says the museum to tell the story of the Coast Guard is projected to cost at least $100 million.

Construction was supposed to start early this year, but has been pushed back towards the end of 2020, The Day reported.

The 80,000-square-foot, five-story, partially glass building is expected to take four years to build.

The Coast Guard has tapped Elizabeth Varner, a former curator for the Department of the Interior, as the museum’s director.

The Eagle, a training vessel for Coast Guard Academy cadets, is also expected to be a main feature of the museum.