29 January 2026

By Göran R Buckhorn

As HTBS reported a few months ago, Stonington Community Rowing Inc. (SCRI) has started building the Jim Dietz Rowing Center and Hart Perry Boathouse in Mystic, Connecticut. This $5.3 million park project on the east side of the Mystic River will be used by the Stonington High School rowing program, a new community rowing program and give community groups and members on both sides of the river access to the shoreline.

In a statement in November, Jim Dietz said about the project: “We’re inside the red buoys!”

John Thornell, the Girls Head Coach, Stonington Crew, and Director of Rowing, Stonington Community Rowing, Inc., told HTBS that “Since shovels went into the ground last fall, we have made a lot of exciting progress on the Jim Dietz Rowing Center and Hart Perry Boathouse!” Thornell continued “These days, one of my favorite things to do is give people boathouse tours. But winter weather has made that increasingly more challenging.”

Just the other day, 12 inches (30,5 cm) of snow came down in Mystic, and more snow is expected in a couple of days.

Though the tough winter weather has stopped boathouse tours right now, it has not stopped SCRI from showing the boathouse. Now via a video.

“Instead of bringing people to the boathouse, we’ll bring the boathouse to the people,” Thornell told HTBS.

Here SCRI President Mike O’Neill gives a video tour of the rowing center and gives an update on remaining construction plans over winter.

Please take a moment to support the final fundraising efforts. Donations can easily be made online through PayPal or Venmo. Gift checks can also be mailed to Stonington Community Rowing, Inc., PO Box 241, Stonington, CT 06378.

To learn more, please visit the SCRI website.