The Coast Guard Academy may move some programs out of New London if it cannot expand, The Associated Press reports.
The Day of New London reports that Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr., the Coast Guard commandant, said in an interview Thursday the school has reached capacity along the Thames River. The Coast Guard offered to purchase a portion of an adjacent park, but city residents voted down the sale in November.
Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio said Thursday residents balked because they viewed the sale similarly to the eminent domain fight that small-property owners lost in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005.
Papp said the Coast Guard’s Leadership Development Center and a simulator used for training could be moved. He also questioned whether a national museum will be built in New London.
