Inaugural ice cream cone served up at Norwich waterfront shop

Norwich ― Instead of cutting a red ribbon with giant scissors, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz ordered a cup of Moose Tracks ice cream with chocolate sauce at the new Encanto Scoop at the Docks at the Howard T. Brown Memorial Park at Norwich Harbor.

Bysiewicz on Thursday led a news conference to celebrate the $2 million state Community Investment Fund grant to the city for waterfront improvements. The grant is funding new fuel tanks and other improvements to the Marina at American Wharf and Brown Park improvements, including permanent restrooms.

City leaders also are considering using the grant to build either a splashpad/ice rink or a miniature golf course at Brown Park just adjacent to the new ice cream shop.

The area is part of the city land leased to new marina owners Patrick and Brittany Dwyer, who have been conducting extensive renovations and upgrades to the marina, including a return of the festival tent and a restaurant Brittany Dwyer said could open in August. The Dwyers are converting the formerly seasonal restaurant on the marina property to a four-season venue.

Ice cream was the highlight of Thursday’s news conference. After handing Bysiewicz the first ice cream served at the new shop, Encanto co-owner Vanessa Velez leaned out the serving window holding a bubble-waffle cone encasing vanilla ice cream drizzled with syrup and coated with sprinkles.

“This is going to be our signature ice cream,” Velez said.

Minutes before the news conference, her husband, Otilio Torres, Encanto co-owner and chef, hung a chalkboard on the outside wall listing lunch offerings. Items included various tacos, quesadilla and sandwiches ― with birria, chicken, shrimp or bacon.

Velez and Torres already were fixtures at Brown Park with their Encanto food truck. Velez said the couple closed the truck this week to move into the new shop that opened just in time for the lieutenant governor’s visit.

Velez called Thursday a soft opening, with an expanded menu to come. The hours are not yet set, but she plans to be open during the afternoon and evening during the soft opening, with a grand opening tentatively scheduled for Aug. 7.

At the podium, Norwich Community Development Corp. President Kevin Brown, Mayor Peter Nystrom and state Sen. Cathy Osten all thanked the Dwyers for bringing their vision and perseverance to Norwich.

Brown said the early success with the $2 million CIF grant, although far less than the city’s $12 million waterfront grant request, started with the City Council listing waterfront improvements as its top priority. The plan includes marina and Brown Park upgrades and connecting the harbor to Uncas Leap along the city’s heritage trail.

“But it stops there unless there’s money,” Brown said of the strategic plan. “That was the discovery the City Council had in their goal-setting session.”

That was in 2022, Brown said, before Gov. Ned Lamont and the state legislature created the $875 million Community Investment Fund to help designated distressed municipalities, including Norwich, New London, Groton, Montville and Preston.

Norwich has received several CIF grants to date, starting with $550,000 to help with renovations to the Reid & Hughes building on Main Street, followed by $11.3 million to build an access road into the new Occum Industrial Center and $2 million for waterfront improvements.

That Norwich is seeking another $23.3 million for several projects in the next CIF round was a key point voiced to Bysiewicz on Thursday. The CIF board is expected to meet in August to discuss grant requests statewide.

Bysiewicz said the $2 million award to Norwich was successful, because it was designed as an economic benefit to downtown Norwich, with strong private investment and a plan to create attractions to bring people to the city waterfront.

“Another really nice aspect of this project is the community will benefit from the recreational opportunities that are going to come as well,” Bysiewicz said, envisioning patrons playing mini golf or playing in the splashpad and taking an ice cream break.

c.bessette@theday.com