(NECN) - Plans for a Coast Guard Museum in New London, Conn. are taking shape. A groundbreaking is set for next April.
The museum is expected to cost between $50 million to $60 million with at least $10 million of that coming from private contributions.
Connecticut Congressman Joe Courtney is proposing the United States treasury mint a commemorative coin that could help raise money. A Coast Guard commandant recently visited a cemetary in Alaska that holds the remains of half-a-dozen guardsmen. He says the museum is important to their memory.
"How do you recognize those individuals that are buried in Dutch Harbor, Alaska and talk about their history, talk about their contributions to the United States? Well you do that in one way by creating a museum. And its not just the people that have served in Alaska. It's Coast Guardsmen that have served throughout the world," said Admiral Robert Papp, Coast Guard commandant.
