In 1989, the Slater family established a teachers' college, Norwich Normal School, between the Norwich Free Academy and Rockwell Street.
But with city fathers objecting to the loss of taxable land, the school closed after seven years.
A century ago, Norwich was, in the running for a quality women's college after Wesleyan closed its coed program. Instead, Connecticut College for Women (now just Connecticut College) located in New London in 1911. Because of those failures, our fair Norwich is the less - less prosperous, less sophisticated, less dynamic - than it would have been and still can be.
Whether Three Rivers goes or stays is one of those watershed decisions with implications for decades to come. Failure would be a bitter legacy for Mayor Lathrop and Council members Ben Lathrop, Todd Postler, Sofee Noblick, Jacqueline Plowden, Bob Booth and John Paul Mereen.
Let's not fail again.
Monday, the City Council passed a resolution, 6-4, opposing Three Rivers' consolidation at its Mohegan campus on Mahan Drive, but expressing regard for the school and asking Gov. John G. Rowland to collaborate in finding another site in the city.
The governor had already said, if the resolution passed, he would move the college out of Norwich. Three Rivers President Grace S. Jones echoed that, telling the council it's either Mahan or the highway.
No one wants that to happen.
The almost-universally desired outcome is for Norwich to host a consolidated Three Rivers, thriving, growing, training students young and less young to more fully contribute to the community, drawing new people to professional jobs.
And in addition to growing tax benefits via PILOT, the economic spinoffs would be many - and often unappreciated. Just take the new dental-assistant program, which prepares peopIe for $70,000 starting salaries in two years, money that then flows through the community for the benefit of all.
That's just one program. As Three Rivers flourishes, we all flourish.

A wakeup call
It smarts, but Jones' declaration, coming on top of the governor's is a wake-up call.
Let's face it: There's no perfect site for Three Rivers in Norwich (or perhaps anywhere).
At Mahan Drive, drainage can probably be fixed; traffic probably can't.
Thames Valley also has neighbors, would require a road from Route 32, and shuffling Norwich Tech students before they can be relocated at Mahan Drive is a mind-twister.
The harbor-front site is expensive, and some argue that - eventually, anyhow - it's too valuable commercially to tie up for public purposes.
Chestnut Street is contaminated, and traffic-challenged.
Tarryk farm is hard to get to.
All have specific merits as well but, the point is this: Some discomfort, minimal or not, will have to be accepted to garner the benefits of keeping the college in Norwich, where it always has been and must remain.
It is that way with any large facility.
Backus Hospital and NFA generate traffic. Should they be moved to an industrial park in East Lyme?
City Hall once was parking challenged, but it wasn't moved to Preston.

Consensus forms
By week's end, the mayor, City Council and Norwich's state delegation were almost unanimous - Mereen plus Norwich's state representatives, Jack Malone and Melissa Olson, should get aboard - in support of consolidation at Three Rivers' other campus: Thames Valley on New London Turnpike.
Whether Thames Valley holds as the preferred alternative or another site takes the lead remains to be seen.
Regardless, keep that consensus together. Remember the bottom line:
Keep Three Rivers in Norwich.
Unity is not going be easy given what is shaping up as a rancorous campaign leading up to city elections in November. But council members, fearful that Monday's vote may lead to Three Rivers' departure - and, for them, defeat this fall- would be wise to stay the course. It's smart politically and it's right for Norwich.
A lot's going on behind the scenes to get Three Rivers' consolidation in Norwich back on track. The governor can be a hero. Grace Jones can get her desired consolidation. The college trustees can achieve their stated goal: to better serve their students. Less-than-desirable outcomes can be minimized. City Council incumbents can win reelection. Norwich can hold on to what will be an increasingly central institution.
That will only happen if the consensus holds and if key leaders, on council and off, proceed with patience, calm and, above all, determination. The future will judge all of us on the outcome.

Originally published Sunday, July 13, 2003
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