Arnaud Mentré, the French Consul General at Boston, visited Newport recently in order to see first-hand the progress being made with The Rochambeau Monument Restoration Project in King Park.
According to Mentré in a statement, “During my first trip to the State of Rhode Island as the Consul General of France, it was a pleasure to visit the Rochambeau statue in Newport and to meet with the Alliance Francaise of Newport. The work by the Alliance Francaise to raise funds for the restauration of the statue highlights the commitment in the region to both preserving and expanding upon the long tradition of French-American relations”.
Prior to his assignment in Boston, Arnaud Mentré was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for North America at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and was responsible for bilateral relationships with the U.S. and Canada.
The Alliance Francaise of Newport made a commitment to raise $250,000 to restore The Rochambeau Monument in King Park. Restoration work on the Pyramid is completed, and work on the Rochambeau statue and a portion of the sea wall are underway.
Mary-Gail Smith, President of The Alliance Francaise of Newport, says that additional funds are needed in order to complete the Restoration Project.
For more information, or to make a donation, contact The Alliance by email at afnewportri@gmail.com or visit The Alliance’s Web site.
The Alliance Francaise of Newport was founded 65 years ago and is affiliated with the Federation des Alliance Francaises which has nearly 1,500 Chapters in 138 countries worldwide. The organization is dedicated to the study of the French langage and to promoting cultural exchange