CT Construction Digest Tuesday September 20, 2022
New Haven gets $25 million grant to prevent flooding at Union Station, nearby areas
Chatwan Mongkol
NEW HAVEN — The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the city $25.1 million to assist its effort to build “a wall, a pipe and a pump” to prevent flooding at Union Station and nearby areas, officials announced Monday.
The city and the state will add approximately $10 million, totaling around $35 million for the work. City Engineer Giovanni Zinn said the fund will go toward a 10-foot stormwater pipe from the corridor of West Water Street and Union Avenue out to the harbor and the living shoreline project at Long Wharf.
“It doubles the capacity in getting out to the harbor by having a very large pipe,” Zinn said, noting that it also will dovetail with the $160 million flood wall project.
Zinn said the city anticipates spending three years on this project from completing paperwork with FEMA to designing and constructing. Since the project will mostly happen underground, Zinn said the construction would have minimal impact on people's day-to-day lives.
Alder Carmen Rodriguez, D-6, said she hears concerns from her constituents in the area every time it floods. She said the project will prevent damages to property as ell as people’s lives, so emergency personnel don’t have to remove people from their homes every time it rains.
“Although we can’t see that shiny bell, it’s underground, it’s going to be shiny for those who take the rail, for those who live in this area, for all the areas that get flooded,” Rodriguez said. “It’s safety, safety, safety.”
Mayor Justin Elicker said the city has been experiencing increased storms such as the one post-Labor Day weekend that disrupted police operation and access to Union Station.
U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said New Haven was one of 53 municipalities awarded the funding from the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program from a pool of more than 700 applications. She said no one is immune to the effects of climate change.
“We’ve got flooding, drought, heat, erosion,” DeLauro said. “Connecticut experienced 15 extreme weather events. Hurricanes Sandy and Ida, they cost about $5 billion to Connecticut families.”
Even though there’s nothing that can be done to stop natural disasters, DeLauro said there should be measures in place to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Gov. Ned Lamont said even if the project isn’t flashy, he wants people to think about what it would mean if the water keeps rising at Union Station as a major transportation hub.
“What type of a disaster that would be,” Lamont said. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — I think that’s the wrong philosophy.”
How will climate change impact New Haven?
From heat waves to floods and more intense storms, climate change experts shared with city leaders at the Board of Alders City Services and Environmental Policy Committee meeting earlier this month the impacts from climate change within the city.
John Truscinski of the University of Connecticut's Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation said the city will see a temperature increase by 2050 of up to 5 degrees, with around 37 more days per year with temperature warmer than 77 degrees and 5 more days a year with temperature warmer than 90 degrees.
Truscinski said the city normally experiences a day warmer than 100 degrees, but by 2050 that would become four days per year.
For flooding, Truscinski said the city should expect a sea level rise of up to 20 inches by 2050, increasing the frequency of floods.
Instead of facing a major flooding event — a disaster of more than three feet of water — every 15-20 years, Truscinski said it would happen every three to five years.
These natural hazards will affect the communities of color more because of the built environment and a more limited access to resiliency resources, according to Mark Mitchell of Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice.
Those areas include the city's Fair Haven, Newhallville, West Rock, The Hill, East Shore, City Point, Long Wharf and Edgewood neighborhoods, according to the CIRCA’s climate change vulnerability indexes for heat and floods.
With the possibility of getting millions of dollars in federal transportation funding, regional planners are proposing to reduce some traffic congestion through Farmington by building a new bridge across the Farmington River.
The job, which years ago was estimated at $50 million, would alleviate some of the worst backups in the town’s Unionville section, particularly helping rush hour commuters from Canton, Burlington, New Hartford, western Bristol and parts of Litchfield County, planners said.
“The benefit is regional. It’s not just for the town of Farmington,” Public Works Director Russell Arnold told the town council.
“It will reduce traffic congestion in Unionville as well as Farmington center, and open up the Route 177 corridor, the Route 10 corridor as well as the Route 4 corridor.”
Establishing a regional benefit is likely to be essential to securing federal aid for the project, and the Capitol Region Council of Governments wants to emphasize that point when a funding request is submitted through the state transportation department.
The Biden Administration’s federal infrastructure bill will make more than $100 billion available nationally for road and bridge projects, but competition for the money is expected to be heavy.
CRCOG’S proposal is to extend Monteith Drive by almost a fifth of a mile, linking Route 4 and New Britain Avenue directly in front of the town hall, high school and library complex. That would give motorists a way to cross the river without driving all the way west to Unionville or east toward the village center.
Farmington planners said a new bridge would make emergency response times faster, since police, EMTs and firefighters could get across the river to calls without going through either centeror Unionville.
In addition, the bridge and roadway would have 10-foot-wide sidewalks and bike lanes to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to get around town.
And it would serve as a backup to the South Main Street bridge in Unionville, which was built in 1939 and is frequently a traffic bottleneck.
Planners also acknowledged, however, that a Monteith Drive bridge wouldn’t do much about the most notorious Farmington Avenue traffic jams, which occur in late afternoons for westbound traffic going into town from I-84. Backups begin around Route 10 and sometimes extend almost to the highway itself.
Rafeena Bacchus Lee asked Arnold if the new bridge could reduce weekend afternoon traffic jams coming off the highway.
“We’ve been talking about traffic in Farmington since I moved here,” Lee said. “If you’re coming the other way, you could be there randomly on a Sunday afternoon and you can’t get anywhere because all the traffic is at that pinch point.”
Arnold replied “It won’t help that,” but added “It is going to improve during the weekdays during the peak hours. It will take some traffic off Route 4.”
The idea isn’t new, but the funding opportunities are. Six years ago, town planners suggested a bridge in that location because it would cross the river at its narrowest point.
The roadway would run about 1,000 feet, but the bridge itself would only be a couple of hundred feet long. That reduces costs and environmental impacts.
“There’ll be no construction in the waterway, which is a huge bonus,” Arnold told the town.
Farmington will hold a public information session in November to go over details of the proposal and field residents’ questions. CRCOG just completed a $150,000 study of the bridge idea, and will present its findings.
Roger Krahn, a transportation planner and engineer with CRCOG, said the state transportation department will want to see public endorsement for any plan the town puts forward.
“They like to see the public support and the local governmental support,” Krahn said.
Diamantis Attorney Makes the Case for a Grievance Hearing After Resignation, Investigation
Emilia Otte
The State Employees’ Review Board today heard arguments about whether the board has the authority to hold a hearing for a grievance filed by former state employee Kostantinos Diamantis alleging a hostile work environment and a mishandling of his request to rescind his resignation as Director of Construction Support Services of the Office of School Construction Grants and Review.
Diamantis was fired on October 28, 2021 from his position at the Office of Policy and Management pending an investigation into the hiring of his daughter Anastasia as administrative assistant to then-Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo. At the time, Colangelo was requesting raises for his department staff, according to reporting from the Connecticut Mirror. A federal investigation is also underway into Diamantis’ oversight of the State Pier project in New London and several school construction projects in his other role as head of the Office of School Construction Grants and Review.
According to a complaint made by Diamantis, then-secretary OPM Melissa McCaw informed him during a meeting on the 28th that he would be allowed to keep his other position as Director of Construction Support Services during the investigation, but that he would be placed on paid administrative leave. The same day, Diamantis submitted his resignation for the position, saying that he would resign on November 1, 2021. But three hours later, Diamantis asked to rescind his resignation, a request which was rejected the next day by Josh Geballe, then-Chief Operating Officer for the State of Connecticut.
During the hearing, Adam Garelick, an attorney with the state Office of Labor Relations, claimed that under Connecticut law the state had no obligation to reinstate someone who had already submitted a resignation, particularly if that resignation had not been submitted “in good standing.” Garelick said that Diamantis had not resigned in good standing, first because he was awaiting the possibility of disciplinary action against him, and second because he had failed to give the required two weeks notice for his resignation.
Garelick argued that Diamantis was “asking the [Employees’ Review Board] to overlook the fact that his resignation was an act entirely of his own volition.”
According to a letter from Geballe to Diamantis dated October 29, Geballe refused to allow Diamantis to return to his position because he “refused to meet to discuss the reasons” for his dismissal and placement on paid administrative leave. Geballe also referenced two text messages that Diamantis had sent Geballe and Mounds the night before, saying “liars will come forward/ RAcist too” and “I hate liars and racists.” Geballe referred to the messages as “inappropriate.”
But Zachary Reiland, attorney for Diamantis, argued that Geballe’s decision not to rescind the resignation was “arbitrary, capricious, malicious, retaliatory, without just cause and failed to comply with the requirements of state agencies, and also violated the complainant’s free speech.”
“For the state to say it’s Mr. Diamantis’ decision to retire, he did it of his own volition, that’s contrary to what Mr. Diamantis is claiming here,” said Reiland.
Reiland said that Geballe created a “hostile work environment” and that Diamantis “drew Geballe’s ire” when he spoke up against what the complaint terms as Geballe’s “openly hostile comments” and “unprofessional treatment” of McCaw.
The complaint goes on to claim that the Governor’s General Counsel and Chief of Staff opened a “baseless investigation” against Diamantis with the goal of getting him to resign.
Reiland also said that, based on a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Administrative Services and OPM that gave OPM “administrative and managerial” control over the Office of School Construction Grants and Review, Geballe should not have been the person deciding whether or not to rescind Diamantis’ resignation. Instead, he said, that decision should have rested with McCaw.
Garelick questioned why Diamantis had waited to bring his “wide-ranging allegations against the state” forward until after he was no longer employed with them.
“If Mr. Diamantis had believed that there was a violation of any sort of workplace rules … he could have filed a complaint with the [board] at any point. He didn’t. He waited until 30 days after he was removed from his appointment of deputy secretary and was placed on administrative leave,” said Garelick.
Garelick also noted that Diamantis had made claims of a hostile work environment and intolerable conditions “and yet 3 hours after that, he decided he wanted to rescind his resignation and go back into that work environment.”
He also argued that Diamantis did not have the ability to bring forward claims of a hostile work environment since he was no longer employed with the state. He pointed out that Diamantis has collected over $5,800 in pension benefits since he submitted his resignation.
“It’s a personal decision, and he made the decision,” said Garelick.
But Reiland argued that, even as a former employee, Diamantis had the right to bring forward these allegations.
“He was an employee when he was subject to the hostile work environment, he was an employee when he spoke up against the mistreatment of others, and he was an employee when he was pushed to the point of handing in his resignation three hours before attempting to rescind it,” said Reiland.
Reiland told board members that their role was not just to address employee grievances, but also hold the state accountable for its actions, and he said that as of now, the investigation had not unearthed any misconduct on the part of Diamantis. He also said that he felt the board not addressing Diamantis’ grievance could show other former employees, who may have similar grievances, that they had no recourse.
David Bednarz, spokesperson for Governor Ned Lamont’s Office, declined to comment, saying they would defer to the comments made by Garelick. Geballe, who left his job at the state in February and now works for Yale University, could not be reached for comment.
Victor Schoen, a member of the Employees’ Review Board, said that the board would not make a decision on the case today, but would issue one “within due time.”
Bob Stefanowski: Ned Lamont will try to ‘bury’ State Pier FBI inquiry
Mark Pazniokas
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski suggested Monday that Gov. Ned Lamont was trying to “bury” an FBI investigation of state contracting and implied that the federal authorities would accede to his wishes.
Stefanowski’s unsupported assertion came at the end of a press conference called to criticize Lamont’s decision Friday to debate only twice, accusing the Democratic governor of opting for opacity over transparency.
The FBI in October subpoenaed records regarding a since-fired state official’s involvement with school construction grants and the reconstruction of the State Pier at New London. It demanded more documents about the pier in March.
“We all know what’s going to happen. He’s going to try to bury the FBI investigations until after the election,” Stefanowski said of Lamont. “He’s going to try to bury the scandal at the State Pier until after the election.”
Stefanowski then ended the press conference, but he turned back to a shouted follow-up question: How does Lamont bury an FBI investigation?
“Well, I think he can,” he replied. “I think the Democrats probably know that the governor is up for reelection this year. I suspect that you know that, too.”
And Stefanowski thinks the FBI would defer?
“I think that if I were governor right now, it probably would have come out by now, if there was something there,” he replied. “The difference is it wouldn’t have happened under my watch. Thank you, guys.”
It was a fairly explosive note to drop, then leave without answering clarifying questions, such as: Was he referring to the Biden administration when he said “Democrats probably know the governor is up for reelection this year?”
Stefanowski’s remarks come as Republicans nationally say the FBI and Department of Justice have been politically weaponized in exploring Donald J. Trump’s actions around the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and, more recently, his handling of classified documents.
Democrats wonder if Trump is being protected by an unwritten “60-day rule,” the long-held assumption that federal law enforcement authorities will not bring criminal charges in the two months before an election.
In 2020, Republicans complained that John Durham, then the Connecticut U.S. attorney acting as a special prosecutor investigating whether Trump was the victim of improprieties, was too slow to act due to the 60-day rule.
Tom Carson, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Connecticut, responded tersely when asked Monday if the FBI would have been more aggressive with a Republican or less aggressive with a Democrat near an election.
“No,” he replied. “We’ll leave it at that.”
The Lamont campaign said Stefanowski was acting out of desperation.
“Bob’s campaign is imploding: he’s down in the polls, his staff is quitting on him and the voters are rejecting his anti-choice, anti-gun control, radical agenda,” said Jake Lewis, a Lamont spokesman. “That’s why Bob’s attacking Governor Lamont.”
Stefanowski spoke at midday Monday in Branford across the street from Sema4, one of the topics that he says the governor is hoping to avoid in a televised debate.
“The voters of Connecticut deserve to hear the positions of each candidate. It’s bizarre to me that Gov. Lamont is dodging it. Probably the best example is over my shoulder with Sema4,” Stefanowski said.
Sema4 was one of four companies that got fast-tracked state contracts to perform COVID-19 testing in 2020. The governor’s wife, Annie Lamont, is a managing director of Oak HC/FT, a venture capital firm that invested in Sema4.
When Sema4 went public in July 2021, Oak HC/FT’s stake was worth more than $66 million, according to SEC filings. The Lamonts, who had disclosed the investment and said they played no role in the contracting, had promised to donate any family profits off the deal to charity.
“We have a right to know. This is our money. This is taxpayer money. At the time, Gov. Lamont said he was going to release how much he made, that he was going to give the family profits to charity,” Stefanowski said. “That was over two years ago.”
The Lamonts said last year they have made no money from the investment, and the governor’s campaign said Monday that hasn’t changed.
“The truth is neither the governor nor the First Lady made any money from Sema4. These are simply the wild attacks by a losing candidate in the final weeks of a campaign,” Lewis said.
Stefanowski said early investors generally take some money out of a deal after an IPO.
“We should know whether the Lamonts did that,” he said.
Sema4 is struggling financially. A share in Sema4 was valued at about $1 Monday, down from $25.12 on Feb. 12, 2021.
“He’s going to try to bury how much he made or lost on Sema4 until after the election. And that’s politics,” Stefanowski said. “And quite honestly, that’s another reason we need debates. Because he’s very good at dodging questions.”
Stefanowski’s attack on Lamont’s accessibility comes after a poll that showed him trailing the governor by 10 percentage points and that voters found Lamont to be the more trustworthy of the two candidates.
The Republican’s claim of holding the high ground on accessibility is undermined by his tendency to take far fewer questions from the press than Lamont, who generally is available daily.
Stefanowski has done in-depth interviews, including one with CT Mirror in June, but he has yet to match the governor in sharing his daily schedule of events. He said daily interactions with the press are no substitute for debates.
“With all due respect, people want to hear the guy running against him ask the question,” Stefanowski said. “They want the debater right there to say, ‘Ned, what do you think of taxes?’ And they want my answer right next to his answer.”
As for providing his campaign schedule?
“Yes,” he said. “We will start providing that schedule, yes.”
Old Greenwich sewer main replacement project enters final phase, may disrupt traffic
GREENWICH — As the final phase of work in the Old Greenwich sewer force main replacement project begins, it is expected to have a major impact on traffic for the next several weeks.
Temporary road closures and detours are possible as the work progresses, the Department of Public Works said.
Work is scheduled in Work Zone 6, which is the traffic circle where Arch Street, West End Avenue and Summit Road meet in Old Greenwich, and Work Zone 1, which is on Oval Avenue near the Riverside train station.
The work is expected to take four weeks, but that could be extended due to bad weather or other unforeseen conditions, according to DPW.
“This is an essential project that will improve the longevity and reliability of the most critical sewer force main in the town of Greenwich’s sewer system,” DPW said in a statement about the project. “The segment of the Old Greenwich Common Force Main for this project carries wastewater under pressure from the Old Greenwich Pumping Station, (which is) Greenwich’s largest sewer pump station.”
Work will be taking place between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays.
Construction on the sewer main replacement has been underway since August 2021, when it began in Work Zone 1 near the Riverside Train Station. It has proceeded through the six work zones in Riverside and Old Greenwich over the past year.
Although the construction is expected to be completed by the end of October, finishing touches on the full project will continue until 2023.
Aquarion Water Co. and Connecticut Natural Gas are doing unrelated work in the area, so the final curb-to-curb paving won’t be done until “sometime in 2023” after all the utility work is completed, according to DPW. .
A completion date for the paving has not been announced, but DPW communication specialist Renee Wallace said work is proceeding on schedule on the town’s work.
“Old Greenwich common force main work is on schedule, doing the necessary roadway work to help pavement condition through the coming months,” Wallace said. “The final curb-to-curb paving is dependent on outside water and gas utility companies successfully completing their work next year. DPW will monitor them next year as it does for similar projects, to have an end product meet town standards.”
For more information on the project, visit www.greenwichct.gov/1394/Old-Greenwich-Common-Force-Main-Replacem.
Affordable housing investor plans $21.3M rehab of Hartford’s Bedford Gardens
Boston-based WinnCompanies plans to buy and renovate the 84-unit Bedford Gardens affordable housing complex in Hartford, with costs estimated at $21.3 million.
The affordable housing investor plans to buy the 10-building complex along Bedford Street, then spend about $90,000 per unit on “pretty comprehensive” upgrades, WinnCompanies Senior Project Director Matthew Robayna recently told members of the Capital Region Development Authority’s Housing and Neighborhood Committee.
WinnCompanies’ financing plans includes $1 million in city funds administered by CRDA. Mayor Luke Bronin spoke in favor of the proposal at the Sept. 12 meeting.
“In addition to improving the properties there, this is a neighborhood that has experienced significant levels of violence and we think that these improvements — coupled with more active and engaged management — will be beneficial from a broader public policy standpoint as well,” Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said during Monday’s CRDA meeting.
Robayna said the planned renovations will “take care” of the building roofs and windows, along with interior finishes, heating, cooling and security systems. The planned renovation will also make nine units handicapped accessible, he said.
Robayna said WinnCompanies is working to have the area declared a historic district, which would unlock state and federal tax credits for the project.
WinnCompanies plans for project funding include $7.2 million in low-income housing tax credits; $3.5 million from the Connecticut Department of Housing; $4.5 million in state and federal historic tax credits; $1 million from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority; $1 million from the city and an $84,000 energy grant, according to a document shared with CRDA board members. The company plans to defer $667,000 of its development fee and mortgage $3.1 million.
WinnCompanies is active throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic regions, owning more than 3,000 units of housing in Connecticut alone, Robayna said.
Bedford Gardens is currently owned by Bedford Gardens 88 LLC, whose principals are Paul Khakshouri, Michael Groothuis and Adam Groothuis.
Bedford Gardens 88 LLC paid $4.1 million for the complex in 2019. A budget for WinnCompanies’ plan that was shared with the CRDA’s Housing and Neighborhood Committee lists a planned $6.7 million acquisition cost.
Robayna said WinnCompanies hopes to finalize a purchase of the complex in spring and “move right into construction.”
State aid announced for Wallingford sidewalks, Cheshire streetscape
Kate Ramunni
The town of Wallingford is set to receive half a million dollars from the state for sidewalk improvements, while Cheshire is in line for nearly $300,000 in state funding to further improve its West Main Street corridor.
The $500,000 award for Wallingford is one of $31.3 million in state Small Town Economic Assistance Program grants Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday. Also included in the announcement was the $290,000 grant to the town of Cheshire for the third phase of its West Main Streetscape improvement project.
The STEAP grant requires a $125,000 town match and will be used to improve sidewalks in the Wallingford town center and on Hall Avenue. The Cheshire grant requires a match of $72,500.
The purpose of STEAP is to provide grants to smaller communities that are ineligible for Urban Action bonds awarded to urban centers and economically distressed communities. The State Bond Commission approves the grants, which can only be used for capital projects rather than for items in the town budget.
"Wallingford's town center is the heart of our community," said Town Councilor Samuel Carmody. "Beautifying and making our streetscapes safer are some of the many ways we can create more welcoming neighborhoods for all our residents and small businesses."
The award comes at a pivotal time, Carmody said.
"Wallingford should be aggressive and proactive in applying for similar types of competitive grants for future projects that benefit our community," he said.
It also comes amid concerns over public safety related to the condition of local sidewalks.
Tim Cain, 60, was struck and killed by a minivan while using his motorized wheelchair on South Main Street in Wallingford on June 21. Family members said Cain often rode on the side of the street, rather than on the sidewalks, because he felt many of the sidewalks were too bumpy for his wheelchair.
In April, two months before Cain was killed, Wallingford Democrats posted a video on YouTube featuring Wallingford resident Tom Dacey, who also uses a motorized wheelchair. In the video, Dacey said that the poor sidewalk conditions "have always been a pet peeve of mine."
The State Bond Commission had approved the funding for the STEAP grants on March 31. Lamont announced who would get the grants and how much they would be for on Monday, and the towns will soon be getting official notification from the Office of Policy and Management, which administers the STEAP program.
Cheshire
Cheshire Councilor Sylvia Nichols said she is grateful for the support the town received from the state for the West Main Street project.
”The state has been very, very helpful,” she said.
The town has received several grants to make the area more pedestrian friendly.
The Cheshire funds will be used to contribute to paving work at Ball & Socket Arts, a former West Main Street factory that is being converted into space for businesses and the arts. The funds will also be used for the Farmington Canal Trail.
The West Main Street area is becoming an important retail and entertainment spot, Nichols said.
“We realize that Ball and Socket is shaping up to be a second town center, and we are pleased that the state is supportive as we see the area continue to grow,” Nichols said.
Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is approving $31.3 million in state grants for 77 small towns in Connecticut to complete a wide variety of infrastructure improvements, such as the road safety reconstruction projects, sewer and drainage upgrades, sidewalk and pedestrian safety enhancements, and other kinds of capital improvement projects.
The grants are provided through the Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP), a state program managed by the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) that delivers grants to small towns for economic development, community conservation, and quality-of-life capital projects.
“Our small towns are part of what makes Connecticut such a great place to live and work, and by partnering with them on these grants, the state can help get these infrastructure projects completed so these towns can continue to thrive, remain competitive, attract businesses, and improve the quality of life for our residents,” Governor Lamont said.
Towns seeking funding under this round of STEAP grants were required to submit applications to the state by August 15, 2022, and will soon receive official award notification and instructions from OPM. Funding to support these grants was approved at the March 31, 2022, meeting of the State Bond Commission, a group that Governor Lamont leads as chairperson.
The grants awarded in this round include:
Andover: $275,000 in state funding is approved for the Andover Municipal Parking Hub. This will be matched by $75,000 from the town.
Ashford: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Southworth Drive and Pompey Road. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Avon: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the rehabilitation of the Route 44 Sanitary Sewer Pump Station. This will be matched by $130,000 from the town.
Barkhamsted: $335,845 in state funding is approved for the extension of water lines from Winsted into Barkhamsted. This will be matched by $81,460 from the town.
Beacon Falls: $500,000 in state funding is approved for a road improvement project at Church Street. This will be matched by $580,000 from the town.
Berlin: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the creation of the Berlin Steel Boulevard Park. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Bethany: $404,696 in state funding is approved for road improvements that will ensure access to essential facilities and roads. This will be matched by $101,174 from the town.
Bethlehem: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction and replacement of the tennis court in the recreation area of the town hall. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Branford: $500,000 in state funding is approved for repairs and enhancements to the Branford Town Green. This will be matched by $170,000 from the town.
Bridgewater: $107,750 in state funding is approved for repairs and improvements to two municipal buildings. This will be matched by $28,000 from the town.
Brookfield: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the extension of the Brookfield Market Area Sewer System. This will be matched by $313,696.75 from the town.
Brooklyn: $299,038.28 in state funding is approved for the Tatnic Road drainage improvement project. This will be matched by $55,000 from the town.
Burlington: $430,000 in state funding is approved for the extension of sidewalks on Spielman Highway. This will be matched by $107,000 from the town.
Canterbury: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the creation of an ADA-accessible boardwalk nature trail at the Hartley Preserve. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Canton: $180,000 in state funding is approved for heating and air conditioning improvements for the town hall auditorium. This will be matched by $45,000 from the town.
Cheshire: $290,000 in state funding is approved for phase three of the West Main Street Streetscape improvement project near the Willow Street Corridor. This will be matched by $72,500 from the town.
Chester: $500,000 in state funding is approved for phase four of the North Main Street Reconstruction Project. This will be matched by $143,200 from the town.
Clinton: $500,000 in state funding is approved for an upgrade to the town’s radio communication system. This will be matched by $182,000 from the town.
Colebrook: $376,659 in state funding is approved for a road improvement project on Rock Hall Road, Fritz Road, and the parking lot of town hall. This will be matched by $94,165 from the town.
Coventry: $500,000 in state funding is approved for a softball field for the girls’ softball league. This will be matched by $350,000 from the town.
Deep River: $433,500 in state funding is approved for improvements to Plattwood Park. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Eastford: $100,000 in state funding is approved for improvements to Crystal Park. This will be matched by $25,000 from the town.
Eastford: $60,000 in state funding is approved for improvements at Ivy Glenn Memorial. This will be matched by $15,000 from the town.
East Hampton: $500,000 in state funding is approved for streetscape and sidewalk improvements in Village Center. This will be matched by $125,000 from the town.
Easton: $244,000 in state funding is approved for new pickleball and tennis courts. This will be matched by $61,000 from the town.
Ellington: $500,000 in state funding is approved for a parking lot expansion project and sidewalk improvements at Hall Memorial Library. This will be matched by $117,000 from the town.
Essex: $500,000 in state funding is approved for improvements to the Essex Civic Campus. This will be matched by $130,000 from the town.
Fairfield: $500,000 in state funding is approved for sidewalk improvements. This will be matched by $111,298.60 from the town.
Farmington: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the installation of a splash pad and pickleball court at the Westwoods recreation complex. This will be matched by $485,000 from the town.
Glastonbury: $500,000 in state funding is approved for outdoor space improvements to the community center. This will be matched by $134,000 from the town.
Granby: $453,666.24 in state funding is approved for a walking path installation at Salmon Brook Park. This will be matched by $113.416.56 from the town.
Hampton: $160,000 in state funding is approved for a road paving project at Sarah Pearl Road. This will be matched by $40,000 from the town.
Harwinton: $130,000 in state funding is approved for the rehabilitation of the Veterans War Memorial. This will be matched by $12,500 from the town.
Hebron: $493,200 in state funding is approved for the installation of a pedestrian bridge on Pendleton Drive. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Lisbon: $500,000 in state funding is approved for sidewalk rehabilitation at Strawberry Fields. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Litchfield: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Marsh Road (School House Road to Campville Road, including Reder Road). This will be matched by $669,396 from the town.
Madison: $500,000 in state funding is approved for road improvements and enhancements as part of phase three of the Madison Center Project streetscape. This will be matched by $1,076,417 from the town.
Middlebury: $414,400 in state funding is approved for sidewalks in Middlebury Center. This will be matched by $103,600 from the town.
Middlefield: $500,000 in state funding is approved for improvements to the town’s pump stations. This will be matched by $125,000 from the town.
Milford: $500,000 in state funding is approved for a roof replacement project at Simon Lake. This will be matched by $180,732.43 from the town.
Monroe: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Old Zoar Road. This will be matched by $300,000 from the town.
Morris: $500,000 in state funding is approved for a road pavement project at East Shore Road. This will be matched by $168,580 from the town.
New Hartford: $141,900 in state funding is approved for public safety improvements in the town’s downtown area. This will be matched by $42,600 from the town.
Norfolk: $500,000 in state funding is approved for a road improvement project on Maple Avenue. This will be matched by $2,258,000 from the town.
North Canaan: $83,471.62 in state funding is approved for renovations at the Canaan Child Care Center. This will be matched by $20,867.91 from the town.
North Haven: $281,122.72 in state funding is approved for enhancements to the playscapes and band stand at the North Haven Town Green. This will be matched by $70,530.68 from the town.
North Stonington: $395,603 in state funding is approved for the North Stonington Milling and Paving Project and the North Stonington Elementary School Parking Lot Project. This will be matched by $98,901 from the town.
Old Saybrook: $500,000 in state funding is approved for sidewalks on Route 1 from the Westbrook town line to Old Post Road. This will be matched by $347,200 from the town.
Plainfield: $484,000 in state funding is approved for improvements at Lion’s Park. This will be matched by $121,000 from the town.
Plymouth: $491,287 in state funding is approved for ADA-compliance renovations to the town hall. This will be matched by $210,010 from the town.
Pomfret: $60,000 in state funding is approved for the rehabilitation and accessibility upgrades to the Pomfret Public Library deck and outdoor program area. This will be matched by $15,000 from the town.
Pomfret: $200,000 in state funding is approved for the completion of the solid waste disposal facility. This will be matched by $58,000 from the town.
Portland: $400,000 in state funding is approved for the replacement of the sidewalks on Main Street. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Preston: $498,452.13 in state funding is approved for improvements and enhancements to the transfer station. This will be matched by $55,000 from the town.
Prospect: $500,000 in state funding is approved for sidewalks. This will be matched by $125,000 from the town.
Redding: $203,856 in state funding is approved for the installation of a walking and fitness path. This will be matched by $69,564 from the town.
Rocky Hill: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the installation of sidewalks in the Century Hills neighborhood. This will be matched by $98,000 from the town.
Roxbury: $160,000 in state funding is approved for road improvements around town hall. This will be matched by $40,000 from the town.
Roxbury: $200,000 in state funding is approved for the bridge culvert replacement project on Squire Road. This will be matched by $50,000 from the town.
Roxbury: $80,000 in state funding is approved for the rehabilitation and improvements to the town’s Public Works building. This will be matched by $20,000 from the town.
Salem: $372,000 in state funding is approved for the rehabilitation and restoration of the bridge on Darling Road. This will be matched by $97,600 from the town.
Seymour: $500,000 in state funding is approved for improvements to the roof and elevator of the Seymour Community Center. This will be matched by $348,800 from the town.
Shelton: $120,000 in state funding is approved for the installation of a walking path along the Housatonic River. This will be matched by $25,000 from the town.
Shelton: $120,000 in state funding is approved for the restoration of the Shelton Canal. This will be matched by $30,000 from the town.
Simsbury: $160,000 in state funding is approved for the conversion of Station Street from a one-way street to a two-way street. This will be matched by $40,000 from the town.
Somers: $236,960 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Pleasant View Drive. This will be matched by $59,240 from the town.
South Windsor: $478,100 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Kennedy Road. This will be matched by $119,500 from the town.
Stafford: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Levinthal Run and the rehabilitation of the Stafford Middle School parking lot. This will be matched by $143,202.95 from the town.
Suffield: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the replacement of a bridge on Quarry Road. This will be matched by $608,125 from the town.
Thompson: $496,000 in state funding is approved for the replacement of the roof on the Thompson Public Library. This will be matched by $124,000 from the town.
Tolland: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the renovation and replacement of the town’s tennis courts. This will be matched by $82,000 from the town.
Voluntown: $300,000 in state funding is approved for improvements to the Voluntown Municipal Complex. This will be matched by $75,000 from the town.
Wallingford: $500,000 in state funding is approved for sidewalks on Hall Avenue and around the town center. This will be matched by $125,000 from the town.
Washington: $458,949 in state funding is approved for the renovation of a municipal building for the purposes of a daycare. This will be matched by $11,900 from the town.
Watertown: $248,109.10 in state funding is approved for the installation of comprehensive emergency notification systems at all seven of the town’s schools. This will be matched by $62,027.27 from the town.
Watertown: $250,000 in state funding is approved for a safety improvement project on Main Street. This will be matched by $60,000 from the town.
Westbrook: $486,000 in state funding is approved for the installation of sidewalks on Boston Post Road (Route 1) to the Old Saybrook town line. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Weston: $500,000 in state funding is approved for building renovations at the Weston Police Department. This will be matched by $264,926 from the town.
Westport: $250,000 in state funding is approved for the replacement of sidewalks near Green Farms School. This will be matched by $100,000 from the town.
Winchester: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the reconstruction of Elm Street. This will be matched by $1,063,300 from the town.
Wolcott: $200,000 in state funding is approved for building improvements at Cub South/Community Cabin. This will be matched by $40,000 from the town.
Wolcott: $175,000 in state funding is approved for the installation of a walking path over the dam. This will be matched by $35,000 from the town.
Woodbridge: $500,000 in state funding is approved for the renovation of Woodbridge Center Gym. This will be matched by $106,687 from the town.
Woodbury: $85,000 in state funding is approved for the installation of sidewalks on Washington Avenue and School Street. This will be matched by $19,600 from the town.