Thirteen Communities Awarded $5 Million to Strengthen Commercial Districts
 
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that 13 municipalities across Connecticut are being awarded $5 million in grants to develop or improve town commercial districts in an effort to attract small businesses, grow jobs, and improve pedestrian access and livability in town centers.  The grants are part of the state’s Main Street Investment Fund, which is administered through the state Department of Housing.
 
“These grants are a great way for the state to support our cities and towns in their efforts to develop and improve their commercial centers,” said Governor Malloy.  “This program responds to the unique needs of individual communities all around the state by creating partnerships with local governments and merchants to improve aesthetics and pedestrian access, attract new businesses, new customers, and new residents — ultimately breathing new life into our smaller commercial centers.”
 
The Main Street Investment Fund provides financial incentives to eligible municipalities as well as owners of commercial private properties for expenditures that directly support and enhance a qualified project.  Awards are no more than $500,000 and can be used for expenses such as building improvements, signage, lighting, and streetscape improvements.
 
The funded projects are:
 

• Berlin has been awarded $204,300 for the second phase of the Berlin Main Street Streetscape project. The project will continue new sidewalks, permeable pavers and street trees on the New Britain Road and Farmington Avenue sides of the Kensington Center Triangle. A new crosswalk and a permeable paver accent walk will be installed around Deming Park at the Kensington Road entry to the triangle. Also, a permeable paver accent will be added at the Farmington Avenue entry to the triangle, as well as new decorative lights throughout the project area.
  

 

• Bethel will receive $290,149 to improve the town’s commercial center.  The project — to include new sidewalks, accessibility ramps, signage, streetscape, and safety improvements — will create a walkable and ADA compliant downtown by improving public safety and pedestrian access, creating a community gathering place, and increasing recreational opportunities.
  

 

• Coventry will use its $405,000 award to implement various elements of the South Coventry Village Plan. The plan calls to extend the sidewalk on Main Street to serve town hall, the police station, Orchard Hill Active Adult Community, a day care, and a church; make improvements to the historic Tracey Shoddy Mill; and create a pocket park by Teleflex Medical on Main Street.
  

 

• Farmington plans to use its $425,000 award to implement recommendations of the comprehensive design plan for the revitalization of Unionville Center. Along the northern side of Rt. 177, the town is proposing a complete streetscape project of 1,900 linear feet, linking the New Horizons Village to Unionville.  As part of this project, a loop of improved sidewalk will be created along Mill, Platner, and School streets.  The improved sidewalks would promote greater pedestrian accessibility, improve aesthetics, and increase foot traffic to the various businesses in the area.
  

 

• New London has been awarded $500,000 to improve pedestrian access to businesses in the downtown commercial area. Funds will be used to complete improvements along Eugene O’Neill Drive, transforming the car-focused thoroughfare with difficult to find parking with directional and way-finding signage, improved lighting, enhanced pedestrian connections, and trees appropriate for an urban setting.  Activities will include site improvements, sidewalk improvements, site planting/lighting, etc.
  

 

• Newington will begin the next phase of the Town Center Development Program with its $470,000 award. Plans call for improved pedestrian connectivity between the “Constitution Square” municipal parking lot and existing businesses on Main, Market Square, and East Cedar streets with nearby senior and workforce residential buildings on Constance Leigh Drive and the retail Plaza on Lowrey Place.
  

 

• Norfolk will use its $500,000 award to convert a five-acre wetland, meadow, and hillside — colonized by invasive plant species — into a storm water park called City Meadow, complete with boardwalks and resting places utilizing low-impact development techniques. This innovative project will save a threatened pocket of wetlands and allow residents and visitors to pass through to appreciate the diverse ecosystem.  Project activities include restoration of wetlands, pond creation, stone swales/site stabilization, public access improvements, retaining walls, trails, timber bridges/decks, and landscaping.
  

 

• Pomfret was awarded $166,000 to go toward construction of a sidewalk to provide a safe, inviting link from two private schools, numerous churches, and the public library to the town’s unique village district that houses numerous businesses. The sidewalk will run along a street that provides a direct link from the town green and the village district.  Landscaping and uniform signage on public buildings throughout the town will create a sense of unity and identification.
  

 

• Rocky Hill will continue the town’s effort to re-create its town center with its award of $422,551. Project activities include re-aligning portions of the Silas Deane Highway, decorative crosswalks and intersection treatment, decorative traffic islands, landscaping, street furniture, and pavement overlays.  The project design elements will enable pedestrians to easily and safely utilize alternative modes of transportation by easing access to the existing bus transit system operating within the project area and Silas Deane Highway corridor.
  

 

• Seymour will receive $375,000 to make the downtown area compliant with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). The plan calls for replacing trees whose roots are displacing the sidewalks.  Funds will also be used to replacing lighting fixtures that are 20 years old and inefficient, saving the town about 77% in energy costs.
  

 

• Vernon received a $400,000 award to promote redevelopment efforts the downtown area in the Rockville section of town. The project, which will include replacement of windows and doors, exterior clean up, and installation of streetscape elements, will encourage further development around the existing transportation node and nearby a major transportation corridor, conserve and restore cultural and historical resources, and reuse a brownfields site.
  

 

• Wilton plans to put its $425,000 award toward the Wilton Center Sidewalk Restoration Project throughout the town center. This project, which will address various safety concerns related to ADA, providing public sidewalks within the vehicle travel way, dovetails with other completed downtown improvements such as the installation of benches, concrete roadway curbing, 75 decorative street lamps, seasonal flower pot arrangements, and the 2010 completion of the Veteran’s Memorial Green.
  

 

• Windsor was awarded $417,000 for improvements in the commercial, civic, and cultural center of the town. Funds will be used for construction of a new sidewalk along Mechanic Street and Batchelder Road, granite curbing, street lighting and other incidental improvements in Windsor center, an area where three state highways converge and contains an AMTRAK passenger rail station that will be upgraded as part of New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail program.
  

 
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For Immediate Release: September 16, 2014
Contact: David Bednarz
David.Bednarz@ct.gov
860-524-7315 (office)
860-770-9792 (cell)

Save the date—International Walk to School Day is October 8th this year. Learn how you can get your school to participate at http://walkbiketoschool.org. 

Walk to School Day started in the U.S. in 1997 as a one-day event to build awareness of the need for walkable communities. It turned into an international event in 2000. 

City of New Haven Transit Chief Doug Hasusladden issued a plan to calm traffic at some of the city's most dangerous intersections. 

According to an article in the New Haven Independent, Hasusladden came up with some new traffic calming ideas, such as flower baskets on sides of streets, which he said will narrow the road and encourage drivers to slow down. Additionally, bumpouts are planned to be placed on Clinton Avenue, Cleveland Road and Hall Street. Speed humps are planned to be placed on Hallock Street. 

Connecticut News 12 reports that Stamford police and city officials met on Wednesday to discuss how to make the city safer for pedestrians. 

Ideas that were discussed during the meeting included promoting pedestrian safety education in Stamford schools and increasing tickets for drivers who do not give pedestrians the right of way and jaywalkers. 

Read the full story here. 

This month the  Governor’s Greenways Council designated five new greenways in Connecticut, as well as commended nine individuals and a non-profit organization that have made significant contributions to the promotion, development and enhancement of Greenways.
 
 
 
The Council presented the following awards:
 
2014 CT Greenways Council Award Recipients:

1. Denise Horan, East Hartford Town Engineer - Unsung Hero Award - for her work on the Forbes Street to the river section of the East Coast Greenway.
2. Mark Paquette; Special Recognition- his work with WinCOG included innovative use of state and federal funds to support trails and greenways in the region including a shared maintenance equipment for the Air Line State Park Trail and his nine years of work and leadership on the CT Greenways Council since 2005. 
3. Farmington Valley Trails Council (FVTC) – Non-Profit Award – for their 22 years of leadership, volunteerism and commitment to one of Connecticut’s greatest multi-town and state rail trails.  
4. Margaret Minor, CT Rivers Alliance; Lifetime Achievement Award – for her dedicated work on water quality and river corridor protection statewide.  Recently developed our own CT Water Trails website, www.ctwatertrails.org
5. Lon Hultgren; Transportation Award -  recently retired from Department of Public Works in Mansfield, Lon has created, promoted, and built multi-use trails in Mansfield/Storrs throughout his career. He is instrumental in planning and building the multi-modal transportation facility at UCONN and is a trail user.
6. Bolton’s First Selectman Bob Morra - Municipal Award - has successfully facilitated the integration of conflicting ideas as how to close the gap in the Charter Oak Greenway (East Coast Greenway) from Manchester town line to Bolton Notch.
7. Steve O’Neill, PE at VHB- Engineering Award - Much of his 20 years as a consultant with VHB has involved Greenways. Currently, as consultant to CONNDOT, he is in charge of reviewing State Greenway projects.  
8. Gary Minor - Advocacy Award - as a public communications professional for Pratt and Whitney he coordinated sponsorship of the printing of the initial Charter Oak Greenway map. Recently he facilitated the pro-bono printing of the revised map. He retired from Pratt and is now a public communications professional for Goodwin College.
9. Tom O'Brien - Volunteer Award - president of the New Milford River Trail Association. He has worked tirelessly in Western CT to open an important greenway corridor at the Town and regional level.
10. Karyn Gilvarg:  Planning Award - Director, New Haven City Plan since 1992.  Karyn has overseen the design and building of the FCHT in New Haven and has dug deep to negotiate arrangements with surrounding towns to expedite its completion.  

2014 Officially Designated Greenways
 
Upper Farmington River in Canton – With this designation, the entire Farmington River in the Town of Canton is now an official Connecticut Greenway.  This greenway encourages the protection of natural resources and promotes sustainable recreational uses in the corridor.  The Town of Canton can be contacted for more information.
 
Lower Farmington River in Windsor and Bloomfield – This was a collaborative nomination between the two towns listed and the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA). The purpose of the designation is to promote the natural, recreational, and cultural resources of the Lower Farmington River. The goals for the Lower Farmington River Greenway are: Natural resource protection within and on both sides of the River; Encourage, enhance, and promote existing and new recreational opportunities along the River; Promote through education the inter-connections between cultural resources and the River.  This greenway designation is also one of the management goals for the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Management Plan, dated June 2011.  For more information contact the FRWA. frwa.org
 
Mill Brook Greenway in Windsor - This was a collaborative nomination between the Town of Windsor and the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA). The purpose of the designation is to promote the natural, recreational, and cultural resources of Mill Brook. The goals for the Mill Brook Greenway are: Natural resource protection within and on both sides of the Brook; Encourage, enhance, and promote existing and new recreational opportunities along the Brook; Promote through education the inter-connections between cultural resources and the Brook; Continue and enhance collaborations with the Towns of Windsor, FRWA, and others for better coordination and planning for the Mill Brook Greenway. For more information contact the Town of Windsor.

Hanover Pond Linear Trail in Meriden - This is an extension of the previously designated Quinnipiac River Gorge Trail and Quinnipiac River Greenway. The Hanover Pond Trail is a ten-foot wide asphalt multi-use trail with the use of motorized vehicles prohibited. The paved trail has been constructed to adhere to A.D.A. (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements for handicapped accessibility. The trail sits on the railroad bed of the Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad (circa 1890’s) and provides scenic viewing areas from Meriden’s Red Bridge, at the entrance of the Quinnipiac River Gorge Linear Trail, to the Orville H. Platt High School.  Contact the Meriden Linear Trail Advisory Committee for more information.www.meridenlineartrail.org
 
Upper Connecticut River in Windsor - This was a collaborative nomination between the Town of Windsor and the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA). The purpose of the designation is to promote the natural, recreational, and cultural resources of the Upper Connecticut River.  The goals of the Upper Connecticut River Greenway are: Natural resource protection on the west side of the Connecticut River within Windsor; Encourage, enhance, and promote existing and new recreational opportunities along the River; Promote through education the inter-connections between cultural resources and the River. For more information contact the Town of Windsor.

This weekend is the 22nd annual Connecticut Trails Day Weekend. There will be 258 trail events throughout the state on June 7th and 8th. Events include hiking, horseback riding, running, trail maintenance, kayaking, educational walks, cycling, bird watching and more. These events are guided by knowledgeable volunteers from local hiking clubs, parks and recreation departments, state agencies, conservation organizations, historic groups, education programs, and land trusts.


Click here to view a booklet with all the events. 

Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced a series of grants under the state’s Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP), which will be awarded to 27 towns throughout Connecticut for the purposes of funding a variety of economic development, community conservation and quality-of-life projects.

Several of the towns will use the grant money to repair sidewalks, streets and make their towns more bikeable and walkable. Below is a list from the Governor's Office of what some of these projects include: 
 
Bethel
$430,000 for the installation and repair of sidewalks for various streets throughout the town. These upgrades will provide pedestrian and handicapped pathways to the Downtown Business District as we as the Bethel Metro-North train station.
 
Cheshire
$500,000 to fund the design and construction of 1,630 linear feet of sidewalks throughout the town center. This sidewalk extension project will connect the recently upgraded West Main Street commercial area to a number of municipal facilities, retail establishments and residential neighborhoods.
 
East Hampton
$500,000 to implement Phase II of a comprehensive blight removal, public safety and public parking project.  The project promotes economic development and removes a public health threat by remediating a brownfield at the former site of the Summit Thread Powerhouse and turning it into a public parking area, which will provide easy access to public transportation, retail and restaurant establishments and other area businesses.
 
Marlborough
$500,000 for the North Main Street Exit 12 gateway Economic Enhancement Project.  This project will improve the appearance, enhance vehicular access, improve public safety, and increase the visibility of the businesses located on and adjacent to North Main Street.  The project includes sidewalk extensions, and streetscape and lighting improvements.
 
Old Saybrook
$500,000 for the Main Street Connections Park and Parking Lot Project.  The project involves redeveloping the property where an irreparably storm-damaged municipal building is located and replacing it with a parking area and recreational park.  This will create a place in the center of town where people can relax and recreate.  Features include much needed additional downtown parking, multi-modal canopied pathways, and seating in the park.
 
 
Portland
$363,000 for the fourth and final phase of the Brownstone Avenue Extension project.  The first three phases involved the extension of Brownstone Avenue, new sidewalks and parking, and the construction of a pavilion and outdoor amphitheater stage.  The fourth phase involves installing water and sewer connections to the pavilion, completion of a storage facility, construction of ADA-compliant bathrooms, and various outdoor amenities such as grills and picnic tables.
 
 
Ridgefield
$320,000 for Phase III of the Danbury Road Streetscape project.  Funding for this phase will go toward the installation of decorative streetlights, new sidewalks, and retrofitted handicapped ramps to enhance pedestrian safety.
 
Ridgefield
$180,000 for final design and construction of exterior site improvements to Ridgefield’s Town Hall, including the reconstruction of existing walkways and stairs, installation of new lighting, and drainage improvements to improve site safety and aesthetics.
 
Seymour
$200,000 for Phase III of the Seymour Sidewalk Replacement Project, making them ADA compliant.  Streets include Pearl Street, Washington Ave and Roberts Street.
 
 
Willington
$500,000 for Phase III of the reconstruction of Turnpike Road, including drainage and improvements.  The road was heavily damaged by flooding in October 2005 and the town has been working diligently to repair it to ensure a smooth and safe drive for commuters.
 
Wilton
$500,000 for the Wilton Train Station Walkway Project, which consists of the design and construction of a pedestrian travelway that connects the Wilton Train Station, Wilton Center and several multi-family residential communities.  The project will provide a safe pathway for people to walk throughout the center of town.
 
Woodbridge
$500,000 for pedestrian and traffic flow improvements to the north entrance of the Beecher Road Elementary School.  The renovation will improve safety and access to the school for students, employees and the residents of Woodbridge.
 
Read the full list of grants here. 

The Norwalk Bike/Walk Task Force will be working to make streets in sidewalks safer throughout the city.

According to The Hour, Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling announced the formation of the task force last week. 

The task force will look into creating safer routes for citizens to get to school, work and shopping places. The group will also work to implement plans and studies that are already in place in Norwalk. 

Read the full article here. 

The Middletown Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously last week to adopt the Complete Streets Master Plan as part of the city's Plan of Conservation and Development. 

According to an article in the Hartford Courant, recommendations in the plan including the addition of bicycle lanes, developing trails and making areas near schools safer for pedestrians. 

Read the full article in the Courant here. 

Hamlethub reports that the City of Norwalk has proposed a project that will add ADA compliant sidewalks and curb ramps on Highland Ave. from Witch Ln. to Knollwood Rd. Additionally, pedestrian crossing beacons will be installed on Highland Ave. at Roton Middle School and at Knollwood Rd. 

The city will hold an informational meeting on the project on March 26, 2014 at 7 p.m. at the Roton Middle School, 201 Highland Ave., Norwalk. 

Click here to read the full article in the HamletHub.