$1M Grant OK'd For Town Center Sidewalk Improvement Project: Lamont

BRANFORD, CT — The Lamont Administration this week released $30 million in state grants to 46 small towns in Connecticut for a "wide variety of infrastructure improvements, Gov. Ned Lamont's office noted in a news release.

Those improvements include road safety reconstruction projects, emergency management upgrades, sidewalk and pedestrian safety enhancements, educational and recreational facility upgrades, and other kinds of capital improvement projects.

Branford is one of the 46 towns to receive a grant. Lamont said $1 million in state funding is approved for Town Center sidewalk improvements. This will be matched by $200,000 from the town, it's noted.

Town Engineer John M. Hoefferle noted that the project includes replacing side street sidewalks to "complement the Main Street Reconstruction and the Town Green STEAP projects."

He said in an email to Patch, that the town, "recognized the need to improve ADA access and rejuvenate the sidewalks leading to Main Street and the Green and is appreciative of the grant award."

"Once the grant agreement is executed with the State, the Town will proceed with final design plans,' he said. "As we are very early in this process, a schedule has not been determined at this time."

Here are the Conceptual Project Plans.

The grants are being provided through the Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP), a state program managed by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) that delivers grants to small towns for economic development, community conservation, and quality-of-life capital projects. In addition to the grants from the state, each municipality is also contributing funds, bringing the total spent on the 48 projects to $43.4 million in a combination of state, local, and other funding sources.

"Our small towns are an important part of what makes Connecticut such a special place to live and work," Lamont said. "By partnering with each town, we 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."

Funding to support these grants was recently approved by the State Bond Commission, a group that Lamont leads as chairperson.