Suffield Housing Complex To Get $2 Million Infrastructure State Grant

SUFFIELD, CT — A Suffield housing complex will be the beneficiary of a $2 million grant for infrastructure upgrades that will modernize and rehabilitate housing for low and moderate-income individuals.

Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno announced Monday that the Connecticut Department of Housing is releasing $13.4 million in grants to seven municipalities. Awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Small Cities program, eligible projects are required to be in a municipality with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents.

ADA improvements to Maple Court, Laurel Court and Broder Place will include extending the walkways at the exterior of the units at Laurel Court, and expanding and re-striping the parking area to accommodate eight to ten additional ADA-compliant spaces. The proposed scope of work also includes replacing heat pumps at each housing unit, as well as replacing the existing gutters and downspouts and the concrete slabs under the dumpsters, all of which are in disrepair.

Drainage in the parking area will be improved to alleviate ponding that occurs, which freezes in the winter and poses a danger to residents. Lastly, all exterior outlets and branch circuits are currently not up to code and will be replaced with GFI branch circuits, GFI outlets and weatherproof covers.

"These housing grants go a long way to improving neighborhoods so that we can make our communities more attractive and encourage continued growth for the benefit of all our residents," Lamont said. "I thank Connecticut’s Congressional delegation and the Biden administration for prioritizing the CDBG Small Cities program, which provides necessary support for our smaller communities."

Mosquera-Bruno said, "These awards will help improve the lives of Connecticut residents. Whether it’s helping a family to complete essential renovations on their homes, such as repairing a leaking roof, making a senior living facility ADA compliant, or improving the habitability of a domestic violence shelter, CDBG Small Cities funding is an important program. This funding is essential and without these dollars, we would likely be unable to assist as many of our low and moderate-income residents as they make these kinds of repairs."