Brownfield grants to benefit city properties

HARTFORD >> Multiple parcels on Newfield Street and Mile Lane in Middletown will benefit from state grants to help with remediation, officials said this week.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy this week announced that $6.9 million in state grants will be awarded to 14 towns and cities to assess, remediate and revitalize brownfields. The projects comprise 424 acres of redevelopment as part of the administration’s ongoing, unprecedented efforts to restore and put blighted properties back into productive use, according to a release.

“Investing in the remediation of blighted properties and putting them back into productive use ultimately becomes an economic win for our communities,” Malloy said in the release. “When we clean up these sites and repurpose them, we can turn what was once an eyesore into a commu-

nity asset that can help revitalize a neighborhood and spark economic growth.”

State Rep. Matthew Lesser, D-Middletown, applauded the announcement Tuesday that a $200,000 grant is being awarded to Middletown. The money will pay for an investigation into remediation of 26.4 acres of brownfields across multiple parcels on Newfield Street and Mile Lane in Middletown, officials said.

“I’m happy to support this move to help investigate potential contamination on Newfield Street and Mile Lane,” Lesser said in a release. “Cleaning up brownfields is a critical priority for Middletown and the state as a whole,”

Under this round of announcements, $5.6 million is being awarded for the remediation and redevelopment of five properties, totaling 32 acres. An additional $1.3 million is being awarded for assessments that will be completed toward the future revitalization of eight properties, covering a total of 392 acres, according to the governor’s office.

All of the grants are awarded through the Department of Economic and Community Development.

“The State of Connecticut continues to be a national leader in brownfield redevelopment,” DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith said in the release. “Through the governor’s leadership, we have invested in 2,240 acres of land across the state over the last six years and will continue to work with our cities and towns to help redevelop these dormant properties.

For every dollar the state invests, $5.55 have been or will be invested by nonstate partners, Smith said.

“Connecticut is leading the way in brownfield cleanup and redevelopment,” Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert J. Klee said. “This latest investment in redeveloping contaminated sites creates more sustainable communities for the future as these properties are typically in previously developed areas with water, sewer, transportation, and energy infrastructure.”

Haddam was also awarded a $200,000 grant for an investigation of possible remediation at 11 Candlewood Road, according to the release.