A step closer to walkable downtown

PORTLAND — The town has been award a $204,000 state grant to be used for sidewalk improvements along a portion of Main Street.

The $204,358 grant was awarded as part of the Community Connectivity Grant Program administered by the state Department of Transportation.

Funding will be used to “cover the costs of replacement of sidewalks along the east side of Main Street from Fairview Avenue north to Spring Street and (on) the west side of Main Street from Middlesex Avenue north to Russell Avenue,” First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield said in a news release.

The grant application was prepared in 2017 by Mary D. Dickerson, the town’s planning/economic development coordinator. However, the State Bond Commission did not act on the overall grant funding proposal until July 25, according to Colleen A. Kissane, DOT transportation assistant planning director.

In a letter she sent to Bransfield earlier this month announcing the grant award, Kissane said a series of requirements must be met before the town can begin using the money.

Those include having the DOT conduct an environmental screening to ensure the town is in compliance the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act; execution of a Project Authorization Letter; and the disbursement of the

funds only when “the low bid amount and supporting documentation is received … by the department.”

Dickerson notified Bransfield, Director of Finance Tom E. Robinson and Director of Public Works Robert J. Shea of the award in an email last week. In response, Bransfield told Dickerson by email, “This is a great win!! Thank you for writing the grant!! Congratulations to all.”

The work — and funding to pay for it — is separate from a sidewalk repair project the town has undertaken on town-owned roads and streets in an

area from Freestone Avenue north to Spring Street.

That plan, which began in June and is expected to continue through fall, is funded at $1 million, part of a $10 million omnibus infrastructure bond issue.

However, while they are separate projects, Bransfield has said they are intended to achieve one overarching goal: creating a walkable downtown.

File photo Portland won a $204,358 award from the Community Connectivity Grant Program administered by the state Department of Transportation to fix sidewalks downtown. Shown is the other sidewalk repair project at the corner of East Main Street and Waverly Avenue in Portland.