New Milford To Get Funding For Blighted Property Remediation

NEW MILFORD, CT — Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday that his administration is awarding more than $19 million in state grants to help with the costs of assessing and remediating 31 blighted properties in 23 towns and cities across Connecticut for the purposes of putting them back into productive use.

"Cleaning up blighted properties that have been vacant for decades and putting them into productive use will ultimately generate back many more times the amount of these grants through private investments," Lamont said. "If we remediate these properties now, we can turn an eyesore into an asset, revitalize neighborhoods, and transform otherwise unusable property into new space for businesses and residents."

The grants are from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development's Brownfield Remediation Program. The funding from the state is expected to leverage approximately $156 million in private funding and help in the investigation and clean-up of approximately 418 acres of land.

The blighted properties to be remediated in Berlin are:

• New Milford, West Street: $199,000 for environmental assessment and investigation work to explore the development of the site as a public park and the potential restoration of the ruins of the Ruggles/Stilson Mills and Hydro-electric Plant.

"These investments in the remediation and assessment of contaminated sites are unlocking economic development opportunities all across Connecticut," Department of Economic and Community Development Deputy Commissioner Alexandra Daum said. "They will create jobs, foster small business growth, allow for new recreational spaces, and expand housing options for our residents – all critical to building more vibrant communities and neighborhoods."