2024 Community Project Funding Requests

The 15 Community Project Funding requests submitted by Congresswoman Hayes to the House Committee on Appropriations for the FY2024 budget.

BROOKFIELD

Project Name: Town of Brookfield Emergency Radio System Upgrade
Request Amount: $6,000,000
Intended Recipient: Town of Brookfield
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 100 Pocono Road, Brookfield, CT 06804
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the funding would allow Brookfield to upgrade its radio system to a modern, reliable twenty-first century efficient communications system. The grant will help cover the costs of system procurement, site prep, and installation. 

DANBURY

Project Name: Danbury Transit Center Project
Request Amount: $1,995,000
Intended Recipient: City of Danbury
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 155 Deer Hill Ave, Danbury, CT 06810
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The project is an appropriate use of funds because this investment would secure opportunities for long-term growth and development within downtown Danbury’s urban core with access to a transit system that promotes ridership of different modes.

GOSHEN

Project Name: Goshen Affordable Housing Drinking Water System Improvements
Request Amount: $50,000
Intended Recipient: Goshen Housing Trust
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 59 Torrington Road, Goshen, CT 06756
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it would ensure the long-term operation, reliability, and safety of drinking water for residents in 18 residential apartments, 17 of which are income-restricted, and six commercial spaces in four separate buildings that serve tenants and support the local business economy. These 17 income-restricted apartments are the only designated affordable housing in this small, rural town. The property, like most of this rural area, is dependent upon its own well-based water supply and septic fields.

LITCHFIELD

Project Name: Litchfield Volunteer Ambulance’s Facility Upgrade
Request Amount: $1,250,000
Intended Recipient: Litchfield Volunteer Ambulance (LVA)
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 11 East Street, Litchfield, CT 06759
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The funding would be used to replace the current ambulance headquarters. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the organization is the primary emergency medical service provider for the towns of Litchfield, Northfield, and Morris. In addition, LVA provides mutual aid coverage to surrounding towns, having an annual call volume of approximately 1,400. The current headquarters is in need of resuspended has a deteriorating concrete ambulance garage floor which sits above basement offices, a lack of proper sleeping quarters, no functional kitchen, groundwater which has infiltrated and created moldy conditions and damaged electrical fixtures, and water and chemical leakage through the garage's concrete floor which has resulted in the loss of personal protective equipment, radios, the suspended ceiling tiles, electrical fixtures, rugs, and furniture.

MERIDEN

Project Name: Meriden Senior Center
Request Amount: $15,000,000
Intended Recipient: City of Meriden
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 142 East Main Street, Meriden, CT 06450
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The project is an appropriate use of funds because it would provide for an optimally located single-building structure where seniors can engage in typical senior center activities while also accessing health and social services provided by the city’s health department.

MORRIS

Project Name: Morris Affordable Housing Infrastructure
Request Amount: $300,000
Intended Recipient: Morris Housing Authority
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 109 East Street, Morris,
CT 06763
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The funding would provide the water, septic, and stormwater management infrastructure needed to build 10 new units of affordable rental housing. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it would increase access to affordable housing in an area in desperate need. The Morris Housing Authority recently acquired, with funding assistance from the town, a 2.3-acre parcel of land next to its existing 20 units of affordable senior housing. This new housing would not be limited to elderly or disabled tenants and would be available for all, including younger adults and families. Morris is a small rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, with no public water or sewer infrastructure.

NEW BRITAIN

Project Name: Friendship Service Center Expansion
Request Amount: $4,200,000
Intended Recipient: Friendship Service Center
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 85 Arch Street, New Britain, CT 06051
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it would increase the Center’s ability to serve the area’s homeless population. The funding would upgrade the building to address the wear and tear inevitable for a property that hosts at least 60 people per day, as well as upgrade the facility to expand capacity to serve community members in need of emergency shelter.

Project Name: New Britain Fresh Line Upgrades for Sanitary Health (FLUSH)
Request Amount: $4,500,000
Intended Recipient: City of New Britain
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 27 West Main Street, New Britain, CT
06051
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the city has identified a substantial need for improvements and repairs to the municipal stormwater and sewer distribution lines. This project, once fully complete, will reduce municipal and taxpayer costs associated with stormwater infiltration into sewer lines, protect public health by reducing sewage backups, protect the environment by eliminating wastewater run-off, and promote community growth by increasing sewer capacity for expanded housing and economic development.

PLAINVILLE

Project Name: Town of Plainville Robertson Airport Hangar Airport
Request Amount: $1,235,000
Intended Recipient: Town of Plainville
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 62 Johnson, Plainville CT 06062
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The funding would be used for the construction of (2) 20-unit nested T-Hangars. This project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because with new adequate hangar space, Robertson Airport would be able to generate a sustainable rental revenue stream that will help ensure the long-term viability of airport operations.

PLYMOUTH

Project Name: Plymouth Water Pollution Control Facility Phosphorous Reduction Upgrade Project
Request Amount: $12,000,000
Intended Recipient: Plymouth Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA)
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: PO Box 257, Pequabuck, CT 06781
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The funding would allow the Plymouth Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) to reduce phosphorous in the town’s wastewater before discharging it to the Pequabuck River. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the project is required on the heels of a construction project implemented for the town to meet the nitrogen removal requirements for the State of Connecticut and the Long Island Sound. The project will include modifications to the secondary treatment system to improve nutrient removal, the addition of chemicals to precipitate out phosphorus, and replacement of equipment that is beyond its useful life and increasingly difficult to find and pay for necessary parts.

SALISBURY

Project Name: Perry Street Affordable Homeownership
Request Amount: $110,000
Intended Recipient: Salisbury Housing Trust
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 24 Main Street Salisbury, CT 06068
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: This funding would be used to support the construction of three new homes to be sold affordably to households earning at or below 80% of the area median income. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it would expand affordable homeownership opportunities to families priced out of the market and create homes for local workers.

TORRINGTON

Project Name: Torrington Housing Authority Fire Suppression System Repairs
Request Amount: $45,000
Intended Recipient: Torrington Housing Authority
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 110 Prospect Street, Torrington, CT 06790
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The funding would be used to repair the fire suppression system at Torrington Towers, a 14-story, 200-unit public housing development. This project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it would help to ensure the safety of elderly and disabled residents, as well as firefighters responding to emergencies within the building.

WATERBURY

Project Name: Food for Friends to Support Kids and Families Food Pantry
Request Amount: $100,000
Intended Recipient: The Gathering Place Community Church
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 268 North Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06702
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: This funding would be used to establish a bi-monthly pop-up food pantry at the North End Recreation Center with the goal of serving 300 families per event. Additionally, the funds would support a weekly grab-and-go food bag program for children, youth, and seniors, serving 100 individuals per event. This is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it would help to address food security in the City of Waterbury.

Project Name: City of Waterbury Hamilton Park Phase II – Pedestrian Safety and Streetscape Improvements
Request Amount: $5,300,000
Intended Recipient: City of Waterbury
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 235 Grand Street, Waterbury, CT 06702
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The funding would be used toward pedestrian safety and streetscape improvements within Hamilton Park, the largest park in Waterbury. This project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it prioritizes traffic safety and increased access to recreation opportunities, simultaneously bolstering environmental justice and positive health outcomes in Waterbury’s East End neighborhood.

WOODBURY

Project Name: Flanders Nature Center’s Farm and Environmental Education Pavilion Project
Request Amount: $225,000
Intended Recipient: Flanders Nature Center
Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 596 Flanders Road, Woodbury,
CT 06798
Financial Disclosure Letter
Explanation of the Request: The funding would be used to construct a new Farm and Environmental Education Pavilion. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it would enhance the existing facilities and provide a new educational space on the Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary Campus in Woodbury. Flanders is home to historic buildings and a growing population of participants from ten rural towns in the region. The new pavilion will provide a safe meeting space for Flanders activities, including University of Connecticut Extension Service 4-H Club; Flanders Farm education; Summer camp and Academy programs geared at children between the ages of 3-14; Adult / Community / Public educational programs; and Environmental Researchers & Citizen Scientists. In addition, the new pavilion will be located directly on the envisioned accessible trail and built per ADA standards. Therefore, the pavilion would be accessible for all those enjoying the trail. The pavilion will also have solar panels placed on its roof that will take Flanders Farm buildings and two additional Flanders educational buildings "off the grid." Inside the pavilion will be an educational display explaining the solar system.