State Offers City Grant To Cover 80% Of $164M Danbury Academy

DANBURY, CT — The Mayor's Office announced Thursday that the state will provide a grant that will cover 80 percent of the anticipated $164 million cost for the proposed career academy.

Plans for the school call for it so serve around 1,400 middle and high school students. The intent of the academy is to provide Danbury Public School students in grades 6-12 with an opportunity to explore career options through hands-on experience.

"I want to express my appreciation for the passage of the special legislation for the Danbury Career Academy to receive a reimbursement rate of eighty percent for the new construction project including site acquisition, eligible costs and the associated Board of Education central facility project," Mayor Dean Esposito said in a statement released Thursday.

The mayor especially thanked 109th District State Representative David Arconti "for his passion and determination to champion this legislation, and provide the critical reimbursement rate for our students and taxpayers."

Plans call for the academy to be built at the Cartus building at 40 Apple Ridge Road. Facilities will include an auditorium, greenhouse, and administrative offices, and 1,600 parking spaces.

The original plan called for the academy to move into the former Matrix Center, but costs ballooned from $99 million to $144.5 million over the course of negotiations, and the deal fell through.