Madison Receives $3.7 Million Grant For Community Center Renovations

Information from the Town of Madison:

MADISON, CT —The Town of Madison is pleased to announce recent grant awards totaling $3.7 million from the Congressionally Directed Spending program. The Town will receive federal funding of $3.625 million for the renovation of the former Academy School Building into a community center and municipal offices, and $114,000 for the creation of a community outreach social worker position. Funding for these grants was approved as part of the 2024 Minibus Appropriations bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.

Approved by the voters of Madison in 2022, the Academy Community Center project is currently in the design process and anticipated to transform an historic downtown building into a strategic community asset that offers art, education, culture, mental health/wellness, and recreation programming for all ages. With a small auditorium, large gym, and three floors of airy, light-filled rooms, Academy will become a vibrant, downtown hub for social and cultural activities, while creating a year-round boost to local businesses and regional economic activity. It will also add much needed space for Madison’s social services departments that serve Madison’s youth and senior populations with mental health and wellness programs.

First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons stated “We are very excited to receive this sizable federal grant for such an important, high profile community project like Academy. This $3.6 million award, combined with the $4 million state grant we received in 2022, means the Town will be issuing significantly fewer bonds than previously anticipated at referendum, saving Madison taxpayers millions in interest. Notably, we applied for this grant in early 2023 but were held in limbo due to the protracted federal budget negotiations in Washington D.C. Thank you to Senators Blumenthal and Murphy for sponsoring both our applications throughout the entire appropriations process, and for Congressman Courtney for his advocacy and support. Delivering these grants to us in such a challenging environment is a testament to their commitment to our residents.”

The $114,000 grant award to Madison Youth & Family Services (MYFS) will help fund an integrated social worker position with the Madison Police Department (MPD) to serve as a "second responder" in situations where outreach and support is immediately needed. This kind of timely intervention will help address immediate needs, and remove barriers to connecting people with appropriate resources. This grant funded position enables the Town to continue a very successful pilot program launched by the Town in 2022.

According to MYFS Director Scott Cochran, “We are very excited to move ahead with the MPD to create this new position. We are so grateful to Senator Blumenthal’s office for approving this grant, as well as all of the community stakeholders and other federal delegation members who helped support our application. This funding opportunity allows MYFS and MPD to continue our collaborative work that we started in 2022 with our Social Work Outreach Pilot Program.”
For additional information, please contact the First Selectman’s office at (203) 245-5602.