Naugatuck To Receive $2 Million For Heat Pump Replacement Project

NAUGATUCK, CT — Naugatuck is set to receive a $2 million grant for infrastructure upgrades intended to modernize and rehabilitate housing for low and moderate-income individuals.

Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno announced Monday the Connecticut Department of Housing is releasing $13.4 million in grants to seven municipalities, including Naugatuck, according to a news release.

Awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Small Cities program, eligible projects are required to be in a municipality with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents.

Naugatuck will receive $2 million for an Oak Terrace heat pump replacement project, which entails the replacement of existing mini split ductless heat pumps.

The existing units, which were installed in 2010 through an energy grant, were meant to replace the tenant's utilization of window air conditioners and various electric heat components. The units installed were not of the best quality and were an early vintage design, according to the announcement.

"These housing grants go a long way to improving neighborhoods so that we can make our communities more attractive and encourage continued growth for the benefit of all our residents," Lamont said in a new release. "I thank Connecticut’s Congressional delegation and the Biden administration for prioritizing the CDBG Small Cities program, which provides necessary support for our smaller communities."

Mosquera-Bruno noted these awards will help improve the lives of Connecticut residents.

"Whether it’s helping a family to complete essential renovations on their homes, such as repairing a leaking roof, making a senior living facility ADA compliant, or improving the habitability of a domestic violence shelter, CDBG Small Cities funding is an important program," Mosquera-Bruno said in a news release. "This funding is essential and without these dollars, we would likely be unable to assist as many of our low and moderate-income residents as they make these kinds of repairs."