Naugatuck's Revival Is Well Underway And Here's What Is Next

NAUGATUCK, CT — The numbers don't lie. The Borough is in the midst of a turnaround, albeit a slow but steady one, but the signs are there that better days are on the horizon.

Two-term Mayor Pete Hess, who is running unopposed once again for a third-term, sat down with Naugatuck Patch in his office at Town Hall this week where he beamed with pride about the progress over the past four years, but also expressing frustrations too.

In four years, Naugatuck's grand list has increased by $125 million, which includes small to medium size developments. Naugatuck's infamously high tax rate is slowly decreasing. When Hess took office the tax rate was at 48.55 mills and now it's down to 47.25. But Hess scoffs at that current tax rate and says emphatically that it must go down much further.

Hess says the number of roads being repaved annually has increased twelve-fold. Naugatuck now requires utilities to completely redo roads after its projects are done and the Borough has hired an expert team of construction people for Public Works and they are saving taxpayers money by completing many projects in-house, Hess said.

Major road projects recently tackled include: Spring Street, North Main Street, which is occurring now and the Borough received a $5.5 million grant to redo Rubber Avenue next year.

"There has been significant progress at enhancing our infrastructure," Hess said. "This makes our town nice.

Other promising signs include that fact that Naugatuck was one of only 16 communities in the state to have its population increase. Property values are on the rise, Hess says, and he noted that there was a 5 percent hike recently and that trend continues in 2019.

Hess says he's worked hard to create community-based activities for families to enjoy. Hess was instrumental in creating the downtown Naugatuck Events Center, which hosts car shows, chocolate and bridal events and it even hosts banquets for local events.

The Naugatuck Events Center building at 6 Rubber Avenue used to cost taxpayers $200,000 annually to operate, and now the facility is generating revenue for Naugatuck and also offering fun activities year-round too.

Hess said he takes pride that the Borough has created four new annual festivals, plus an upcoming River Festival, which will be held on Oct. 26 from 3 to 10 p.m.

"We took an area that hasn't been seen in 75 years and cleaned it up and removed the junk and now it looks beautiful," Hess said. The area is on the lower banks of the Naugatuck River below the Linden Park Walkway.

Naugatuck's 2 'Game Changers'

In Hess' office, his desktop is literally a map of the downtown area, which highlights two projects the Mayor says is the key to the Borough's future success.

The first is called the "Inland Port of Naugatuck," which is an 86.5 acre parcel of land at the former Uniroyal Chemical Co. Hess is traveling to Washington, D.C. Sunday to meet with federal officials concerning the project. Hess wants $25 million from the federal government and $30 million from the state of Connecticut.

He said the ambitious project could be close to reality if the funds are allocated. The Inland Port of Naugatuck is a very complicated project but at its core, it's a way to help take pressure off seaports and to provide access to the tri-state area from northern areas of New England.

The idea would have Naugatuck partnering with Pan Am Railways to move products by freight rail from Canada to New York and New Jersey ports. Presently, trucks have to drive from Canada southward to New York and New Jersey ports, which causes problems due to all of the bottleneck traffic in this region, Hess said.

The rail freight service would eliminate the need to rely on trucks significantly and help reduce business costs too, Hess said. The cargo would arrive by rail freight and be stored in warehouses in Naugatuck and then delivered by truck the rest of the way.

Hess said the rail line is already there and the funding is needed to construct a railroad "spur," which is critical to ensure the trains can unload its cargo efficiently.

"This project is a game-changer for Naugatuck," Hess said.

Naugatuck has a contract to acquire the property for $1 after its remediated by owners, Lanxess.

Once the "spur" is built, Hess said an industrial park will rise up and that there is already significant interest from companies who want to move there.

The Second Game-Changer

Hess is seeking to move the train station platform, which is currently by Parcel D to what is known as Parcel B, or the Old Firehouse Road site. Hess showed a reporter from a Town Hall window how close the two properties are, but he said it's key to downtown's future economic development.

Hess said design plans are already on his desk for the new platform, but the real hold up is the state of Connecticut, which needs to add more passenger trains.

He said the current train station only sees sporadic train service and the state must commit to adding more rail cars for downtown Naugatuck.

"When you have a train station with frequent rail service it's a focal point for many things. People want to live near it and property values would go up," Hess said.

He said if the project proceeds it will lead to significant mixed-use development near the new downtown station. Developers are already contacting the Borough about plans to bring housing and commercial spaces downtown.

Hess said the downtown train project could occur quickly once the state provides additional rail cars. He said the trains need to run every half hour during peak hours and hourly after that.

"Trains are the key to success in the state of Connecticut," Hess said.

Naugatuck Schools

When school ranking lists come out each year, Naugatuck Public Schools are nowhere near the top of the list. But Hess insists that Naugatuck schools perform better than some surrounding smaller towns.

"The tests show year to year growth is strong," Hess said. "The children are getting a very good education."

"Naugatuck has three schools of distinction," Hess said.

This recognition is given by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) to schools in the top 10 percent of the state for performance and/or growth. Andrew Avenue earned the distinction for high growth for all students in English and high growth for high needs students in English Language Arts (ELA) and math.

Salem earned the distinction for high performance and high growth for all Students in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math and high growth for high needs students in ELA and math. Western earned the distinction for high growth for all students and high needs students in math.

Ninety-eight percent of parents surveyed recently said they love the school system, and Hess said new educational programs implemented at the lower grades are now having an impact on the older grades.

Partisan Politics

Hess, who is a registered Democrat, insists that "local level partisan politics is completely dead in Naugatuck."

"I don't allow it," Hess added. "It's one of many reasons why Naugatuck is successful."

Hess said he can't stomach saying folks should vote Democrat or Republican, and he urges people to vote for whoever will work toward the benefit of residents, regardless of political affiliation.

To drive home his point again, Hess said with a smile, "We're not ever bipartisan, we're 100 percent non-partisan."

Timeline of Success

Hess said when he ran for Mayor in 2015, he said Naugatuck needs 20 years of sustained progress. But now, he thinks if the "two game-changing" projects become reality, then that timeline can be reduced.

"My goal is to make Naugatuck the best town in Connecticut. We've got a lot going for us," Hess said.

Patch Mayor Nancy Sasso Janis contributed to this story.