RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Board of Selectpersons unanimously accepted three grants totaling more than $1.8 million Wednesday, including money for new sidewalks along Danbury Road, improvements at the town recycling center and work on the Venus Building parking area.
The board voted 5-0 during its Sept. 2 special meeting to accept the grants and authorize First Selectperson Rudy Marconi to sign the necessary documents.
Town Engineer Jake Mueller said the largest award is a $1 million federal grant administered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for improvements around the Venus Building. Plans include resurfacing, lighting, sidewalks and parking improvements.
Mueller said the project is expected to be phased because of the businesses and other tenants in the area, including the Ridgefield Playhouse. He said next summer and fall are a possible target for construction, depending on the federal review process.
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The town also received $413,800 through the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Sustainable Materials Management program for improvements at the recycling center and transfer station.
Mueller said the project would include changes to the entrance kiosk, pavement and traffic circulation. Combined with an earlier DEEP grant, the town has received about $560,000 for work at the property, he said.
A third grant, totaling $408,811 through the state's Community Connectivity Grant Program, will help pay for sidewalks along Danbury Road near the Farmingville and Copps Hill roads area.
Mueller said the work would cover two sections north and south of the intersection. The grant will also free up previously budgeted town money for other sidewalk work, increasing the town's sidewalk program this year to more than $600,000, he said.
The project is awaiting the final administrative clearance from the state before it can be put out to bid. Mueller described the work as about 700 feet of sidewalk, with relocation of an existing stone wall among its larger components. Once construction begins, he estimated it could take about six weeks with favorable weather.
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Selectperson Maureen Kozlark asked whether the sidewalk work could conflict with the town's traffic study or construction of new pickleball courts. Mueller said the projects should not interfere significantly with each other, although future recommendations from the traffic study could require minor adjustments.
Mueller said none of the three grants requires a local match. The $1 million federal grant and $413,800 DEEP grant are reimbursable, while the $408,811 sidewalk grant is an award in which unused money would be returned to the state.
The board also approved a recommendation to allow a Ridgefield Police Department fund to operate through Friends of Ridgefield Community Programs, the town-affiliated nonprofit.
Police Chief Jeff Kreitz said the change arose after the manager of a trust wanted to make a donation to the department but was restricted to giving to a 501(c)(3) organization.
Kreitz said residents could continue donating directly to the Police Department. The additional arrangement would provide another route for foundations or trusts whose rules require donations to a nonprofit organization.
The board approved recommending that the Friends organization accept the Police Department special fund. No opposition was recorded.
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