Stratford Receives $973K State Grant For Remediation Project

STRATFORD, CT — Stratford will receive a $973,000 state grant to complete the remediation of the 10.5-acre site of the former Contract Plating Company property at 540 Longbrook Avenue.

The grant is part of the $24.6 million in state funding Gov. Ned Lamont announced this week to help local communities with the costs associated with “assessing and remediating 41 blighted parcels of land in 16 towns and cities across Connecticut for the purposes of putting them back in to productive use,” according to a news release.

The Stratford legislative delegation, including Representatives Joe Gresko, Phil Young, and Ben McGorty, Senator Kevin Kelly, and Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick applauded the announcement.

The grant funding will be provided through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. Remediation of the property will make way for the immediate redevelopment plans, including the installation of a fuel cell on a portion of the property.

"With this grant, we can make the necessary investment to redevelop unused space and truly revitalize our neighborhoods,” Gresko said. “Remediation of blighted properties plays a pivotal role in not just our town's economic health, but the health of our environment. As House Chair of the Environment Committee, I'm particularly excited that remediation will clear the way for the installation of a fuel cell – ensuring that we are cleaning up a space and preparing it for future environmentally friendly uses."

Read more from the news release below:

“The infusion of this grant funding allows the Town to turn a brownfield property into an opportunity," Young said. “Through this remediation, the Town will prosper from the clear environmental benefits of a cleanup and the redevelopment of the space. I’m grateful to Governor Ned Lamont and DECD for their continued commitment to seeing Stratford and our State progress.”

McGorty said, “The approval of this necessary funding for the town of Stratford to put a bow on these impressive renovations is great news for our community. Years and decades of improvements through partnerships with local, state, and federal leaders have prioritized our natural resources and served as a vehicle of growing our economy. This investment will pay dividends many times over. I am grateful for the state's assistance and proud to support this initiative."

"Thank you to our state for recognizing the importance of investing in this revitalization project,” Kelly said. “These funds will assist Stratford in our continued efforts to remediate industrial property and enhance our town to best support our families today and for future generations. Every family deserves a clean and safe environment. Stratford has taken great strides to provide that to each and every resident by prioritizing the clean up of sites including the Raymark superfund site, and repurposing property that has been remediated to meet the needs of our community. Thank you to Mayor Hoydick, our legislative delegation, our local officials and community members, and state officials for working together, all hands on deck, to advance impactful brownfield remediation projects."

Hoydick said, “We are appreciative of Governor Lamont's acknowledgement that the Town of Stratford is working very hard on various remediation projects and Contract Plating is near the top of our list. The state's investment assists us in helping us to provide a cleaner place to live and work. Addressing problem areas enables the town to maximize all available space and this near $1 million grant will greatly bolster our efforts, and we are very appreciative of DECD's – especially new Commissioner Alexandra Daum’s - partnership.”