Malloy brings good news

WINSTED — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy brought a holiday gift to Winsted Dec. 30, when he announced a series of Small Town Economic Assistance Programs (STEAP) grants had been approved to fund capital projects across the Northwest Corner.Malloy traveled to many of the towns receiving the grants to announce the funding of the projects.In Winsted, the governor visited Walker Field on Rowley Street to announce, along with Mayor Maryann Welcome, that the town will receive $125,000 in order to fund a construction project to build permanent restrooms at the field.“We know that hundreds of athletes and spectators have used these recreational facilities for many years,” Mayor Welcome said. “But the recent promotion of good health and physical fitness by our own First Lady Michelle Obama only stands to reason that these facilities will see even more activities as everyone continues to benefit from athletics. Our facilities will need to meet the challenge of increased usage and they will meet this with continued improvements.”Currently, there are no restrooms at Walker Field.Typically during a baseball season, a portable toilet facility is installed near the parking lot across the street from the field.“The STEAP program is important in order to make sure that small communities throughout the state get the money they need to undertake important improvement projects,” Malloy said. “I had the opportunity to review the application for this project, and I thought it was a project with merit. The application stated how important this field is to the community. It is high time to have that in this field.”At the end of the event, Welcome gave Malloy a replica model of Town Hall, a gift certificate for dinner and a movie at the Gilson Cafe Cinema and an envelope with a letter with what she described as a list “with concerns we have that we hope you will look over and consider.”According to Town Manager Dale Martin, the project will begin in the spring.