Three Northwest Corner communities — Falls Village, Salisbury and Sharon — are among 46 small towns statewide due to receive a total of $30 million in state grants to help with numerous infrastructure improvements.
The grants, announced last week by Gov. Ned Lamont, are being provided through the Small Town Economic Assistance Program, also known as STEAP, a state program managed by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management that delivers grants to small towns for economic development, community conservation and quality-of-life capital projects.
In addition to the grants from the state, each municipality is also contributing funds, bringing the total spent on the 48 projects to $43.4 million in a combination of state, local and other funding sources.
Pavement, embankment work for Sharon
Sharon received $1 million in state funding, the maximum amount, for River Road pavement and embankment stabilization, which will be matched by $700,000 from the town.
Upon learning of Sharon’s inclusion in this latest round of STEAP grants, First Selectman Casey Flanagan expressed appreciation for “everyone who supported this project throughout the application process.”
Since August of 2023, he said, a portion of River Road has been limited to one lane of traffic due to a failure of the road.
“Correcting the problem with a long-term solution and reopening the road has been a top priority for the Board of Selectmen and our road foreman.”
Given the high cost of the project and the town’s limited resources, said Flanagan, “we were unable to address the problem as quickly as we would have liked. And while this grant award likely won’t cover the total cost of the project, we are confident that our volunteers on the Board of Finance will work with us to allocate the necessary additional funding.”
“Critical municipal infrastructure” in Falls Village
Falls Village’s $620,051 grant award, which will be matched by $155,014 from the town, is approved for “critical municipal infrastructure.”
Falls Village First Selectman David Barger said his town’s STEAP grant will fund, “in a broad sense, things that are critical to infrastructure and sustainability within the town,” such as a new salt shed, interior work including painting at the town’s senior center and a new trash compactor for the transfer station.
“We will also be looking at a way to secure an area for food waste at the transfer station,” said Barger, who noted that he is “very pleased” with the grant distribution.
“It is refreshing to know that the state came through with STEAP grants, especially for the towns here in the Northwest Corner.”
Recreational improvements in Salisbury
Salisbury was awarded $328,000 for recreational improvements at the town’s Recreation Department,which will be matched by $82,000 from the town.
In making the announcement, Lamont noted that Connecticut’s small towns “are such an important part of what makes Connecticut such a special place to live and work. By partnering with each town,” he said, “we can help get these infrastructure projects completed so these towns can continue to thrive, remain competitive, attract businesses and improve the quality of life for our residents.”
