Projects will create more construction jobs in Connecticut
Posted on April 3, 2017
The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is accepting applications for its eleventh round of competitive grant funding for the state’s Brownfield Remediation Program, which will possibly create more construction jobs in Connecticut.
The state partners with local municipalities and economic development agencies to put blighted properties back into productive use. Under this round, a total of $4 million will be earmarked for remediation projects and $1 million will be reserved for assessment projects.
“We have made brownfield remediation and redevelopment an important part of our economic development agenda because of its environmental, economic, community, and fiscal benefits,” Governor Malloy said. “Connecticut is now a leader in unlocking the potential of brownfields and repurposing these properties so that they no longer drain local resources but rather add value and boost local economies.”
Since 2012, the state has invested $191 million to investigate, clean up, and help revitalize more than 160 old or vacant factories, mills, warehouses and other contaminated sites and structures.
Eligible applicants for grant funding include municipalities and economic development agencies. Applicants can request funding of up to $2 million for remediation projects and up to $200,000 for assessment projects. Awards may be used for a range of brownfield assessment, remediation and redevelopment activities, including abatement, demolition, site investigation and assessment, groundwater monitoring, installation of institutional controls, and professional service fees associated with redevelopment including attorney’s fees, and planning, design and consulting fees.
“Major investments in brownfield redevelopment are a core economic development priority because these projects help a community take back underutilized properties — sites that often were once a center of commerce — and put them back into a productive use that benefits residents, neighborhoods and businesses,” DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith said.
