March 14, 2024

Rep. Bronko and Naugatuck Delegation Announce More than $5.7 Million in Funding for Naugatuck’s Rubber Avenue Corridor

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HARTFORD, CT – Today, state Senators Joan Hartley and Jorge Cabrera, state Representatives Seth Bronko and David Labriola, and Naugatuck Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess III announced that significant funds have been approved by the board of the Community Investment Fund 2030 to aid in the redevelopment of Naugatuck’s Rubber Avenue Corridor.

The more than $5.7 million in state funding for the “Rubber Avenue Corridor Revitalization” will transform the Rubber Avenue Corridor by investing in infrastructure to promote private investment while enabling connectivity and increasing resiliency through stormwater drainage upgrades in the Nettleton Avenue area.

“Project funds will be directed toward fixing the drainage near the Rubber Avenue corridor and installing sidewalks, which will improve safety in the area. Naugatuck High School is on Rubber Avenue, which is why it was so important that sidewalks be a part of this project, giving our students and residents a path to safely get to school and back,” said Rep. Seth Bronko, R-Naugatuck. “Not only will this help students, residents living in the area and local businesses, but we anticipate this funding will help connect the area to ongoing projects, spurring economic growth. I wanted to thank the Board and the advocacy by everyone involved with this project.”

“This grant is a product of our teamwork, working together with Mayor Pete Hess, the local legislative delegation, and the state to bring these dollars home for Naugatuck,” said state Senator Jorge Cabrera, D-Hamden. “There’s a larger vision for the borough, this is an important piece of that larger vision, and we’ve only just begun.”

“The Community Investment Fund initiative is definitively changing the face of urban centers and communities throughout Connecticut,” said State Sen. Joan Hartley. “I am pleased that working in concert with Mayor Hess and the Naugatuck Delegation, the CIF board, Governor Lamont, Senate President Looney and Speaker Ritter will invest $5.7 million for the revitalization of the Rubber Ave corridor, a central business district route which will exponentially elevate Naugatuck’s entire Business Center.”

“This project will provide a jumpstart to our efforts to improve the neighborhoods that adjoin the Rubber Avenue corridor,” said Mayor Hess. “I want to thank our grant writer and development team along with our State delegation for all of their efforts. Teamwork is the key to success.”

The Community Investment Fund 2030 is a five-year grant program, enacted in the 2021 legislative session, dedicated to fostering economic development in communities that have been historically underserved. Eligible projects under the program include brownfield remediation, small business support programs, and infrastructure.