Guest columnist
Congratulations to us, Ansonia, on receiving a $483,000 grant from the state that will enable us to refurbish West Main Street and our commuter parking area adjacent to the railroad station.
Some explanation of the grant process may be helpful to those who are critics of this grant.
Comments stating “We should be using the money for
this or that,” or “Why are we doing this when we should be looking at
that x, y, z,” fail to grasp how the state grant application process
works. A grant application is designated for a very
specific purpose.
When the state approves and awards a grant, such as our
newest West Main Street Project, the money cannot be used for any other
purpose but those spelled out in our proposal or they can withdraw their
funding. We are bound by the specifics of
our application, nothing more and nothing less.
Understand, also, different state agencies target
different municipal needs. The state looks to support local initiatives
that fit a formula for economic growth. They offer funds in hopes of
spurring new local economic activity, targeted to
specific categories.
This grant was hosted jointly by Connecticut Main
Street Center and the Office of Policy and Management.
Their specific
targets here are the downtown areas of Connecticut. This money is to
help in rejuvenating Connecticut Main Streets, not
school systems, not police departments or road work, but downtown
centers.
Downtown revival
Our West Main Street Project was originally Phase 1 of
the City’s River Walk Project, designed for Ansonia by DeCarlo and Doll
Inc. (D&D) of Meriden.
This Phase 1 had been designed, planned and
approved together with the entirety of the River
Walk Project. For budget purposes, however, this West Main Street phase
was pulled from the group to be revisited at a later date. It was, nonetheless, an approved and viable project.
When this grant offering was
posted by the state, D&D recognized West
Main Street’s potential for this grant and it became the perfect
project for submission. There was a very narrow window of time to submit
and not nearly enough time to design an alternate project. D&D was
ultimately hired by Ansonia’s Economic Development Commission
(EDC) to write this grant on our behalf.
Our EDC’s goal these last two years has been the
revival of our downtown and this project dovetails with that vision,
much the same as the Farmers' Market, Bike Festival, and Storefront
Improvement Program as well as the Cultural Commission's
Concert Series and Harvest Festival, to name a few with much more to
come.
They are all designed to help spur economic activity for us downtown. These kinds of grants are investments in us by the state.
They are catalysts to be used by us for growth, not just money to be spent frivolously.
They are all designed to help spur economic activity for us downtown. These kinds of grants are investments in us by the state.
They are catalysts to be used by us for growth, not just money to be spent frivolously.
The state has recognized our push
towards revitalization and is acknowledging that with its support.
Rest
assured, Ansonia’s EDC will be good stewards of these funds and this
project.
Scarlata, chairman of the Ansonia Economic Development Commission, shared this column with the media today.
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