Gentile welcomes federal agriculture funding for state

HARTFORD - State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Ansonia, joined Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Connecticut Department of Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky to announce an agreement allowing Connecticut to utilize more than $8 million in federal funds to keep farmland in agricultural production. 

Linda Gentile

    The agreement increases flexibility in the use of federal funds through the state’s Farmland Preservation Program.

    More than 300 state farms have been protected under the program, including nearly 100 achieved with $20 million in assistance from the federal USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.

     “This funding will be used to ensure that our state’s farms – some of the best in the country – will continue producing Connecticut Grown products and keep our beautiful lands and natural resources preserved,” Malloy said.  “Connecticut continues to lead New England in the growth rate of farms over the past couple of years, where the agriculture industry contributes $3.5 billion to our economy and provides nearly 28,000 jobs in our state.
"I remain committed to the growth of this crucial industry and to the hard working families of Connecticut who work in it,” she said.

          “Federal, state and local stakeholders must work together to help preserve Connecticut’s family farms,” Gentile said.  “This agreement helps local farmers keep our land productive for years to come and feed a multi-billion dollar economic engine that equals jobs in our state. I applaud the work of Governor Malloy and Commissioner Reviczky.”

     The agreement will extend all NRCS farmland-protection funds obligated to Connecticut until March 31, 2015, giving the state greater flexibility in negotiating agreements with farm owners wishing to participate in the program.

     “The permanent protection of working farms is a long-standing priority in Connecticut that has been extraordinarily successful in keeping prime and important farmland in production,” Reviczky said. 

     “With our federal partners we have preserved more than 13,000 acres of farmland, and this agreement will ensure that we continue to keep more of our working lands in productive farming.”

This is a press release from Gentile's office.

Ansonia fire department receives funding for cameras

Blumenthal, Murphy, DeLauro applaud grant

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, along with U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, today applauded news the Ansonia Fire Department is receiving a $17,100 grant from the Department of Homeland Security.

The grant, made through the Assistance for Firefighters Grant program will be used to purchase thermal-imaging cameras.

Blumenthal said, “This grant will help the City of Ansonia purchase two new thermal imaging cameras, replacing 12-year-old equipment badly in need of an upgrade.
"These cameras enable firefighters to see through dense smoke, allowing them to more quickly locate victims and potential hazards. This is an important, well-deserved investment in the safety of the city’s volunteer firefighters and residents. I applaud this award and remain ever grateful to the live-saving, heroic efforts of our first responders."

Murphy commented, “Few things are more important than supporting our firefighters and first responders who put their lives on the line to protect our communities. This grant will provide critical support to help Ansonia’s firefighters do their jobs more effectively, and will help to keep them safe as well. I’ll continue to fight for these heroes as they fight for us.”

“Ensuring first responders have necessary equipment is crucial to protecting not only the public, but the brave men and women who rush into buildings when others are rushing out,” DeLauro said. “This grant will keep people in Ansonia safer and better prepare their first responders for the dangerous and lifesaving work they so ably do.”

“The thermal imaging cameras are now a necessity to the fire service,” said Ansonia Fire Chief Joseph Kingston. “This technology is essential to firefighter safety.”

“We are thankful for the support of the Assistance to Firefighter Grant funds which will move our department forward in its mission to protect Ansonia residents,” Kingston added.

This information is taken from a press release from U.S. Rosa L. DeLauro's office.

The Sterling shines as a symbol of Derby's vibrant past

DERBY - Preserving the fascinating history of the stately Sterling Opera House should be enough reason to support a major project to renovate its interior.

An ornate balcony railing stands out in this view taken from the first floor.

Built in the Italianate Victorian style in 1889, the opera house graces Elizabeth Street in downtown Derby.  

The exterior has been restored and in 2011 a new cupola, which is illuminated at night, was installed.

The opera house was the first building in Connecticut to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it has an interesting history, for sure. 

Entertainers ranging from John Barrymore and Harry Houdini to Milton Berle, Bob Hope, George Burns and Gracie Allen all appeared there.  

Amelia Earhart spoke at the opera house, and John Phillip Sousa performed on its stage. The structure has what has been described as amazing acoustics.

It was used as a theater from 1889 until 1945. The lower levels housed municipal offices and the city jail for two decades before it was closed in 1965.  

The long-vacant building is filled with energy of the spirit kind. The theater has been investigated by numerous paranormal groups and time and again ghostly entities have made their presence known to visitors.

  

I've been fortunate enough to tour the interior on several occasions, and have witnessed several inexplicable paranormal happenings while there.
Each time I leave filled with enthusiasm about what the opera house could become.

On Monday city officials announced the receipt of $150,000 in federal funds to go toward the renovation of the interior. Cost estimate of the project is between $3 and $4 million.

U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, secured the money. She had also secured $150,000 for the project in 2009. 

We who love the opera house thank DeLauro for her support of a project that will revive the building and bring it back to its former glory.

I took this photo from the Derby Green in August 2010. The cupola was replaced in February 2011.

Health district gets $2.3M to create lead-safe housing units

More Naugatuck Valley property owners may be eligible to make lead-safe improvements to their residential property thanks to a Naugatuck Valley Health District program that won renewed federal funding.

NVHD was awarded a three-year, $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in March 2012 to help protect the youngest Valley residents from lead poisoning.

The grant is called the Naugatuck Valley Emends Lead Hazards (NauVEL) project.  NauVEL funds can help eligible residential property-owners to pay for lead-safe repairs in housing units.  NVHD was also awarded an additional $180,000 in Healthy Homes supplemental funding for the identification and reduction of other housing-related health and safety hazards.  

“Childhood lead poisoning is the number one cause of environmental disease in young children even though it is 100 percent preventable,” said Karen N. Spargo, NVHD Director of Health.  

“This year is the Valley Health District’s 40^th anniversary, which makes this continued funding even more meaningful. This funding will help us to protect Valley children from lead hazards by helping property owners to make lead-safe repairs and improvements. The supplemental Healthy Homes funding will also enable the program to identify other housing-related hazards in the same homes,” she said.

NVHD, founded in 1972, provides official local public health functions for Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour and Shelton. It serves the third largest population (126,270) among Connecticut health districts. 

Lead hazard relates directly to the age of the house and the type and condition of the paint in and on the house. 

Although there has been substantial new construction throughout the Valley in recent years, Census data show that 49 percent of Valley housing stock dates from 1940-1979, and another 23% is pre-1940 (and earlier) construction.
Properties built before 1978 are likely to contain lead-based paint, the leading lead-hazard found in residential settings.  Lead-based paint was used in more than 64 million homes nationally until it was banned from residential use in 1978:

·   24% of dwellings built 1960-1978 are likely to contain lead;

·   69% of dwellings built 1940-1960 are likely to contain lead;

·   87% of dwellings built before 1940 are likely to contain lead.

Lead-based paint may not be a hazard if it is in good condition and not found on an impact or friction surface such as a window or a door.  Lead-based paint is a hazard that needs immediate attention when it is deteriorating and peeling, chipping, chalking, cracking or is otherwise damaged or disturbed.    Even new renovations and upgrades to a pre-1978 property can create a lead-hazard by disturbing old lead-painted surfaces, releasing microscopic but poisonous lead dust.

 “Our first lead-hazard control grant began operation in 2009 and was very successful,” said Deborah Dozier, NauVEL Program Manager.
“The first grant had the goal of completing lead-safe repairs in 154 homes, and we surpassed that goal to complete 200 housing units. With this second grant funding, we have set a goal for ourselves of completing repairs in 180 housing units – minimum.”

The new grant will also provide Healthy Homes inspections. HUD’s Healthy Homes program addresses multiple childhood diseases and injuries in the home by taking a comprehensive approach to housing-related health and safety hazards.
The Healthy Homes approach builds upon HUD’s successful models for Lead Hazard Control to expand into a variety of environmental hazards including:  mold, lead, allergens, asthma, carbon monoxide, home safety, pesticides, and radon.  Supplemental funding awarded to NVHD will be used to provide Healthy Homes inspections for the properties that apply for  lead-hazard repairs as well as referral to other resources to address.   

To qualify for NauVEL funds, the property must:

·  Be located within the six communities that comprise the Naugatuck Valley Health District – Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour, and Shelton. 

·  Be pre-1978 construction containing lead hazards, and in condition to warrant investment.

·  Be currently or potentially occupied by a child under the age of six, including a residence where a child under age six spends a significant amount of time visiting. 

·  Be the residence of owner-occupants and/or tenants who meet HUD regional income requirements to qualify for participation. 

·  Be up-to-date on mortgage payments, property taxes, and insurance. 

For information on NauVEL, including income eligibility information, please visit the website:   http://www.nvhd.org/nauvel/


This information is from a press release from the Naugatuck Valley Health District.