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NVCOG Regional Viewer has been updated!

The newest features of the Regional Viewer are a new search option and a new tool.

The search option adds search by parcel ownership as well as by address. The new tool is the “Public Notification” tool which allows users to obtain mailing lists of residents and businesses across town and city borders. For requirements to notify neighbors of zoning changes or alike, users can now select a parcel and the tool will select the parcels within the selected area and create a mailing list available for download.

The Regional Viewer provides access to data collected and analyzed by NVCOG, such as generalized parcel data, zoning, land use, and municipal services in the region. It also hosts flood data from FEMA, environmental data from CT ECO and DEEP, U.S. Census Bureau geographies, and aerial imagery of different years. All parcel ownership information is collected from each municipality on an annual basis and may not be up-to-date with ownership information.

News 8 Coverage of Naugatuck Valley Rail Conference

Conference Details Incorporating Local Rail Needs Into State Transportation Plans

More than 60 stakeholders participated in the Naugatuck Valley Rail Conference at the Naugatuck Event Center this morning. Mayors, Municipal Chief Elected Officials (CEOs), area state legislators and state officials engaged in a productive dialog regarding the need to designate improved Waterbury Branch Line rail service as a priority in the state’s transportation planning.

The Municipal CEOS shared a regional vision that notes that while $90 million in improvements are already underway on the WBL, they are concerned that without additional locomotives and rail cars, that investment would be wasted. This would result in missing one of Connecticut’s best opportunities for economic growth and expansion. NVCOG’s Board unanimously endorsed the presentation that was provided during its January 10 monthly meeting.

A comprehensive review of problems with the existing WBL and the municipal CEOs vision to jump start local economic development directly preceded today’s timely dialog. Local officials have long strongly supported increasing service to benefit local economic development and quality of life.

For more information on regional rail transportation issues visit, NVCOG’s Route 8 & Waterbury Branch Line Corridor/Alternative Modes Study webpage.

NVCOG Applies For Two Regional Performance Incentive Program (RPIP) Grants

The State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management was accepting applications for the FY 2020 Regional Performance Incentive Program grant round up until December 31, 2019. NVCOG submitted the following applications:

NVCOG is also included in a Multi-COG project that was submitted by WestCOG.

Statewide municipal boundary survey (Class D) Update

Funding for RPIP grants is provided under CGS Section 4-66k using a portion of the hotel and car rental taxes.

Ways to Respond to the 2020 Census

By April 1, 2020, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. You will have three options for responding:

Online.
By phone.
By mail.

The 2020 Census marks the first time you’ll have the option to respond online. You can even respond on your mobile device.

Get the facts from the U.S. Census Bureau for more information on how to respond in April.

TEAM’s Housing Forum

Join municipal leaders and community members for this very important forum about how to address housing in our communities. RSVP by clicking below. Admission is free.

Winter Assistance from Eversource & Scam Protection

Eversource offers many programs to help you stay warm this winter. One important program is the Matching Payment Program, which allows customers to receive gas or electric heat at affordable rates. This program matches whatever you pay towards your energy bill. To find out more about this program please call 2-1-1 or visit your local community action agency.

Always be wary for scams, if it sounds suspicious hang-up. The energy company wants to remind its customers:

Eversource representatives never demand instant payment in person or over the phone.
Eversource representatives do not require the use of prepaid debit cards (such as Green Dot MoneyPak, Vanilla or Reloadit.)
Eversource representatives never request customers to meet at a payment center, such as a department or grocery store, to make a payment.
Eversource does not solicit door-to-door or on the phone on behalf of third-party energy suppliers.
All Eversource employees carry photo identification; field workers wear company logoed clothing and drive company vehicles.

Eversource urges anyone who believes they are a target of improper solicitation to please alert local law enforcement and contact the company directly at 1-800-286-2000. The energy company tracks these types of customer concerns and reports them to state regulators.

Naugatuck Valley Regional Profile 2019 is now available!

NVCOG staff has just completed an update to the Regional Profile for the 19-municipality Naugatuck Valley Region. The Regional Profile compiles population, economic, and housing data from a variety of sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Connecticut Department of Labor, and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. The report provides useful statistical data to public officials, local organizations, developers, private citizens, students, businesses, and others interested in population, housing, and economic trends. Data from this report is intended to assist municipalities with grant applications, updates to planning and economic development documents, and provide information to local boards and commissions.

To download a digital copy of the Profile, please click on the link below:

Naugatuck Valley Regional Profile 2019

As a supplement to the Regional Profile, NVCOG staff has created an interactive web-based application to provide access to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data at the block group or block level. This tool allows users to obtain statistics for smaller areas within a municipality.

The web application can be accessed here:

Naugatuck Valley Regional Profile 2019 – Maps

Public Information Meeting: Waterbury-Oxford Airport Master Plan Update

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) will be holding a Public Information Meeting for the Waterbury-Oxford Airport Master Plan Update. The meeting will include both a presentation and an opportunity for the public to ask questions and provide comments.

The public information meeting will be on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Wyndham Southbury, 1284 Strongtown Road, Southbury, CT 06488.

The presentation will include an introduction to the master planning process, an overview of the airport’s facilities and operational environment, and a summary of the goals and potential facility improvements that serve as the focus of the master plan.

A second public meeting will be held later in the planning process, following the release of the draft master plan report.

For additional information please visit Waterbury-Oxford-Planning.com.

Naugatuck River Greenway Progress

The second leg of the Naugatuck River Greenway in Torrington opened with a ribbon-cutting celebration on Tuesday. The newly-opened section in Torrington starts at the Sullivan Senior Center and ends at Scoville Street. This section was built with $351,373 in grant funding and city bonding. The third section along Scoville Street should be completed next year.

Once completed, the Naugatuck River Greenway will be a 44-mile walking and biking trail from Torrington to Derby along the Naugatuck River. Currently, there are open sections of greenway in Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia, and Derby, as well as Torrington, with more sections in design and pre-construction phases.

See our webpage for more information about the Naugatuck River Greenway.