Section: News

For Immediate Release: May 20, 2016

Contacts (Media Inquiries Only)

Kathleen B. Castagna, Brownfields Project Officer | U.S. EPA, Region 1 | 627-918-1429 | Castagna.Kathleen@epa.gov

John DiCarlo | Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments | 203-757-0535 | jdicarlo@nvcogct.org

 

Greater Naugatuck Valley Brownfields Program Receives $400,000 Federal Grant Funds

To Help Develop Remediation Plans For Contaminated Properties

 

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today awarded the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) a $400,000 grant to conduct environmental assessments of properties with suspected contamination throughout the region.

Federal investment is critical to the study, remediation, and redevelopment of vacant and underutilized sites with existing environmental conditions throughout New England. Abandoned mill buildings remain a persistent challenge present in west central Connecticut in particular. EPA Region 1 has been a close partner to Naugatuck Valley communities since the Naugatuck Valley Pilot program was established in 1996.The funds awarded will be used to develop environmental information in order to better understand existing conditions. This data is leveraged to develop cleanup strategies with the ultimate goal of remediation and bringing the properties into productive reuse. Over the years, environmental assessment and cleanup funding provided by EPA has leveraged well over $70,000,000 in additional private and public resources across the region.

NVCOG Chairman, Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O’Leary said the grant is key to helping equalize the cost of developing former industrial sites, which are prevalent throughout the region, with environmentally clean sites.

“This grant is great news for the Naugatuck Valley,” said NVCOG Chairman Neil M. O’Leary. “In the city of Waterbury and throughout the region, we continue to work hard to address our 20th century manufacturing legacy. Every vacant, former industrial site represents an opportunity for private development of new housing, manufacturing and commercial facilities. The first step in cleaning these sites is comprehensive assessment. So the funds awarded today are vital to future economic development efforts.”

A major benefit to reclaiming Brownfields is that they are often located in areas with existing infrastructure – transportation and utilities, making them prime locations for new uses. The NVCOG distributes resources and provides environmental planning assistance to eligible municipalities of the Regional Brownfields Partnership. The 27 eligible municipalities extend north to south from Winsted to Shelton and west to east from Newtown to Berlin.

“Engaging with our partners at all levels – local, state, and federal – was a strong theme throughout DECD’s Brownfield conference earlier this week,” said NVCOG Executive Director Rick Dunne. “We’re grateful for the support we receive from EPA Region 1 Administrator Curt Spalding and the entire team at EPA Region 1, from CT DEEP and DECD, in addition to the leadership demonstrated by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy and U.S. Representative Elizabeth Esty on these issues. We look forward to continuing our work with additional community partners in this regard that include our municipal leaders, Valley United Way, The WorkPlace, the Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury and the Connecticut Brownfield Landbank to meet the challenges presented by brownfields and foster essential development projects led by community needs.”

The Metropolitan Area Planning (MAP) Forum announces its 2016 Spring Meeting on June 9, 2016 at 10:30 am in Stamford, Connecticut. For security purposes, please RSVP either by calling (212) 383-7200 or by sending an email to Andrea.Miles-Cole@dot.ny.gov . The meeting agenda appears here. If you need special accommodations to participate in this meeting, please contact  Andrea.Miles-Cole@dot.ny.gov by 12 p.m. on June 6, 2016.

The MAP Forum is a consortium of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In January 2008, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA); the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO); the South Western Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (SWRMPO); and the Greater Bridgeport/Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (GB/VMPO), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the coordination of planning activities in the three state New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region.

The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) is seeking professional engineering services for various technical, consulting, design and other work as may be required related to the state-funded Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP). The Program allocates state funds along planning region boundaries. The NVCOG has been assigned the responsibility to select eligible projects and distribute funds to member municipalities to construct transportation improvement projects. As part of the program guidelines, the municipal sponsors are responsible for completing the design process and the NVCOG is required to certify that the project plans and specifications meet design standards established for the program.  Proposals must be received no later than 4:00 pm on Tuesday May 10, 2016.

For more information please see the “For Vendors” page.

The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments is requesting proposals from qualified firms of certified public accountants to conduct an examination and to render an opinion on the comprehensive annual financial statements of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments. Proposals will be received at our offices until 3:00 p.m. on April 29, 2016 at which time no further proposals will be considered. Request for Proposal forms may be obtained at the office of the Finance Director from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. Information concerning this Request for Proposal may be obtained by contacting Clare Falcha, Finance Director at (203) 757-0535. The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Detailed RFP requirements

Please submit all materials digitally to Arthur Bogen at abogen@nvcogct.org and to Max Tanguay-Colucci at mcolucci@nvcogct.org by 4:30pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. More details can be found in the attached package, which includes the RFP, relevant Q&A, and the pre-app. Note that NVCOG can make grants to municipalities or qualifying not-for-profits, or loans to private developers (working directly with municipalities) through the Revolving Loan Fund.

Everyone is invited to a public information meeting on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. Snow Date is Wednesday, March 9, 2016. The presentation will be at 7:00 p.m. and a Question and Answer period will immediately follow. Derby City Hall, Aldermanic Chambers, 1 Elizabeth Street, Derby Connecticut

Residents, commuters, business owners, and other interested individuals are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to discuss the proposed improvements.

Written questions or comments should be directed to: Mr William W. Britnell, P.E., Connecticut Department of Transportation, Principal Engineer of Highway Design, P.O. Box 317546, Newington, Connecticut 06131-7546 or at e-mail address William.Britnell@ct.gov

REQUEST FOR CONTRACTOR

REGIONAL ELECTION MONITOR

The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG), based in Waterbury, CT, seeks a consultant to perform regional election monitoring under the supervision of the NVCOG Director of Municipal Services and at the direction of the Connecticut Secretary of the State. This is a contractual position to be funded by the Connecticut Secretary of the State through NVCOG. The contractor will also work with registrars and other town officials from the 19 NVCOG member municipalities.

Compensation will be per diem or hourly by negotiation.  Click here for more details

Each applicant interested in providing these services shall submit their resume, and a cover letter outlining their relevant experience. Consulting or law firms are also invited to respond with the same information. The proposal should be sent to the Municipal Shared Services Coordinator, NVCOG, 49 Leavenworth Street, Waterbury, CT 06702 no later than 2:00 pm on Thursday, February 25, 2016. Electronic submissions are acceptable to jobs@nvcogct.org. An interview with a committee organized by the NVCOG Municipal Shared Services Coordinator may be required. NVCOG is an Equal Opportunity Employer. EOE/M/H/F

Click here for full Job description

Click here to view MOU between the Office of the Secretary of the State and NVCOG