[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6055561,"mediaKeyId","3316821-8db6b2051993f17bc34867de5d481c57","parentId",3316821,"title","Naugatuck River Greenway updates: Waterbury design advances, Kennestown dam work ties to new trail segment; some federal grants remain under review","audioSeconds",801,"startMs",2019000,"endMs",2820000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3316821-8db6b2051993f17bc34867de5d481c57&start=2019&end=2820","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3316821-8db6b2051993f17bc34867de5d481c57/thumbnail_2019000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6055561/Connecticut/Naugatuck-River-Greenway-updates-Waterbury-design-advances-Kennestown-dam-work-ties-to-new-trail-segment-some-federal-grants-remain-under-review","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6055561-01f96bdeca4f7b2d8d1358698881f866/orig.mp4?Expires=1770896847&Signature=WoUNZNOpgpu3iRimsT4-dE0ctIApn6TxnY6gISMrMpZo8O3IfN-7W1qtai~coQssSTmS5hDN2AqBnO0tq7b~cTS0OKoUrMWi4cIeebfQRth~h~ifGQgqxu-3cFPdHMeSOOh0FwcxJNyOy0XChzKEJTJ0SM4g8Zuo47XQlhnCT1kKiGYKWb6dachwgpVyXsZwow6Whbj8UJ6inz2DykQEbLfZ6n9YNeFjuP1qMHz3YfLdDafitK0vBdX2Vx5GPkFxUXOkctbV657BEp1CSv6qFV0GI5MGE3IxHdu5MLtLPHtCbsGFbx8NFFKdo8ETCOUOQfX6bEyTphz~5luIiPCGlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town Council of Naugatuck, CT","date","2025-05-14T17:48:45Z","article","NVCOG and municipal representatives provided updates on multiple Naugatuck River Greenway projects and regional funding opportunities.

Waterbury: NVCOG staff said the design for Waterbury’s phase 2 (funded under RAISE) is wrapping up, but construction procurement remains uncertain because federal discretionary awards are under review at USDOT. Staff noted ongoing right-of-way acquisition work for the stretch from Eagle Street to West Main and characterized the program as a waiting game while headquarters reviews discretionary grants.

RAISE/BUILD and discretionary grants: Participants said the MVCOG (RAISE successor) design work and consultant selection are ready to proceed but remain held at the federal level pending USDOT authorization. Build (the successor program to RAISE/BUILD) was described as a likely continuing federally authorized discretionary program and was reported closed for the current cycle, with past patterns suggesting a late-year NOFO window in future rounds.

Kennestown Dam removal and Ansonia trail: A presenter described the Kennestown Dam removal project as ‘‘very complicated’’ and said the project scope includes designing a section of the Naugatuck River Greenway between North Fourth Street in Ansonia and Derby Avenue in Seymour. Engineers are collecting topographic and bathymetry data; outreach meetings are ongoing and design of the trail portion is expected to take about a year. The speaker cautioned unknowns remain because of contaminated sediments that will influence what can be built.

Steel Brook Greenway and Derby: Watertown reported Steel Brook Greenway is at 90% design and review comments are due back to the designer. Derby submitted a CTDOT Community Connectivity Grant request aimed at installing solar lighting and security cameras on the greenway; staff estimated that Derby’s submission requested about $500,000 but said the town will await CTDOT decisions.

Micro grants and other programs: NVCOG reported about $280,000 in micro-grant awards brought to the region in the last quarter, largely driven by Waterbury school-district applications that will supply about 1,200 bikes and safety equipment; about $300,000 remained available for additional awards and NVCOG encouraged municipalities and nonprofits to apply. Staff also said the next micro-grant round deadline is June 27, 2025.

Other funding: Speakers noted the Recreational Trails Program funding status is pending and that the Safe Streets and Roads for All NOFO is open. NVCOG staff advised towns to prepare projects for future discretionary grant windows and noted the importance of having design and planning well advanced before applying.

No formal votes or grant approvals were taken during the meeting; several presenters noted next steps (continuing design, right-of-way, consultant selection and outreach) and flagged that federal authorizations remain the gating issue for some projects.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","NRG Steering Committee - May 2025","oneSentenceSummary","NVCOG and municipal representatives updated the Trails Committee on Waterbury phase 2 design, the Kennestown Dam removal’s incorporated trail segment, and other greenway projects, and warned that several federal discretionary grants remain under USDOT review.","taxTitle","Town of Naugatuck, New Haven County, Connecticut","taxId",55562,"location","Connecticut","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6055566,"Regional active transportation plan aims to reduce pedestrian and bicyclist deaths",616,1159000,1775000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3316821-8db6b2051993f17bc34867de5d481c57&start=1159&end=1775","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3316821-8db6b2051993f17bc34867de5d481c57/thumbnail_1159000.jpg","/articles/6055566/Connecticut/Regional-active-transportation-plan-aims-to-reduce-pedestrian-and-bicyclist-deaths","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6055566-02f82a8a6959797887bd1c352b6e0fc3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770896847&Signature=MqruyW7S~1CbvAKNl-6xp3~XePslVogTXNmy0gbUTKVrJPz7W3Dy-xEywJnZAznmFHDw-a4cm-6--6FB1JajV0PsYHiOxioFqx2OLb~uSGVzPqeGTr5U7clS85hhh1F0UAWErWhC24dY365gQVWG9EMlTUR9To1ciRL3CshQ-pAkUbe2p1Y2K5fg4FORa4GSKN4xX0wEpzXtSGqNbaaBeZyZESs4BbZscOdKcrWrTVSxwQK49b6hSPvG382d5MPNnNXBILv9wtUqD9cZGsuAPUi5mv-saNwsZ4VaVtSgE5dX3lBpCGePWLIpglPxrnOAQwn3vqtsUAm~r3-iETFlpA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mark Nielsen, NVCOG, briefed the committee on the regional active transportation plan that combines pedestrian, bicycle and micromobility planning into a single framework.

He said the plan will look at infrastructure, education and a proposed regional complete-streets policy so local projects can better accommodate walking, biking and electronic assisted devices such as e-bikes and scooters.

Nielsen summarized safety data from a six-year review (2019–2024), saying the region saw about 60 pedestrian crashes per year and 47 pedestrian fatalities across the period. \"The real concern is the percentage of these crashes that result in either a serious injury or, you know, in the case of pedestrians, fatalities,\" he said.

Nielsen said about 61% of pedestrian crashes involved people crossing the road away from intersections and that the plan will include education strategies, a conceptual on-road bike route network to link multiuse trails, and illustrative project cost estimates to inform funding needs.

He asked towns to respond to outreach from the NVCOG office identifying local walking and bicycling priorities. Chris Roberts (speaker) said the consultant team expects to complete the draft plan and wrap up the existing-conditions report by next spring and will provide draft regional and individual reports for comment.

Nielsen also noted coordination with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which is preparing its statewide active transportation plan; NVCOG staff and the CTDOT team recently toured the region to identify needs. The committee was told to expect circulation of drafts and to provide comments so identified needs are considered for project programming.","NVCOG staff described a regional active transportation plan covering walking, bicycling and micromobility; staff cited crash data (about 60 pedestrian crashes per year and 47 pedestrian fatalities from 2019–2024) and said a draft plan and complete-streets policy would be shared for comment.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6055571,"Regional trails committee considers US National Grid emergency locator signs for greenways",781,118000,899000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3316821-8db6b2051993f17bc34867de5d481c57&start=118&end=899","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3316821-8db6b2051993f17bc34867de5d481c57/thumbnail_118000.jpg","/articles/6055571/Connecticut/Regional-trails-committee-considers-US-National-Grid-emergency-locator-signs-for-greenways","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6055571-3b7135d093046c42b6b50c98fd64d952/orig.mp4?Expires=1770896847&Signature=UMh7rmeMN9f4kBbmtqdD1NJwtjmjvmk1YkjA0oxzqOYsNMGoARNBQnbrjiNCioVDbGksad0zszpu0fnar98~3S0JLn~jhSONGLh9WcqLoRisXcmNOb6gEXXRd6dW185-KUAcwOpg3GNi0zpdbF4jMG3Pt0Lw1B7X-ulMH-E5a~nS7GRyuklicYD63PfuLWMb55XGQ7sGb85iS8vJCUz2nAeHAEvuardhNiS2HpjKSceDeSaFTwPC4rWLVT4Wv3yWXkFPGijPi-ZfxONfLD7YXtCjk37XEWhkdog1f3lWdZwESOegLQFmRQGKKq2FUCVGV32KP2FGN4IIWmPGsU51Kg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Aaron (staff member) told the NVCOG Trails Committee that he encountered a national effort to use the U.S. National Grid (USNG) as a simple, interoperable emergency-location standard for trails and parks.

He said the system ‘‘is basically a grid system that's laid over the entire U.S.,’’ and explained that the grid can provide coordinates down to 10-meter squares, which he described as sufficient for guiding emergency responders on trails.

The presentation noted the University of Minnesota’s 2010 work recommending USNG for outdoor emergency location, the SharedGeo (SharedGEO) contractor tools that generate sign templates, and a free web app (USNGapp.org) that creates coordinates and offline-capable shortcuts on phones. Aaron demonstrated a Derby Greenway example sign with an eight-digit USNG coordinate and a QR code that opens the web app.

Mark Nielsen (NVCOG) and others asked clarifying questions about use and placement. Nielsen confirmed the signs would replace or supplement mile markers and would not require re-numbering when segments are extended. Gary Lukowski, director of public works for Watertown, said he downloaded the app, tested coordinates from his office and planned to check that Watertown dispatchers understand the coordinates. \"The app is free,\" Aaron said, adding the web app can work without cell service by using the phone's GPS receiver.

Aaron outlined practical details discussed in the presentation: the template signs are roughly 8 by 12 inches (approximate), follow Federal Highway Administration-readable standards, can be printed or purchased through SharedGeo, and include QR codes that generate a coordinate at the user's location. He said dispatch systems already have the ability to accept USNG coordinates and that adopting USNG avoids the need to update dispatch maps when new signs are added.

Committee members agreed the approach merits promotion to towns and inclusion in design guidance and in future grant rounds, but no formal motion or vote was recorded. Aaron asked for the committee's blessing to pursue adding USNG information to the design and management guide and to explore pilot funding; several members voiced support but no formal action was taken.

Next steps described in the meeting: committee members were encouraged to review SharedGeo/USNG materials, verify local dispatch compatibility, and consider recruiting a pilot through recreational-trails grant rounds. No implementation deadlines or formal assignments were recorded in the meeting minutes presented.","A staff presentation introduced the US National Grid (USNG) emergency-locator system and free web tools for signage and QR-enabled coordinates; committee members discussed next steps but took no formal vote.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Naugatuck River Greenway updates: Waterbury design advances, Kennestown dam work ties to new trail segment; some federal grants remain under review

Regional active transportation plan aims to reduce pedestrian and bicyclist deaths

Regional trails committee considers US National Grid emergency locator signs for greenways