Town officials told the Board of Selectmen on June 16 that the North Central Connecticut Council of Governments (NCCOG) has been awarded a BAR (Brownfields Area Revitalization) grant to identify, assess and, where feasible, remediate potentially contaminated sites in a downtown project area.

Scope and purpose: Town Manager Paul Harrington said the BAR grant will pay for preliminary work — site identification and assessments — on a project area that runs roughly from the Willow and Case intersection to 10 Bridge Street (Building 1), covering about 10 parcels. The goal is to make formerly underused or potentially contaminated properties marketable for redevelopment without tapping local tax dollars for the initial study work.

Town contribution: Harrington told the board that a town match was required and that the board had previously approved a matching contribution equal to 10 percent of the initial grant request (reported at $20,000). He described the match as already-authorized budgeted funds earmarked for the grant effort.

Why it matters: BAR grants are designed to unlock redevelopment on properties that private buyers or lenders avoid because of potential contamination liabilities. Recipients frequently use the initial state match and study to attract larger state or federal demolition and remediation dollars; Harrington said that, in other Connecticut communities, initial BAR funding and state buy-in led to larger state-funded demolition and redevelopment projects.

Next steps and follow-up: Harrington said the COG will lead the early work and the town will engage property owners. He said owners are expected to cooperate — several reportedly submitted letters of support when the COG applied. The town manager said additional funding for demolition or major remediation would be competitive and require separate applications, but the BAR award increases the town’s chances for follow-on funding.

What the board recorded: Selectmen did not change the earlier commitment at the meeting; they asked to be kept informed as the COG moves into study and outreach phases.