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Simsbury to apply for state brownfield grant for Wagner Ford site; town would act as applicant
Summary
Selectmen authorized a grant application to the Connecticut DECD Brownfield Remediation program seeking $450,000 to support soil remediation at the former Wagner Ford site; the grant is reimbursement-based and would require the town to be the municipal applicant
The Board of Selectmen voted on Feb. 10 to authorize the town manager to submit a Municipal Brownfield Grant application to the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development to support remediation on property at 1263–1285 Hop Meadow Street (the Wagner Ford site).
Tom Fitzgerald and planning staff said the town would serve as the municipal applicant because the DECD Municipal Brownfield program requires a municipal applicant; the developer that controls the site would carry out the remediation work. The application request discussed at the meeting was $450,000 for soil remediation; DECD’s municipal grant program has a statutory minimum of $200,000 and a maximum of $4 million.
Town staff noted the grant is a reimbursement program: eligible remediation work must be performed after the state executes its contract with the town and the applicant submits invoices for reimbursement. Town officials said they would confirm program reporting and compliance requirements, including any deed or completion conditions, and would seek details from DECD about prevailing-wage or contractor requirements as the application moves forward.
A spokeswoman for the planning team said timing would follow DECD’s schedule (applications due in March; awards expected in mid-June to early July) and cautioned that any remediation costs incurred prior to a signed contract would not be eligible for reimbursement.
Why it matters: The former auto-dealership parcel is a candidate for redevelopment; state brownfield funds could lower remediation costs and make redevelopment more feasible. If awarded, the grant would be administered by the town as the municipal applicant and reimburse the developer for eligible remediation work.
Town Manager Mark Nelson: “We thought about the 12 63 12 85 Hot Meadow Street, which is the Wagner Ford site.”
