Norwich mayor in final State of the City highlights $200 million wastewater project, downtown redevelopment and school construction

Mayor Peter Albert Nystrom delivered his final State of the City address on Jan. 21, outlining ongoing and planned projects intended to spur downtown redevelopment, upgrade utilities and expand school capacity.

Nystrom said the Norwich Public Utilities wastewater treatment plant, a $200,000,000 investment now more than a year into construction, will improve water quality in the Thames River and Long Island Sound and is the largest construction project in the city. "When complete, this project will go a long, long way toward improving water quality in the Thames River and Long Island Sound," he said.

The mayor described multiple downtown redevelopment projects moving forward, including conversion of the former YMCA building for private use by Madryn Construction; the Hotel Callista reopening the former Elks building; and the Reed and Hughes project progressing toward occupancy. He also credited the Norwich Community Development Corporation (NCDC) and state grants for recent Brownfield cleanup funding that supports reuse of a charter school property, saying the city secured $2,300,000 and an additional $1,800,000 to repurpose part of that site.

Nystrom said the city received an $11,390,000 state grant through the Community Investment Fund (CIF) to support infrastructure work at the Aachen Industrial Center and that NCDC and Norwich Public Utilities have provided early funding for preliminary work on that site. He noted NPU is investing federal dollars to modernize water and natural gas infrastructure and said the city’s electric rates are substantially below investor-owned utilities, an economic advantage for prospective businesses.

The mayor addressed school construction and transportation projects as major fiscal challenges ahead, and he said removing contested properties for the West Main Street roundabout project is affecting local businesses. He also urged the council and community to evaluate school finances and to press the General Assembly for resources that would reduce out-of-district placements for special education students.

Nystrom raised the police station as an issue voters may decide in November. "We have a large decision to make next fall in November, whether we have a new police station or not," he said, adding the city previously purchased a bank property to lock in a price of $800,000 after an earlier estimate of $1,600,000.

Nut graf: The address framed several long-running capital projects — utilities modernization, downtown redevelopment and school construction — as central to the city’s near-term agenda and financial planning, while flagging an upcoming police station referendum as a major civic choice.

Council and staff reaction: Nystrom thanked state and federal legislators for recent support and praised local leaders and nonprofit partners by name for their roles in housing, business development and social services.

Ending: Nystrom closed by asking the council to join him in making his final year in office productive and collaborative and invited continued attention to the projects he described.