NVCOG staff reported on Oct. 24 that the Connecticut Brownfields Land Bank has taken possession of the assets of Kenneytown Hydro Project Inc., enabling the region to advance remediation and dam-removal planning for the Kenneytown site.

Rick Wilgo, NVCOG director, said the land bank acquired the federally regulated project’s assets for $1 and will act as fiduciary for many of the grants used for site investigation and cleanup. “So that's where we're at with that. But we control the site. The land bank controls the site, and we'll operate under the MOA that we have between the Connecticut Brownfields Land Bank and [NVCOG],” he said.

Funding and schedule: Wilgo summarized multiple committed funding sources: roughly $6 million in DECD Brownfields funds, an EPA grant that has already paid about $1.5 million toward investigation, about $3.5 million in congressionally directed spending earmarked for sanitary-sewer work in Seymour (needed before dam removal), and $25 million in state bonding. He said a NOAA grant (federal) has not had all obligated funds released for federal fiscal year 2025; NVCOG is working with federal contacts and the delegation to secure a pending $2.1 million release and the final $8.6 million of the NOAA award. Wilgo said the project schedule for dam removal remains targeted for 2026–27.

Brownfields redevelopment: Ricardo (surname not stated), Brownfields staff, reported several active redevelopment projects. He said 113 Canal Street (part of a 113/125 Canal Street effort) has secured cleanup funding and would yield “30-plus” apartments at 113 and around 90 apartments at 125 Canal Street, with roughly 10% of units designated as affordable and about 1,700 square feet of ground-level commercial space. He also said remediation is complete at 281 Canal Street and the proposed redevelopment would be “100-plus” residential units.

Available programs and deadlines: Staff reminded municipalities about assessment and cleanup grant rounds, EPA loans and expected DECD Brownfields funding anticipated in the next round (expected to open early 2026). NVCOG staff said assessment grants typically range $100,000–$200,000 and cleanup awards and loans have higher maximums (cleanup up to $6 million; EPA loans up to $1 million with favorable terms discussed).

Ending: NVCOG staff said the land-bank acquisition and the mix of federal, state and local funds position the region to advance sanitary and remediation work, supporting planned redevelopment projects on Canal Street and dam-removal work at Kenneytown.