Chamber chooses Hess for Dibble Award

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Naugatuck Mayor N. Warren ‘Pete’ Hess will receive the Lewis A. Dibble Sr. Award from the Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce. –FILE PHOTO

NAUGATUCK — The Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce will present Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess with the Lewis A. Dibble Sr. Award at its annual meeting in January.

The award is named after the man who founded the Naugatuck Chamber in 1921.

“The mission of the Dibble Award is to honor someone who promotes the economic wellbeing of Naugatuck and has the best interests of the borough at heart,” Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce and Waterbury Regional Chamber of Commerce Director of Public Policy and Economic Development David Krechevsky said.

The annual meeting is Jan. 10 at the Crystal Room, 98 School St., and begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person.

Krechevsky said the chamber chose Hess for the award because of his accomplishments before becoming mayor and since taking office in 2015.

“He has always been involved in borough and he wants to improve it. He has already accomplished a significant amount in his first term. He has more planned that, if it comes together, will be significant for the borough,” Krechevsky said.

Hess began his law career in 1974 and opened the Law Offices of N. Warren Hess III in 1978. He has worked as legal counsel for Naugatuck and the Region 16 school district, which oversees schools in Beacon Falls and Prospect.

During his first term as mayor, Hess oversaw the opening of The Station Restaurant at the former train station on Water Street and the creation of the Naugatuck Event Center at the former General DataComm Building on Rubber Avenue. He also started a series of downtown festivals that have been popular with residents.

Hess is working on a plan with Pan Am Railways to build an intermodal transportation hub on the former on Elm Street, and he has been working with the state Department of Transportation to get more frequent train service on the Waterbury branch of the Metro-North Railroad.

Hess did not return messages seeking a comment. In an interview with the Republican-American, Hess told the newspaper that he was humbled to receive the award and to be included with the previous great recipients.

“I was born and raised in Naugatuck, I love Naugatuck and I will always strive to do the best I can do to improve Naugatuck and to live up to the award, which I personally think is premature because I’ve got a long way to go in my agenda for the town,” Hess said.

Krechevsky said it’s beneficial to Naugatuck to have an elected leader that is concerned about residents and business owners in the borough.

“This day and age it is always great to have an elected official that understands the importance of a vibrant business community,” Krechevsky said.

For more information or to register for the annual meeting, visit www.naugatuckchamber.com or call 203-729-4511.

1 COMMENT

  1. What a pile of steaming horse shi_ organization and reward.
    The only accomplishment the people of Naugatuck are waiting for is to lower the Mill rate. Totally insignificant .