Bond Commission OKs grant for cleanup at GDC property

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An aerial view of the General DataComm property in downtown Naugatuck.  –RA ARCHIVE
An aerial view of the General DataComm property in downtown Naugatuck. –RA ARCHIVE

NAUGATUCK — The state Bond Commission released funding Sept. 27 for a $975,000 grant to aid in the environmental cleanup at the General DataComm property on Rubber Avenue.  

The borough has purchased the roughly 12-acre site for $2 million. The site is viewed by officials as a key parcel for the redevelopment of downtown.

The grant, which had been awarded to the borough in May, will be used on parts of the property which need remediation regardless of what is built on them, Naugatuck Mayor Robert Mezzo said. 

The grant will come from the state’s brownfield remediation program.

The exact scope and cost of environmental remediation on the property will depend on the site plan that is eventually approved. The parcel with the four-story building, still occupied by the communications technology company, and the adjacent parking lot contain soil and groundwater contamination, according to a Phase III environmental assessment that the Willimantic-based consulting firm AKRF completed last year.

State Rep. Rosa Rebimbas (R-70) said, in a press release, she was pleased the funds had been approved.

“I’m happy Naugatuck was included in this round of funding to remediate and revitalize one of the brownfield properties left over from the borough’s industrial past,” Rebimbas said. “Cleaning up contaminated properties and returning them to useful purposes is a good investment for Naugatuck and the state.”

The agenda for the state Bond Commission is set by Gov. Dannel Malloy.

“We’re very grateful that he identified a need in Naugatuck and recognized remediation is critical to our downtown development,” Mezzo said.