Chester, Deep River, and Essex are each seeking an opportunity for grant funding offered by the State of Connecticut through the Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP).

The program, which has not operated since 2016, was re-activated by Governor Ned Lamont to help support municipalities during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they respond to the virus and implement “projects that will give a boost to the economy,” according to a July 9 press release from the governor’s office.

Only capital projects that are “new construction, expansion, renovation, or replacement for an existing facility or facilities” are eligible for STEAP grants, according to the Office of Policy and Management, which coordinates the program.

A total of $15 million was authorized by the State Bond Commission for STEAP in 2020, but towns are capped at applying for projects totaling approximately $128,000 or less, which differs from the hundreds of thousands of dollars that towns have received from the program in prior years.

The boards of selectmen in all three towns were given the authority to apply for STEAP grant funding without going to a town meeting through Lamont’s executive order 7CC and executive order 7S.

Chester

The town of Chester’s STEAP application is for a project that would enable public wi-fi with virus security in the downtown area. The wi-fi would be made available by fitting an adapter on existing streetlights.

Chester First Selectman Lauren Gister discussed the application at an Aug. 26 Board of Selectmen meeting.

“I feel that everything about how we’re living right now has changed because of COVID, sort of putting our push for technology and technological solutions into overdrive, whether it’s education or work or dining or shopping. We don’t have a way to make Chester bigger, but if we make it more connected, then we make it more resilient and [it] supports all facets of the economy,” she said.

Gister said that the new wi-fi capabilities would help anyone in the downtown area with better access to cell phone service and the Internet.

The wi-fi would range from the Post Office to the Chester Meeting House and from the bridge near the Herbery to an area just beyond the Chester Historical Society’s Museum at the Mill. The team putting the grant together is also exploring the possibility of extending the wi-fi to North Quarter Park.

The last year in which Chester received funding under the STEAP grant program was in 2014. That year, the town received $450,000 for the Chester Village Revitalization project.

Deep River

The Town of Deep River’s STEAP application is for an “e-government” project that First Selectman Angus McDonald discussed at the Aug. 25 Board of Selectmen meeting.

The project would include audio-visual cameras and broadcast capacity for the town’s auditorium, “so that even once this COVID is done, we’ll have that auditorium set up so we can continue to offer…more professional remote broadcast capacity in the auditorium,” said McDonald.

Other parts of the project include: (1) a geographic information system (GIS), which is a computer-based tool for individuals to analyze spatial and geographic data, (2) an online land use permitting system and (3) new computers to support these online applications and the camera and broadcast upgrades to the auditorium.

McDonald pointed to the benefits of introducing online capabilities for residents during the pandemic, to adhere to social distancing protocol.

“[The] GIS system goes hand-in-hand with an online land use permitting system. Both of those allow for people to do more of their work outside of the town hall, if that’s the way they want to do that,” said McDonald.

The town’s application would also include a proposal for installation of a permanent restroom at the Deep River Landing, which would be an improvement on the current facilities offered at this location.

Deep River last received STEAP funds in 2013 for $400,000 in capital improvements to Plattwood Park, which included a pavilion accessible to people with disabilities, bathrooms, and associated facilities, among other items.

Essex

Consulting Planner for the Town of Essex John Guszkowski discussed the STEAP funding at the town’s Planning Commission meeting on Aug. 13.

“There wasn’t that much money available for STEAP, only $128,000 per town, and I think that was basically divided up that way to make every eligible town able to get some STEAP money if they applied, which is a fine goal, but what it means is that every town gets a small project rather than, you know, a smaller number of towns getting bigger projects,” said Guszkowski.

The Town of Essex submitted a STEAP application for funds to help with exterior improvements at Spencer’s Corner, the site of an affordable housing project being spearheaded by the non-profit HOPE Partnership, Inc.

“We determined that participating in the work outside to improve parking and safety on the property is a good use for the funds,” said Essex First Selectman Norman Needleman in correspondence with the Courier. “HOPE partnership is doing a great job on this project and the town supports their efforts and we feel this is a small way to show our support.”

Guszkowski indicated that STEAP funds would be used to “redo the parking lot that had to get all torn up to put in septic systems…[It] would include walkways and pedestrian lighting to go between parking lots and the buildings, between the buildings themselves.”

The Town of Essex’s Civic Campus Enhancement Project is highlighted by STEAP as being one of the program’s success stories. Essex received $471,500 in 2013 for this project, which funded the expansion, repair, and improvements to the town’s civic campus at 29 West Avenue.

The deadline for STEAP applications was Aug. 28. The towns will receive a notification from the state in mid-September if they are awarded funding.