Town officials have been busy seeking grant monies for several construction projects across Madison over the last year. Their efforts are paying off for the town’s new emergency shelter. The State Bond Commission has approved $500,000 for a backup generator at Polson Middle School, where the new shelter will be sited.

State officials, including Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz and State Senator Christine Cohen (District 12), were on hand last week to present the town with this crucial funding. The projected final cost for the generator purchase and installation will be in excess of $3 million, according to town officials, and this grant will, along with previous funding, now cover almost half of that projected cost.

In early 2023, Polson Middle School was chosen as the best location for the town’s emergency shelter, moving from the previous location at the Town Campus Gym. The current site on the Town Campus has numerous deficits, including being situated in a flood-prone area, limited amenities, and a lack of air conditioning, town officials claim.

First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons praised state officials, including Governor Ned Lamont, stating the grant is a critical component in the town’s vision for the new emergency shelter, which the Board of Selectmen has marked as a priority.

“As a coastal community, we continue to see a significant rise in storm-related events that require us to provide greater emergency services. Establishing a new emergency shelter at Polson Middle School will allow us to offer an improved shelter facility, better services, and more amenities before, during, and after severe storm events. This funding will supplement the $1 million grant we received from the federal government last year and help offset some of the costs to Madison taxpayers associated with installing an emergency generator at the new shelter. We are also grateful to State Senator Christine Cohen and State Representative John-Michael Parker for their strong advocacy for this important infrastructure project and for all they do to make Madison a more resilient community."

Lyons added, “Right now, the shelter at the town campus gym has limited facilities. There’s no food service facilities; it’s not air-conditioned; the bathroom facilities are limited in the number of people we could serve, so this will make Polson Middle School ideal for an emergency shelter. Polson is just a bigger and better facility.”

Lyons cited a winter storm last year that hit Madison in late December, causing a significant area of power outages in town, as an example of why the board considers this project a priority.

“These recurring and extended power outages are a real concern. The one last year that was just two or three days before Christmas, temperatures were in the teens. Fortunately, they did a very quick restoration for a lot of the town, but we had a group of people who were out of power for multiple days with no heat…and that was a relatively small storm. That shows you that if we had a more widespread power outage in the middle of winter, that’s going to be a real problem,” Lyons said. “A lot of times, some of our most affected citizens are our most vulnerable residents, our senior citizens. They’re the people who maybe don’t have family close by to assist them, nor the means to run a generator, perhaps. So, they need somewhere to go to keep warm and be safe. When storms hit us in warmer months, people may be able to sleep at home, but they need a place to take a shower, charge their phones, maybe get a hot meal.”

Lyons also emphasized the impact that the grant and a previous federal grant will have on Madison taxpayers.

“This is important for the town because it’s going to help offset the cost of establishing an emergency shelter at Polson. We were fortunate last year to receive $1 million from the federal government for this. It is an expensive project, so the more grant money we can receive from state and federal funds, the more local taxpayer dollars we will save to fund it,” Lyons said. “The other positive thing about doing this at Polson is that while we go through the process of upgrading the HVAC system, we can bundle the two projects together so that we are handling this in the most cost-effective manner and be the least disruptive. We are grateful for this opportunity and very thankful for the support of the state in moving this project forward.”

At a ceremony earlier this month, which included selectmen Jen Gordon and Al Goldberg, Bysiewicz said the money is indeed vital for towns such as Madison that lie in a flood and storm-prone area.

“The most important job of any elected official is first and foremost maintaining public safety,” Bysiewicz said. “That’s what we are here to talk about…this can be challenging for towns. Madison is a town of 18,000 people, and we’ve had power outages here; there’s been flooding and weather events where shelter was needed. So, the Governor and I are very happy to be announcing this investment in Madison….to make sure that if the power goes out, people can access a warm place that has power….and stay safe. We appreciate the great leadership in Madison.”

Cohen also noted the savings to taxpayers and Hartford’s willingness to support small-town infrastructure projects.

“This is a real testament to first Selectwoman Lyons and the entire Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education for coming together and recognizing, as a town, the need for this type of planning,” Cohen said. “(T)hese leaders here really recognize the need of this town to invest, not only to invest in infrastructure but recognizing this is an investment in resiliency and safety for the town and really for the region.”

Emergency Management Director Sam Deburra said the funding is critical for his department in supporting its mission to protect residents when circumstances are most dire.

“This is very exciting to receive this additional money for the generator,” said Deburra. “Being able to move our shelter over to Polson allows us to not only increase capacity but to increase amenities, such as showering facilities and cooking facilities. It is a great opportunity for us, and it will good for the town.”

According to Lyons, the ultimate construction time for the new emergency shelter has a number of variables that make it difficult to precisely predict the project’s completion date.

“We are looking 12 to 24 months out. Generators are on backorder, and it can take 12 to 18 months 1just to get the generator. We have seen some recoveries in the supply chain, but that (generators) is not one that we’ve seen,” Lyons said. “We care also coordinating with the work that is going on at the school. We have to look at the timing of that, and unfortunately, a lot of times, you want to limit that to the summer months, so it might take two years before we actually get this fully implemented.”