State Advances $1.6 Million Grant for Stratford’s Bruce Brook Flood Mitigation Project

Mayor Hoydick, Sen. Kelly, Reps. Gresko, McGorty, and Young Applaud Grant Through the Community Investment Fund

STRATFORD – Mayor Laura Hoydick and the Stratford legislative delegation, including Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly, Representative Ben McGorty, Representative Joe Gresko, and Representative Phil Young, are applauding the State’s Community Investment Fund 2030 (CIF) board’s advancement of a $1.6 million state investment in Stratford’s Bruce Brook Flood Mitigation Project. The award was advanced at Tuesday’s meeting of the CIF board, on which Senator Kelly serves as a member. The grant award now awaits final sign off by the Governor.

The grant will support the town’s efforts to reduce flooding by engineering and constructing improvements to the Bruce Brook network of pipes, culverts and channels. The area to be improved by the proposed project is a densely populated, residential and commercial area that is well known for having suffered property damage from severe flooding for decades.

“We have been working to develop plans to reduce flooding in neighborhoods along Bruce Brook for many years.  We are grateful for this funding opportunity which will allow us to continue improvements to our infrastructure that will protect citizens and businesses from rainwater flooding.” said Mayor Hoydick. “I thank the state legislature’s new Community Investment Fund directors and Governor Lamont for recognizing the importance of this project for our residents, and my compliments to Town Engineer John Casey who is leading the development of the project.”

“I’m proud of Stratford and our legislative delegation working together to advocate for this investment to further our town’s efforts to reduce flooding and property damage for many residents,” said Senator Kevin Kelly who serves on the CIF board. “This project is focused on promoting environmental justice, protecting residents, and improving quality of life and community development.  The Community Investment Fund was developed and passed with bipartisan support to foster economic development in historically underserved communities across the state. I thank CT’s Department of Economic and Community Development and my colleagues who serve alongside me on the CIF board for recognizing the value and importance of this project to residents in both Stratford and Bridgeport.”

“It is truly great that Stratford has been selected for the initial round of funding by the Community Investment Fund,” said State Representative Ben McGorty. “Through their work and the help of dedicated state and local leaders, Stratford’s community will continue to grow and benefit from this investment for years to come. Thank you to everyone who was involved and helped strengthen our great town.”

“I am thrilled that Stratford was selected as a recipient in this first round of funding. This grant will allow our town to make renovations that will strengthen our community now and in the future. Thank you again to the CIF board for their support,” said State Representative Phil Young.

“This is phase one of a multi-year project and I thank Speaker Ritter for keeping Stratford a priority over the next five years to completion,” said State Representative Joe Gresko. “This project funding is of particular importance as we deal with sea level rise and resiliency.”

The town will provide $2.4 million and has already invested $775,000 for Phase 1 including study, property acquisitions, design, and permitting.

Stratford is a Public Investment Community, and the proposed water infrastructure capital improvement project promotes economic and community development. It furthers fair treatment of all individuals, fosters livable neighborhoods, solves a difficult economic issue with an innovative solution.

The Community Investment Fund is a statewide program authorized in Section 32-285a of the Connecticut General Statutes. Grants may be awarded to Municipalities designated in state law as Public Investment Communities or Alliance Districts, community development corporations which serve one or more eligible municipalities, and not-for-profit organizations which serve one or more eligible municipalities. Eligible projects must consistently and systematically advance fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved and marginalized communities.

The Bruce Brook Flood Mitigation project will reduce the frequency and severity of rainwater flooding and resulting property damage. Sage Avenue, West Avenue, Boew, Graham, and Bruce Avenues are the affected areas in three census tracts. Each has a portion designated by FEMA as a Special Flood Hazard Area. The proposed solution is a four-phase water infrastructure capital improvement project. The project will increase waterway capacity of channels and culverts from US Rt 1 to Barnum Ave, where relief culverts are located, and then further south to the Metro North railroad just shy of state Rt 130. The project will be designed to protect against a 50 year rain event. The street serves as the boundary between the Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, and will benefit both communities.

The town previously in 2003 completes a Master Drainage study, in 2009 a Hydrology Report of the Watershed detailed the causes and provided possible solutions. The town implemented projects in 2017 to reduce flooding, and also acquired two properties from the City of Bridgeport to facilitate the implementation of Phase 1 of this project.