Connecticut’s Commissioner of Revenue Services Mark Boughton recently visited Greenwich to tour three sites: Holly Hill, aka the dump; a dam on the Byram River in Pemberwick and the bridge on Route 1 at the juncture of Greenwich and Port Chester by Carvel.
Boughton is the senior advisor to Governor Lamont for Infrastructure.
All three sites have potential to receive federal infrastructure money.
State Representatives Rachel Khanna (D-149), Steve Meskers (D-150), and Hector Arzeno (D-151) joined Mr. Boughton and town officials to tour the sites that may be eligible for federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Along with the House delegation were Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo, Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan, DPW Commissioner Amy Siebert, Deputy Commissioner Jim Michel, and Director of Emergency Management Joe Laucella.
“While this is just a first step in the process, I’m pleased with the progress made to identify potential projects in Greenwich that would benefit from the infrastructure grants, so that we can make necessary capital improvements,” Rep Khanna said. “I thank Commissioner Boughton for taking the time to visit Greenwich.”
State Rep Meskers said, “I want to thank Rep Khanna for organizing this visit from our Commissioner of the Dept of Revenue Services and our infrastructure czar Mark Boughton. Our House Delegation has worked tirelessly in support of our community and invited the commissioner to help inform our town leaders of the opportunities for both state and federal assistance. The last round of local budgeting left many important projects unfunded including schools, flood mitigation, library enhancements, and firefighting equipment. We hope this collaboration will help us move forward.”
State Rep Arzeno said, “I am pleased to be part of a House Delegation that works together in the best interest of our town of Greenwich and in support of the wishes of our constituencies for long overdue capital improvements.”
Arzeno said the Holly Hill visit was timely given the move toward separating out organic waste from trash, which is an issue given Connecticut is one of the states that exports most of its waste.
“And with the closing of the Hartford incinerator, it means we are exporting waste to Ohio and Pennsylvania,” Arzeno said. “That is not economically efficient in the long run. We have got to improve the way we manage waste in our state.”
The next steps include Greenwich officials working with Commissioner Boughton’s office to apply for available grants.
