The state’s bonding commission approved projects Friday in Ansonia, Derby and Seymour.
Derby is receiving just under $3 million for athletic fields.
The money will be used for a new, 8‑lane rubberized track and artificial football/soccer field at the Leo F. Ryan Athletic Complex on Chatfield Street. A new field house will be constructed there as well. Click here for more info.
In addition, Derby will build a new baseball field. The exact location has not been determined, though Witek Park in east Derby has been eyed previously, along with the Bradley School.
School Superintendent Matthew Conway has said he’ll hold meetings with the public to get input for the location of the baseball field.
A large contingent of Derby students and officials traveled to Hartford Friday to watch Gov. Dannel Malloy and the state’s bonding commission in action.
Seymour received $98,170 for the installation of an elevator lift at the Emil Senger American Legion Post #10. Click here for a press release.
Ansonia received $381,000 to be used for improvements at the city’s school buildings. Click here for a press release.
State Rep. Vin Candelora spoke against the borrowing in general, and voted no to all the items on the bonding commission’s agenda.
He said the state is borrowing too much.
“It’s not that I’m criticizing each individual one, it’s just the overall philosophy that I do have on where we are as a state,” the Republican representative from the 86th House District said.
Candelora said the state has some $7.7 billion in approved projects that have not been funded.
Gov. Malloy then paid Candelora a back-handed compliment, saying his stance was “noble, except that in the end, you’re still trying to have it both ways.”
The governor said the legislature packs with bonding commission’s agenda with an endless list, knowing there’s no way the bonding commission can approve all of them.
“You want to agree that these are projects that are necessary and supportive of economic development or our community development, but you also want to be able to stake out a position based on monies being authorized by the legislature in a number that you and I know will never be spent,” Malloy said.
Candelora said he wanted to get funding in line with priorities.
