An image from Seymour's meeting, which was held using Zoom.
SEYMOUR — Sheila O’Malley, the town’s new part-time Economic Development Consultant, gave her first report to the Board of Selectmen during a meeting Jan. 4.
O’Malley, who serves as Ansonia’s full-time economic director and grant writer, was hired by Seymour in November and is being paid $45,000. Her employment officially started in Seymour on Dec. 1.
O’Malley went over a number of grants she is trying to get for Seymour, including a $10 million grant that would be used to help about 200 acres more desirable for development.
O’Malley is teaming with Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, neighboring Beacon Falls, and Haynes Construction (developers/owners of the Quarry Walk mixed use development in Oxford) to apply for the grant.
Haynes owns about 200 acres in the general area behind Stop & Shop on Franklin Street stretching to the Beacon Falls border. There has been talk for years about building an access road so Haynes can develop the property in the same way the company birthed the popular Quarry Walk shopping center in Oxford, which also has a residential component. https://www.liveatquarrywalk.c…
“It definitely would be like a super-sized Quarry Walk because there is over 200 acres,” O’Malley said. “It’s a site that holds magnificent potential for Seymour, Beacon Falls and the entire Valley, and would be a real economic generator.”
O’Malley said the deadline to submit the grant proposal is Jan. 14.
O’Malley is also pursuing a $1 million grant from the state DECD for downtown pedestrian and streetscape improvements, and, with NVCOG, a $500,000 Brownsfield grant that could be used to cleanup contamination at the former Housatonic Wire off Route 67.
O’Malley said NVCOG is applying for the money with several other towns onboard, including Ansonia.
Seymour hasn’t had an active economic development person nor grant writer since 2017.
“We’re thrilled about having Sheila driving the town’s economic development efforts,” First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis said. “She was able to hit the ground running and we’re excited to see the progress she can help us make towards our economic development goals. We’re also very excited about the possibility of bringing in substantial grant funding.”
