New Haven Gets $50K Grant For Mill River Trail Urban Green Space

NEW HAVEN, CT —Among the $700,000 in grant funding for urban green space by the Lamont administration announced today is $50,000 for the Mill River Trail Urban Green Space in Fair Haven.

The state is awarding a total of $6.2 million in funding to protect and preserve open space lands across Connecticut, including $5.5 million to support 29 grants toward the purchase of nearly 3,000 acres of land, plus an additional 5 grants totaling more than $700,000 for distressed communities to promote the use of open space in urban settings.

New Haven's grant is in the latter category.

The grants are authorized under the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program and the Urban Green and Community Garden Program, which are administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and assist local governments, land trusts, and water companies in purchasing land to protect as open space. These open spaces have tremendous value for the state by protecting wildlife habitat, offering recreation opportunities, and protecting ecosystems that are sequestering carbon.

The Mill River Trail Urban Green Space project at Haven & Exchange Streets in Fair Haven will receive funding for "a visible and accessible entrance" to the Mill River Trail by converting four blocks of degraded roadway and vacant land into a linear trail and green stormwater-capture park.

According to Lamont, the entrance will provide community access to the city-built Mill River Trail to the north, the recently upgraded Criscuolo Park to the south, and to the Mill River. This project will include the removal of degraded pavement and invasive plants, construction of a pervious trail system and park entrance, and installation of interpretive signage and benches.

Modifications to the site include the replacement of more than 104,000 square feet of impervious surface with a more natural landscape and management and diversion of more than 2.4 million gallons of storm water each year. Green infrastructure will also reduce persistent flooding at the adjacent John S. Martinez School playground.

“Our administration has set high goals to mitigate the effects of climate change and implement policies that better preserve our air, water, and natural resources,” Lamont said in a news release announcing the grants. “This program is an important component of preserving some of the best and most beautiful land in the world, and by partnering with our municipalities and nonprofits we can ensure that these valuable resources are preserved in perpetuity for generations to come.”

Today’s projects bring the total land in Connecticut designated as state or local open space to more than 512,000 acres – approximately more than three quarters of the way toward the state’s goal of having 673,210 acres designated as open space. DEEP’s 2021 grant rounds for both of these grant programs are now underway, with applications due by September 30, 2021. These programs use funding from the Community Investment Act and state bond funds and require matches by the grant recipient and stipulations that the land be protected by a conservation and public recreation easement, ensuring that the property is forever protected for public use and enjoyment. Projects are evaluated by statutorily defined parameters and ranked, according to natural resource and recreational value, and natural area resiliency and adaptation to mitigate climate change. Updated applications for the 2021 grant round are available on DEEP’s Open Space website.

“Open space is key to ensuring a bright economic future for our state,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “These natural assets are valuable as we attract and retain residents who are increasingly looking for varied recreational opportunities where they work, play, and live. No single entity can accomplish the critical goal of protecting our lands with significant conservation values now and for future generations. We need continued cooperation of land trusts, our towns and cities, and conservation-minded citizens to build upon existing and form new partnerships and new approaches to protecting open space.”