Markeshia Ricks Photo
State Rep. Dillon inspects a crack in Cheryl Jackson’s house.
The State Bond Commission has approved Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s recommendation to release $1 million to provide grants to homeowners in Westville and Woodbridge to fix their sinking homes.
Last year, New Haven’s legislative delegation asked the state to borrow about $4 million for the “Flooded Home Bond Authorization” for structural assessments and repairs to homes that have experienced flooding and sinking damage and are in the immediate vicinity of the West River and adjacent to the Yale Golf Course in Upper Westville and the Beverly Hills neighborhood.
On Friday, the bond commission approved the release of what is expected to be the first traunch of those funds.
New Haven State Rep. Pat Dillon, with the support of Westville Alders Richard Furlow and Darryl Brackeen Jr., worked to get her legislative colleagues to authorize the $4 million in last year’s budget. She said that now that the commission had made its decision, work can begin helping the affected homeowners. (Read more about those efforts here and here.)
“This is an ongoing project that started 14 years ago,” she said. “It took a while to make the case and there was initially some skepticism, but this is the second time we succeeded in getting some dollars.”
When the problem of sinking homes and flooding was first discovered in the Beverly Hills section of the city, Dillon, and then-Sen. Toni Harp, successfully asked for the state to bond $2 million to help neighbors at risk of losing their homes. It took several years but the state eventually came through with $1.5 million, which went to 35 homeowners in Woodbridge and Westville.
“This can provide real relief for homeowners,” Dillon said. “I’m really pleased.”
Upper Westville Alder Darryl Brackeen said while he’s grateful that the $1 million is coming from the state he believes that the state should be “much more aggressive about this impending environmental crisis.” A new sinkhole has formed in the last week.
“To have been advocating for this issue for 14 years and only produce $2 million in total is not even close to rectifying this issue,” he said.
The 2018 Agenda
| Bill # | Status | Summary | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| HB 5001 | In Committee Died on the Floor | To impose a fee on transactions involving virtual currency. | Pat Dillon |
| HB 5031 SB 4 | In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed Gov. Signed | To allow students to have equal access to institutional financial aid. | Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee |
| HB 5082 | In Committee Committee Approved Died on the Floor | To provide state funds to assist hurricane victims from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who are living in Connecticut. | Juan Candelaria |
| HB 5126 | In Committee Died on the Floor | To increase funding to boards of education and family resource centers that provide assistance to students and families from Puerto Rico. | Juan Candelaria |
| HB 5112 | In Committee Sent to the Floor Died on the Floor | To permit the retail sale of marijuana and tax such sale to raise revenue for the General Fund and to fund substance abuse treatment, prevention, education and awareness programs. | Juan R. Candelaria, Angel Arce, Josh Elliott, Steven J. Stafstrom, Jeff Currey, Susan M. Johnson, Chris Soto, Patricia A. Dillon, Roland J. Lemar, James M. Albis, Christopher Rosario, Kim Rose, Robyn A. Porter, Edwin Vargas, Matthew Lesser, Gregory Haddad, Joshua Malik Hall, Ezequiel Santiago, Diana S. Urban, Toni E. Walker, Robert Sanchez, Alphonse Paolillo |
| SB 1 | In Committee Died on the Floor | To expand the sick leave program to provide earned family and medical leave to certain individuals employed in this state. | Martin M. Looney, Bob Duff, Timothy D. Larson, Steve Cassano, Beth Bye, Terry B. Gerratana, Gary A. Winfield, Ted Kennedy, Catherine A. Osten, Marilyn V. Moore, Edwin A. Gomes, Mae Flexer |
| SB 62 | In Committee Died on the Floor | To provide tuition-free community college for Connecticut residents. | Martin M. Looney |
| HB 5182 | In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Died on the Floor | To require building officials in certain municipalities to establish and assess a fee for the commencement of certain work without a necessary permit. | Planning and Development Committee |
| HB 5210 | In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed | To (1) mandate insurance coverage of essential health benefits, (2) expand mandated health benefits for women, children and adolescents, and (3) expand mandated contraception benefits. | Insurance and Real Estate Committee |
| HB 5084 | In Committee Died on the Floor | To encourage the recycling of nip bottles that otherwise frequently litter urban areas. | Roland J. Lemar and Juan R. Candelaria |
| HB 5350 HB 5537 | In Committee Committee Denied Sent to the Floor Died on the Floor | To create a pilot program for shared solar facilities at municipal airports. The bill also would delete the provision that dictates the length of Tweed Airport’s runway. | Energy and Technology Committee |
| HB 5475 | In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed | To amend statutory provisions concerning a police officer’s viewing of a recording from body-worn recording equipment under certain circumstances. | Judiciary Committee |
| HB 5515 | In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed | To permit a zoning commission to regulate the brightness and illumination of advertising signs and billboards. | Judiciary Committee |
| HB 5540 | In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Died on the Floor | To ban guns without serial numbers and regulate those which are sold in a form requiring the purchaser to finish assembly or that are homemade and to permit local authorities to interview immediate family members as part of a determination of an applicant’s suitability. | Judiciary Committee |
| HB 5542 | In Committee Committee Approved Sent to the Floor Passed | To ban the sale or transfer, possession, manufacturing or use of bump stocks or other accessories to increase the rate of fire of a firearm. | Judiciary Committee |
By all means let's provide funding to repair Woodbridge and Westville homes and turn a blind eye to homes falling apart in Newhallville, Dixwell, Dwight and the Hill.