The Small Towns Economic Assistance Act Program (STEAP) is intended to fund Phase IV of the Town Center Streetscape Project, which so far has included sidewalk resurfacing, new curbs, lighting and enhancements to pedestrian safety on Main Street.
Councilor Kristine Nasinnyk said the new grant will mean "turning the corner, going down Market Square and continuing to improve the streetscape."
Fellow councilor Myra Cohen expressed concern that the grant will in fact be used for Market Square and not diverted to the nearby Constitution Square project championed by Mayor Jeffrey Wright, as was an earlier grant. The mayor said it would be used for its accepted purpose.
The council also honored Kathy Morgan as Newington's 2009-10 Teacher of the Year. She is a kindergarten teacher at Anna Reynolds Schools. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in elementary education from Central Connecticut State University.
Morgan taught at Ruth L. Chaffee School from 1974-76, took a leave to raise her family, and returned to teach at Chaffee in 1990. She is also involved in strategic planning with the Board of Education and is a member of the Connecticut Education Association, the National Education Association, and the Parent-Teacher Association. In the past, she's received the William P. Ward Humanitarian Award and the Louis A. Pillsbury Certificate of Achievement in Economic Education. During the public portion of the meeting, more than a dozen people asked the council to take action to preserve Cedar Mountain as open space. If the town can find money for development projects, it ought to be able to find money to save the mountain, said Maureen Klett, who is currently running for the council.
The issue was not on the council agenda but various members indicated their interest in helping the town acquire the land. Toll Brothers had petitioned the Town Plan and Zoning Commission (TPZ) for a zone change from commercial to residential to build a 113-unit housing development on a 28.5-acre parcel on the north side of East Cedar Street. Many people turned out at an Oct. 14 TPZ public hearing and the company withdrew the petition.