This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
03/21/2017 12:00 AMHeading into the town center from Branford, drivers and pedestrians are welcomed with attractive, paver-lined sidewalks and charming streetlights. Coming in from Morris Cove section of New Haven, the look is a little less refined. Town officials intend to make the west end of Main Street in East Haven look and feel the same as the east side with a project starting this summer.
A $2.7 million commercial revitalization project involves fixing sidewalks and adding new lighting and trash receptacles all the way down Main Street. The town has secured $500,000 in federal grant money and $1.9 million in state grant money, and the town is putting in the remaining $300,000.
Economic Development Director Sal Brancati said that the project is equally about infrastructure and continuity, building on work the town completed a few years ago from High Street to the Town Green, which included changing lighting, fixing sidewalks, and adding benches.
Because of the size and nature of the project, the town volunteered to break it up into three phases. Phase One, which was the Town Hall area of Main Street, is already complete. Phases Two and Three are next, and will take the project from Elm Street to the New Haven town line.
Some specific changes that will be made include changing the current lighting poles on the west side of Main Street to decorative poles that look like the ones in the Town Hall area. United Illuminations and engineers determined that the poles should be placed 90 feet apart to ensure the desired brightness of the area.
High-intensity LED lighting will be installed, which is not only brighter than what is there now, but more energy efficient as well.
Brancati said that residents in the area have been in touch with town officials over the past two years and are extremely supportive of the idea. He said that the residents have been encouraging the town to make sure the project gets done.
“They want to see that end of town look like this side of town,” said Brancati.
Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., hopes that these changes will also make the area look more friendly and inviting for businesses in the area.
“These folks, these businesses on the west side of Main Street are as important as the businesses at the east end,” said Brancati.
Brancati said that the project should not negatively affect businesses and residents in the area at all. He hopes to bring the project in at or under budget.
The biggest concern Brancati has is that there is a 16-week lead time for ordering the lighting fixtures. However, he believes that the dilemma will not stop the town for starting work, saying that he thinks the bases and conduit can be installed before the fixtures arrive.
The next step for the project is to finalize the designs for Phase Two, and once that is complete, the project can go out to bid for contractors. Brancati said he recently met with United Illuminations about ordering the lighting, and is hopeful that work can get started this summer.