Suffield Selectmen Announce $250,000 STEAP Grant

The Suffield Board of Selectmen announced the receipt of a $250,000 STEAP grant for road improvements and repair on Harvey Lane at their meeting at the Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association on Wednesday.

The Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant was the highlight of a very short meeting for the board. The grant will pay for repair and improvements to the entire road, which serves C&S Wholesale Grocers and is near the Hood ice cream plant and other businesses on East Street (Route 159) near the Windsor Locks border.

One of the major improvements will be the placement of safety gates on the road where it intersects the railroad tracks that also cross Route 159. The upgrade to the railroad crossing will include the gates on Route 159 as well.

The severe grade of the road, which First Selectman Ed McAnaney called “a very serious problem” for drivers of trucks and other large vehicles that use the road to access C&S and other businesses, will also be addressed.

The grant money is available for two years. McAnaney said it will take some time for the railroad operators to set up the necessary infrastructure for the improvements, so the length of availability will help the process towards a smooth completion.

STEAP grants, administered by the state Office of Policy and Management (OPM), are available to approximately 130 towns in the Connecticut. A total of 61 grants were provided for the 2012 fiscal year. The grants are specifically for capital improvement projects.

To find out more about STEAP grants and other Connecticut towns that received them this fiscal year, visit this link.