Sandy Hook Center Streetscape Project To Start Soon

By Andrew Gorosko

Soon after Labor Day, workers will start a streetside beautification project along a section of Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook Center, with the goal of attracting more visitors to economically stimulate the area.

About 25 people connected with the Sandy Hook Streetscape Project gathered August 26 on a lawn in front of Newtown United Methodist Church at 92 Church Hill Road for groundbreaking ceremonies for the work, which has been in the planning stages since mid-2001.

LRM, Inc, of 57 Church Hill Road been has awarded a bid in the amount of $317,646 to perform the construction.

Rob Manna of LRM said he expects work will be completed in about three months.

Workers will begin the beautification project on the south side of Church Hill Road, starting in front of 100 Church Hill Road and working westward to the Methodist church. When the south side of the street is complete, workers will shift the project to the north side of the street, starting work at the Subway sandwich shop and then progressing westward to Church Hill Road’s intersection with Dayton Street, Mr Manna said. Five workers will make the improvements.

On the recommendation of Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker, the town has opted to omit an approximately $42,400 component of the streetscape project, which involves the construction of a pedestrian plaza in front of Sandy Hook Wine and Liquor at 102 Church Hill Road. Until the town can reach an easement agreement with Pootatuck Properties, Inc, to improve that area, plans will remain on hold for the construction of a pedestrian plaza there. That area is now used for perpendicular parking.

The streetscape project includes the installation of new sidewalks, curbing, trees, decorative street lighting, crosswalks, and paint striping for parallel parking, plus landscaping elements. The five-foot-wide concrete sidewalks will simulate red bricks.

Landscape architect Jane Didona of Didona Associates of Danbury oversaw the project’s design.

Beyond the Church Hill Road beautification work, future improvements are planned for the sections of Glen Road, Riverside Road, and Washington Avenue, which extend outward from the four-way intersection of those streets.

The overall streetscape project is expected to cost $1.25 million, which will be jointly covered by federal, state, and town funds. The federal share for the work would be $620,000; the state will cover $475,000 of the costs; and the town will assume the remaining $155,000.