The State Bond Commission is expected to approve around $570 million in borrowing on Friday, including around $71 million for a new courthouse in Torrington and nearly $40 million for business assistance programs.
The biggest chunk of bonding, $300 million, will finance the state’s share of payments on local school renovation and construction projects.
The new Litchfield Judicial District Court building to be built in Torrington has been in the works at the state Judicial Branch for almost 40 years, according to a press release from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office.
Construction on the new building will be begin in July. Court functions in the Lichfield district are currently housed in four separate buildings.
“Though it’s taken more than a generation, I’m proud that we could move this project forward and begin the necessary work of building a twenty-first century courthouse,” Malloy said in a statement. “By consolidating operations into one facility, we can save taxpayers time and make operations more efficient.”
The new 174,000-square-foot building will include eight courtrooms and 384 parking spaces, according to the press release. The Lichfield District’s civil, criminal, family and juvenile court services will be contained in the new facility. The total cost of the project will be more than $80 million.
Meanwhile, the state is releasing about $39.5 million to the Economic and Community Development Department to pay out in business assistance programs.
The commission will authorize the department to pay $10 million to the Lee Company in Westbrook, $6.5 million to Cartus Corporation in Danbury, $6 million to NBC Sports in Stamford, $5 million to Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Stamford, $1.25 million to A-1 Machining Company in New Britain, and $750,000 to Neeltran Inc. in New Milford.
Each company has agreed to different job creation obligations as part of an agreement with the state to be eligible for the funding. Both NBC and Starwood have previously received state assistance.
DECD will receive an additional $10 million to continue funding the state’s Small Business Express Program, which gives grants and low-interest loans to small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The program was created during a special session on jobs in 2011 when the legislature authorized $100 million for small businesses.
The Bond Commission is expected to release more than $7 million to the Emergency Services and Public Protection Department. The agency, which houses the State Police, will use the money to fund the first phase of a $19.5 million project to replace and upgrade its radio communication systems.
The $7 million will pay to replace dispatch equipment at state police troops and headquarters as well as purchasing more than 200 mobile radios and other communication upgrades.
The panel is also expected to authorize $10 million in borrowing to reimburse municipalities for projects like improving or repaving roadways.
Other projects include $2.5 million to continuing financing a state program to remove asbestos and other hazardous materials from buildings owned by the state, and more than $5 million to finance repairs and improvements to state-owned dams in the towns of Lebanon and Haddam.
The Bond Commission will also release more than $9.2 million to Malloy’s Office of Policy and Management to help bankroll a host of small, local projects in towns including Bloomfield, Bridgeport, Torrington, Middletown, Burlington, Guilford, Hartford, Falls River, Branford, Danbury, Plainville, Southington, and Stratford.
