Meriden authorizes application for up to $4 million EPA brownfields grant for 144 Pratt Street

Meriden — The finance committee on Jan. 8 authorized the city manager to submit an application and accept funds, if awarded, from the EPA Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization for remediation and redevelopment of 144 Pratt Street.

City Manager Brian Daniels told the committee the EPA opportunity has a short window and is restricted to municipally owned brownfields planned for parks or other public green space. "The maximum you can apply for is $4,000,000," Daniels said, and he described the grant as highly competitive and tightly scoped.

The 144 Pratt Street parcel—formerly the mill site and currently a staging area tied to the Harbor Brook flood‑control work—has been included in the city’s capital improvements program for several years. Daniels said the council previously approved roughly $6 million in CIP funding across multiple fiscal years for the four‑acre project; design drawings are about 60% complete. Earlier cost estimates from 2021 were about $8.9 million; current engineering revisions put the estimate in the low‑to‑mid $8 million range, excluding contingencies.

Daniels said the proposed redevelopment will meet permit obligations for additional stormwater retention while creating public green space with pathways, plantings and bridges over Harbor Brook. He emphasized that the resolution only authorizes application and acceptance of grant funds and does not obligate new local funding beyond amounts already committed to the CIP.

The committee voted to authorize the city manager to apply for the EPA brownfields grant and to accept award funds if granted, and staff said they would schedule a public meeting and separate public‑comment record consistent with grant requirements prior to application filing.