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FREE SHELTOLifeN COMMUNITY & BUSINESS NEWS DECEMBER 2019 VOLUME 26, ISSUE 2 H HShelton Stand Up and Be Counted See Story DECEMBER ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS Page 3 2 Valley Regional Adult Education 7 Fire Department Award 18 Valley Community Foundation 3 2020 Census 9 Housatonic Valley Association 21 School News 5 Wildlife in Shelton 13 Shelton History Center 25 Plumb Library Update SHELTON COMMUNITY & BUSINESS NEWS Welcome from the Editor Dear Shelton Residents and Businesses: We are pleased to present the Fall 2019 edi- Greetings! tion of our Shelton Life Newsletter. This citywide Welcome. This is our publication continues to be a terrific source of first issue of Shelton up-to-date business and city news delivered free Life for the Fiscal Year. of charge to our residents and businesses. This We had our first frost. edition has a wonderful blend of articles focus- Leaves are dropping. ing on business success, health & wellness, natu- Shelton Day is done. ral resources, and arts & education, as well as a The Shelton election is over. And, variety of community news that will surely interest our readers. we are back in the business of pro- Economic development and business development continue viding our Shelton citizens helpful at record pace throughout the business corridors along Bridgeport information. This issue highlights Avenue and Shelton’s downtown. Over the last 28 years, the City has the United States Census, as you invested millions of dollars into brownfield remediation along the have seen from our cover. Please length of Canal Street. Today, we are seeing significant private devel- read the article to understand the opment along Canal Street and throughout the downtown corridor as importance of completion. a result. We anticipate multiple mixed-use developments to be under Fred Ruggio, Editor construction throughout 2020. These developments will create over 10,000 square feet of new commercial business spaces and over 100 new residential units which will help enhance the community’s vigor. Please take note of the article on page 3 with respect to the 2020 US Census. The Census, which is mandated by the United States Constitution, is designed to count every individual living within the country. Besides determining the number of seats each state maintains Shelton Life in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Census provides critical data Community & Business News that helps these lawmakers design policies to support residents and further is used to make financial support and public investments that Volume 26, Issue 2 December 2019 support you and your community. Please take the time to respond on behalf of the city. Published by: Economic Development Commission As always, I commend all of our volunteers and, in particular, the Fred Ruggio, Chairman work of the Economic Development Commission on the Shelton c/o Shelton Economic Development Corporation 475 Howe Avenue, Suite 202 Life. Since this edition will be the last for 2019, let me wish all of our Shelton, CT 06484, (203) 924-2521 residents a wonderful Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year to [email protected] • sheltonedc.com www.cityofshelton.org come. Sincerely, Editor Fred Ruggio, Chairman Economic Development Commission Associate Editors Aleta Miner, SEDC Kate Marks Karen McGovern Mark A. Lauretti Pat Carey Mayor, City of Shelton Doug Dempsey In Memory Fred Musante, Sr., (1922-2009) Design & Layout Q Company Communication, Shelton, CT The Balanced Plan for Shelton’s Future Vision to See, Faith to Believe, Courage to Do… © Michael Connelly, “The Closers” 1 SHELTOLifeN COMMUNITY NEWS Valley Regional Adult Education Moves to Belden Cultural Center Valley Regional Adult Education (VRAE) has moved its administrative offices and consoli- dated all of its classrooms to the Richard O. Belden Cultural Center on 54 Grove Street. In the new location there are six dedicated adult education classrooms equipped with smart boards, computers, and printers. The rooms are designed for the adult learner to have stu- dent centered activities that are facilitated by our dedicated instructional team. The move to the Belden Center could not have been pos- sible without support from the City of Shelton and the Mayor. Being in a building with Valley United Way, TEAM, Inc., the Registrar of Voters and Center Stage allows opportunities for the students to connect with resources and learn about ways they can give back to the VRAE staff (L to R) JoAnn Legeza, Michele Mulrain, Fatime Dervishaj, community through volunteerism and voting. Debra Hansen, Lori Pulley, Lori Sanchez VRAE’s move allows for continuity of services for the 54 Grove Street, next school year. In the new location mandated programs which include English as a Second VRAE is able to provide classes and services for students Language (ESL) and the two high school completion throughout the day. VRAE continues to evaluate the programs – GED and Credit Diploma Program (CDP). needs of communities and offers classes that work for Working in conjunction with West Haven Adult the students served. Education, VRAE also offers the National External All adult education academic teachers are certified in Diploma Program (NEDP) for residents to complete their subject area and provide excellent learning oppor- their high school. VRAE offers both day and evening tunities for their students. The program is fortunate to classes for ESL and GED students. Credit Diploma classes have program coordinators who are from the communi- meet in the afternoon and evening. The Citizenship ties VRAE serves and have years of experience in the local program is held at Shelton Intermediate School one school districts. Linda Romano, GED coordinator, and evening a week and will move to the new location, Patricia Stanchfield, CDP coordinator, have assembled strong teams of instructors that continue to work with the students in obtaining their high school diplomas. Lee Wolf oversees the ESL program and the dedicated instruc- tors who provide both day and evening classes in Shelton and an evening class in Monroe. Debra Hansen has been the Director for the past year after serving as an adminis- trator in the Connecticut Technical High School System and Derby Public Schools. Behind the scenes is a dedi- cated staff that supports all of the work being done. Lori Pulley is the office manager, Lori Sanchez is the technolo- gy and enrichment coordinator, JoAnn Legeza is the data manager and Michele Mulrain oversees finances. Valley Regional Adult Education is looking forward to continu- ing its tradition of excellence in serving the residents of Shelton, Ansonia, Derby, Monroe and Seymour. 2019 Graduation Ceremony To contact VRAE call (203) 924-6651. F 2 SHELTON COMMUNITY & BUSINESS NEWS COMMUNITY NEWS United States Census 2020 “I Count” WHAT IS THE 2020 It’s also in the CENSUS? Constitution: Article 1, Section 2, mandates that the Partnership Fact Sheet country conduct a count of The once-a-decade popu- its population once every lation count affects your 10 years. The 2020 Census representation in govern- will mark the 24th time that ment, determines how much the country has counted its funding your community population since 1790. receives, and provides data to Participating in the cen- help you plan for the future. sus is required by law, even Everyone needs to spread the if you recently completed word about the importance another survey from the of the 2020 Census to help Census Bureau. ensure a complete and accu- rate count. The 2020 Census and The 2020 census counts Confidentiality every person living in the 50 Your responses to the 2020 states, District of Columbia, Census are safe, secure, and and five U. S. territories. (Puerto Rico, American protected by federal law. Your answers can only be Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana used to produce statistics - they cannot be used against Islands, Guam, and the U. S. Virgin Islands.) you in any way. By law, (Title 13 of the U. S. Code), The count is mandated by the Constitution and all responses to the U.S. Census Bureau household conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan and business surveys are kept completely confidential. government agency. Each home will receive an invita- The Census Bureau can only use the information col- tion to respond to a short questionnaire—online, by lected for statistical purposes and no other purpose. phone, or by mail. This will mark the first time that However, to support historical research, Title 44 of the you will be able to respond to the census online. U. S. Code allows the National Archives and Records Administration to release census records only after 72 Why We Conduct This Count years. In fact, every Census Bureau employee takes an The census provides critical data that lawmak- oath to protect your personal information for life and ers, business owners, teachers, and many others use any violation comes with a penalty of up to $250,000 to administer daily services, essential programs and and/or up to five years in prison. Your answers cannot products that support you and your community. Every be used for law enforcement purposes or to determine year, more than $675 billion in federal funding goes your personal eligibility for government benefits. As a to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and matter of fact, your census responses cannot be used other resources based on census data. against you by any government agency or court in The results of the census also determine the num- any way; not by the Federal Bureau of Investigation ber of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of (FBI), not by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Representatives, and they are used to draw congressio- not by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), nal and state legislative districts. and not by U.