After several months of inspections, plans and specifications, contractor meetings and bids, in November 2021 a construction trailer was put up on the property of the former Hamden Middle School and work began on repairing the first 15 homes.
The first several projects have now been completed by the LaRosa Building Group with many others nearing completion, and a great deal more to go. Work has included numerous interior repairs that are related to foundation problems. Repairing cracked walls & ceilings, and making basement column improvements are just some of the corrections we have been making.
The root cause of many of these foundation problems is poor drainage around the perimeter of the home. When water infiltrates the foundation, it compromises the integrity of the structure. So, in addition to interior improvements, we have continued to repair exterior drainage problems which includes site work, the regrading of walkways, and the replacement of steps, landings, gutters and Bilco doors, as well as the regrading of back yards.
It looks to be a very busy 2022 with Phase 2 currently wrapping up and Phase 3 now in progress.
The Newhall Structural Repair Program is funded by a $4,000,000 grant secured by the Hamden Economic Development Corporation, a 501c4 non-profit corporation. The grant is being used to make repairs to homes that have structural damage due to unstable and contaminated fill. The target area is generally the same as the Newhall Consent Area. “We are happy to see this program finally get going. Between the slowdown of State government due to COVID and the contractor climate, it has been a slower than expected start but we are in a good place now and ready to help residents in the target area,” stated Dale Kroop, Executive Director of the Hamden Economic Development Corporation.
LaRosa Building Group of Meriden is the Construction Management company that bid the first 15 projects. They have held two large contractor forums to recruit local small contractors for trades such as roofing, carpentry, masonry, concrete, landscaping, and site work. A third registration forum was held in December.
The application process for Newhall area residents is first come first served, with priority going to residents that have not been assisted in the past. A local committee of community residents has been formed to develop marketing strategies and policies regarding taking applications. There are currently over 90 people on the list including the 25 that were in the first phases. “Our goal is to help as many people as we can and hopefully everyone will get some benefit over the next 12-18 months”, continued Mr. Kroop.
For more information about contracting opportunities, Contact Kyma Ganzer at LaRosa Building Group at:
For information about the program, including applications, and about the Hamden Economic Development Corporation, contact Scott Jackson at:
HamdenEDC@outlook.com