The town has failed to secure a $500,000 Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant for 2025 from the state Office of Policy and Management. Town officials had hoped to use the money to defray some of the cost of the new $9.3 million firehouse approved last week during a town meeting.
“The state doled out $30 million in STEAP grants, the majority of which were for between $500,000 and a million dollars and went for road improvements,” said First Selectman Matt Riiska, who was unfazed by the lack of funding for Norfolk. “All along, there has been discussion about how [construction] will be a two-year process, and we will keep turning over rocks until we find more money. We absolutely will apply for a STEAP grant next year, and I’ve already put in again for Congressional discretionary funding.”
The Congressional funding had already been approved for this year, but became entangled in Congress’ continuing budget resolution, which provided funding for the current year based on last year’s figures.
At present, the town has $3 million in pledges of private donations, $500,000 in town funds from when it closed out its defined pension fund, and a $2.5 million grant from the state.
The loss of the STEAP grant will not delay the start of the firehouse project. The building committee met May 29 with the construction management team and the architect to discuss the next steps in the construction process and to hear a report on finances.