Stamford is slated to receive over $5 million in federal funding to support three critical projects that figure to have a listing impact on the city.

U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT) and Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons gathered outside of the Stamford Government Center last Friday to tout the funding and what it will mean for residents.

Stamford will get $3 million which will be put towards building a new library branch on the East Side - an area Himes called a "book desert."

Additionally, $2 million will be used to upgrade old, inefficient sodium-based streetlights to LED, and $250,000 will be put towards a new regional police training academy in Stamford.

Simmons told Patch the city is "hoping to hit the ground running" on a new library, and that library CEO Alice Knapp and the Ferguson leadership team are currently working on a plan and vision for the new building, which will require more funding.

Space is being configured for the regional police training academy at Stamford Police Headquarters on Bedford Street. It's expected to open by the fall, Simmons said.

Simmons noted she hopes the city can finish all streetlight replacements "as soon as possible." Stamford has over 6,000 streetlights, she said.

"We are so thrilled to be announcing this historic $5 million in congressionally directed spending coming to our city for really important infrastructure, sustainability, and public safety projects that are going to benefit Stamford residents," Simmons said during the brief news conference Friday.

A NEW EAST SIDE LIBRARY
Himes said that as Stamford continues to grow, there needs to be assurances that growth and vibrancy benefits everybody.

"At the very top of the list that allows young people in particular in the city of Stamford to succeed - yes, it's nutrition. Yes, it's good education. Yes, it's access to health care - but it's also a sense of community and the ability to learn in an informal way that libraries provide," he said.

Libraries are about community, shared spaces and offering programs people can take advantage of to enrich their lives, Himes added.

"To me, all of these grants are really important, but I've got a special place in my heart for putting a wonderful, wonderful community-oriented young person-oriented asset in a neighborhood that badly needs it," he said.

Knapp was ecstatic about the prospect of a new library branch.

According to a study on usage at the existing Ferguson Library branches in the past year, over 2,000 people used the meeting rooms - from neighborhood association meetings, to condo association meetings and students studying, Knapp said.

"What this says is that yes, we need books, and we do need books for our youth and continued learning, but we also need that public space for people to come and know they're safe, they know it's welcoming, they know it's inclusive," she said.

Ferguson Library has long used a book mobile as a traveling branch around the city.

"But that's not really a substitute for a library. The bricks and mortar are important," Blumenthal added.

STAMFORD REGIONAL POLICE ACADEMY
The money for the academy will be put towards equipment and training resources. The elected officials agreed that the academy will be a model for the state, and help the city attract top recruits and implement the highest training standards.

"A regional training facility will enable police to get smart on digital forensic software, as well as the kind of driving simulators that are important and all of the replication of what is found when police pull over a car and they confront a situation that could easily turn deadly," Blumenthal said. "This kind of police academy provides training that is important to avoid violence and danger to our police themselves, and enable them to do a better job."

Stamford Asst. Police Chief Richard Conklin acknowledged the teamwork between local, state and federal officials to secure the funding.

"I'm very proud of the Stamford Police Department and the work that we do," Conklin added. "With this funding, with this training center, we will not only improve our agency, we'll have tremendous benefits for the community and also regionally."

NEW LED STREETLIGHTS
While it may not be the most attractive project, Murphy explained that streetlight replacements are vital to any city.

"There's nothing that can drain the city's budget quickly than old streetlights," he said. "This project is going to reduce energy consumption by 75 percent for the city. That's a double whammy for the residents of this city because it saves you money, but it also helps Stamford move more quickly towards its commitment to become carbon neutral."

The lights are considered "smart lights," Murphy said.

"They can be dimmed, they can provide better and safer lighting for our communities. This project is just a win, win, win across the board," he noted.

Simmons said Stamford's operations department has already started replacing the lights and switching them over to LED.