CT Post - An Effort to Boost the Valley's Image

News Article

By Hugh Bailey

Instead of shuttered factories, the Naugatuck Valley could be known for its rich culture. In place of abandoned buildings could be the story of the manufacturing that made America.

An effort launched last week by two members of the state's congressional delegation aims to make those goals a reality.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, whose Third District encompasses much of the Valley, and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill to study the idea of recognizing the Naugatuck River Valley National Heritage Area.

Natural heritage areas are similar to national parks, but the land remains privately owned. The designation can provide up to $1 million annually for 10 years to encourage tourism and economic growth, as well as support from the National Park Service.

Once home to dozens of factories employing thousands of people, the postwar Valley saw much of its industry depart. Most Valley towns today have unemployment rates higher than the state average.

But there are signs of a turnaround, especially in Shelton, with its ongoing push to turn old factories into residences, and Seymour, with its burgeoning downtown. The purpose of the new designation would be to spread prosperity while getting out the word on the region's advantages.

"This area is priceless," Blumenthal said. "It has tremendous natural resources in the river and wildlife, and also huge historic value. This is the area where manufacturing in Connecticut was driven for so many years."

A similar bill went nowhere in 2011. Blumenthal acknowledged it is unlikely to pass in the few months remaining in this session, but said he would reintroduce it next year. "We wanted to preserve momentum," he said.

Paying dividends

Federal recognition would help the Valley sell itself, officials say.

"It's a great marketing tool," said Rick Dunne, executive director of the Valley Council of Governments. "It allows you to talk about a whole range of resources in a single stroke."

He pointed to past efforts like Healthy Valley 2000, an initiative from Derby's Griffin Hospital and other organizations to link the region under the common goal of improving public health.

"It still pays dividends today," he said. "It's a way to bring a bunch of principals into play, to brand the region."

The proposed national heritage area includes 14 towns along the Naugatuck River, including Ansonia, Derby, Seymour and Shelton, as well as Oxford, which is not on the river.

This month, the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area became the most recent to have its funding approved.

Last Green Valley

On the other side of Connecticut, a similar designation has paid real dividends, officials say.

The awkwardly named Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor covers 26 towns in northeast Connecticut and nine more in Massachusetts. It was created by an act of Congress two decades ago.

Lois Bruinooge is executive director of The Last Green Valley, in Danielson, the nonprofit organization set up by the legislation to administer the region. "Every heritage corridor is very different," she said. "Ours was formed to tell a story of this unique area framed by the two rivers. It's one of the last unspoiled valleys in the Northeast."

The region was initially authorized for up to $1 million a year under a direct line item in the federal budget. As the program grew, it was put under the purview of the National Park Service.

The Last Green Valley has given out $3 million in grants to local projects, Bruinooge said, including to a local historic society for software to digitize its collection.

And the towns have seen a legitimate return. According to a survey commissioned by the organization, the regional impact from tourism for 2013 came to $278 million, a 6 percent increase over the previous year, based on 1.9 million annual visitors.

A second region, the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, covers towns in northwestern Connecticut and also crosses the Massachusetts line.

Signing on

It was important to get all the communities on board early in the process, Bruinooge said. "The towns very early signed on to this community compact, recognizing the value of the corridor and agreeing to support things that make this place unique."

The organization is prohibited from lobbying, is not involved in local land-use decisions and won't take positions on controversial development projects. "Our job is to promote and support," Bruinooge said.

Eastern Connecticut is much less densely populated than the Naugatuck Valley, but has some similar characteristics. River valleys in the Northeast inevitably have old mill towns, which today mean brownfields. Bruinooge said her organization has sponsored brownfields workshops that have seen some success.

An economic impact study showed the 49 national heritage areas contribute $12.9 billion annually to the national economy and support 148,000 jobs, according to the National Park Service.

While there have been economic benefits, Bruinooge said the gains go deeper. "What's harder to quantify is the benefit to quality of life," she said, ticking off a number of grants for local preservation and downtown improvements.

"We use the fact that we're in the Last Green Valley as a selling point to attract businesses."

A start

DeLauro acknowledged that the Naugatuck Valley bill faces an uphill climb, but said it's a worthy discussion.

"This is a heavy lift," she said, stressing that the bill doesn't allocate money and would be to study the idea, not make a designation. "The National Park Service is looking for places where the community drives the effort."

Despite a slowdown in passing domestic legislation in recent years, DeLauro said she did not foresee a problem in studying the issue.

"This is not controversial," she said. "It should not be a partisan issue."

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