Norwich gets $765K in state bonds for church repairs and health services

Posted byadmin Posted onDecember 24, 2024 Comments0

A substantial amount of funding for three community resources is coming to Norwich.

The State Bond Commission approved $375,000 to La Famille De L’Eglise De Dieu, Inc. for church renovations, $310,000 for a United Community and Family Services Patient Solution and Patient Recovery Center, and $80,000 for Integrated Day Charter School to convert a building into a community health center, the announcement from State Senator Cathy Osten’s office stated.

The building at IDCS in question is at street level. It’s a former garage that the school bought over a decade ago. The space has been used for storage and a garden. Possible plans range from a mental health center to something related to food security. No matter what the final project is, it will “do something of service for the community,” Business Manager Ellen Retelle said.

UCFS

UCFS’s Patient Solution and Patient Recovery Center will be in a vacant unit in the building beside the Edward and Mary Lord Family Health Center. This expansion is meant to improve convenience and efficiency for patients.

The space will help with needs assessment and care planning for patients, along with a call center and over-the-phone triage, UCFS President and CEO Jennifer Granger said.

Patients will also be able to see community health workers, and access care specialists and addiction recovery services with the expansion.

UCFS already had $630,266 from the Department of Health and Human Services for this project, but it still needed the extra $310,000 to be “well on our way” to finish the project. Service in the space should start before the end of 2025, Granger said.

La Famille De L’Eglise De Dieu

Renovations at the church, which include replacing aging windows with insulated glass, are aimed at energy efficiency and improving safety and functionality, Deacon Matthew Lewellen said.

“It will help us continue serving as a welcoming space for worship, community gatherings and outreach programs,” he said.

These programs include services for the Haitian community, including English education. The church wants to continue to be “a staple for the Haitian community, which is growing more now,” Lewellen, who is also on the church’s maintenance and capital improvement committee, said.

Other grant awardees

The Dec. 13 announcement included $5 million for Frankin to fund sewer lines and water lines on Route 32, Murphy Road, Route 87, and Stockhouse Road and another $300,000 to buy an ambulance, $30,000 for replacing the boiler and other heating system parts at St. Joseph’s School in Baltic, and $275,000 for Carefree Homeowners Association in Lebanon to upgrade and maintain the water system and pump house for a community well.

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