DeLauro Welcomes Economic Regional Director to 3rd District

Washington, DC –Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) welcomed Economic Development Administration (EDA) Regional Director Willie Taylor to the 3rd district today to view and discuss several on-going economic development projects in local communities, many of which will be applying for EDA funding in the near future.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), part of the Department of Commerce, has become one of the vitally important federal agencies in addressing this difficult economy, and works to foster job creation, promote innovation and support industry collaboration. The EDA leads the federal agenda in economic development, promoting competitiveness and working with local communities to help them grow and succeed in the global economy.

Congresswoman DeLauro and Deputy Administrator Taylor visited and held meetings on the following projects:

Renaissance Place, a green energy, and mixed-use, transit-oriented development project located in historic Naugatuck;

The River Street Municipal Development Plan, which will provide over 150,000 square feet of new construction, adaptive reuse of buildings in the River Street National Register Historic District, and new public access to the Quinnipiac River in New Haven;

The Gateway Community College campus in New Haven, which has just completed a state-of-the-art gold-certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building, which now needs to properly equip the facility's classrooms;

The West River Bulkhead in West Haven, which will replace the current bulkhead to stop further erosion, control pollution, and ultimately redevelop the area;

and Bilco, a local company specializing in access solutions such as horizontal doors, hatches, and fire safety vents, where the Regional Growth Partnership presented their Economic Development District application.

"I thank EDA Regional Director Willie Taylor for coming to our district today and seeing some of the innovative economic development projects in New Haven, West Haven, and Naugatuck. In today's difficult economy, it is essential that we support projects like these that can create jobs, helping hard-working Americans and their families. These are all projects that I and local leaders have supported and encouraged over the years," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "Projects like Renaissance Place, the River Street Municipal Development Plan, the new Gateway Community College campus, the West River Bulkhead, and companies like Bilco will help our cities to create the foundations for future economic development here in our district, and propelling our local economy forward."