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If authorized, the money will fund Connecticut's portion of the first phase in a remedial action plan calling for the state to work through the Environmental Protection Agency to cleanup soil and groundwater contamination at the site, according to legislators.
Raymark, which manufactures brakes, clutch discs and other car parts, operated at the site for the seven decades between 1919 and 1989, according to legislators, who said the company left behind polluted soil that was later used as fill dirt across various sections of town.
Stratford lawmakers have been working with local and federal officials for years in efforts to remediate the pollution, they said.
“Our collective effort to reverse the contamination caused by the Raymark facility in Stratford has been a lengthy and challenging one,” said state Rep. Laura Hoydick (R-120) in a statement. “I am pleased to be working with Mayor John Harkins and Stratford legislators, the governor and the Environmental Protection Agency as a team dedicated to making this happen."
Echoing Hoydick's sentiments, State Rep. Ben McGorty (R-122) said the pollution has had a "significant impact" on several residential and commercial sites in Stratford.
“The approval of these funds will mark a significant point in finally remediating these pollutants," he said in a statement.
State Rep. Joe Gresko (D-121) said the road ahead will be difficult, but that the work must be completed.
"... we know there will be challenges and inconveniences," he said, "but when we look at the long game; this is the right thing to do for property owners, for our groundwater and for our overall environmental health."
Wednesday's meeting is scheduled to be held in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.
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