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Did you know Avon resident Julie Sherman Wolfe is a screenwriter with a number of Hallmark Christmas movies to her name? Two of her films, "Taking a Shot at Love," starring Alexa Pena Vega and Luke Macfarlane, and "You, Me & the Christmas Trees," starring Danica McKellar, are set in Avon. Pena Vega and Luke Macfarlane and "You, Me & the Christmas Trees," starring Danica McKeller, are set in Avon. We think that's pretty cool. Here are some more fun facts about Avon. 

• The town was incorporated in 1830. 
• The town’s post-colonial roots date back to Stephen Hart’s arrival in 1645. Prior to that, the indigenous people of this continent lived and worked here for thousands of years. 
• Some locally owned restaurants residents include Amici Italian Grill, Chang-An Chinese restaurant, Da Vinci Pizzeria, and Deepwater Seafood. 

Happy holidays from CRCOG

Happy holidays from us! Click on the image or here to watch our holiday video. 

Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program: A partnership for climate action

Was 2023 the year that climate change finally felt real for you? The extreme weather events from this past summer alone were impossible to ignore – smoke from more than 2,000 miles away covered the sun, and the smell of wildfires was present across the entire state of Connecticut. 2023 made climate change a tangible, present reality rather than a distant, theoretical concern. 

CRCOG is partnering with the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG) to develop a regional climate action plan through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, a new EPA administered program created through the Inflation Reduction Act. Through CPRG funding, this regional climate action plan will develop an emissions reduction roadmap for communities across the entire Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area – essentially the middle swath of the state, running from the Massachusetts border to the shore. This plan will identify policies and projects within the purview of local municipalities to reduce their emissions.  

The first phase of the CPRG program requires submitting a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP for short) to EPA by March 1. The PCAP will contain near-term, implementation-ready projects and programs to begin reducing emissions at the local and regional level. The strategies could include installing electric vehicle or bus charging infrastructure, converting municipal vehicle fleets to EVs, decarbonizing municipal facilities through renewable energy projects like heat pumps, geothermal or solar, adopting up to date building energy codes, incentivizing energy efficiency retrofits for commercial and residential properties, tree planting programs, and many other potential initiatives.  

How would we actually pay for all those great ideas? The second phase of CPRG is intended to address that very question by providing $4.6 billion in competitive implementation funds nationwide. Municipalities and other regional entities interested in applying for these funds must have their potential projects first identified in their regional PCAP, which is intended to form the basis for implementation funding. If your community is interested in pursuing funds for implementation, it is critical we have feedback from municipalities in our region.  

We’re also planning to hold an in-person event the second week in January and will keep you posted with further details through CRCOG’s social media channels or email Kyle Shiel at kshiel@crcog.org to join our Interested Parties list.  

Right now, there are two immediate ways to voice your perspective:  

• Take the survey. 
• Join us next week for one of two virtual information sessions, where CRCOG and RiverCOG staff will be available to answer questions about the CPRG program and how to make the regional climate action plan a viable local roadmap for our communities. These sessions will be held on:  
• Tuesday 12/19 at 7 pm – Register here. 
• Wednesday 12/20 at 8:30 am – Register here.  

The CPRG program is an exciting opportunity to take action on one of the critical challenges of our time. We hope to engage with you on these efforts.  

We love EZIQC, but don't just take our word for it. Hear from our members 

Bidding and budgeting for municipal projects can be an overwhelming task. CRCOG aims to help simply it. How? With the ezIQC® program 

What is ezIQC?  

The ezIQC® program (Indefinite Quantity Construction) is a competitively bid Job Order Contracting construction program for General Construction and Road and Bridge Construction. This program is open to CRCOG members and Capitol Region Purchasing Council (CRPC) members across the state of Connecticut. 

When to Use Job Order Contracting?  

Job Order Contracting results in faster and simpler competitive savings and is great for time-sensitive projects and emergency work (i.e., limited scheduling windows, end of year funding), pending work and project backlogs, replacement-in-kind projects, advancing work for larger projects or supplementing in-house expertise.  

Don’t just take our word for it!

Town of Clinton, CT 

Clinton Public Schools has used ezIQC for a variety of construction projects over the past two years ranging in cost from $10,000 to $1 million, from door refurbishment and roof replacements to complicated construction and HVAC projects. 

“ezIQC as a procurement method meets the requirements of both the district's purchasing policies and auditor requirements and streamlines the process of initiating and completing construction projects. On both the small and large projects the responsiveness, timeliness and professionalism of the ezIQC program and Gordian staff has been consistently excellent. In a small district with small accounts vendors don't always send in their "first string" people. In addition, construction project promises are not always delivered. This has not been the case in Clinton's experience with the ezIQC program and Gordian- "excellent" is not a term used lightly. Clinton Public Schools would highly recommend the ezIQC program and the Gordian Group.” -Carolyn Dickey, Business Manager, Clinton Public Schools  

Town of Southington, CT 

Southington has used ezIQC for multiple projects over the last several years ranging from cutting a new entry way in the Finance Department to complete building renovations. Most recently, the town is utilizing the program for a $1.7 million dollar Pool/Pool House Renovation at Recreation Park. 

“We are currently using the ezIQC program to renovate our pool and pool house at Recreation Park, a $1.7-million project. Gordian, who administers the program for CRCOG, is easy to work with; and the selected contractors are very knowledgeable and produce great results. The ezIQC program follows a simple process and streamlines our projects which saves time and money. Our projects using the ezIQC program have been very successful.” - Annette Turnquist, Director of Public Works, Southington 

Town of Windham, CT 

Windham Wastewater Treatment Plant was renovated with ezIQC, enabling the town to make upgrades to the plant for just north of $3 million, about half of what they were quoted to rebuild the facility in 2009. 



“I attribute this project staying on time to the fact that Gordian and Millennium Builders worked together very well. They had the correct equipment and very knowledgeable people. Through Gordian, we had a construction manager on site. That gave me the confidence that the project would stay on budget and on time,” Kirk Washington, Windham Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) Superintendent. 



For more information on ezIQC®, please contact Kim Bona. 

More than 200 Hartford families helped this past Thanksgiving

Karen, our Program Assistant, led an effort among our staff to collect non-perishable food items for a Hartford-based food pantry over the Thanksgiving holiday. As a result of the staff’s efforts, our donations helped to feed over 200 families for Thanksgiving. The donations collected were given to the Helping Hand Food Pantry located at 344 Blue Hills Avenue in Hartford. 

The CRCOG staff will continue to donate towards this worthy cause throughout the holiday season. 

Don’t Drink and Drive this holiday season

The holiday season is here. As we prepare for these holiday festivities with our family and friends, we want to remind all drivers of the dangers of buzzed driving.

Additionally, drug-impaired driving is also a problem on America’s highways. Like drunk driving, drug-impaired driving is dangerous and illegal. Whether the drug is obtained legally or illegally, driving while drug-impaired poses a threat to the driver, vehicle passengers, and to other road users. 

During the holidays, please don’t drive impaired.  

Develop you in 2024, with UCONN’s School of Public Policy workshops 

Did you know that CRCOG members and employees are invited to attend UConn School of Public Policy’s Public Service Executive Leadership Collaborative (PSELC) workshops at a discounted partner rate?    

The next workshop is: 

Friday, January 19, 2023, 9:00am-4:00pm: Manager Essentials in the New World of Work with Orlena Cowen-Bailey, Founder of HR Zoom, LLC. This workshop will be held at the UConn Hartford Times Building in Hartford, CT.  

Feedback from last year’s Management class includes: 

• “Well Done. Very Worth it!!” 
• “Thank you for the Leadership Workshop. It was informative & great to hear different perspectives.” 
• “Orlena was excellent.” 

Classroom space is limited. Lunch will be provided for full-day sessions so please register by Friday, January 12, 2024. 

ICYMI 

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Capitol Region Council of Governments opens additional remediation assistance for Low Moderate-Income families suffering from crumbling foundations  
• Want funding? Check out BIL’s December newsletter
• Why we’re studying the benefits of Roundabouts

CRCOG Funding Opportunities

BIL/IIJA Funding Opportunities

• Congratulations to 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant (SS4A) awardees, City of Hartford and Towns of Glastonbury, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, and Wethersfield. As a result of their hard work our region will receive nearly $2 million in Planning & Demonstration Grants to improve road safety. Learn more about 2023 SS4A awards here.  
• View our Funding Newsletter for the latest updates. A few highlights: 
• U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Program. $1.5 billion is available for surface transportation projects. Planning Grants and Capital Project Grants are available. Applications are due by February 28, 2024. Visit CRCOG’s RAISE webpage to learn more.  
• FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant Programs. Collaboration with the State Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) is required. DEMHS requests information by January 9 in advance of the Federal grant application deadline on February 29, 2024. 
• EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Program (CPRGP) Implementation Grants. Collaboration is underway to develop a Priority Climate Action Plan for our region. Implementation grant applications are due April 1, 2024. Visit CRCOG’s CPRGP webpage to learn more. 
• EPA Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebate Program. Applications are due January 31, 2024.  
• Contact Elizabeth Sanderson for more information or to provide specific information about a project you are seeking funding for. This helps us bring you the most relevant information.  
• Visit CRCOG’s BIL/IIJA Webpage for summaries of many funding opportunities.  

Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) 

Application deadline: February 21, 2024 

CRCOG is inviting municipalities to submit proposals for Transportation Improvement Projects for LOTCIP funding. Project categories include: Reconstruction (roadway and bridge) projects, Bicycle/Pedestrian projects, Pavement Rehabilitation projects and Stand-Alone Sidewalk projects. Visit the 2024 LOTCIP Solicitation Webpage for more information.  

MetroHartford Brownfields Program  

Application deadline: Ongoing 

CRCOG’s Brownfields program uses funding provided by EPA. Our current work performance period will close-out in January 2024. We are currently applying for EPA Brownfields Assessment to continue the assessment work that will help redevelop and remediate brownfield sites in our region. 

Policy Board 

December 20, 2023 

12-1:30 pm 

Municipal Services Committee Meeting 

January 16, 2024 (Hybrid meeting) 

12-1:30 pm  

Capitol Region Emergency Planning Council Meeting 

January 18, 2024 (Hybrid meeting) 

9:30-11:30 am 

Transportation Committee Meeting 

January 22, 2024 (Virtual meeting) 

12-1:30 pm 

Bike-Pedestrian Committee Meeting 

February 13, 2024 

12-1:30 pm 

Municipal Services Committee Meeting 

February 20, 2024 

12:1:30 pm 

Transportation Committee Meeting 

February 26, 2024 (Virtual) 

12-1:30 pm 

Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter. We wish you a safe holiday season and a happy new year. If you made it this far, here's some additional food for thought. 

“You can get excited about the future. The past won’t mind.” — Hillary DePiano, playwright and author