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Posted By: Staff October 5, 2022

Greater Bristol Realty Corp. nears completion of three new homes

Friday last, the Greater Bristol Realty Corp. (GBRC) and partner Neighborhood Housing Greater New Britain held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the near completion of three new affordable homes at their project site of Evergreen St.

Among those at the celebration were state officials Connecticut Commissioner of Housing Seile Mosquera-Bruno, Connecticut Housing Finance Agency Chief Executive Officer Nandini Nataragan and U.S. Housing and Urban Development representative Alanna Kabel. The project was made possible by programs run by these agencies and other contributors from the bank and foundations.

Representing the local community was Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano.

The homes are being purchased by three local residents and first-time homeowners, according to a press release from the GBRC. GBRC has operated in Bristol since 1996 when it was established as a non-profit community development corporation by the Bristol Housing Authority.

The original purpose of the corporation was to own and operate a community center to serve the needs of Housing Authority tenants, but later that year its mission was redefined to promote first-time homeownership opportunities for low- to moderate-income Bristol residents.

In 2005 it became financially independent from the Bristol Housing Authority.

Most recently, in 2016 GBRC partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build three houses on Bernie Avenue and a single house on Margerie Street. For its next project in Bristol’s West End, GBRC will again partner with NHS of New Britain.

To qualify, families must not have owned a house in the recent past and cannot have a combined family income of more than the state’s Dept. of Housing’s definition of “moderate income.” At the same time, a family must earn enough to qualify for a mortgage. NHS of New Britain is responsible for identifying qualified families.

For information about qualifying or donating, contact GBRC at their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/greaterbristolrealtycorp
or website: https://www.gbrc-homes.org/.

Wheeler Clinic groundbreaking draws local officials

From l to r:  State Representative Whit Betts (R-78); David Patrick, president, Downes Construction Company; State Representative Cara Pavalock-D’Amato (R-77); Mary Rodier, CPA, incoming chair, Wheeler Board of Trustees; Jim Moylan, outgoing chair, Wheeler Board of Trustees; Sabrina Trocchi, PhD, MPA, president and chief executive officer, Wheeler; Manisha Juthani, MD, commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health; Mayor Jeff Caggiano, City of Bristol; Justin Malley, executive director, Economic & Community Development, City of Bristol; and Todd Raymond, vice president of Facilities, Wheeler. | Compliments of Wheeler Clinic

About 100 state and local leaders, board members, donors, employees, and friends gathered on Thursday, Sept. 29 at a groundbreaking ceremony for Wheeler’s planned 46,000-square foot community health center and administrative headquarters at One Hope Street in downtown Bristol, according to a press release from Wheeler Clinic. The site is an approximate 1.3-acre lot between North Main and Hope streets.

The press release continues: The site will combine many of Wheeler’s administrative departments with a consolidation of its two existing community health centers at 10 and 225 North Main Street. About 200 full- and part-time employees will work at the new building, which will become the organization’s flagship location. Scheduled to open in late 2023, the site is Wheeler’s first newly constructed facility since its original location in 1972.

New hire at the Parks and Rec Dept.

Bristol resident Jaden Laprise was hire as a Park Maintain in the Bristol Parks and Recreation, Youth and Community Services Grounds and Facilities Maintenance Division. The Bristol Eastern graduate has worked summers as a laborer for the past three years. As a park maintainer he will have a variety of responsibilities across the city’s 730-acre park system. He began Sept. 6

Latest COVID-19 stats

For the past seven days, Bristol’s COVID-19 positivity rate is 6.2 percent with 61 positive cases, leaving the city in the red category with over 15 cases per 100,000 people. Hartford County is in the medium category.

The CDC recommends that people at high risk for severe illness, talk to their healthcare provider about whether to need to wear a mask and take other precautions. In addition, the CDC reminds people to take the following measures:

  • Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
  • Get tested if you have symptoms
  • People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.
  • People who are immunocompromised, can learn more about how to protect themselves here.

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