Malloy Sees Sandy Hook's Progress On Neighborhood Walk

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy tasted cold cuts at Sandy Hook Deli. He browsed Silly Putty at the Toy Tree and dry goods at the Wishing Well.

He was offered a haircut at Fun Kuts, which he turned down, saying his barber would be furious. He was even offered a nice dress at Sabrina's Style — he turned that down, too.

Malloy's hour-long visit to Sandy Hook Wednesday was his first since May, and a chance to see how the neighborhood's economy has recovered since the school shooting on Dec. 14.

"The town was taken over by visitors, so a lot of businesses suffered. Every parking space was taken," he said. "We stepped in to try to fill the void created by the difficult circumstances in town."

The state sent a $500,000 STEAP (Small Town Economic Assistance Program) grant to Sandy Hook on Jan. 8, intended to help the business community recover from losses in the weeks after Dec. 14. A committee assembled by the Newtown Economic Development Commission allowed businesses in and near Sandy Hook to apply for funds, and 29 of 34 applicants received them. In all, officials have distributed $247,839 — about half the grant.

The Economic Development Commission is working with SHOP (the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity) on a plan to distribute the second half, possibly extending streetscapes up Riverside Road and working with a consultant on marketing opportunities for local businesses.

"I took the opportunity to point out some of the items in the second phase of the program," said Newtown Economic Development Commission Director Elizabeth Stocker, who spoke with Malloy during the walk. "He was very supportive of the direction we're going in."

Landscape contractor Rob Manna, who was hired to design the new streetscapes, said Sandy Hook's look had made a "lot of progress" since the last time Malloy had visited.

"It's a good facelift," he said.

Stocker says she expects the streetscape project to continue through the summer and finish in the fall.

"We're a Resilient Community"

When First Selectman Pat Llodra welcomed Malloy to Sandy Hook in the Newtown United Methodist Church parking lot, she described the year so far as a "labor of love and a long journey" for the business community.

"We're so proud of our Sandy Hook," she said. "[The grant] gave them the foundation they needed to survive. And they have survived ... It's been a long project, but were coming to a result that is extraordinary."

Local business leaders reacted to Malloy's impressions with optimism.

"I think he'll be able to tell everyone in Hartford we're a resilient community," said SHOP President Mike Burton. "They'll see the money they sent to Newtown went to good use."

Malloy's questions to business owners often focused on how they'd weathered the weeks after Dec. 14. Some told him it had been difficult.

"People could not get in and out for quite some time," said PJ's Laundromat owner Sharon Doherty. "For us to get back to normalcy took until the middle of May. It took a long time."

Doherty said some regular customers began taking their business to Danbury to escape the traffic and parking problems in Sandy Hook. Then, weeks later, they found they'd developed a new routine.

After speaking with Doherty, Malloy crossed the street to the Villa Restaurant, where he heard a similar story from owner Vito Kala.

"I'm sorry for all your trouble," he told Kala. "We're trying to help."