Camp Courant, the century-old suburban summer getaway for generations of Hartford’s neediest and underprivileged, is preparing the next phase of upgrades as part of a $1.7 million renovation-expansion
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Hartford Business Journal and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Hartford and Connecticut business news updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication.
- Special bonus issues like the Hartford Book of Lists.
- Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Camp Courant, the century-old suburban summer getaway for generations of Hartford's neediest and underprivileged youths, is preparing the next phase of upgrades as part of a $1.7 million renovation-expansion of its Farmington campus.
The nonprofit youth-camp operator says it recently obtained a $130,000 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to continue with upgrades that will enable it to expand learning opportunities for campgoers.
The foundation said its grant fulfills one of its three strategic priorities that all children in the Hartford region are ready to learn upon entering kindergarten and are prepared to succeed by the time they graduate high school.
Opened 122 years ago, Camp Courant currently hosts about 600 Hartford youths annually.
According to the foundation, camp projects covered under the latest funding grant are:
• $50,000 for a renovation of its existing Early Learning Center, including an upgrade to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and outfitting its new multi-purpose classroom space, the Lego Learning Center.
• $58,000 to install a new handicap-accessible bathroom. The camp, officials said, presently only has one handicap-accessible bathroom in its main building. With its expanded partnership with HARC Inc., the camp needs an additional bathroom to ensure that all of its campers have safe and adequate facilities.
• $22,000 to cover architectural fees and drawings for the renovation work.
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving spokesman Chris Senecal said the HVAC and bathroom addition will begin as soon permits are pulled, “which should be any day.''
The Early Learning Center renovation and bathroom installation are just two components of a large-scale, $1.7 million facilities upgrade, Senecal said.
Among other camp improvements is a new swimming pool and renovations to the pool house, work on both slated to be finished by the time the camp opens in June, he said via email.
Next year, the camp plans to focus its fundraising efforts, Senecal said, on upgrades to its learning center building, plus a renovated ballfield, new basketball courts and new playground equipment.
Stanley’s Southington lease
New Britain hand- and power-tool giant Stanley Black & Decker has leased space in Southington's 400 Executive Blvd. office building.
Stanley, through a spokesman, was reluctant to divulge details about the amount of space and terms covered under the lease with landlord AmTrust Financial Inc., which paid $2.25 million to acquire the building in April 2015 from The Hartford.
According to Stanley spokesman Timothy Parra, his company is renovating an unidentified building on its New Britain campus that will result in relocating workers from one of its downtown New Britain buildings to corporate headquarters.
Meantime, Parra said, a group of employees tied to its hand-tools business will move to the space in Southington once renovations there are complete “as there isn't room for them at our headquarters campus and there isn't enough of them to fill the current building.''
With the expansions and relocations, Stanley counts about 1,500 employees scattered over eight Connecticut communities, Parra said.
AmTrust, based in New York City, declined to comment.
$1.4M South Windsor sale
A 37,626-square-foot industrial building in South Windsor has sold for $1.4 million, brokers say.
Plasma Technology Inc. acquired the 26-year-old building on 4.06 acres at 694 Nutmeg Road North from Q&E LLC, according to listing broker Sentry Commercial. Coldwell Banker represented the buyer.
Deal Watch wants to hear from you. E-mail it, along with contact information to: gseay@HartfordBusiness.com.
Gregory Seay is the Hartford Business Journal News Editor.
Read more
Hands On Hartford's $6.5M community space debuts
All Mail Direct’s N. Britain facility on the block at $2.55M
CT roots firmly plant Tizziana Fusco Weber at UTC
West Hartford's The Landmark starts pre-leasing
W. Hartford's Park Place, West Wynd sell for $9.45M
$1M industrial listing on New Britain’s John Downey Dr.