Quinnipiac University made a voluntary payment of $400,000 to the town of North Haven Monday, a move that signifies a stronger bond with the town where the school has moved a lot of its resources in recent years.
The payment represents 40 percent or $260,000 of the revenue North Haven receives from the state of Connecticut’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) and Pequot Fund allocation, attributable to Quinnipiac. In addition, Quinnipiac will give another $140,000 that will be used for outdoor lighting for the North Haven girls’ softball program.
Quinnipiac University President John L. Lahey said in a statement the voluntary payment represents “an affirmation” of the university’s ongoing support and appreciation the town’s support of Quinnipiac.
Quinnipiac and its hometown of Hamden have an ongoing dispute over various issues. In October Leahy told the New Haven Register, Quinnipiac should no longer be referred to as a “Hamden-based” school. The problem, Leahy said then, is with “a handful” of town officials — including those in the land-use departments — that are determined not to allow the university to get any larger than it is now.
The university’s presence in North Haven has grown since 2007, when it purchased the former Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield campus. Five of its eight schools (Medicine, Law, Health Sciences, Nursing and Education) and its information services department are located on the North Haven Campus.
“We truly appreciate how the leadership of the town of North Haven has supported Quinnipiac as the university has invested more than $300 million in constructing the North Haven Campus,” Leahy said.
North Haven First Selectman Michael J. Freda said, “This healthy relationship is dependent on maintaining an open line of communication between our town officials and the university. This communication allows for a strengthening of personal alliances and keeps our offices current on emerging plans and objectives.”
