Leaders have secured a $128,000 state grant to help convert a dirt lot into a destination for outdoor events in downtown Sandy Hook and encourage the crowds to return once the pandemic is conquered. The state money, part of $11 million in capital improvement grants awarded in November by Gov. Ned Lamont to help Connecticut rebound from coronavirus shutdowns, follows a March offer by Newtown to lease the property for 99 years at a nominal fee to the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity, or SHOP. SHOP, in turn, plans to raise $250,000 to build the pavilion. The property at 7 Glen Road would also hook into the Heritage Trail in Sandy Hook, Preszler said. The project, known as Heritage Park, is the latest development for Sandy Hook’s business district, just west of the new Sandy Hook School. Work is underway on blueprints for a multimillion-dollar memorial to the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre. The 5-acre memorial site, off Riverside Drive, could go to voters for approval as soon as April.
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