May 28—STRATFORD — The town is preparing for possible job growth at the Sikorsky Aircraft plant following a state deal to keep them in Stratford until 2042.
Stratford's main areas of focus are on the local housing market, supporting local business and infrastructure, according to Economic Development Director Mary Dean.
Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday signed a bill promising up to $75 million in tax incentives over eight years for Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky Aircraft, should the company win the government contracts to be the U.S. Army's next supplier of Black Hawk or armed scout helicopters.
The deal will keep 8,000 jobs in Connecticut at minimum, Lamont said Monday. The deal affects more than 30,000 jobs, directly and indirectly, and 242 suppliers throughout Connecticut, according to state officials. Of those suppliers, 18 are located in Stratford.
Dean said that they plan to work with any local businesses or subcontractors who are seeing an uptick in business.
"We'll work hard for the businesses to make sure that they have the capacity and the room they need," Dean said.
Some measures of preparation have already been undertaken, Dean said. For example, the town instituted a job board on the Economic and Community Development Department website for local businesses to advertise their openings.
Dean mentioned the construction work done to improve the entrance and egress on Route 110, where Sikorsky's plant is located, that was funded by a state urban action grant.
"Sikorsky is prepared in terms of getting their employees in and out and not causing a lot of traffic," Dean said.
To help address the housing shortage in the area, Dean pointed to a couple of housing projects in the works at the Center School property and at the old Christ Church property, called the Village Inn. She said there are also a pair of smaller mixed-use properties on Ferry Boulevard.
"Adding these new apartments, I think, will make a difference," Dean said.
She said as Stratford's seniors age — 19.9 percent of the town is 65 years or older, according to Census data — they may want to move into the new apartments being created, which could open up opportunities in its single-family housing market.
Mayor Laura Hoydick said the town has been in a similar position before, since Sikorsky already has a contract for the CH-53K helicopters. She said the town will likely use the "same playbook" but with "different components."
Lamont said at a press conference Monday that he is not worried the potential added jobs would strain local markets. He said that the state is "ready" and is preparing for the deal, should Sikorsky win the contracts.
The deal is subject to Sikorsky winning either one or two of the government contracts it is currently in the running for — a replacement for the Black Hawk helicopter and an armed scout helicopter.
Should Sikorsky win both from the Pentagon, it would be eligible to receive the full $75 million, and if it wins one the deal decreases to $50 million, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner David Lehman said previously.
"Our collaboration with the State of Connecticut on this project will sustain and help bring more high-tech, high-paying jobs to the state, while bolstering Connecticut's leadership in aerospace production for decades to come," Paul Lemmo, president of Sikorsky, said in a statement to Hearst Connecticut Media.
State Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, called the deal a "shot in the arm" for the Connecticut economy, highlighting the state's ranks among the lowest in job and income growth nationwide.
He said he hopes it will "help improve the quality of our housing" and "hopefully it will create more affordable housing."
"It's good for the area. I think it's good for getting people employed," Kelly said.
Kelly said by creating more jobs, it will improve the town's grand list.
"Hopefully it will grow our grand list, which will allow us to put more into education and improve an already good educational system into a better one," Kelly said.
Fred Carstensen, a University of Connecticut Economics and Finance professor, said he sees this deal as helping to maintain the current workforce, rather than increase it. He said that the value of manufacturing has drastically increased while employment has fallen over the last 20 years.
"In many cases you're trying to preserve the number of jobs, because every worker is becoming more productive," Carstensen said. "So, even though you're expanding output, you're not expanding jobs, so you're trying to preserve the jobs."
He said since these are high-paying jobs, it will trickle down into the local economy "in an extraordinarily important way."
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