The Naugatuck Recycling Center is located at the corner of Rubber Avenue and Andrew Avenue. This facility, funded by the town, is open every Thursday and Saturday. Residents may dispose of the following items: newspapers, cardboard, magazines, junk mail, phonebooks, #1 and #2 plastic, bottles, cans, juice boxes, milk and juice cartons, used clothing, leaves, car batteries, anti-freeze, tires, filters and motor oil. Residents can drive in and unload recyclables in one of the dumpsters when the facility is open. A separate line for bulk trash and scrap metal is also open at the same time. Larger materials require payments. The Recycling Center announced in the summer that there will no longer be a charge for electronics. This facility is also where the town unloads curbside recyclable bins.
The Water Pollution Control, stationed in the same office as the Engineering Department, is responsible for assessments of Naugatuck's sewer connections, permits and approvals. The department, located on the third floor of the Town Hall, also handles sewer backup complaints and manages other needs of the town and the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The Water Pollution Control Department also deals with permits for restaurants that wish to dispose of fats, oils and greases.
The WPCA and Engineering secretary is Rachael Brainard.
The Human Resource Development Agency is a non-profit organization that benefits from federal and state funding, as well as backing by the town of Naugatuck. It is a social services agency, which assists the elderly and the handicapped with transportation through a bus service.
The Human Resource Development Agency also assists residents with emergency funds for rent and utilities, and is has a small food bank. The agency also works with the homeless.
The agency also has utilized its facility for New Beginnings, a non-profit operation that provides youths going back to school with clothes. The Human Resource Development Agency has also helped facility New Beginnings' operation, providing a drop off point for the organization.
Donations are also accepted for the bus service.
The organization's director is Leslie Mengacci, who can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]
Funded through the state Department of Economic and Community Development, the Robert E. Hutt Congregate Housing is an apartment building that offers housing for individuals 62 years of age or older.
There are 36 efficiencies, which are combined bedrooms and living rooms, inside the state-funded building spread across three floors. Of that total 36, four are designated for handicapped living. The facility is, however, and independent living housing complex, and is protected by a guard 24 hours a day.
Tenants pay for their housing rates according to income limits and are supplied with a stove, refrigerator and utilities, which are fully paid for. They are also provided with light housekeeping and a resident service coordinator who provides a monthly newsletter.
Luncheons and bus services are also provided at times through the coordinator. The first floor of the building has a dining room, which provides a hot meal every day. No pets are allowed.
The building is one of five complexes in Naugatuck that is administered by the Naugatuck Housing Authroity. The public housing manager is Barbara Breen and the agency can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
The Naugatuck Town Hall, known colloquially as the borough hall, is the central location for all of the borough's main offices. The building houses 19 offices that cater to a majority of Naugatuck's municipal functions. Other offices, such as Parks and Recreation and the Board of Education, are located in separate buildings in Naugatuck.
Several boards and commissions hold nightly, public meetings at the Naugatuck Town Hall, including the Board of Mayor and Burgesses which meets in the Hall of Burgesses on the fourth floor.
The building was constructed in the 1960s, after a prior town hall was taken down.
The Borough Naugatuck Public Works & Recreation Department contains two of the town's most important government offices. The Parks & Recreation Department is responsible for maintaining all of Naugatuck's public green spaces and recreational areas, as well as organziing numerous holiday and summer events. The Department of Public Works is responsible for maintaining the town's roadways and public areas and facilities, and also operates the town's recycling center.
Established in 1893 with three sworn officers and their chief, Chief George D. Hosford, the Naugatuck Police Department is currently staffed with 59 full-time officers. The department, which responds to an average of 33,000 calls a year, consists of three divisions: patrol, investigation and administration. There is also a bureau for juvenile matters.
The department has had 14 chiefs since its inception over a century ago. The current chief is Chief Christopher J. Edson, who has served his post since 2007. The deputy chief is Thomas Hunt. The detective lieutenant is Todd Brouillette.
The Naugatuck Fire Department began as a private fire department in 1883 under the India Rubber Glove Company, which later went on to become U.S. Rubber and then Uniroyal. In 1888 the company transferred the fire department to the town, offering volunteer firefighter services that serviced town residents until 1916, when the first full-time employee was hired.
Over time, the department hired more professional firefighters while accompanying a volunteer firefighter squad as well. Then, in 2004, the volunteer service dissolved, leaving the paid firefighters as the sole company at the Naugatuck Fire Department.
The Borough of Naugatuck Fire Department responds to fires, motor vehicle accidents, chemical and oil spills, rescue calls and weather-related emergencies.
Borough firefighters attend training both in-service and at the Connecticut Fire Academy, and are trained in a variety of skills in addition to fire fighting. Some of these skills include confined space rescue, rope rescue, hazardous materials and emergency medical, the town website states.
The fire department, a two-floor building situated across from the Naugatuck Town Hall, is also the main office for the fire marshal. The fire marshal enforces the state's fire safety codes and conducts reviews of incidents to determine causes. The building has two bays in front, and one on the side, and the department has five engines, one ladder truck, one rescue truck and a brush truck.
The Naugatuck Fire Department also operates a satellite station called the Eastside Firehouse, located at the intersection of May and Osborne streets on one of the hills overlooking the borough.
The current head of the department is Fire Chief Ken Hanks.
Naugatuck's Purchasing Department coordinates the buying of all the town's resources, as well as bids for major and capital projects. The current purchasing agent is Wendy Hozer, who works under the town's finance department. The Purchasing Department is located in the elevator-accessible basement of Town Hall. Hozer can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
The Registrar's Office at Town Hall, located on the second floor, is the main location where residents can register to vote. The office holds an annual registration drive at Naugatuck High School and it also attends state conferences to become informed of changes in the election laws.
The office is responsible for appointing primary and election officials, provide voting machines and equipment, maintaining and supply polling places, filing statistics, conducting special registration sessions and supervising record keeping and registry lists.
To register to vote in Naugatuck, one must be 18 years of age or older, a U.S. citizen and a resident.
The Democratic registrar is Louise Sheedy while the Republican registrar is Jane Provonost.
The Naugatuck Senior Center, located on Meadow Street and Salem Street, provides memberships for people age 50 and older from Naugatuck and the surrounding area. There are about 800 members total, and the center offers many programs including holiday events, computer classes, yoga and relaxation classes, art events and more. Minibus service throughout town is also provided for members. Some programs are also open to the public, such as seasonal flu shot clinics.
The Land Use Department, on the second floor of Town Hall, is the central location for permits related to planning and zoning. If a resident wants to build on a property or wants to make an adjustment, they often have to obtain a permit to do so. An appointed board of members on the Planning and Zoning commissions would review that permit, however it must be applied for here.
The Land Use Department also deals with subdividing a property and with wetlands applications. Such permits apply to both commercial and industrial properties. The department deals with such processes in accordance with state statute.
The current town planner is Keith Rosenfeld. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
Applications and regulations are accessible on Naugatuck's website, which is www.naugatuck-ct.gov.
Built on a 300-year-old foundation, the Probate Court in Naugatuck was established in 1863 after being constituted from Waterbury. The court provides a number of civil services related to children, elderly and persons with mental retardation. The services include custody matters, conservatorships and trusts among others, all of which are largely sensitive issues.
The court, while located on the third floor of Town Hall, is not part of Naugatuck's municipal offices. Rather, it is operated out of the statewide Probate Court system.
In 2009, legislation passed in the state General Assembly which saw the consolidation of the Probate Court system to finish by early 2011. Currently, this court office services residents from Naugatuck and Beacon Falls, however starting Jan. 5 the towns of Prospect and Middlebury will be added to the list. The hours of operation are also expected to change.
The current Judge of Probate is Peter E. Mariano.
Begun in 1893 with three sworn officers, and their Chief George D. Hosford, the Naugatuck Police Department is currently staffed with 59 full-time officers. The department, which responds to an average of 33,000 calls a year, consists of three divisions: patrol, investigation and administration. There is also a bureau for juvenile matters.
The department has had 14 chiefs since its inception over 114 years ago. The current chief is Chief Christopher J. Edson who has served his post since 2007 and the deputy chief is Thomas Hunt.
There are also 14 full-time and six-part-time civilian employees at the Naugatuck Police Department, serving in areas including records, dispatch, maintenance and animal control.
The Assessor's Office, located on the second floor of Town Hall, is responsible for general revaluation of real property in Naugatuck. As required by the state, the town conducts a full physical revaluation every 12 years, with four-year statistical revaluations in between. Those revaluations result in the Grand List, a measurement of the combined value of all properties in Naugatuck. Each year, a board of assessment appeals allows residents to appeal their assessments. The Assessor's Office also maintains records on property ownership, zoning classifications, lot maps, gross and net valuation and personal exemptions.
The Town Clerk's Office deals with land records, vital statistics and election materials. It processes licenses and all minutes from the Naugatuck's boards and commissions are eventually directed here.
The town clerk organizes local and state municipal primaries and elections. Machine, ballots, campaign finance returns and voter certificates are within the town clerk's jurisdiction. Absentee ballots must be applied for through this office. Other documents, such as veterans' discharges for tax-exemption purposes, are also filed at the Town Clerk's office.
The office also has a vault, which contains the town's various records.
The current town clerk is Michelle Dowling. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
Apart from assisting in pertinent records, the Town Clerk's Office also is a place residents go to for general inquiries about the town.