For Immediate Release – March 30, 2026

(Hartford, CT) – Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC) has awarded the Westville Village Renaissance Alliance (WVRA) a $5,000 EmPOWER Main Street grant to launch a long‑anticipated Holiday Lighting Program that will brighten the neighborhood’s commercial district and strengthen its visual identity. The project will install festive lighting on 38 trees along Whalley Avenue and Fountain Street, creating a welcoming seasonal atmosphere and enhancing the district’s sense of place during the winter months.

The EmPOWER Main Street Fund—made possible through the partnership and generosity of United Illuminating (UI), Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG), and Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG), subsidiaries of Avangrid—supports projects that enhance downtown vibrancy through lighting, beautification, signage, and commercial district improvements.

CMSC Executive Director Michelle McCabe emphasized the importance of Westville’s leadership and the City of New Haven’s commitment to strengthening neighborhood commercial districts, noting that Westville is one of the neighborhoods CMSC is working on in partnership with the City as part of their Neighborhood Commercial District initiative. “Through the generosity of Avangrid and their associated companies, we were able to offer much‑needed support for the kinds of initiatives that are critically important to main streets and yet are hard to fund. WVRA is an excellent example of what happens when communities embrace main street management programs and Westville has seen the positive benefits of the hard work of Lizzy Donius and the Westville Renaissance Alliance.  We are thrilled, in partnership with Avangrid, to be able to create a way for you to move things forward in your neighborhood,” said Ms. McCabe.

UI Community and Government Relations Specialist Elizabeth Esposito echoed the enthusiasm for the project and its broader impact. “We are excited to partner with CT Main Street on an initiative like this and to be able to support WVRA on this project, specifically because it is lighting, but also because it’s so apparent to us that the vibrancy of our communities and our main streets is what makes Connecticut special and what makes our employees want to work here and stay here. It all plays into economic growth that not only can we power with literal energy, but also with some funding,” she said.

She also shared a personal connection to the neighborhood: “When I was moving back to Connecticut several years ago, I was specifically looking for a neighborhood with a main street program, and I moved to Westville because of it. It’s so great to see all the work that’s been done.”

CMSC Field Services Director Carl Rosa highlighted WVRA’s strong leadership and partnerships. “I know better than anyone all of the hard work Lizzy, her team and board have done in partnership with the City to make Westville wonderful,” he said. “The reason why we’re here is because WVRA is a Main Street America nationally accredited program and Lizzy is a professional Main Street manager who manages the Westville program to a T. We’re proud of that and we’re thrilled for you. I can’t wait to come back at the end of the year and see the lighting and everything that happens around the holidays.”

WVRA Executive Director Lizzy Donius expressed deep gratitude for the support and collaboration behind the project. “This really means a lot to us,” she said. “I’m so grateful for all the support of CMSC as I try to do the on-the-ground work; it’s been an incredible place for me to go for support and education.” She also expressed appreciation to the City for their support and collaboration, in particular the Economic Development and Traffic & Parking departments, and was especially pleased with Avangrid’s participation as project funder. “We’ve been wanting to do this holiday infrastructure for a long time, and it is really difficult to make room in an operating budget for a project that requires a one-time investment. This is the money that will allow us to do that, so I really appreciate it.”

Westville resident and longtime WVRA board member Lisa Brandes spoke to the project’s broader cultural and economic significance. “I’m now studying tourism and arts and culture at Southern Connecticut State University, and we know that lighting up districts is a great economic development strategy—it’s great for safety, it’s great for community building, all of which are principles of CT Main Street and the main street model,” she said. “We’re excited to light up Westville because right here, the strikeable match was invented. We’ve been lighting up Westville, New Haven, and the world for over 200 years. We’re a beacon!”

Carlos Eyzaguirre, Deputy Administrator of the City of New Haven’s Economic Development Administration, underscored Westville’s role as an example for other neighborhoods. “We really look to WVRA as a model for some of our other districts,” he said. “They’re the only Main Street program in the city. We’re looking at how to grow the commercial districts and how to impart the main street model to other growing neighborhood commercial districts in the City.”

Installation of the new holiday lighting will begin later this year, with the goal of illuminating Westville’s commercial corridors ahead of the winter season.

About the EmPOWER Main Street Fund

The EmPOWER Main Street Fund was launched in June 2025 in partnership with UI, CNG, and SCG — subsidiaries of Avangrid, Inc. — subsidiaries of Avangrid, Inc. — with $25,000 in seed funding. The program provides grants to CMSC member communities within the utilities’ service territories for projects that enhance downtown vibrancy, including lighting, beautification, signage, and commercial space improvements.

In its first grant round, three Connecticut communities were awarded funding: Old Saybrook, Westville Village Renaissance Alliance, and Windsor’s First Town Downtown. Their projects reflect the diverse needs of Connecticut’s downtowns and the creativity and commitment of local stakeholders working to make them more vibrant and welcoming.

CMSC and Avangrid encourage other businesses and corporations interested in supporting Connecticut’s downtowns to contribute to the EmPOWER Main Street Fund for its 2027 round. For more information on the EmPOWER grant or how to become a sponsoring organization, email Carl Rosa at carl@ctmainstreet.org.

About the Photo: WVRA Executive Director Lizzy Donius, WVRA Board Member Lisa Brandes, and Carlos Eyzaguirre from the City of New Haven, are joined by Michelle McCabe and Carl Rosa (CMSC) and Elizabeth Esposito (UI), for the EmPOWER grant award presentation. Photo taken by Christine Schilke for CMSC.

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Media Contact
Christine Schilke
Senior Director, Communications & Marketing
860-280.2356
christine@ctmainstreet.org