A field trip is always a treat for school kids.
But two fourth-graders at West Woods School in Hamden recently got a special surprise during their recent class outing to the Energize Connecticut Center in North Haven:
A visit from Dad.
While Connecticut embraces the push to bring natural gas to more homes and business, there is a need to have a trained workforce who can convert customers from oil to natural gas.
For the past year, UIL has been supporting — with a $322,000 investment — a gas utility worker-training program organized by the Capital Workforce Partners Jobs Funnel in Hartford. Through this program, unemployed or underemployed urban residents, or individuals who need and deserve a second chance at a career, get training in the installation and maintenance of gas pipelines.
The United Illuminating Company recently completed a year-long project to upgrade the electrical system serving more than 4,000 customers in New Haven’s Fair Haven neighborhood.
“This recently completed initiative provides a more modern electric infrastructure for residents of Fair Haven, so that they can continue to receive the high level of safety and reliability that they have come to expect from UI,” said James P. Torgerson, president and chief executive officer of UI’s parent company, UIL Holdings Corporation.
The project, which kicked off with a community meeting in February, upgraded the 4,160-volt electrical circuits that had served the neighborhood for 60 years. That meant replacing 240 poles, 91 transformers and more than 120,000 feet of wire.
The new system meets current safety standards and operates at 13,800 volts, a standard voltage for modern electric infrastructure.
Natural gas service has arrived in Deep River, Connecticut.
The Southern Connecticut Gas Company, a subsidiary of UIL Holdings Corporation (NYSE: UIL), announced that the environmentally friendly fuel started flowing through 4 miles of new gas main that was recently extended into the town.
It’s the first time natural gas utility service has been available in Deep River. It will initially serve several municipal buildings, along with commercial, industrial and residential customers along its route. Deep River is the second new SCG franchise territory in as many years: Last year, the company introduced natural gas service in neighboring Essex.
This Veterans Day, and every day, we at UIL salute those who have served in the U.S. armed forces.
We honor the many veterans we have the daily privilege of serving, and take particular pride in those who work with us at our companies: UIL, UI, SCG, CNG and Berkshire Gas.
Here’s a roll call. We thank each veteran for their sacrifice and service, and invite readers to do the same in the “Comments” section.
SCG and CNG‘s commitment to the community is something you can take to the bank, like the Connecticut Food Bank and the Diaper Bank, two of the hundreds of nonprofit organizations we support through grants and donations. Our companies also partner with Operation Fuel to help those having difficulty paying their energy bills. You can help too, by adding $1 to your monthly bill. See how you can partner with UIL to help those in need by visiting the SCG or CNG websites, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Whether it’s reading to local school children, running long-distance for a good cause, cleaning up a riverbank or giving to charities, UIL’s employees are proud to be part of the communities we serve.
Here are a few of the things they’ve been up to:
The UIL Holdings Corporation announced that its 2015 Employee Giving Campaign raised $397,117, a record tally that will help hundreds of nonprofit organizations serve their clients and communities.
Employees donated $271, 701 during the two-week campaign in September. UIL matched that amount 50 cents on the dollar for qualifying nonprofits, bringing the total to $397,711. That total is $12,000 more than 2014 and the most ever raised by the campaign. Since 2008, UIL Employee Giving Campaign has raised nearly $1.8 million.
Donors came from all of the UIL operating companies: The United Illuminating Company, The Southern Connecticut Gas Company, Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation and The Berkshire Gas Company.
The UIL Holdings Corporation Foundation today announced a $50,000 grant to support expansion of the Fair Haven Community Health Center’s midwifery program, enabling more women and their newborns to achieve a healthy start in life while reducing the risks of premature births.
The donation from the UIL Foundation specifically supports Fair Haven Community Health Center (FHCHC) Birthing Partner Program, which is expanding to 50 Grand Avenue in New Haven. The Center’s nurse midwives deliver between 100 to 150 babies annually at the Yale-New Haven Hospital. FHCHC is the only one of the 15 federal health centers in Connecticut where nurse midwives accompany expecting mothers to the hospital and deliver babies.
Pipes and Poles 