By Linda Lemmon

Town Crier Editor

PUTNAM --- The town of Putnam will be awarded, on Oct. 1, the fourth of a four-year grant to help prevent underage drinking.

Town Administrator Douglas M. Cutler said the fourth installment of the federal Sober Truth About Underage Drinking award of $48,000 will be delivered to Putnam PRIDE through the town.

The grant will be used for programs to prevent underage drinking.

In addition, the grants just keep coming, as the town also just learned that it has been awarded the eighth year of a 10-year Drug Free Communities grant.

The $125,000 will help the town create programs for a drug-free community. The idea is that by the 10th and final year, the program would be self-sustaining. "We're working on sustainability," he said. The town's program must be self-sufficient by the 10th year.

Putnam also received a Drug Free Communities mentoring grant from the federal government. Putnam is one of only 20 communities in the U.S. to get the grant and Putnam is the only one in Connecticut to be awarded this mentoring grant. The $61,529 will be used to help Putnam mentor Griswold in the formation of its PRIDE program. 

The next year, Putnam hopes to receive a $75,000 grant to continue the mentoring program.