Editing Southington, Connecticut (section)

==Economy==
===Top employers===
Top employers in Southington according to the town's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.southington.org/Finance%20Department/Annual%20Financial%20Report/2019_Comprehensive_Annual_Financial_Report.pdf|title=Town of Southington Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Fiscal Ended June 30, 2019|publisher=Town of Southington|access-date=November 21, 2020}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
|1
|Town of Southington
|1,270
|-
|2
|Hartford Healthcare
|1,003
|-
|3
|[[Webster Bank]]
|648
|-
|4
|Southington YMCA
|552
|-
|5
|Connecticut On-Line Computer Company
|432
|-
|6
|Yarde Metals
|370
|-
|7
|Smith's Medical (Medex)
|271
|-
|8
|Aqua Turf
|200
|-
|9
|[[Walmart]]
|175
|-
|10
|Economy Spring
|175
|}

===Revitalization===

As industry in the area declined, many old factories and buildings were left vacant. The latest to close was [[Ideal Forging]], which filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and vacated its building in the town center. In 2005, Meridian Development Partners of New York City purchased the land with plans to transform the former factory site into homes and retail space.<ref name="Ideal Forging Now Piles of Rubble On Vacant Site">{{cite news| url=http://www.courant.com/community/southington/hc-southington-greenway-commons-0910-20150909-story.html| title=Greenway Commons| newspaper=Hartford Courant| access-date=May 14, 2017}}</ref> Demolition of the factory began in October 2014, but the project was later abandoned because of the high cost necessary to decontaminate the soil. As of 2023, preparations have begun for a new attempt at developing the space. The soil decontamination for the most recent plan has been subsidised by the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]], the state, and the town.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Buchanan |first=Jesse |date=August 14, 2020 |title=After years of inactivity, work begins on former Southington factory site |work=The Record Journal |url=https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Southington/Southington-News/After-years-of-inactivity-work-begins-on-former-Southington-factory-site.html |access-date=April 9, 2023}}</ref>

Southington has taken the initiative to spur its own revitalization. In 2002, the town completed the downtown renaissance project. This project replaced the sidewalks on Main Street and Center Street with granite curbing and brick paving stones. Lifelong resident and philanthropist Robert Petroske donated $50,000 to the revitalization effort which led to the installation of decorative iron lamp posts, benches, and garbage cans. Flowering trees were planted, and a former fountain and light fixture was restored and relocated from Recreation Park (where it had been moved in 1961) to the town center. A renaissance zone was created where private business owners in the zone could apply to the town to continue the project of granite, brick pavers, and lamp posts, of which the town would pay the difference of replacement concrete sidewalks versus the more expensive brick. The extension of brick pavers from Center Street to a section on the east side of Liberty Street was completed in July 2008 to connect with the pavers installed outside the new Liberty Square office building.

The town water department, which built a new facility on West Queen Street in 2002, demolished its former facility located between Mill and High streets in June 2008 and developed the land into a landscaped park, along with a continuation of the sidewalks, iron fences and decorative lamp posts. The old water facility abuts the linear walking trail.