Webster Financial : Bank Finances Renovation of New Charter School in Windham

Sarah Barr, 203-578-2287 sbarr@websterbank.com

WINDHAM, Conn., September 11, 2014 - Webster Bankis pleased to have financed the construction and renovation of the newly opened Path Academy Windham, Connecticut's newest charter school. The project's completion was celebrated Friday, September 5, with a ribbon cutting celebration and tours of the former YMCA building at 832 Main Street. The renovated building, which has been vacant since the mid 1990s, is a significant addition to the economic development and revitalization of downtown Willimantic, which is part of Town of Windham.

The school building project was a complete overhaul of the 30,000-square-foot building and involved restoring the façade to its original brick and limestone, creating a state-of-the art educational facility. Over 10 months, Construction Resources, Inc. (CORE)of Farmington, managed a $5.5-million top-to-bottom renovation, as designed by Crosskey Architects, LLCof Hartford, and financed by Webster.

For the 2014-15 school year, Path Academy Windham has enrolled 140 students in grades 9-12 and will have a maximum capacity of 200 students in the 2015-16 school year. An estimated 75 percent of students enrolled are Windham/Willimantic residents with the remaining students residing in Andover, Bozrah, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Franklin, Hampton, Hebron, Lebanon, Mansfield, Marlborough, Norwich, Scotland, Sprague, Tolland, Vernon, and Willington.

Located in Windham, Conn., Path Academy Windham re-engages over-age, under-credited students in that region by supporting them through mastery of the critical skills necessary for success in college, career, and community.

Photo (l-r): Lawrence Davis, vice president, senior relationship manager, commercial banking, State Representative Susan Johnson, OPP President and CEO Bob Rath, Windham Mayor Ernie Eldridge, Windham Charter School Corporation Chair George Hernandez, and Principal Brooke Lafreniere (with scissors).

About Webster

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Webster Financial Corporation is the holding company for Webster Bank, N.A. With $22 billion in assets, Webster provides business and consumer banking, mortgages, private banking, trust and investment services through 166 banking offices; 311 ATMs; telephone banking; mobile banking; and the Internet. Webster Bank owns the asset based lending firm Webster Business Credit Corporation; the equ ipment finance firm Webster Capital Finance Corporation; and provides health savings account trustee and administrative services through HSA
Bank, a division of Webster Bank. Member FDIC and equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including past press releases
and the latest annual report, visit the Webster website at http://www.websterbank.com/

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