Trumbull Receives $1.5 Million Grant For New Veterans Center

TRUMBULL, CT — Trumbull has received a $1.5 million grant-in-aid or a new veterans and first responders center, town and state officials announced Thursday.

In a news release, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz and Trumbull elected and town officials said the grant will be used to pay for construction costs to create the new center.

When completed, the new center will provide access to jobs, healthcare, and workforce training for the region's 30,000 veterans.

(To sign up for Trumbull breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

It will also serve as a central location for veteran's services like health screenings and job training, allowing veterans to access different resources and opportunities if they are struggling or returning to civilian life, officials said.

"I want to thank Governor Lamont for these bonding dollars, and with them this new center will be able to serve those veterans and first responders who have served our communities for so long," Bysiewicz said in a news release. "It's important to remember that we are able to enjoy the freedoms we have today because of their courage, their bravery, and their sacrifice. This new center will be a great asset to the town of Trumbull, and the entire state of Connecticut."

On top of the programs the center will provide, it will also house a training facility and a meeting facility for local police, fire and EMS, officials said.

"Thank you to First Selectman Tesoro and the First Responders Building Committee for your hard work towards this project, and thank you to Governor Lamont and Lt. Governor Bysiewicz for your support," State Senator Marilyn Moore said in a news release. "I'm proud of the work we are doing here for the 30,000+ veterans in the area. I want to thank our veterans who so unselfishly serve our country. No matter how long ago they served, we appreciate the sacrifices they made for all of us to live in a country that is free, and in the home of the brave. As Senate Bonding Chair, I'm proud to be able to do this, especially for our veterans."

Located on Kaatz Pond, the project is expected to cost around $3 million dollars, and Trumbull officials and the Trumbull Veterans and First Responder Center Building Committee are pursing federal funding to pay for the remaining $1.5 million balance, officials said.

"We are always grateful to our veterans and our first responders for their sacrifices," First Selectman Vicki Tesoro said in a news release. "The [coronavirus] pandemic has brought new training requirements for our first responders and a need for more services for veterans. We are many steps closer to the construction of the Veterans and First Responders Center on Kaatz Pond. I want to thank State Senator Marilyn Moore for her leadership in securing $1.5 million in state funding and our state legislative delegation for their support of this project and the state funding."

State Rep. David Rutigliano also thanked Lamont for funding this project due to its importance to both the town and its veterans.

"Thank you to the advocacy of Ray and all of our other veterans for getting this done, and especially to Sen. Moore," Rutigliano said in a news release. "We find there is a lot of value to this project, and I'm glad that you all recognize that there is value to it too and for that, we are very grateful."

Commanders of both Trumbull Memorial Post 1059 and Americo V. Napolitano Post 141 also gave their thanks to Lamont, Bysiewicz and the Trumbull legislative delegation, along with all of the veterans in the region.

Ray Baldwin, a former Trumbull first selectman and chair of the Trumbull Veterans & First Responders Building Committee, thanked Lamont and Tesero for their support, as well as Moore for her advocacy in this project.

"Early on, she saw the value and bought into the project, advocating for us up in Hartford, as well as the rest of our legislative delegation," Baldwin said in a news release. "The building will also allow civic organizations and legislative bodies in our community a place to meet, and provide a gathering place for people in the community to rent for events, generating income for the VFW and American Legion."