Trumbull Veterans & First Responders Center Receives $1.5M Grant

TRUMBULL, CT — A new Trumbull Veterans and First Responders Center is slated to receive $1.5 million in state money, following a decision by the state Bond Commission to include the project in its funding package, according to officials.

Trumbull Republican state Reps. David Rutigliano (123rd District), Laura Devlin (134th District) and Ben McGorty (122nd District), and Democratic state Sen. Marilyn Moore (22nd District) advocated on behalf of the town and the VFW and American Legion last year asking for state bonding money for the project.

The new center will be a replacement for the Trumbull American Legion and VFW building on Whitney Avenue, which has been closed since 2017. Officials were forced to condemn the structure due to a collapsed foundation.

"Many of the Trumbull Veteran groups, community organizations and first responders are joining together in an effort to build a better, more modern facility that can house not only our veterans but be an essential facility for the Town of Trumbull," Rutigliano said.

The new 5,500-square-foot center will provide access to jobs, healthcare, and workforce training to the region's 30,000 veterans, according to officials. Additionally, it would serve as a central location for veteran's services like health screenings and job training, ensuring a place of stability for struggling veterans to get back on their feet.

In addition, the new veteran center will house a training facility and a meeting facility for Local Police, Fire and EMS. Furthermore, when fully operational this facility could be used as a central command space for county emergencies, with a space generous enough to house many critical operations.

The facility will be on Kaatz Pond, and it is expected to cost about $3 million to build. 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.

"We are extremely grateful to Governor Lamont and Senator Marilyn Moore, Senate co-chair of the sub-committee on Bonding , for their leadership and support for this important project," said Trumbull First Selectman Vicki Tesoro. "There are many people behind this effort, including the TVFRC Building Committee members who have been meeting since February 2019. This project is 'shovel ready,' meaning it is fully designed and ready to go to construction bid once all of the funding is lined up. Having a home for our veterans groups and being able to offer more services to our veterans is extremely exciting. Our first responders, who all have increased training requirements, will benefit greatly from this facility, as will civic groups and residents. The project is a win for Trumbull and the region."

Added Devlin, "Another positive residual effect of this proposed facility is that it will give much needed meeting space for community and civic organizations, such as the Lions Club, the Rotary, Parent Teachers Association, Scouting, and many others."

Once the facility is built it should pay for itself through rentals to the community for different functions, according to officials.

The Town of Trumbull currently does not have a gathering space for small and medium size functions, we believe demand will be high in the community for such purposes.

"This is an important state grant for Trumbull veterans," McGorty said. "This space will further enhance the VFW and legions ability to fund their-own activities by providing a space for fundraising activities."

According to officials, money already has been designated funding for the cleanup of the adjacent, 17-acre Kaatz Pond, which formerly hosted youth fishing derbies and used to train the Trumbull's emergency scuba dive team.

"We thank Senator Moore and all of our supporters for securing this funding," said Raymond Baldwin, Vietnam Marine Corps Veteran, former First Selectman and the building committee Chair. "We are eager to move this project along so we can activate services and training for our veterans and first responders. Residents will be able to rent the facility once built, and they can commemorate family members and friends who have served our country and our community in the Patriots Gallery."

For more information on the project and to follow its construction, visit www.trumbullvfrc.org