ANSONIA — Valley legislators on the local and state levels are applying pressure on Gov. Ned Lamont to get the long-delayed Valley Fire Chiefs Training School off the ground.
The majority of the Ansonia Board of Aldermen went as far as passing a resolution Tuesday night “condemning” Lamont for a lack of action to move the project forward.
The language in the resolution was proposed by Lorie Vacarro, a Republican who serves as Aldermanic president.
“I don’t have a sense of optimism that this is going to get done,” Vacarro said.
The Valley Indy emailed the governor’s office for comment Wednesday.
The school, which would train and certify area volunteer firefighters, has been talked about for more than a decade. The school is supposed to be built in Beacon Falls. A facility closed decades ago in Derby.
The money for a new training facility was allocated, according to statements from various officials Tuesday, but has never made it to the state bonding commission to officially move forward.
While the thing has been delayed for years, Lamont actually campaigned on the issue in 2018 during a stop in Derby while running for governor.
“ … What you need is a governor who makes a decision and gets the job done. And that’s what (Lt. Gov.) Susan (Bysiewicz) and I mean to do in terms of the fire training facility,” Lamont said.
Yet Lamont has yet to put the item on the bonding commission’s agenda — and he’s the guy who sets the agenda.
“The property is bought. It’s sitting there just growing weeds. We need to keep pressuring everyone that we can. This isn’t Republican. This isn’t Democrat. This is that we need to shake everybody’s tree and get that money to us, it’s been promised to us for years,” said Anthony Spigarolo, a volunteer firefighter in Ansonia.
A press conference to discuss the status of the school has been scheduled for Thursday (Oct. 10) on Lancaster Road in Beacon Falls — the location where the school is supposed to be built. Officials from at least nine towns are expected to be on hand.
During Tuesday’s Aldermen meeting in Ansonia, state Rep. Kara Rochelle (D‑Ansonia) said there is a bi-partisan effort underway to convince the governor to put the item on a bonding commission agenda. It’s a safety issue, Rochelle said.
Rochelle’s father is a volunteer firefighter in Seymour and teaches at the school, which currently trains Valley firefighters at various locations and classrooms since the school has no permanent home.
Rochelle said 33 legislators have signed a letter in support of the firefighter training school. The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments passed a resolution in support — 19 towns are in the organization.
“This is not something anyone is sleeping on,” Rochelle said.
Republican State Representatives Themis Klarides, Nicole Klarides-Ditria, Ben McGorty, Jason Perillo, David Labriola, Rosa Rebimbas, and Republican State Senators George Logan, Kevin Kelly, and Eric Berthel issued a joint statement supporting local boards such as Ansonia, Seymour and Beacon Falls that have passed training-school related resolutions.
“We are always proud to say that we come from the Valley, especially when we see the ground swell of town support for our volunteer fire fighters. Valley towns want their voices heard loud and clear, they want this long overdue funding,” the statement said. “Volunteer firefighters need access to training, they put their lives on the line to protect us – they deserve this funding. It’s outstanding to see that towns are passing resolutions to send a message to Hartford.”