Long-Delayed Valley Firefighter School Now A Political Football

Gov. Ned Lamont

HARTFORD — Is the governor playing politics with funding for the long-delayed Valley firefighter training school?

Some Republicans seem to think so.

State Rep. Themis Klarides has been hammering Gov. Ned Lamont in recent weeks for not putting $14 million in bonding to build the school on the agenda of the state bond commission — an agenda that the governor and the governor alone is in charge of,” according to CT News Junkie.

Klarides, a Republican from Derby and the House minority leader, pointed out that Lamont, while a candidate for governor, made a stop in Derby just days before the election and promised to get the money” to build the training school, which has been stuck in some kind of cursed legislative netherworld for more than a decade.

… 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 during the campaign stop Nov. 2.

CT House Republicans

State Rep. Themis Klarides.

There have now been two bond commission meetings, including one Wednesday.

The Valley training school has not made it to either meeting, while money for at least two other existing regional fire schools have passed.

Klarides issued a statement calling the lack of progress another broken campaign promise.

Governor Lamont campaigned aggressively in the Valley during the 2018 election cycle targeting volunteer fire fighters and their long ignored basic needs for training,” Klarides said. This is not simply falling short of a campaign promise; this is a perfect example of a politician serving up big promises and delivering nothing.”

Lamont sent a letter to Klarides June 19 indicating the state cannot afford the Valley firefighter school at this time.”

Unfortunately, our fiscal challenges, which, you have consistently acknowledged, require us to reexamine our prioritization of bond funds,” Lamont wrote.

Additionally, proposals such as Prioritize Progress (a GOP alternative to highway tolls) would further put projects such as this one at risk. To this end, I have tasked the Office of Policy and Management with a complete review and prioritization of all eligible projects including the Valley Fire School. At this time we are unable to support this new project.”

Like its name implies, a firefighter training facility is where firefighters take courses, both classroom and practical, to learn their trade or to hone their skills. There used to be a regional fire school on O’Sullivan’s Island in Derby, but it closed roughly 20 years ago.

Currently the Valley Fire Chiefs Regional Training School uses space at various locations, both in the Valley or in New Haven or Fairfield. They’ve been trying to build a facility in Beacon Falls for years.

During an appearance Tuesday at an event in Shelton organized by the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, The Valley Indy asked Lamont about the firefighter training school. His answer wasn’t as bleak as the letter he sent Klarides.

Photo by Bill Bittar

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti (left) and chamber of commerce leader Bill Purcell (right) with Gov. Ned Lamont Tuesday in Shelton.

Lamont said the funding for the Valley fire school will make its way to the bonding commission. But he tied the fire school’s future to tolls — or, more specifically, to the GOP opposition to his plan for highway tolls.

It definitely will make it, but we can’t do it at the same time they want to put $750 million a year into bonding for transportation. That’s the Republican plan. We can’t do both. That’s the problem,” Lamont told The Valley Indy Tuesday.

The governor was talking about his plan to install tolls on some Connecticut highways and to use the money to make much-needed repairs to the state’s crumbling highways and bridges, and to improve rail service.

The issue is supposed to come up during a special session of state lawmakers at some point this summer.

Whether Lamont has the votes needed to install tolls remains to be seen.

State Republicans strongly oppose tolls, including Klarides. Republicans have offered an alternative to tolls, called Prioritize Progress,” which Lamont referred to in his statement.

Prioritize Progress” calls for bonding to cover transportation fixes, and only using bonding for other core” state needs, such as education and low-income housing. Click here to read more.

Lamont, who says the state is addicted” to borrowing and needs a debt diet,” hates the GOP plan, saying it calls for an additional $750 million a year in borrowing the state can’t afford.

During Wednesday’s bond commission meeting, state Rep. Chris Davis, a Republican who represents East Windsor and Ellington, asked whether funding for the Valley firefighter training facility would ever see the light of day.

Noel Petra, the state’s deputy commissioner for real estate and construction services, said the project was put back out to bid a few months ago,” (April) and that the state was hoping to see the project back on the agenda in the future.”

So when do you expect to have that bid back to be able to (put it) on an agenda?” Davis asked.

I’m not sure. I can get back to you on that,” Petra replied.

So it’s still something we’re intending on providing for those people in the Naugatuck Valley, but just not on this agenda?” Davis asked.

We’re evaluating our options at this point,” Petra said.

Lamont then joined the discussion, again marrying the Valley firefighter school to his dissatisfaction again with the GOPs alternative plan to highway tolls.

It depends if we’re putting $750 million a year in transportation bonding … if that’s the case we’re going to have to be very selective about what we do going forward,” Lamont said. So I’ll be able to get back to you, I think, by the end of the special session to tell you what appetite and what capacity we have to do projects like that.”

The audio from the exchange is embedded below.

At a press conference after the bond commission hearing, reporters who cover the capitol asked whether Lamont leaving the Valley firefighter school off the agenda was some type of retribution” against Klarides.

Lamont again brought up the GOP plan for funding transportation through bonding instead of collecting highway tolls.

I think the phrase is prioritize progress,’ Mark,” the governor said, answering a question from Mark Davis of WTNH. That means you are going to have to prioritize, and boy we are going to be really tough on our priorities if I put $750 million on the GAO bonds.”

So you are prioritizing against your political enemies? Is that right?,” Davis asked.

No, that’s absolutely wrong,” Lamont said. I have to set priorities in terms of what … we can do to get this state moving again.”

The press conference is embedded below. The article continues below.

Davis, the GOP lawmaker who asked about the Valley firefighter school during the bond commission meeting, said the governor’s response was unnecessary.

He pointed out the bond commission approved two other projects connected to existing firefighter training schools.

It almost made it sound like he was intentionally withholding the money for this because it is the Republican leader’s district that could be impacted,” Davis said.

The video of Davis speaking to reporters is embedded below. The article continues below.

Funding the Valley firefighter training school has received bipartisan support from lawmakers who represent the Naugatuck Valley in Hartford.

State Rep. Kara Rochelle, D‑Ansonia, issued a statement detailing all she had done during the recent legislative session to push the project forward. Her statement had nearly 30 bullet points and can be read in its entirety here.

Nobody is more disappointed than I am in light of the meticulous and aggressive efforts that I have made over the past several months,” Rochelle wrote. I want to emphasize that I have been pursuing the Valley Fire School through proper channels to ensure that this project would move forward.”

She said she would continue to fight for the school.

The next bond commission meeting has not been scheduled.

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