Sen. Kissel: “This will be a game-changer for Thompsonville.’’
December 15, 2021From the Hartford Courant:
Christmas will come early for many cities and towns as hundreds of millions of dollars will be awarded next week in the final State Bond Commission meeting of the year.
The 76-page agenda covers projects in all corners of the state — from Greenwich to Brookfield to Enfield to New London.
The following projects are on the list for approval:
Enfield train station
One of the most high-profile awards is $35 million for a new train station for Enfield, which has been in the works for more than a decade with numerous false starts.
The station would be constructed in the hardscrabble Thompsonville section, a working-class area of town near the waterfront.
The town’s bipartisan legislative delegation, as well as many former mayors, town council members and town managers, have consistently pushed for the long-delayed project.
“All aboard!” said Sen. John A. Kissel, an Enfield Republican who has represented the town for more than 25 years. “This is the result of a decade of collaboration among town, state and federal officials. It will be a game-changer for Thompsonville.’’
Rep. Tom Arnone said the project will help mass transit in northern Connecticut.
“Enfield’s commitment to our local bus route — the Magic Bus — and linking it to rail is a model we can be proud of,’’ Arnone said. “This, and the performing arts center, will be the steppingstone to Enfield’s economic success.”
Enfield residents have been frustrated as the idea never came to fruition.
In 2006, then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell called for the new station.
It was also on the radar screen during the eight-year tenure of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, but was never built.
