MIDDLETOWN — State veterans officials are working on a small, immediate expansion of the 21-acre State Veterans Cemetery grounds, which is projected to run out of room for buried cremains by July 2027.
Connecticut
Connecticut veterans affairs ID’s plot near Middletown state cemetery for small expansion
The state Department of Veterans Affairs will be adding additional cremains plots at 197 Bow Lane in Middletown, which abuts the State Veterans Cemetery.
Charles Pickett, state commander of the New Haven-based Veterans of Foreign Wars Connecticut division, who runs the Save our Cemetery website, has called the issue an “impending crisis.”
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He has been advocating for a cemetery annex for some time.
The move is expected to extend the cemetery’s capacity for about five years, according to state Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Commissioner John S. Carragher.
The land abutting the columbarium, located at 197 Bow Lane and adjacent to the cemetery, was previously owned by the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and is part of the overall cemetery property, Carragher added.
It was “declared excess to their needs in 2020 and subsequently placed under the care and custody of CT DVA,” he continued.
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The flat and grassy plot, formerly used by Connecticut Valley Hospital, is approximately half-an-acre, he said, and includes a circa 1950 Colonial revival structure informally known as Cottage 22.
“We are in the process of surveying the plot to formally move it from the larger CVH plot to the current cemetery plot. We are planning on taking down the cottage to maximize the available space,” Carragher said.
The total acreage of land to be expanded upon is “unknown until the project is fully designed,” Carragher said.
“We have less than an acre on the current cemetery site in Middletown,” he said. “We’re going to have to take down a building if we can get approval to do that. That would provide some additional time.”
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Last year, the DVA had to decline a $4 million federal grant after Middletown officials rejected a request to expand the cemetery.
Common Council members voted unanimously in November 2024 not to sell about 90 acres of open space to the state for a much-needed annex. That property, on Bow Lane and parts of Cedar Lane and Reservoir Road, is among five parcels totaling 256 acres of land near the hospital.
The agency went through a very competitive national process to apply for a limited amount of money through the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Cemetery Grants Program.
DVA Commissioner Ron Welch, who spoke during the office’s September podcast, said finding a larger, permanent expansion continues to be officials’ top priority.
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Cremains spots are four-by-four feet in size, he added.
“We’re looking for 50 to 100 buildable acres, ideally, somewhere in the central part of the state,” he told the program host.
The DVA has been searching across Connecticut, he added, looking at some 15 sites, three of which he expects will undergo feasibility studies.
Although the state hasn’t specified where the sites are, Welch said during the episode one is in the eastern part of the state, and others in the western and south central portions of Connecticut.
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Pickett is hopeful knowing a temporary solution is underway.
“It is heartening to see progress into the expansion of the Middletown cemetery,” he said Friday. “It buys the state more time to find a suitable replacement.”
WALLINGFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Hundreds of athletes are competing in the 12th annual Gauntlet 5K on Wednesday morning.
The race features adaptive obstacle courses on the campus of Gaylord Hospital. Many of the athletes participating received treatment or went through rehab at Gaylord Hospital.
Much of the proceeds raised goes back to the hospital’s adaptive sports program and sports association. The program offers 18 adaptive sports at little to no cost to participants. It is the state’s largest adaptive sports program dedicated to improving the lives of anyone with physical disabilities.
Jess Youngblood, a Gauntlet adaptive athlete, said she is committed to giving it her all on the course.
“I was very active before all of this,” Youngblood said. “So being in the wheelchair is definitely a different experience. But I don’t let it slow me down.”
The first race kicks off at 8 a.m. and races will continue through 2 p.m.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
Connecticut
Senator Hochadel Welcomes $581,256 State Grant for Middlefield Pedestrian Safety Project – Connecticut Senate Democrats
June 12, 2026
Sen. Jan Hochadel (D-Meriden) on Friday welcomed a $581,256 state grant to fund the Middlefield Municipal Campus Connections project, improving pedestrian safety and connectivity around the town’s municipal campus.
The funding comes through the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Community Connectivity Grant Program, announced today by Governor Ned Lamont and Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto.
“Middlefield is a small, tight-knit community, and investments in how residents move through that community matter,” Senator Hochadel said. “Safer connections around the municipal campus make daily life better for the people who live there, and that’s what this program delivers. I’m grateful to Governor Lamont and Commissioner Eucalitto for making sure Middlefield was part of this investment.”
Since the program launched in 2019, 172 grants totaling more than $84 million have been invested in Connecticut communities.
Governor Lamont highlighted the broader impact of the program across Connecticut.
“This program cuts red tape and accelerates local infrastructure projects that make a real difference in people’s daily lives,” Governor Lamont said. “Across Connecticut with the support of this state program, communities are building accessible sidewalks, new bicycle connections, and stronger links to jobs, schools, and local businesses.”
Contact: Hugh McQuaid | Hugh.McQuaid@cga.ct.gov
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HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The Connecticut Department of Public Health (CTDPH) is alerting residents on Friday about a recall of Darice Timeless Minis decorative toys that were found to contain lead levels that violate the federal paint ban.
The CTDPH is urging residents to stop using the decorative toy products immediately. The recall applies to the red wagons, watering cans, and chairs, all of which pose a risk for lead poisoning, according to CTDPH officials.
The CTDPH said residents who have one of the recalled products should:
- Stop using the product immediately and dispose of it
- Contact your child’s healthcare provider to discuss whether lead testing is
- appropriate
- Report any injuries or illnesses associated with these products to the CPSC
“Lead poisoning is entirely preventable, and no level of lead exposure is safe for children,” Commissioner Manisha Juthani, M.D., said in a written statement. “We are asking every parent, caregiver, childcare provider, and healthcare professional in Connecticut to take this recall seriously. If you have these products in your home, stop using them immediately and throw them away. If you have any concern that your child may have been exposed, please contact your
healthcare provider and ask about lead testing. Acting quickly makes all the difference.”
The recall was issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
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