With Permission
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comments regarding the proposed construction of an Army Reserve Training Center on a portion of the former Bittersweet Farm property in Branford.
Carol Labashosky, spokeswoman for Louisville District of the Army Corps of Engineers, informed the Eagle that Branford has been chosen as the preferred site. She said a final decision can’t be made until an Environmental Assessment (EA) report is finalized and signed.
Site selection for the project has been ongoing for several years. Between 2008 and 2010, the Army looked at 50 sites within 50 miles of Bridgeport, but the EA report said none were suitable. In 2011, the Army looked at 32 additional sides, and eliminated all but the one on East Main Street in Branford.
The report identifies Branford as the preferred site, and lists other sites that were considered but rejected. Among the locations rejected were sites in New Haven, Waterbury, North Haven, Cheshire and Oxford. One other site on North Main Street in Branford was rejected.
The Army has already issued the EA report and is awaiting public comments before proceeding. The report takes an in-depth look at any possible environmental impacts .According to the EA report, there would be some construction impacts, but “no significant direct impacts to the quality of the environment, either human or natural, have been identified.”
The project would be built along Route 1 on a 15-acre portion of the former farm, which is located at 777 – 779 East Main St., just past the town’s Transfer Station on East Main Street.
Residents have until Nov. 3 to make written or e‑mail comments regarding the report. Copies of the report are at the Blackstone Memorial Library, and at the Planning and Zoning Office at Town Hall. The report may be viewed online here. The project is sometimes referred to as the proposed Bridgeport Army Reserve Center, since the Army was looking at sites within 50 miles of Bridgeport.
Click here to read a previous story about the project.
Labashosky said the project would cost between $15 and $20 million, and would provide training facilities for 300 reservists. She said the Project Delivery Team is developing plans for a design-bid-build construction contract solicitation, but said the project would not be awarded until the EA is finalized and the land is purchased.
According to Labashosky, the 39,487-square-foot training center would include administrative offices, a library, learning center, weapons simulator and physical fitness areas. There would be a separate maintenance shop and an unheated storage building.
According to the EA report, the facility would have five full-time employees and would provide training for 300 reservists, with a maximum of 172 reservists on any given weekend. The estimated start of construction would be in 2013, with completion in 2014.
As previously reported in the Eagle, the project is part of the Grow The Army program, and not part of the nationwide Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program.
The Bittersweet Farm property was once a chicken farm owned by the Wallace family, and later became a noted artist colony and craft village. In 2001, approval was given for CuraGen Corp. to construct a biotech pharmaceutical complex but the project never materialized.
Written comments regarding the EA report may be mailed to Amanda Murphy, 99th RSC DPW, Environmental Division, 5231 South Scott Plaza, Fort Dix, NJ 08640.
Or comments may be sent by e‑mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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