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State veterans officials press urgency for cemetery annex; ask to work with Middletown
Summary
Commissioner Ron Welch and Deputy Commissioner Joe Dineo told the council the State Veterans Cemetery will exhaust certain interment options within a few years and urged collaboration; they said building a new, separate cemetery would cost roughly $15 million.
Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs officials told the Middletown council the state needs to secure additional space to continue offering veterans local burial options. Commissioner Ron Welch said an annex is needed to avoid having to establish an entirely new cemetery location elsewhere in the state, which he estimated would cost about $15 million to equip and staff.
Deputy Commissioner Joe Dineo gave capacity figures and timelines: officials recorded roughly 273 in‑ground cremation burials in the past year and told the council the site has about "738 spaces left," which Dineo estimated would last roughly "3 years and 3 months" at recent rates. Dineo described current federal grant flows (competitive VA grants and maintenance funding) and said the state has pursued bonding and grant requests to plan for expansion; he also said state law requires the Department of Administrative Services to lead property acquisition matters. Veterans and several council members said they support finding a solution that preserves neighborhood priorities while serving veterans' needs.
