Jaime Foster

Celebrating $8 million in bond funding for East Windsor and Ellington!

On Friday, the State Bond Commission approved funding allocations including $8 million for the North Central CT Police and Public Safety Infrastructure project, which will provide better communication resources for East Windsor, Ellington, and Windsor first responders.

State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), State Representative Jaime Foster (D-East Windsor, Ellington, Vernon) and State Representative Carol Hall (R-East Windsor, Enfield), as well as East Windsor First Selectman Jason Bowsza, Ellington Superintendent Dr. Scott Nicol, East Windsor Police Chief Matthew Carl, Ellington town Administrator Matthew Reed and Donald Bridge Jr., President of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #311 representing the Ellington Police Union, welcomed its benefits to the community. This allocation will benefit local first responders and will support a radio tower as well as improvements to local police department radio communications.

The project will see the expansion of a radio site and channels for Windsor, East Windsor and Ellington towns and public safety agencies, bolstering connectivity and interoperability between agencies in each town. The work also includes improving a police radio dead zone at Ellington High School and will overall improve interoperability in the majority of North Central Connecticut.

"This was a Herculean effort and I’m proud of the team for its collaborative effort to submit the state bond proposal, and special thanks to Chief Carl for his leadership and collaboration," said Rep. Foster. "East Windsor and Ellington are about to get major public safety upgrades, including an overhaul of East Windsor’s entire public safety communication infrastructure, linking into the state system, and bolstering the network all our state police use in the region. The bond funding also includes improvements to Ellington High School’s police radio system by adding a repeater to allow the police radios to work within and beyond the walls of EHS. I’m proud to have played a significant role in making this funding come to fruition."

"The funding secured by Representative Foster and approved by the Bond Commission is a tremendous step forward for public safety in East Windsor, Windsor, and Ellington," said First Selectman Bowsza. "Not only will it significantly enhance emergency communications technology for each of those three towns, but it will also provide an enhanced infrastructure for public safety in all of north central Connecticut. This milestone funding intended to protect our first responders would not have been possible without the advocacy and collaboration of Representative Foster."

"The approval of state bond commission funding for the replacement and improvement of public safety communications in East Windsor, Windsor, and Ellington is a tremendous step forward," said Chief Carl. "This investment ensures that our first responders have the reliable, modern tools they need to protect and serve our communities more effectively and efficiently."

"Our local first responders make sacrifices every day and the work they do is vital in supporting our communities," said Sen. Anwar. "This funding will bolster their communication abilities, which will help them respond to emergencies faster and provide them with better information that can improve their already high-quality work. I'm grateful to the State Bond Commission and Governor Lamont for their support."

"I am thrilled to see East Windsor's grant-in-aid request for radio communications has been approved by the State Bonding Committee," said Rep. Hall. "I would like to thank the governor's office for recognizing how important good communication is for our public safety responders in our region. These funds will ensure the future needs for radio hardware, along with the communication tower, will bring our public safety into the 21st century. I would also like to thank our Chief Matthew Carl and East Windsor officials for bringing this very important project to our attention."

"As the President of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #311 representing the Ellington Police Union, I fully support the State Bonding Commission Funding for Ellington and East Windsor," said Bridge. "The improvements included in the project will help law enforcement officers communicate throughout the high school, improve overall communications in the area, and provide interoperability with our neighbors in East Windsor. Ultimately, a better-coordinated response by law enforcement results in a safer community for everyone."

"The Town of Ellington prioritizes the safety and welfare of our schools’ students, faculty, and staff," said Administrator Reed. "Funding that aids in enhancing the security posture of our schools is always welcomed. The equipment funded by this grant is expected to improve the ability of our first responders to communicate effectively while inside the school building where the penetration of radio signals is generally poor."

"This addresses a moderate communication issue for the state police which supports our school resource (police) and armed security officers at Ellington High School," said Dr. Nicol.