Dominique Johnson

Dear Neighbor,

Happy Friday! I hope you have been enjoying your summer. 

Please see below for information about a Construction Project in Norwalk, nominating an individual for the CT Veteran's Hall of Fame, and more!

The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced that construction activities to improve the Metro-North Railroad (New Haven Mainline) Bridge No. 08028, over Osborne Avenue in Norwalk, will begin on Monday, July 29. The initial construction work consists of track-level work to install sheet piles in advance of significant upgrades to the bridge later this year.

Construction to replace the north side of the bridge begins in August 2024, and construction of the south side of the bridge in April 2026.

DETOUR INFO

Northbound traffic will be detoured west along Van Zant Street to Fort Point Street. Southbound traffic will be detoured west on Fort Point Street and Van Zant Street to points south of the bridge. Pedestrian and bicycle access will be maintained for most of the closure except when construction equipment is required on Osborne Avenue for certain activities.

The Don Carmelo's Margarita Run will be held on August 15. The 3.1 mile course route winds through East Norwalk and ends at Don Carmelo's, where participants can celebrate with live music. 

All net proceeds will be donated to The Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship Fund, a Norwalk based nonprofit that provides scholarships to high school graduates who are pursing a post secondary education. 

Click here to learn more. 

If you know of a loved one from Connecticut who has served this country and has continued making positive impacts after leaving military service, I encourage you to nominate them to be honored in the 2024 class of the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame.

The application period to nominate a veteran is open until September 15, 2024, and an induction ceremony will be scheduled in the coming months.

Established in 2005, the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame is the State of Connecticut’s official tribute recognizing former members of the United States Military from Connecticut who have continued making significant impacts on the lives of others and their communities after leaving military service. Veterans recognized for the honor are leaders in a variety of areas, such as education, public service, the arts, volunteer activities, and community and business leadership, to name a few. It is administered by the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.

Each year, a nomination process is launched and a committee – consisting of Connecticut Veterans Affairs Commissioner Ron Welch; Major General Francis J. Evon Jr., adjutant general of the Connecticut National Guard; members of the legislature’s Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs; and a group of veterans from the state – reviews the nominations and selects inductees to be honored in that year’s class. To date, 201 honorees have been inducted, including five recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
 

To be eligible, nominees must have been born in Connecticut or resided in the state for a minimum of five years. They must also meet the definition of a “veteran” under Connecticut General Statutes § 27-103 and have received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Armed Forces. The submitted nomination package must contain the completed nomination form, the veteran’s discharge documents, and a detailed narrative of the veteran’s community and/or public service at the local, state, and/or nation level and the veteran’s contributions to the community at large. The focus of this honor is on the veteran’s service to their community after leaving the military.

To download the nomination package, visit portal.ct.gov/dva/pages/ct-veterans-hall-of-fame.

Completed nomination packages must be submitted to the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs by September 15, 2024. They should be delivered by email to lindsay.jesshop@ct.gov or mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to:

Office of the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs

287 West Street

Rocky Hill, CT 06067

Additional information on eligibility criteria and other requirements can be found in the nomination package.