The U.S. Army Reserve Training Center in Branford is scheduled for completion by the end of next month, and will soon provide state-of-the art training for about 300 reservists.
The center at 777 East Main St. is set back from the roadway and is accessed by an entry road from Route 1. It’s located on 15 acres of the former 86-acre Bittersweet Farm property, not far from Exit 56 and from where a new Costco warehouse and seven other commercial buildings have been proposed.
A private advanced tour revealed an impressive complex featuring a 39,000 square-foot main building, pictured at top, where offices and classrooms are located. About 175 reservists will be on site any given weekend.
There is also an expansive Organizational Maintenance Shop (OMS) at the rear of the property, here reservists will learn vehicle and equipment maintenance. A third building is an unheated storage facility.
The OMS building is enclosed with fencing and a security sign is posted.
Carol Labashosky, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said work will be complete by the end of June and a staff of about 20 will be stationed at the center on a full-time basis.
Assuring Quality
Kevin Anderson, the Construction Control Representative for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provided the tour and explained the construction process. His job is to assure quality and safety. “We have more stringent rules than OSHA,” he said.
Construction began in 2014, after the Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $13.5 million contract to Carothers Construction Inc., of Oxford, MS. Anderson said much of the subcontracted work has been done by local or instate companies. For example, Massey’s Plate Glass Co. Inc. of Branford provided the windows; and the landscaper was DaMar’s Landscaping LLC of Branford.
“Some specialty items we had to go out of state, but the majority were locals,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the tentative final inspection is June 22, and then the Army Corps of Engineers will turn the building over to the U.S. Army Reserve.
Taking a Tour
Anderson said training centers are individually designed for each location.
The main building is accessed through a lobby.
An administrative area is pictured above. There is also a separate office for recruiting, and another for family support services.
Reservists will spend time in classrooms and computer labs.
They will also participate in computer generated weapons simulation training in the room above, which is connected to a windowed control room.
“It’s like they’re in real life situations,” Anderson said of the high-tech simulations.
There is no shooting range on site.
This will be the library.
Reservists can use the fully equipped fitness room above.
And then use the adjacent men’s and women’s locker and shower rooms.
There are no sleeping facilities at the center.
Pictured above is the multi-function room, which can be used for a variety of purposes, and is adjacent to a commercial grade kitchen.
Some areas of the buildings were off-limits for security purposes and no photos were permitted in those locations.
“A Good Fit”
Anderson, a former soldier who has worked worldwide for the Army Corps of Engineers for more than two decades, said he has enjoyed being in Branford while overseeing the project. He said the center fits well in the community. “It’s pleasing to the eye when you drive-by,” he said. “I think it’s a good fit for Branford.”
The center is located near the Branford Transfer Station, and next to the United Methodist Church. There is new construction just down the road, where the Artis Memory Care facility will be located.
The Eagle first reported the Army’s interest in the Branford property in October 2012. At that time, Shawn Morris, spokesman for the U.S. Army Reserve, said training centers typically benefit both the local economy and the military. “That’s what the Reserve is all about living and training in the
communities.”
Anderson said most of the work is complete, “but there’s a lot of little things they still have to do.” As construction control inspector since the project began, it’s his job to make sure everything is done correctly and safely. “I’m making sure the guys build it the way we want it built,” he said. “We need to know where every penny goes.”
Buying a Bit of Bittersweet
Site selection for the training center began in 2008. Branford was selected as the preferred site after about 80 other possibilities within a 50-mile radius of Bridgeport were eliminated.
Preliminary architectural and engineering plans for the project were submitted to Branford’s Planning and Zoning Commission and other local entities in 2012, even though federal projects do not require local approvals. There are no wetlands on the Army’s site.
The Army purchased 15 acres of the former 86 acre Bittersweet Farm property for $3.7 million in March 2014. The property was sold by Bittersweet Partners LLC, a partnership between Al Secondino and Michael Belfonti, who maintain ownership of the remaining 71 acres.
The Bittersweet property was once a chicken farm owned by the Wallace family, and later became a popular artist colony and craft village. In 2001, CuraGen Corp., a biotech pharmaceutical development firm, purchased the Bittersweet property for $2.3 million. The company received approvals from the Inland Wetlands Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission to build a research facility there, but nothing was ever built.
In 2005, the 86 acre property was purchased by Bittersweet Partners LLC for $2.9 million. In 2011, Secondino and Belfonti made an informal presentation to the Inland Wetlands Commission for that parcel and an adjoining 50acre parcel which they also own. They were hoping to develop a multi-use complex featuring a medical center, offices, residential units and a Costco store, but the plans never materialized.
Secondino is a partner with Charles Weber Jr. in the ownership of a 16.5 acre site where six commercial buildings were proposed as part of the Costco proposals. The application was withdrawn last month, but it is anticipated it will be resubmitted.
Bittersweet Partners Secondino and Belfonti constructed the 450-foot access road leading from Route 1 to the Army complex, and they will maintain ownership of the road.
Both the Inland Wetlands Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission approved construction of the road. Project engineer John Mancini, of BL Companies in Meriden, told the IW commission that the Bittersweet Partners hope to eventually obtain permission to extend the access road southward and connect to Sycamore Way so that more parcels of land can be developed.
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Did I get this straight? 2005: 86 acres sold for $2.9 million. Nine years later, the US Army purchases 15 of those 86 acres for $3.7 million? Who says Branford property values are not on the rise? I wish the army would buy my chicken farm!