Major Repaving and Offices; St. Vincent's Hits the Mall

The St. Vincent's Van Returns: St. Vincent's Medical Center's mobile mammogram van parked in the from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and served at least a dozen women Friday.

Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst praised the van's services, saying early detection is key. His mother, Deborah Herbst, is a breast cancer survivor. 

The van serves low income areas, mostly in the Greater Bridgeport Area. It was the van's second stop at the mall.

Also present at the event was the Bridgeport-based Center for Women and Families, which is opening a satellite office in Trumbull. More information to follow on that announcement.

Repaving Proposed for Rt. 111 and Church Hill Road: State Sen. Anthony Musto, and State reps. T.R. Rowe and Tony Hwang has announced that the Department of Transportation has ordered a repaving of  Main Street (Route 111) and Church Hill Road (Route 127) in Trumbull, at the legislators’ request.

According to a press release, “Main Street and Church Hill Road are major roads in Trumbull, carrying a great deal of traffic every day. Both are in poor condition, and will likely worsen over the coming winter months. Main Street is especially important, and is in poor condition from Bridgeport through Monroe. I am grateful to the Department of Transportation for responding so quickly when we brought the need for repaving of these routes to their attention,” Musto said.

“These streets carry a tremendous amount of traffic, they are two of the 'lifeblood' streets in town,” Rowe said. “Paving them will increase both their safety and their aesthetics.”

"The maintenance and safety of these main roads are critical and important to the residents of Trumbull,"  Hwang said.  "I am proud that our state legislative delegation worked in unison to ensure the concerns of Trumbull are heard and responded to in Hartford."

The paving is scheduled to be completed as soon as 2012 and no later than 2013, pending available funds for the Vendor-In-Place Program.

Center for Women and Families coming to Town: Trumbull will host a satellite office for the Center for Woman and Families in Trumbull. The office will be located in the .

According to a press release: “Domestic violence is an issue affecting every community throughout our region” stated the First Selectman. “We need to ensure that woman who have been the victims of domestic violence have resources at their disposal to get the critical help and services they need. We are pleased to partner with the Center for Women and Families in sponsoring a satellite office for them in Trumbull.

“The location of this facility is ideally suited to meet the needs of the Center for Woman and Families. Its close proximity to the highway and the counseling center’s space makes this and ideal location to host the Center for Woman and Families. The Town of Trumbull is proud to host them,” stated Chief Keily.

“The Center for Women and Families is extremely excited about the opportunity to have a Trumbull satellite office. Having services and programs in close proximity to Trumbull residents allows individuals and their families the opportunity to utilize our free and confidential case management advocates who are experts in this field. The location also adds the confidentiality for anyone seeking help the ability to feel safe in a non-judgmental environment. The Town of Trumbull has proven to be a visionary as it addresses issues regarding domestic and sexual violence through their collaborative efforts the past four years with The Clothesline Project, Candle Light Vigil and prevention programs. We thank First Selectman Timothy Herbst and Chief Tom Kiely for their dedication and support to help those in need of our services.” Says Debra Greenwood, CEO/President of The Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County.

This Week in Himes: U.S. Rep. Jim Himes has helped pass legislation that will improve access to job training for veterans and help veterans market and use the skills they acquired in the military for jobs in the private sector. The Veterans Opportunity to Work Act (H.R. 2433) both provides training for veterans entering the civilian workforce and helps them transition into new jobs, Himes said in a press release.

“Our men and women in uniform give so much for this country and ask for so little in return,” said Himes. “This assistance will go a long way toward ensuring a smooth transition for service members returning from active duty and help them prepare for and find jobs once they’re home.”

• Work Training: The Veterans Opportunity to Work Act provides funding for one year of training in certificate programs and associates’ degrees that prepare veterans for jobs in high-demand occupations. Benefits are similar to those provided by the G.I. Bill.

• Housing: This legislation extends programs within the Department of Housing and Urban Development that help veterans acquire affordable mortgages.

• Credentialing: During their service, most veterans develop a bevy of specialized skills that would be marketable in the private sector, but use of those skills often requires certification. This legislation expands existing veteran licensure programs to include credentialing in civilian industries with a high demand for workers.
• Placement: To assist veterans in making the most of their experience serving in the military and to help them transition into the civilian workforce, this bill expands the Veterans Administration’s existing transition programs to include assistance finding training and employment opportunities.

Also, Himes voted to implement free trade agreements between the United States and South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. In conjunction with these agreements, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to assist workers affected by globalization and to allow the U.S. duty-free access to products from certain developing countries. 

“Opening up global markets to U.S. goods and services is one of the most important things we can do to grow local companies and create jobs,” Himes said. “These trade agreements will boost exports for dozens of companies right here in Southwest Connecticut.”

Nearly 500,000 jobs in Connecticut depend on exports, and numerous Connecticut businesses will benefit from these agreements. The Colombian Free Trade agreement will eliminate the 20 percent tariff on the sun-care products Energizer Personal Care Products in Shelton exports and will end the 15 percent tariff H. Muehlster & Co. in Norwalk faces on its plastic exports to Colombia. The agreement with Korea will eliminate a 17.2 percent tariff Global Textile Imports in Weston pays to import fabric and end tariffs Arch Chemical and R.T. Vanderbilt in Norwalk pay to export their products to Korea. IBM, which has substantial operations in Norwalk, touted the agreements, as well.