With the successful passage of the bipartisan state budget on Oct. 26, State Senator Ted Kennedy Jr. (D, District 12) of Branford shared long-awaited word that Branford's $88.2 million Walsh Intermediate School (WIS) expansion project receives a 35.36 percent reimbursement from the state in the bipartisan, veto-proof budget. The state reimbursement totals $30,385,909.

"As a member of the legislature's Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, I was able to successfully advocate for more than $30 million in state bonding to help renovate Branford's Walsh Intermediate School," said Kennedy in a statement. "At a time when Connecticut is cutting back on spending and capping state bonding, I was still able to convince my colleagues that this project is a good investment for the children of Branford."

Branford applied for the bonding in 2016 with the intent of receiving the bonding decision following the anticipated adoption of a new state budget, originally expected in June/July 2017.  Branford continued to follow its project timeline while awaiting word of the state reimbursement and is currently in the construction document phase. According to the school district's Walsh School Project timeline posted here, Phase One construction preparation is anticipated to begin in March 2018, followed by Phase One construction beginning in June 2018 and Phase Two construction getting underway in January 2020. The project completion date is anticipated to be April 2020.