Press release from Vista Life Innovations

Vista Life Innovations’ Westbrook Dormitory and Education Center is a historic building located at 1356 Old Clinton Road and is known as the Captain Joseph W. Spencer House. It is located in the heart of the Westbrook Historic Town Center Historic District. Vista recently received $500,000 in funding from the State of Connecticut that will go toward repairing and restoring the historic wraparound porch on the structure of the building.

For over 30 years, Vista has worked to preserve the structure of the building, including the wraparound porch that has had limited access for quite some time. Due to the historic nature of the Westbrook Dormitory, all repairs require permission from the State Historic Preservation Office. This includes necessary measures such as the supervision of a contractor certified in historic renovations and consultation with an archaeologist. The repairing of the porch is a costly undertaking that is currently estimated to exceed $500,000.

With such a costly and necessary repair, Vista has worked for some time with local legislators, Governor Ned Lamont and his administration, State Representative Chris Aniskovich, and many other legislative partners, including State Representative Vin Candelora, State Representative Devin Carney, and Senator Norm Needleman, in order to secure state assistance.

After much perseverance and hard work, on Dec. 15, 2023, the Connecticut Bond Commission awarded Vista $500,000 for the repairing of the wraparound porch of this historic structure. This could not have been achieved without the help of local state legislators.

Vista is thrilled to receive these funds and appreciates the tremendous support from the Connecticut State Legislature and Governor Lamont. Renovations are anticipated to commence in early 2024 with project completion occurring before the end of the year.