ROCKY HILL, CONN. (October 1, 2025)–In the official podcast of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Commissioner Ronald P. Welch said the nearly full veteran cemetery continues to be the number one priority of the agency and they might have some options to buy additional time before the cemetery reaches capacity.
In his podcast remarks, Commissioner Welch said, “We have a lot of support from the general assembly, the governor, the lieutenant governor. They want us to get this done.”
The Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown will reach capacity for in-ground cremains burials by July 2027. The DVA and the Department of Administrative Services have been searching for land to ensure a dignified final resting place for our state’s military heroes in Connecticut. He said they have looked at 15 or more sites, and three of them may be subject to feasibility studies.
With time and space running out, the DVA has been working on many options including opening up space at the current footprint. “We’re going to have to take down a building. If we can get approval to do that, that would provide some additional time,” Welch said.
In January 2025 it was reported the Department of Administrative Services released a Request for Proposals (DVA – RFP 25-01) stating, “The State of Connecticut is seeking Proposals for the acquisition of buildable land for use as a new Connecticut Veterans Cemetery.” The proposal due date was February 28, 2025; however, Welch said the state is still looking for 50 to 100 buildable acres.
https://portal.ct.gov/das/ctsource/bidboard?language=en_US
The updated contact information on the RFP is:
- Solicitation Number :DVA – RFP 25-01 from DAS Leasing
- Tom Piacenza
- 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 1402 Hartford CT, 06103 United States
- thomas.piacenza@ct.gov
The “Episode Eight – recorded on September 22, 2025” podcast can be accessed on the Connecticut Veterans Affairs website on the Podcast List (https://portal.ct.gov/dva/knowledge-base/articles/podcast/podcast-list/podcast-list?language=en_US).
Transcript: Welch (2:284) “[The cemetery] Continues to be our number one priority. We have a lot of support from the general assembly, the governor, the lieutenant governor. They want us to get this done. We have an active request for proposal out there still. We’re looking for 50 to 100 buildable acres. Ideally, somewhere in the central part of the state. We’ve been around the entire state of Connecticut. We’ve looked at about 15 or more sites, three of them we’re probably going to do feasibility. One’s to the eastern part of the state, one’s to the west and one’s to the south central.
We have to stay away from the borders. If we get pulled too close to the borders then the Federal VA will not reimburse. They would encourage us to go to Massachusetts or Rhode Island or New York. So, we want to make sure we can take care of our own vets in Connecticut.
The other thing we’re going to do short term is we’re going to try to…we have a little bit, less than an acre on the current cemetery site in Middletown. We’re going to have to take down a building if we can get approval to do that, that would provide some additional time. The shortfall we have right now, we can do traditional in-ground burials, and we call it a four by eight plot with a headstone. We can do internments in a columbarium above ground for cremated remains. Where we’re short right now is being able to do four by four cremains burial with a headstone. That’s the space we’re going to run out of by July 2027.”