Chris Poulos

This week I attended the Southington Chamber of Commerce’s final Business After Hours Networking Event of the summer. Thank you to Hidden Valley Miniature Golf for hosting. As always it was a pleasure to catch up with Chamber members, meet new folks, and learn more about Southington’s business community. I am proud to advocate on their behalf.

Please continue reading below for other noteworthy items, and thanks as always for taking the time to read them!

The Southington Italian-American Festival is tonight through Sunday in downtown Southington, and I cannot wait to attend!

Thank you to the Sons of Italy, UNICO Club, and Sorelle d’Italia for organizing the upcoming Festival, which will include food, children’s activities, BINGO, an Italian Marketplace, Sunday morning outdoor Italian Mass, aa great lineup of music (see the graphic below), and so much more. Viva l'Italia!

As a member of the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and the proud son of a retired U.S. Army officer, I encourage Southington residents to pay homage to distinguished veterans from Connecticut who have continued making positive impacts after leaving military service by nominating them to be honored in the 2024 class of the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame. The application period to nominate a veteran is open until September 15, and an induction ceremony will be scheduled in the coming months.
 
Established in 2005, the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame recognizes former members of the United States Armed Forces from Connecticut who have continued making significant impacts on the lives of others and their communities after leaving military service. Veterans recognized for the honor are leaders in a variety of areas, such as education, public service, the arts, volunteer activities, and community and business leadership, to name a few. It is administered by the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.
 
To date, 201 honorees have been inducted, including five recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

To download the nomination package, visit portal.ct.gov/dva/pages/ct-veterans-hall-of-fame. Nomination packages should be delivered by email to lindsay.jesshop@ct.gov or mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to:
 
Office of the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs
287 West Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
 
Additional information on eligibility criteria and other requirements can be found in the nomination package.

Connecticut will get up to $100 million to speed up the process of getting more affordable electric heat pumps installed throughout the state. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is awarding a total of $450 million to a coalition of states, including Connecticut, known as the New England Heat Pump Accelerator Coalition. The goal is to increase the number of cold-climate air-source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and ground source heat pumps in single-family and multi-family homes. These heat pumps reduce emissions, provide significant health benefits, and deliver energy savings.

The coalition will work collaboratively to promote the development of heat pump skill sets in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, and electrical workforce. 

Additionally, the coalition will partner with heat pump manufacturers, distributors, and installers to increase the availability of air-source and ground-source heat pumps while lowering equipment and installation costs for consumers. This partnership will include significant investment in workforce training, ensuring installers will have access to good-paying careers while delivering more efficient heating and cooling solutions.

Let's celebrate 34 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)!  This important civil rights law works to ensure all people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.