PUTNAM, Conn., The Connecticut National Guard hosted a topping-off ceremony for the new Putnam Readiness Center, which is scheduled to open next year, Sept. 23, 2024.

The ceremony marks an important milestone in the construction of the new 39,000 square foot facility, which will be the future home of the 643rd Military Police Company and the Connecticut National Guard’s return to the “quiet corner” of the state.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Francis Evon, adjutant general for the Connecticut National Guard, said the organization’s return to Putnam will give it a physical presence in each of the state’s five emergency planning and response regions, allowing better coordination and timely response in the event of a domestic emergency such as a hurricane or severe winter storm.

“COVID-19 highlighted that the Guard is vital to securing lifelines and infrastructure in our communities,” said Evon. “Construction of the Putnam Readiness Center gives us a presence in Northeastern Connecticut that we have not had in well over a decade. It will provide us a staging base to respond to our communities in the ‘Quiet Corner’ much faster when hours and minutes count.”

The ceremony included remarks from Evon, U.S. Representative Joe Courtney, and Connecticut Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Michelle Gilman, prior to the official party signing the project’s final steel beam and watching it get lifted into place.
The last time the Connecticut National Guard had a physical footprint in this region of the state was nearly 20 years ago before the old Putnam Armory was declared as excess and turned over to the state.

The construction of the readiness center is expected to be completed in the Fall of 2025.