After years of planning and over four years of construction, Groton Utilities put the final touches on its Water Treatment Plant project with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Friday, June 10th. The ceremony, held in the shadows of the new water treatment plant and water storage tanks, began at 11:00 am with speeches by Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) officials, City of Groton officials and representatives from the engineering and construction firms involved in the project, and culminated with a ribbon cutting in front of the new facility.
Ray Valentini and Mike Weber and the rest of the water treatment plant crew cut the ribbon.
Tony Sheridian, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut kicked off the proceedings by welcoming the crowd and introducing the first speaker, Groton Utilities Director Ron Gaudet. Mr. Gaudet stressed the value that the new facility brought to the local community, for now and going into the future. Speakers that followed were Dr. Manisha Juthani (DPH Commissioner), Lori Mathieu (DPH Environmental Health and Drinking Water Branch Chief), Christopher Yannoni (Stantec Engineering), Jim McCarthy (CEO R.H. White Construction) and Keith Hedrick (Mayor of the City of Groton).
The ribbon cutting was performed by employees of the Groton Utilities Water Division water treatment plant, with Ray Valentini (Water Operations Manager) and Mike Weber (Water Treatment Plant Project Manager) cutting the ribbon itself.
The ceremony was attended by a large number of Groton Utilities and City employees. Additionally, many local companies sent a contingent, including the US Navy, Pfizer, Fairview Odd Fellows Home and Riverfront Children’s Center, amongst others.
Lori Mathieu, CT DPH Environmental Health and Drinking Water Branch Chief