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August 2, 2024

The Bridge closes on building for new parenting center in Cromwell for $650K

CoStar 600 Corporate Row in Cromwell.
By Andrew Larson

The Bridge Family Center has closed on a property in Cromwell and plans to open a facility that will help reunite children and parents referred to a parenting skills training program by the Department of Children and Families.

The West Hartford-based nonprofit acquired the 6,100-square-foot building at 600 Corporate Row for $650,000, according to a land record dated Aug. 1. 

The Bridge plans to open the new facility in October and is hiring 10 to 12 new employees to run it.

The bright, modern building is ideal for the parenting center, said Margaret Hann, executive director of The Bridge.

“DCF offices tend to be very much like state offices, kind of drab,” Hann said. “The building we have is absolutely beautiful.”

The building previously housed Trilacon Development Corp.

Hann said several hundred thousand dollars of renovations and improvements are planned, with support from the DCF.

A new HVAC system will be installed, along with a new security system. The rooms will be reconfigured, walls repainted, floors will be carpeted, and the building will be completely re-furnished, she said.

The driveway will be repaved, the landscaping will be spruced up and a new sign will be installed. 

The parenting center will have visitation rooms and common areas, including games, toys and a playroom. An artist will paint a mural inside.

Staff at The Bridge’s parenting centers teach parents skills aimed at helping them rebound from difficult circumstances and regain custody of their children. The program is modeled after The Bridge’s Mosaic Parenting Center at 664 Farmington Ave. in Hartford.

“Many parents have really struggled themselves, and they're looking to get their life back together,” Hann said. “It could mean that they've gained employment, they're back in school, they're in recovery, and their sobriety is going very well. They're working real hard to get their life back together.”

The Bridge’s Cromwell parenting center is expected to receive about 4,000 visits annually.

The architect for the project is Jack Kemper of Farmington and the construction contractor is Tim Lawlor. The sale was brokered by Larry Levere of Sentry Commercial.

Also, The Bridge is relocating its West Counseling Center, at 45 West Main St. in Avon, to a larger and more modern space at 2 Bridgewater Road in Farmington. The new location in Farmington is set to open in mid-August, Hann said.

The Bridge’s main office is at 1022 Farmington Ave., in West Hartford. It also has counseling centers in Vernon and West Hartford, in addition to a Family Resource Center at Charter Oak Academy.

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