Verdi Construction has been working through the winter on Catherine’s Learning Barn, the new permanent structure at Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary (CVH Animal Sanctuary).

The project first broke ground in November last year. On Tuesday, December 10, the Newtown community participated in a “barn raising.” Community members worked together and hammered in framing pins to create the frame of the barn.

With construction well underway at 8 Commerce Road, the most striking part of the barn is that those pins will remain visible within the exposed framing beams. The barn has walls, a concrete floor, and a staircase as of right now. Doors are placed and waiting for handles, and windows are on their way soon.

Laura King, director of community engagement, took The Newtown Bee on a walk-through of the active construction site.

She shared that seeing the barn is “a dream come true, it’s absolutely amazing.”

King added, “The generosity and extra care by Verdi Construction and everybody, all of the trades, who have worked on this project is just remarkable. And humbling.”

“To think about the thousands of people that will learn about Catherine’s spirit of just loving all things as they are and make sure that they’re cared for, and safe, here at the sanctuary, it just ... Just gives me chills.”

King said CVH Animal Sanctuary hopes to open the doors to the barn officially in early May. The barn will feature a full commercial kitchen and two commercial bathrooms with a patio outside. The area immediately inside will be used as “the main educational space,” which already has events planned for the fall.

When King was asked about those events in the fall, she said, “Oh, you just wait! I’ve got this whole list … then we’ll be adding programs right through the winter time … The fall will be really special.”

King explained that the learning barn will host programs such as field trips, community programs, corporate retreats, and more.

“It’s intergenerational education,” King said. “It’s for everybody.”

Catherine’s Learning Barn is next to the old paddocks and the original bank barn. King stated that the learning barn will be painted white, so as to not “compete” with the red barn that was already on the property.

“[The original] barn is going to have a fresh coat of paint this spring. We have a group of volunteers coming to repaint the red barn and [Catherine’s] barn is going to be white,” King said.

The Patio

The patio and walkways outside of Catherine’s Learning Barn are being donated 100% by Daluz Masonry and Construction in Bethel.

Dave Daluz, part owner of Daluz Masonry, explained he is working with his supplier, O&G, to have the material donated as well.

“We are donating the patio and the walkways. We try to do what we can,” Daluz said. “We love to give back to the community and, you know, it’s important for us. It’s a great cause.”

Daluz added, “It means something to us. That’s why we feel so strongly about giving back.”

Daluz explained that the learning barn is a “labor of love from everybody” and that they are “excited to get this going.”

The construction on the patio could start as early as the week of March 17. Daluz stated that he and his brother, Phil, were working on the slab for the patio’s foundation on Thursday, March 13.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.