Horse Guard Rallies Public Support To Keep It In Newtown
Horse Guard Rallies Public Support To Keep It In Newtown
By Andrew Gorosko
Approximately 75 people attended a rally at the Second Company Governorâs Horse Guard (2GHG) on the evening of July 21 at Fairfield Hills, where they were urged to campaign to keep that facility open in the face of the stateâs plans to consolidate its two horse guard units in Avon as a cost-cutting measure amid the state budget crisis.
Horse guard supporters lined up to sign petitions urging that 2GHG be kept at its current facility off Wildlife Drive. On display were examples of equine art in the form of paintings, photographs, and statuary.
The petition urges that the horse unit be kept in Newtown in that 2GHG has served the state for more than 200 years, preserving a sense of history and serving the public. The petition asks that a private fundraising campaign be allowed, serving as the basis for the organization eventually becoming financially self-sufficient.
State representatives Christopher Lyddy and DebraLee Hovey were scheduled to meet with state officials on the morning of July 28 in seeking to keep the horse guard stationed in Newtown. (See related story.)
Ken Fay, a 2GHG spokesman, said July 21 that the unit wants to stay in Newtown and conduct fundraising that would allow it to be a self-sufficient organization, rather than relying on state funding; 2GHG would need to raise approximately $60,000 to cover its operating costs for the current fiscal year, he said.
The people who belong to 2GHG are volunteers who conduct various public service projects that benefit the community, he said.
Currently, the organization has about 35 active troopers and about 20 horses, he said. The unit is housed in a large barn that formerly served as a dairy barn for the Fairfield Hills farm when Fairfield Hills was in use as a state psychiatric hospital. 2GHG is affiliated with the Connecticut Army National Guard.
Mr Fay said that the stateâs decision to close the Newtown horse guard unit was startling.
âThis is a decision that came as a shock,â he said.
If the state is able to resolve its budget crisis by having the members of state labor unions agree to concessions in their work contracts, there is the possibility that 2GHG might remain unchanged, Mr. Fay said.
Newtownâs two state representatives and its state senator support keeping the horse guard in Newtown, Mr Fay said.
Former state representative Julia Wasserman, who attended the horse guard rally, urged the 2GHG supporters to widely distribute their petitions around town in seeking signatures in support of the horse guardâs remaining in Newtown.
Mr Fay asked those attending the rally to distribute the petitions and return them to 2GHG with the signatures of supporters. Also, he asked for donations toward the groupâs goal of raising $60,000 toward its eventual self-sufficiency.
âWe can do thisâ¦Spread the word,â he urged.