Governor Lamont Announces State Funding To Construct an Inclusive Playground at East Lyme’s Flanders Elementary School

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Ned Lamont, chairman of the State Bond Commission, today announced that he is scheduling the commission to vote at its next meeting on the release of $650,000 in state bond funding for the Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut to construct an inclusive playground at Flanders Elementary School in East Lyme.

Inclusive playgrounds are specially designed play spaces where children of all abilities, ages, and developmental stages can play and interact together. Creating this playground at the school will ensure that children of all abilities have access to these amenities.

"Every child should have access to playgrounds that enhance their recreational and social opportunities, no matter their abilities," Governor Lamont said. "By partnering with the Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut, our administration can help ensure that this needed project at East Lyme's Flanders Elementary School becomes a reality. I specifically appreciate Senator Martha Marx for bringing this project to my attention so that we could get these state bond dollars for East Lyme approved."

"Playgrounds are great for children, but we need playgrounds that are great for all children, not just some," State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) said. "This playground will provide assurance to every family in East Lyme and beyond that their kids can get outside and play. That's a remarkable step. I'm grateful to Governor Lamont for his focus on this issue and look forward to the State Bond Commission's vote."

The Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for children throughout southeastern Connecticut with physical, cognitive, and developmental challenges to participate in recreational, educational, and cultural activities in an accessible, nurturing and non-competitive environment.

"This project is about much more than a playground. It is about inclusion, opportunity, and community," David Putnam, executive director of the Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut, said. "It will provide a place where families can come together, where children with and without disabilities can play side by side, and where everyone feels welcome".

The State Bond Commission will vote on the allocation at its meeting on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in Legislative Office Building Room 1E.