CT: Wallingford Adult Education pushes for bus stop to improve access to new Fairfield Boulevard site

The town's Adult Education Center has a new home — but without a bus stop, many residents are finding it harder to get there.

After relocating this summer from the historic train station to its new building on Fairfield Boulevard, the program has seen student enrollment and retention rise, according to school board member Jen Passaretti, who presented an update at a recent Board of Education meeting.

The move has allowed the center to add private offices for staff and classrooms outfitted with modern teaching equipment.

Passaretti said Adult Education students do well in the job market post-graduation — but as participation grows, so does the need for better transportation access.

Currently, the Adult Education Center serves 167 Wallingford students, 40 from Cheshire, 25 from Meriden and 12 from Berlin across its various programs. For the 2025 fiscal year, enrollment in English as a Second Language and Adult Basic Education is expected to continue growing, Passaretti said.

"This is going to be a very long process, but the process is going to start now," Passaretti said.

To address students' transportation needs, Adult Education Director Anthony Mangiafico is forming a committee to petition Connecticut Transit to add a bus stop near the new site.

Mayor Vincent Cervoni has also taken up the cause, writing to Garrett Eucalitto, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, to request a new bus stop serving Wallingford Adult Education and the nearby Parks and Recreation Department.

"Introducing a bus stop at this location would significantly enhance access for Adult Education students, as well as for community members who utilize nearby services at Parks and Recreation, and the various businesses along Fairfield Boulevard," Cervoni wrote.

Cervoni said the proposal has strong community backing and aligns with the town's goal of improving accessibility for residents.

With the Board of Education's central office expected to move to 4 Fairfield Blvd. by March 2026, he added, ensuring public transit access will become even more important as more town services shift to that area.

State Rep. Craig Fishbein, R- Wallingford, also wrote to Eucalitto requesting the addition of a bus stop at Fairfield Boulevard and Barnes Road to improve residents' quality of life.

The next adult education meeting in January will offer an update on the bus stop proposal, according to Passaretti.

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