GRISWOLD — When it comes to the proposed state police training facility, more questions than answers linger among Griswold residents and officials.

There are no records at Town Hall relating to a purchase of property on Lee Road, and the state has not announced any new plans, but the town and its residents didn't give up their fight despite feeling like they've been left in the dark.

Residents continue to organize their grass-roots effort to fight the proposed range through fundraisers to secure a lawyer and trips to protest in Hartford. First Selectman Todd Babbitt said he is also communicating with neighboring first selectmen to see if there is interest in forming a regional group of municipal leaders to discuss the proposed project.

For more than a year, residents and officials have been wary of the state's negotiations for the purchase of 113 acres on Lee Road to house a gun range for state police. Town officials held a number of public meetings and a referendum on rallying opposition to the proposed project, however the town struggled to secure resolutions this year.

In September, residents said they were feeling hopeful when the Board of Selectmen approved a motion to allocate funds to secure a lawyer for pursuing possible litigation against the state. The board, which at the time was composed of First Selectman Kevin Skulczyck, Steve Merchant and Martin McKinney, unanimously approved pulling $75,000 from the town's unassigned fund balance for the cause.

However, the motion died before going to a vote at a Board of Finance meeting. Board members said they were concerned about setting a precedent for town funding of "special interest projects."

Rather, the board urged residents to raise funds as private citizens. Board member Gail Rooke-Norman referenced previous instances when residents took action against proposed dog parks, businesses and waste dumping in their neighborhoods.

“Those residents did not come to the town asking for money. They raised funds on their own from what I remember,” Rooke-Norman said. Roughly 30 members of the gun range opposition group Keep Griswold Quiet exited the meeting once the motion for funding died.

If funding had been approved, Skulczyck had said he was prepared to "fast-track" the process and schedule a town meeting for a vote in the following weeks.

The gun range question was on many residents' minds when considering the battle for the first selectman seat in November. Both candidates, Republican Ed Burke and Democrat Babbitt, who ultimately declared victory, were outspoken in their opposition, though they presented varying solutions.