Although town boards have already approved how $1.2 million in state money will be spent to enhance the Kings Highway East area, Fairfield Economic Development Director Mark Barnhart said it will be about another year before construction starts on the project. The town recently received formal notification that the $1.2 million grant from the state Department of Transportation, allocated through the federal Transportation Alternatives Program, is in the pipeline. The money is expected to fund most of the project designed to add new sidewalks, bike paths and bicycle racks along a stretch of Kings Highway East, from Chambers Street to Brentwood Avenue, and at the Fairfield Metro train station. "There are a couple of procedural things we need to take care of," Barnhart said, including finalizing the grant agreement. "We're looking toward the first quarter of next year for getting the design process underway." That design process, he said, will likely take a year, which will include the opportunity for meetings with the public to provide information about the plans and get input before the design is finalized for construction. Construction should start in 2015.
The funding will be used to construct new sidewalks and curbs along both the north and south sides of Kings Highway East, as well as median improvements for better pedestrian access and neighborhood aesthetics. American with Disabilities Act-compliant handicap ramps will be installed at intersections, and bicycle amenities, such as racks, signs and bike parking will also be included, though mostly at the new train station.
O&G Plans rail terminus at quarry
O & G Industries plans to transport crushed rock from its New Milford quarry by rail.
The firm has a special permit application before the town's Zoning Commission to approve the construction of a railroad siding at the northeast end of O & G's Boardman Road property.
The siding would be 3,000 feet long, with 1,600 feet on O & G property and 1,400 feet on neighboring CL & P property. The terminus would connect to the Housatonic Railroad tracks that run parallel to River Road. Housatonic would likely transport the crushed rock to points south within the state, according to Ken Faroni, O & G's director of planning and permits. "We would park our own locomotive on the site for internal work," Faroni explained to zoners. "On a second spur of the teminus, two sets of 20 box cars each would be kept for filling." "We anticipate the loads would be headed south," he said. "If all goes well, we will be doing this next year."
Faroni estimated one string of 40 cars would be transported by Housatonic once a month. The work to install the siding on the O & G property would take several months to complete, he said.
"This not only gives Housatonic an opportunity to improve the tracks south," Faroni said. "I think there's a greater good to this in that it may get the state of Connecticut onboard with rail improvements."
Seven companies shut down at Middletown worksite
MIDDLETOWN >> The state Department of Labor has shut down work by seven companies on a Middletown Housing Authority project over lagging insurance filings and disputes over the statuses of some workers. The state issued stop-work orders to Comfort Zone Home Improvement of Bristol, Cometa Siding Construction of Bridgeport, General Solution of Bridgeport, JNS Contractors of Bridgeport, 4 You Home Improvement of Orange, The Brothers Property Restoration of Vernon and EDJ Construction of Bridgeport Monday at a work site off of Long Lane.
The seven subcontractors are working for general contractor Allen Construction of Orange, who in turn was hired by the Middletown Housing Authority. Allen employees were able to continue working since all of their filings were in order. Nancy Steffens, a spokeswoman for the labor department, said Monday that “Our wage-and-workforce unit was in Middletown today, and issued a stop-work order to seven subcontractors.” Steffens said, when local companies receive stop-work orders, they generally produce the requisite paperwork quickly, but out-of-state contractors sometimes decide to call it quits. All of the subcontractors served Monday are Connecticut companies. Jessie Allen, project manager for Allen Construction, said the workers will likely be back at work as soon as Thursday.Kristaps Pakers, a principle for General Solution, said the lag could drag out into next week.
Private sector hiring strongest in a year
Here's something to be merry about this holiday season: Private sector employers added 215,000 jobs in November. That's the strongest level of hiring in a year, according to payroll processing firm ADP. The ADP jobs report also showed that small businesses (those with fewer than 50 employees) accounted for 102,000 of the new jobs, while large businesses with more than 500 employees added 65,000 positions. Hiring picked up in construction, manufacturing and the financial sector.
The ADP report is closely watched by economists and investors, as it comes just two days before the Labor Department's monthly jobs report -- which also includes data on government jobs.
Economists surveyed by CNNMoney predict the monthly jobs report will show employers added 183,000 jobs and the unemployment rate remained at 7.2% in November.
Middletown officials seeking a development plan for Metro Square Area
MIDDLETOWN — The city is seeking a consultant to plan future redevelopment of the two downtown blocks surrounding the Metro Square property.Planning Director William Warner said the city will ask a developer to create a concept similar to West Hartford's Blue Back Square for Metro Square. The study will also include the location for a parking garage off Court Street behind the Superior Court building and the auto repair property on the corner of Dingwall and deKoven drives.New development could be years away, but the site is ideal for retail, restaurants and more downtown housing units in Middletown, Warner said. Forming a long-term goal for the parcel now will ensure that any development plans will include input from the city, officials said.
Warner said with the city starting to pursue plans for a new garage, the timing is right to make sure the site will support future downtown development. Warner said with the city starting to pursue plans for a new garage, the timing is right to make sure the site will support future downtown development.
"Up until now it's really been in a vacuum that we're just building a parking garage," Warner said. "Are we just building it to warehouse cars or are we building it to support downtown? We're going to develop a concentrated plan to show how the city believes [the area] should be developed in the future and how our garage will support it." Metro Square and the auto body property are privately owned. Warner said he has met with the property owners to share the city's vision.
He said the Storrs Center project at the University of Connecticut and Blue Back Square in West Hartford have proven the effectiveness of a city teaming up with private landowners to develop an area. In both projects, the communities and the state have invested in infrastructure, including parking and roads, while private developers have brought in retail, dining and residential space.