MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH)-- He has overseen the transformation and merging of two major state agencies into one. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment Commissioner Dan Esty is stepping down after three years to return to his teaching post at Yale. Dan Esty says his department, known as DEEP, actually has three Es: Energy, Environment and Economy. Thursday the commissioner was getting a lesson on arc welding on a welding simulator at the plumbing and pipe fitters union school in Meriden. Esty is considered the architect of Governor Malloy's energy policy that has cleared the way for a massive expansion of the natural gas pipelines in the state. It has made him a big hero to the trade unions. "This is huge, ya know, as of right now, we do have some members out of work and with this kind of work coming through, it'll put a lot of our guys to work," said Chris Capozzi, Waterbury. The expansion is expected to take a decade or longer and create three to four thousand jobs. "As a response, the gas companies are committing to buy more gas and the gas pipeline companies are expanding capacity in response," said Cmsr. Dan Esty, CT Dept. of Energy & Environment. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE READING
East Hampton building committee ok"s reduced high school plan
EAST HAMPTON >> The School Building Committee approved a proposal Thursday to reduce the size of the high school renovation project by nearly 7,000 square feet. Doing so will eliminate one classroom and one science lab, but is expected to shave approximately $100,000 off the cost of the project, building officials said. The reduction in the size of the school became necessary after the state Department of Education reviewed enrollment projections and concluded the committee had over-planned the size of the school. Thursday, a team from the SLAM Collaborative, the project architects, came before the building committee and laid out three options for them to consider.
The first option (labeled “2C” by SLAM) called for a reduction of 5,000 square feet. The second option (“2D”) called for reducing the square footage by 5,680 square feet. The third option (“3B”) would have reduced the floor plan by 9,100 square feet. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE READING
Meriden building with collapsed wall has history of problems
MERIDEN — The owner of an East Main Street building that had a wall collapse Wednesday did not submit a structural report required by city inspectors. William Lussier, city building official, said the building at 72 E. Main St. had a history of structure complaints and city officials were waiting for an engineering report from the property manager, which was overdue. Lussier said the property manager, APB Holdings LLC was sent notice as early as May 2013 about a deteriorated wall at the rear of the building. Lussier said the city building department requested a structural report, and had expected it around Christmas, but as of Jan. 16 no report has been submitted. The city sent an engineer out to the site yesterday and a report will be prepared, Lussier said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE READING
The approximately half-mile long reconstructed boardwalk will have steel sheet pilings, a concrete pathway and new riprap stones, according to the presentation of the engineering plans at the meeting.
The new design is 2½ feet higher than the original boardwalk, which was damaged during earlier storms. "We're achieving a higher elevation than the 100-year flood level," said Town Engineer Victor Benni. The 10½-foot-wide walkway will be similar in appearance to the recently constructed Amtrak portion that stretches near the Niantic River Bridge. Stones near the Amtrak railroad will vary in size according to the slope of the riprap to create a smooth transition, according to the presentation. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE READING