Stamford developer bypassed zoning board, went ahead with construction
STAMFORD -- The developer of the office and residential complex opposite the train station entrance at Washington Boulevard has doubled the number of lanes in and out of its parking garage without proper city approvals, and now the Zoning Board must decide whether to OK the change, even though it's already been built. The plan that the Zoning Board approved for the Gateway project called for three entrance/exit lanes on Washington Boulevard for the 2,000-space parking garage, but six were built. The change came to light recently when the developer, Building and Land Technology, requested a certificate of occupancy from the board to begin providing parking for commuters. The board members postponed deciding what went wrong. BLT says the change wasn't a big one and didn't require the board's approval, and instead asked for and received approval from the city's land use department. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE READING
MIllstone acts on Fukushima failures
Waterford - Nearly three years after a major earthquake and tsunami caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station disaster, Millstone Power Station here is undergoing more than $10 million in equipment and facilities upgrades to enable it to better withstand natural disasters. The work is taking place at Millstone and the nation's other nuclear power plants after orders were issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in March 2012 for enhancements of safety and emergency response capabilities in response to the 2011 disaster in Japan, in which three reactor cores melted down and large amounts of radiation were released. The orders issued in 2012 were the first of what the NRC expects will be at least three sets of Fukushima-related directives to nuclear power plants, NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Wednesday. Analysis required to determine the extent of further modifications needed at plants is expected to be completed in the next two years, he said.
"We still have a significant amount of work to do on the recommendations," he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE READING
Plans for New England rail network continue
Despite the collapse of President Barack Obama's ambitious national high-speed rail proposal, transportation planners in four states and the province of Quebec are busily promoting something similar — though probably more modest — to link Boston, New York and Montreal. The project will take the cooperation of Massachusetts and five railroads that own tracks along three corridors that need extensive construction or upgrades: New Haven to Springfield, Springfield to Boston, and Springfield to Montreal. Massachusetts and CSX, Amtrak, PanAm Southern, Canadian National and the New England Central Railroad each own sections of the roughly 470 miles of rail line. Some of it is in relatively good shape but needs a second track to accommodate high-frequency schedules; other stretches are deteriorated freight lines with severe restrictions on train speeds. Massachusetts has begun heavily investing in rail improvements, with construction underway to let Amtrak run a more efficient route for its Vermonter service. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE READING
Harwinton to vote on Tuesday for additional funds ambulance building project
HARWINTON >> A Tuesday referendum will ask town voters to decide whether they want to spend an additional $450,000 for the construction of a new building for the Harwinton Emergency Medical Service. The building would be on town owned land alongside the firehouse on Burlington Road. The ambulance service’s headquarters are currently in a portion of the firehouse and are in need of upgrade or repair, officials say. Voters approved $750,000 for the project in 2010, but the cost to complete it has gone up, officials said, because of inflation over the last three years and additional requirements from the state Department of Transportation that were not initially expected. First Selectman Mike Criss said during a public meeting last week that the scope of the project has not changed. EMS Chief Jason Emery said the project is “not extravagant.” The new facility would include two bays for the ambulances, a training room that will double as the town’s Emergency Operations Center, offices, male and female bunks and bathrooms, a kitchen and lounge.