Southington gets update on middle school progress
SOUTHINGTON — Construction continues at the town’s two middle schools as the project managers prepare for upcoming move-in dates and the final plan for furniture, fixtures and equipment. The Middle School Building Committee received updates Tuesday on overall progress and technology installation at Kennedy and DePaolo middle schools as part of the $89.7 million renovations at the schools. “We’ll be coming up on some (furniture, fixture and equipment) presentations over the next month or two,” said Angela Cahill, the project manager with architectural firm Fletcher Thompson. Building committee member Brian Goralski, also Board of Education chairman, asked Cahill about the plans for the library media center and an update on technology.
Cahill said Fletcher Thompson has been asked to speed up the installation of wireless access for the media center. “With the state’s Smarter Balance Assessment, we need to know we have Internet capabilities and wireless,” said Chris Palmieri, the vice chairman of the building committee and assistant principal at DePaolo. “We’re trying to expedite … so we’re ready when we move in.”
A draft presentation of the furniture, fixtures, and equipment for both schools is expected to be completed by April 9, Cahill said. It will include a list of equipment for each room. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
MERIDEN — City officials are counting on Mother Nature to provide more than just blooming daffodils in the next few weeks.They are also hoping the ground thaws soon so the bridge at the West Main Street exit of Hubbard Park can be repaired before the annual Daffodil Festival next month.
“The concrete blocks we need to do the work came in,” said City Councilor Cathy Battista, who chairs the council Public Works and Parks and Recreation Committee. “Now we’re waiting on the ground to thaw. It’s going to be close.” LaRosa Construction Co. has the contract to rebuild the Notch Road bridge that intersects with West Main Street. It has been “failing” in recent years, said Mark G. Zebora, director of Parks and Recreation. Notch Road has been blocked from the parking lot across from the swimming pool to the exit since the Festival of Lights ended in early January. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
MERIDEN — The city’s efforts to prevent future floods were helped by a $2.46 million federal grant announced Thursday morning. The Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, announced by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Christopher Murphy along with Rep. Elizabeth Esty, will fund work on a downtown railroad bridge that is part of the city’s ongoing effort to prevent flooding along Harbor Brook. “This FEMA grant is an integral part of ensuring we can keep the center of Meriden safe and dry,” Esty said at a press conference in the Midstate Chamber of Commerce offices on Colony Street. The flood control project was prompted by a 1992 flood that caused $14 million worth of damage downtown. A 1996 flood caused $12 million in damage to the same area. The city has seen 11 significant floods since the mid 1800s. Bridges have been replaced along Harbor Brook in the area of Bradley, Coe and Cook avenues. This spring, work is expected on the Columbus Avenue bridge. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
MERIDEN — Reconstruction work on the bridge that carries Interstate 691 over Lewis Avenue will begin Monday, closing the right lane of the westbound side of the highway, the state Department of Transportation announced. The reconstruction will consist of bearing replacement, painting of beam ends, work on the underside of the deck and at the bridge abutments as well as replacement of the expansion joints, according to a DOT statement. Work is expected to end by Oct. 7, though Exit 5 will be open throughout the process. Parts of Lewis Avenue will be periodically closed as necessary as well. Southington-based Mohawk Northeast, Inc. was contracted to complete the work at a cost of $1,259,376, according to the DOT.