A long-planned project to build an enclosed pedestrian bridge over Washington Boulevard linking the Gateway Harbor Point office development to the Stamford train station will begin this weekend.
To finish the $2.8 million bridge in just three weekends, the state Department of Transportation will shut down Washington Boulevard between South State Street and Station Place for the next three weekends and divert drivers. The closures will be from 9 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday on the weekends of March 28, April 4 and April 11. The 190-foot-long, 10-foot-wide bridge that will run 40 feet above the roadway is the first part of a series of planned improvements at and around the station. The project to add pedestrian amenities is a joint effort between the city, state and Gateway's developer, Stamford-based Building and Land Technology. BLT general counsel John Freeman said the bridge will provide a link over the congested boulevard and make the station more accessible for South End residents and nearby corporate offices. "The new bridge separates pedestrians from automobile traffic, which has two beneficial effects for Stamford: improving safety and quality of life for commuters, and reducing traffic congestion," Freeman said. In December 2011, the city received a $10.5 million federal grant toward the overall work, after the city, state and BLT allocated $23.3 million as their shares. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Malloy: New Milford will get funding for brownfield remediation
Governor Dannel P. Malloy, who runs the State Bond Commission, says the panel on Friday will approve $2.5 million to pay for New Milford’s planned demolition of the tumble-down Century Brass mill site. The project, expected to create a total of about 50 construction jobs, will help create the 72-acre Century Enterprise Center.
“The Century Enterprise Center has tremendous potential for commercial and ‘green’ industrial use that will generate economic development and create jobs, but for too long his site has sat unused,” Malloy said. “The state’s investment in this project demonstrates our ongoing to commitment to work with municipal partners to restore blighted properties, bolster our economy and improve the quality of life for residents. “I’m very grateful for Governor Malloy’s decision to partner with New Milford in helping to move this worthwhile project forward,” said Sen. Clark Chapin, R-New Milford, in a statement. “This additional investment by the state will greatly enhance the town’s ability to transform the former Century Brass property from its idle state to a productive one.” The new site is expected to pump up the town’s tax base by $300,000 a year. Each month, in the days before a State Bond Commission meeting, Malloy’s office joins with lawmakers in underscoring projects scheduled to receive long-term state funding.
Major fire station overhaul planned
BRISTOL — The city plans a $6 million overhaul of the 50-year-old fire station on Vincent P. Kelly Road.
Plans call for a huge addition to the tiny firehouse, which would include three drive-through bays as well as bigger, better residential quarters, a day room and a training room. When the work is done next year, officials said, the old portion of the fire station will be used to house equipment and materials. Fire Chief Jon Pose said the revamped station will be large enough to allow the department to move maintenance there from downtown headquarters, freeing up space there as well.
He hailed the project, set to start by December, as a key first step toward badly needed renovations at all of the city’s aging stations. “All of our firehouses were built when fire trucks were very small. Now our fire trucks are very big. They don’t fit anymore,” Pose said. The change will make it possible to move some critical equipment inside for the first time, perhaps including a $167,000 decontamination trailer and the Hap Barnes Fire Safety House, which have been sitting outside through all sorts of weather. “Thousands and thousands of dollars of equipment gets left outside,” the chief said, because there’s nowhere else to put it. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
NEW BRITAIN — The public will get its final chance Thursday to chime in on plans to turn Central Park downtown into a European-style square with brick design.
The project — which is scheduled to begin in the spring of next year and completed in the fall of 2016 — would entail enlarging the park by about 10 percent; creating a new brick plaza in front of TD Bank; taking down the existing trees and planting new ones; and installing granite benches to replace the wooden ones. In addition, Court Street would be widened to allow for two-way traffic with parking not being affected, officials said.
While city officials said the plan is pretty much set, they added that public input is important. The informational meeting — led by Public Works — will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday in Room 305 in City Hall. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The project — which is scheduled to begin in the spring of next year and completed in the fall of 2016 — would entail enlarging the park by about 10 percent; creating a new brick plaza in front of TD Bank; taking down the existing trees and planting new ones; and installing granite benches to replace the wooden ones. In addition, Court Street would be widened to allow for two-way traffic with parking not being affected, officials said.
While city officials said the plan is pretty much set, they added that public input is important. The informational meeting — led by Public Works — will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday in Room 305 in City Hall. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
For the first time, Connecticut has a director focused on redeveloping all the state's blighted brownfields back into productive use. New York City transplant Tim Sullivan was recently named director of brownfields, waterfront, and transit-oriented development, a newly created position within the state Department of Economic & Community Development. Sullivan says he sees plenty of opportunities for Connecticut to remediate old industrial sites into properties for commercial, residential, retail, or open space use. With the state's latest remaking of its brownfields laws, Sullivan said achieving these redevelopments will be easier than ever. "It is a complicated recipe to do a brownfield redevelopment project," Sullivan said. "The trick is to find the sweet spot where with a little bit of help, you can get that private investment." Sullivan's arrival has been in the works since 2006, when Connecticut launched its most recent brownfield initiative with the creation of the Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development, which was supposed to be a one-stop shop for developers to get advice and possible aid to remake polluted properties. That easy navigation system, however, never took off, largely because the office lacked a director to advocate for the reforms and funding necessary for revitalization, said Gary O'Connor, co-chair of the state's Brownfields Working Group. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
BIDs play role in an evolvoing downtown
Downtown Hartford is evolving and as Mayor Pedro E. Segarra remarked at the MetroHartford Alliance Rising Star Breakfast in January, "If we want our city to change, we have to be open to changing along with it." Real economic revitalization is underway and as we continue to see an influx of new residents and increased investment in downtown, an organization like the Hartford Business Improvement District (BID) has a very important role to play. The Hartford BID is an organization of taxable property owners in Downtown Hartford and Asylum Hill that exists to enhance the revitalization of the center city. Property owners should be represented in decisions that impact their buildings and for the past seven years, the Hartford BID has helped make sure that their interests are represented and that downtown's evolution is a smooth one. Any evolution brings new challenges. A city with a strong BID is better equipped to handle those challenges.
The Hartford BID, through its more than 200 member properties, brings significant experience and expertise to the city. Property owners have an obligation to provide their perspective and constructive criticism to the city about development projects that will directly impact their properties and the commercial business district. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
South Windsor holds referendum on new school
SOUTH WINDSOR— On Tuesday, residents will vote on a school referendum that, if approved, would result in the construction of a new school on the grounds of Orchard Hill Elementary School.
The referendum is the first of a three-phase, 10-year plan to replace or upgrade four of the town's five elementary schools. Tuesday's vote seeks to authorize bonding for $33.5 million, with an estimated state reimbursement of $11.26 million, to construct a 71,000-square-foot school that would replace Orchard Hill. The proposed school is expected to have upgraded technology, security, and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
BIDs play role in an evolvoing downtown
Downtown Hartford is evolving and as Mayor Pedro E. Segarra remarked at the MetroHartford Alliance Rising Star Breakfast in January, "If we want our city to change, we have to be open to changing along with it." Real economic revitalization is underway and as we continue to see an influx of new residents and increased investment in downtown, an organization like the Hartford Business Improvement District (BID) has a very important role to play. The Hartford BID is an organization of taxable property owners in Downtown Hartford and Asylum Hill that exists to enhance the revitalization of the center city. Property owners should be represented in decisions that impact their buildings and for the past seven years, the Hartford BID has helped make sure that their interests are represented and that downtown's evolution is a smooth one. Any evolution brings new challenges. A city with a strong BID is better equipped to handle those challenges.
The Hartford BID, through its more than 200 member properties, brings significant experience and expertise to the city. Property owners have an obligation to provide their perspective and constructive criticism to the city about development projects that will directly impact their properties and the commercial business district. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
South Windsor holds referendum on new school
SOUTH WINDSOR— On Tuesday, residents will vote on a school referendum that, if approved, would result in the construction of a new school on the grounds of Orchard Hill Elementary School.
The referendum is the first of a three-phase, 10-year plan to replace or upgrade four of the town's five elementary schools. Tuesday's vote seeks to authorize bonding for $33.5 million, with an estimated state reimbursement of $11.26 million, to construct a 71,000-square-foot school that would replace Orchard Hill. The proposed school is expected to have upgraded technology, security, and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE