Projects offer hope for some Bristol flood relief
BRISTOL — The city has $1.7 million worth of flood control projects already funded and designed. The one closest to construction is a planned $380,000 channel widening of Coppermine Brook just north of Farmington Avenue that will likely require Staples to lose a little parking.
Assistant City Engineer Ray Rogozinski said the project may be out to bid as early as this summer. A few other projects also offer hope of reducing flooding along the brook and the Pequabuck River after heavy rains, floods that have caused millions of dollars in damage in recent years. The city is working to create a water storage area on New Britain watershed property, south of Shawn Drive and east of Jerome Avenue. The $820,000 project would store excess water and release it after storms pass, decreasing the volume flowing into the strained brook that so frequently overflows. In the Richards Court area, officials said they would like to relocate a berm closer to a handful of houses to allow greater channel capacity and prevent water from creeping into the neighborhood. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Connecticut, federal officials discuss need for more natural gas
HARTFORD >> U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz used a whirlwind trip to southern New England to voice his support for efforts to end capacity problems with natural gas transmission lines in New England Moniz visited Providence Monday morning and came to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection headquarters in the afternoon as energy industry officials discussed the need to bring more natural gas into the region. The two events were part of the federal agency’s Quadrennial Energy Review. Moniz was joined by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, as well as Connecticut’s U.S. Reps. John Larson, D-1, and Elizabeth Esty, D-5. “The energy discussion in New England really centers around infrastructure constraints,” Moniz said to participants in the Connecticut forum. Moniz and other participants at the forum agreed that coming up with a solution to the lack of capacity in natural gas transmission lines will require a delicate balancing act. That’s because New England relies heavily on natural gas not only to heat homes, but also to run the region’s power plants which provide electricity. But forum participants disagreed widely over the best way to address the problem. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Southington commission voices concerns about energy plant
SOUTHINGTON — Town officials are awaiting a proposal on a filter that will be used to control odors from food waste at the anaerobic digestion facility planned for the former landfill on DePaolo Drive. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the waste-to-energy proposal in January. It will occupy 35 acres alongside a mulch-processing facility created by Supreme Forest Industries of Harwinton. The waste-to-energy facility will be operated by Quantum Biopower, a division of Supreme Forest Industries. Local businesses such as supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and other food waste producers could use the service. The state legislature passed a law that went into effect this year requiring certain food and wholesale distributors to recycle organic material to help cut back on landfill use and to create alternate sources of energy. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
School architects's rocky road
If it had been the first issue during the Maloney High School renovation project, Meriden officials say they might have been able to get over a $400,000 slip-up made by the architectural firm Fletcher Thompson. But they say the error was far from the first in Meriden or Southington, where the firm is responsible for the middle school renovation projects. Now Meriden officials are wondering who’s going to foot the bill. At a School Building Committee meeting earlier this month, representatives from Fletcher Thompson explained that a series of six errors in the designs could end up costing close to $400,000. They added that there was no immediate plan for covering those costs, but the representatives made it clear the company wouldn’t be absorbing the cost and there is no guarantee the insurance plan will cover it either. “You have the right to put the claim in. You can do it now, or you can do it at the end of the project, but our insurance agent won’t take any action until the end of the project, so that he can look at all potential claims at once,” Fletcher Thompson Chief Financial Officer Michael S. Mercinek said at the meeting. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Westfarms refreshes look with multi-million dollar makeover
Sometime in May, kids will converge on Westfarms Mall in West Hartford as the Lego Store opens its newest location there, perhaps to include demos from master brick builders.
Behind the scenes, Westfarms construction crews will be hard at work on their own building project — a multi-million dollar facelift to the 40-year-old facility. Undergoing its first significant renovations in years, Westfarms is tinkering with its look, and retailer lineup, in an effort to woo new patrons and maintain its current customer base at a time when competition from online retailers and lifestyle shopping centers is putting pressure on traditional malls nationwide. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CT poised to lift three-year ban on wind turbines
Key legislative leaders and energy officials have reached a tentative agreement to lift the state's three-year ban on wind turbine development, just in time for a northeast Connecticut project to move forward. And the Kumbaya moment probably will fall on Earth Day. The ban likely will be lifted Tuesday, as the General Assembly's Regulation Review Committee is poised to approve wind turbine development regulations that have been at the heart of the three-year moratorium since 2011, according to the committee's leadership. "I don't think [the regulations] will have a problem this time around," said State Rep. Selim Noujaim (R-Waterbury), co-chair of the regulation committee. "I only speak for myself as co-chair … but now is the time, and I think the whole committee will vote to pass it." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Manchester board approves school facilities plan
MANCHESTER — The board of education unanimously approved a school facilities improvement plan Monday night that includes the creation of two large elementary schools and the closing of two others. The proposal now goes to the board of directors, who will consider a bonding referendum in November. The school board's recommendation has two phases. The first part includes creation of a fifth- and sixth-grade school combining Bennet Academy with the Cheney Building; the "like new" renovation and expansion of Waddell Elementary School to accommodate 525 students; and construction of a new Verplanck Elementary School on the current site, also serving 525 students.
As an alternative for the directors to consider, the board also included a like-new renovation and expansion of Verplanck. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
$3M grant for downtown road improvements
The City of New Britain, with assistance from the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency (CCRPA), has been awarded a $3 million grant for improvements in downtown New Britain at Columbus Boulevard, Main Street, and Bank Street. The project will address transportation safety deficiencies and enhance the connection between downtown and the CTfastrak bus station that is currently under construction. Erin Stewart, Mayor of New Britain, spoke of the benefits, "This project is one of many that will transform and energize the downtown. Building on the momentum of CTfastrak and modernizing the City's aging infrastructure, we are setting the stage for economic development in the heart of the City." Funded through the State's Accident Reduction Program, the project will improve safety for all road users. The area has a history of motor vehicle accidents, and certain roadways can be particularly intimidating for pedestrians. For example, some locations lack adequate crosswalks and sidewalks. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CT water to start projects in Clinton
Connecticut Water announced that work will begin this month on water main projects along two sections of Route 1 in Clinton. The projects will improve system reliability, enhance water quality, and increase the flow water available for fire protection. On April 21, a cleaning and lining project will begin on Route 1 (West Main Street) between Commerce and Grove streets. The work will be done between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is scheduled to be completed by the end of May. Cleaning and lining improves the water main and reduces leakage without replacing it by using a mechanical device to scrape the inside of the main and apply a new cement lining. Because the water main does not need to be replaced there will be minimal impact on traffic. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
B&M again named top place to work in CT
For the fifth consecutive year, the New England office of Burns & McDonnell has been named among the Best Places to Work in Connecticut from the Hartford Business Journal. Burns & McDonnell was ranked 8th among large companies that were recognized. Large companies were categorized as those with over 200 employees. Overall, thirty-five companies were recognized as top places to work in Connecticut for the year 2014, and that list was determined through a national survey conducted by The Best Companies Group that ranks the most progressive companies in the state based on employee satisfaction. Brett Williams, senior vice president of Burns & McDonnell's New England office said: "Our growth throughout Connecticut has been explosive, and recognition like this is not only very gratifying, but also helps us in continuing to recruit top-tier talent." "We value our employee-owners, who are the key to our success CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Guilford's new high school project moving along
GUILFORD >> Ten months after the groundbreaking for the town’s new $92 million high school, officials said at Monday’s Board of Finance meeting that the construction project is moving along smoothly. “There’s no reason for me to believe that anything is out of sorts (with the project),” said Michael Ayles, a member of the Board of Finance. Aside from a minimal update on the status of the new school, officials discussed the repurposing of the science wing of the current high school. Ayles said the existing high school will be totally demolished with the exception of the science wing, which will be repurposed as a fitness center and storage area for the town with no connection to the school.
“It has nothing to do with the school system,” Ayles said. “Once the new high school is completed, the kids are moved over there and the current building is demolished — except for the science wing, the science wing becomes a town building,” First Selectman Joseph Mazza said. “In no way is it a school building and that’s important (to distinguish).” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Nevada based business looks to take advantage of tax incentives at development zone near airport
HARTFORD >> Eight months after the creation of a development zone centered around Waterbury-Oxford Airport, the Connecticut Airport Authority has taken the first step toward having a business take advantage of the tax incentives associated with the program. Las Vegas-based Autonomy Technology has applied to the Airport Authority to operate from within the airport’s development zone, selling and manufacturing portable power generation and distribution systems. Autonomy Technology has operations in Oregon and Alaska in addition to Las Vegas, but the Oxford facility would be the company’s first location in the northeastern United States, Airport Authority officials said Monday. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement that the application filed by Autonomy Technology shows “the significant possibilities of utilizing this airport as an economic driver for the region.” “I am glad that this new development zone is beginning to show positive results,” Malloy said. The company’s application indicates an initial projection of approximately 18 to 20 new, full-time positions at its Oxford location over the next two years. The company already has begun operating in the development zone and now is applying for the benefits associated with being located within it, said Kevin Dillon, the executive director of the Airport Authority. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE