Expanded hospital nears opening
DANBURY -- It's not exactly a countdown.
But with Danbury Hospital's $150 million tower expansion nearing completion, the construction site is buzzing with activity. "It's nonstop," Morris Gross, the hospital's vice president for facilities, said Tuesday as he led a tour of the new building for The News-Times. "When you can see the finish of something, you want to get there." Construction of the hospital's 300,000-square-foot building, the largest and most expensive in the hospital's 129-year history, is done. Workers are pushing to finish the interior as well as complete landscaping to create green spaces, "the Oasis," outside its expansive lobby. The building will be dedicated in June. But because the staff has to learn to use the new facility in phases, patient care probably will start in one of the departments about a month later. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Esty pushes for Brownfield cleanup
NEW MILFORD -- U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., is pushing for investment in the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields sites in her district and across the country.
She is introducing the Brownfields Redevelopment Tax Incentive Reauthorization Act and rallying support for President Barrack Obama's budget request of $161 million for the Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Program. "I hear over and over again from local leaders and business owners that one of the best ways we can revitalize our cities and towns is to support brownfields cleanup efforts," Esty said Tuesday. "Cities and towns throughout central and northwest Connecticut have strong industrial histories and are now in the process of transitioning into new sources of economic growth," she said. "I'm doing what I can to be a strong partner in these efforts."
Esty visited the Century Brass Mill site in New Milford on Tuesday with New Milford Mayor Patricia Murphy. She lauded Murphy for her "tireless efforts" that brought a $2.5 million state grant to the town for the demolition and environmental cleanup of the 320,000-square-foot Century Brass building. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Milane Nurseries owner seeking to build 100 homes in Cromwell
CROMWELL >> In a move officials say could be a positive sign for the town’s recovery from the economic slump, nursery owner Michael Millane has submitted an application to build 100-single-family houses. Millane is seeking approval from the Planning & Zoning Commission to build the houses on a 106-acre parcel of land between Field Road and Nooks Hill Road . The property in question is part of the Millane Nurseries complex. The site “is south of Field, west of the railroad tracks that run through there, and north of Nook’s Hill,” Town Planner Stuart Popper said. The land is zoned R-25, meaning it can be developed for residential housing on half-acre lots, Popper said. A narrative prepared by the engineering firm of Close, Jensen and Miller was included in Millane’s application. The narrative said “several options for residential housing were considered” for the site, including single-family, town houses and duplexes.” The design team said townhouses and duplexes would have allowed for a much higher density but wound have been incongruous with the surrounding neighborhood.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Council OK's Simpson Court parking plan
WALLINGFORD — The Town Council approved a resolution Tuesday allowing the mayor to apply for a $500,000 state grant that would be used to reconstruct the rear Simpson Court parking area.
Councilors voted 7-1 to approve the resolution, with Craig Fishbein, a Republican, voting against it. Republican Town Councilor Christine Mansfield abstained from voting due to her affiliation with Holy Trinity Church, which borders the parking lot. The church would be involved in a proposed public-private agreement to reconstruct the lot, partially because of a retaining wall owned by the church which requires maintenance. The town is seeking grant money from the Main Street Investment Fund. Administered by the state Office of Policy and Management, the grant offers up to $500,000 for downtown infrastructure improvements. The town requested funding through the grant in 2012 but the request was denied. A second round of funding was announced last month. Town Engineer John Thompson said the town is making “substantially the same application” to the state as it did previously. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
It's the second straight year that Norwich Public Utilities officials presented budgets with no rate increases. The board approved the four budgets without changes. NPU faced criticism from residents, small business owners and large industrial customers in 2012 when the city-owned utility approved a 27 percent water rate increase and a 9 percent sewer rate increase in part to pay for major upgrade projects, some of them federally mandated. During a March 25 budget presentation, NPU General Manager John Bilda said the past rate increases combined with state and federal grants and low-cost loans have provided the funds necessary for the budgeted upgrade projects. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
UCONN downsizes plans for Hartford Times Site
HARTFORD — The University of Connecticut plans to construct a significantly smaller building in downtown Hartford and make greater use of shared space in nearby venues to meet the classroom needs of its new regional campus, university officials said Tuesday. The university initially envisioned a structure of 220,000 square feet, but now it has downsized the building to 140,000 square feet. The Prospect Street property is not large enough to fit the larger building if the school wants to keep it in scale with the Times building, said Laura Cruickshank, the university's master planner. Instead, UConn hopes to schedule some classes in such surrounding venues as the Hartford Public Library, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Connecticut Science Center, the Connecticut Convention Center and Front Street businesses, Cruickshank said. Negotiations are underway, she said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New Haven grant to help Hamden build 33 affordable housing units
HAMDEN >> A grant from a New Haven organization will build a new affordable housing complex on Sanford Street. New Haven Home Recovery Inc. received a $7.6 million grant from the state’s Permanent Supportive Housing Initiative. NHHR promotes the independence of those struggling with homelessness. The grant funding will be used to construct a 33-unit apartment building called “Sanford Commons.” The property currently is vacant and is an “eyesore” for the neighborhood, according to Kellyann Day, chief executive officer of New Haven Home Recovery.
NHHR already has housing units in town on Treadwell Street that were built a few years ago, according to Dale Kroop, director of Economic Development. Day said the new complex will increase the number of affordable housing opportunities in town. “The percentage of affordable rental housing is less than 7 percent the number of requests that Hamden residents made last year for housing assistance, rental assistance and homeless shelters to the United Way’s 211 line (which) was over 450 requests,” Day said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hamden PZC put 1-yr moratorium on Quinnippiac housing expansion
HAMDEN >> Quinnipiac University for one year will not be able to expand its plans for off-campus student housing, after the Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday unanimously passed a temporary moratorium. The university’s neighbors filled seats at Town Hall to speak in favor of a proposed temporary moratorium on the university as well as others higher education institutions.
Commission members for months have discussed an amendment to allow for more time to assess problem areas like off-campus housing, and have proposed drafting a one-year-moratorium, which could prohibit expansions at Quinnipiac and all colleges and universities, with the exception of state schools such as Southern Connecticut State University. Hamden is home to Quinnipiac and the Paier College of Art. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
March construction employment increased in 38 states
Construction firms added jobs in 38 states over the past 12 months, although job gains leveled off between February and March, according to an analysis April 18 by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials said the ongoing year-over-year gains point to the urgency of revitalizing and initiating programs to encourage workers and graduating students to get construction careers. "The widespread gains in employment from a year ago are encouraging, given the tough winter many states experienced right through March," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "The never-ending winter of 2014 may account for the dip in the number of states that added construction jobs in the latest month, but it is also possible that single-family homebuilders are not adding workers as some forecasters expected." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Thomaston Ave in Waterbury to remain closed through Friday
WATERBURY -- Thomaston Avenue will remain closed near the Thomaston town line likely for the next couple days as the city's Water Department searches for a company to supply a large replacement pipe after Friday's water main break, officials said Monday. On Friday, a rupture in a 42-inch service transmission main washed out the roadway, Water Superintendent Chris Bogucki said at the time it would require a major repair and installation effort. We did get a delivery of some of the materials we need to do the repairs,” Bogucki said Monday. “We got it started; we're waiting for additional pieces to come in, which we expect to get later in the week, then we can finish it up.”
Among the materials already received, he said, is a large, pre-stressed cylinder pipe. But at issue is a ductal iron pipe strong enough to withstand the main's high-pressure water flow. “When you have the standard pressure rating, it's easy to find,” he said. “But the high-pressure ductal iron pipe people don't tend to have readily available.” Thomaston Avenue traffic is expected to be detoured at least until Friday, he said, as the Waterbury-based contractor Dayton Construction works on the repairs.
He added he does not expect the project to require significant overtime work, other than to guard the open road trench at night. He said there is no estimated cost for the repairs yet.