BRIDGEPORT -- General Electric officials say they are close to submitting a plan for making 17 acres of its toxic Boston Avenue industrial property clean enough for a new $78 million Harding High School. Whether that will break the stalemate between the city and school board over putting the school on land once permeated with lead and petroleum-based toxins remains to be seen.
"It should be submitted within a week," Ashley Sy, a GE spokeswoman, said of a plan whose absence for months has stood in the way of city school board approval of the site.
The plan to be submitted to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will be based on a draft site plan, since the school board has so far declined to approve the plans, Sy said. Normally, cleanup plans are not completed until the site plan is approved. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bridgeport's Steelpointe Harboradvances with property transfer
As Bridgeport’s Steel Point redevelopment — Steelpointe Harbor — continues moving closer to launch, Mayor Bill Finch took another step in the process this week by signing the first property transfer documents.“The development of Steelpointe Harbor is a game-changer for Bridgeport,” Finch said, in prepared comments. “Folks in the Park City have been waiting for this development for a long time, and it’s finally happening. This is a major step toward ensuring the construction of Bass Pro and other retail space, making this the biggest economic development project in the Park City since the industrial revolution.” The project’s private developer now controls the 12 acres north of Stratford Avenue that are needed for the construction of Bass Pro Shops and several other yet-to-be announced retail establishments. “This is a great day for the Steelpointe Harbor,” said Bob Christoph, founder of RCI Group, which is overseeing the development project. “We couldn’t be more excited to move forward and continue working to get Bass Pro Shops and other retailers up and running.”
Bass Pro Shops will be the first anchor commercial tenant of Steelpointe Harbor development. The national retail chain’s Bridgeport store, which will sell boats and outdoor supplies, will be about 150,000 square feet. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Yankee Gas eyes first gas lines installed in the fall
Yankee Gas expects to lay down the first five miles of natural gas mains in New Canaan in the fall.
Paul Zohorsky, vice president of gas operations at Northeast Utilities, Yankee Gas' parent company, announced the news Monday during a forum on natural gas at the New Canaan Library. The event was co-sponsored by the New Canaan League of Women Voters. Zohorsky said, however, he needs residents to indicate their interest on the utility's website to move the project forward. "We need people to sign up because that tells us where we can expand," Zohorsky said. "The more interest we have, the quicker we can move and the more extensive we can make our system in New Canaan."
Zohorsky said at least 800 people, including residents and business owners, already have expressed interest on the website, newcanaan.iwantnaturalgas.com. He explained that by signing up online, a person is not committing to the service. He said the company is plotting the results from the website on a map so it knows where to focus its door-to-door campaign to get people to actually sign contracts. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Riverview bridge to be replaced in Gaylordsville
The replacement of Riverview Road bridge in the Gaylordsville section of New Milford was set to begin Monday, April 21. Preliminary work is scheduled to be completed by May 5, with Riverview Road to be closed on or about that date until mid-November.
The detour route will be South Kent Road to Long Mountain Road to Brown's Forge Road to Station Road. The old bridge will be removed and a new, wider bridge installed.
The construction work will be done by Black & Water Construction of Unionville.
The $675,329 replacement cost is paid by a bonding package approved by New Milford Town Council in 2012. At some time in May, chip sealing work will be completed on South Kent Road from Riverview Road to Waller Road. During that two-day period, the detour route will be from Kent Road (Route 7) to Grove Road, left on South Kent Road, along Long Mountain Road to Brown's Forge Road and Station Road. A second project will be conducted in Gaylordsville during the spring/summer construction season. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hospital starts work on wound care center
BRISTOL — Bristol Hospital officials on Thursday broke ground on a new Wound Care Center, which will specialize in treating patients with chronic and non-healing wounds.
The 5,561-square-foot building will be constructed prior to installation on the site on the north side of the main hospital building on Brewster Road. The wound care facility will occupy 2,600 square feet and will take up the first floor of the building. The second floor will house some relocated administrative services from the main hospital building, clearing space there for other programs, officials said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
NPU ready to build natural gas fueling station
Norwich - Norwich Public Utilities announced today that preliminary design work on a new natural gas fueling station has been completed, and the project is slated for construction at the existing Shell gas station at 168 West Town St. NPU will host a public informational meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the utility headquarters, 16 S. Golden St., to discuss the project. The Federal Highway Administration will provide 80 percent of the construction cost under the Surface Transportation Program administered by the state Department of Transportation. NPU will pay 20 percent of the construction cost. The proposed station will consist of a fuel dispenser located on a concrete slab with overhead canopy, compressors, above-ground cascade storage tank assembly and essential equipment required to fuel vehicles with compressed natural gas. A paved, dual-vehicle access lane will be installed to allow easy vehicle access.
Renaissance tells Bristol it has a solid proposal ready
BRISTOL — The Long Island-based company that has been trying to line up financing to redevelop the former mall site downtown is submitting plans to the city this week, and expects to review them for the public in early May. Some taxpayers and political leaders have grown skeptical in the past year about whether Renaissance Downtowns would be able to line up private financing for mid-rise apartment complexes in the first phase of construction. The company has acknowledged that the national financial collapse of six years ago made financing more problematic, particularly for some ground-floor retail and commercial space that city leaders wanted.On Thursday evening, it was unclear exactly what Renaissance is proposing to the Bristol Downtown Development Corp. One key issue for many residents is the target audience of tenants — with Section 8 housing proliferating in the West End and on Federal Hill in recent years, there's been significant pressure on political leaders not to authorize new subsidized low-income housing on a property that consistently has been promoted as a route to new prosperity. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Senate gives final approval to UTC expansion bill
The Senate overwhelmingly granted final approval Thursday to a landmark deal that authorizes $400 million in tax breaks to United Technologies Corp. to trigger a major expansion designed to preserve Connecticut’s aerospace and engineering base. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who negotiated the deal with one of Connecticut’s largest employers and is expected to sign the tax relief bill, hailed its approval as a major victory for the state’s economy. “This agreement will bolster the state’s aerospace sector, encourage business growth and investment and, most importantly, foster the retention and creation of thousands of good-paying jobs with good benefits for Connecticut residents,” Malloy wrote in a statement shortly after the Senate voted 34-2 to approve the measure. “ … UTC shares our faith in Connecticut’s talented workforce, commitment to innovation, and determination to build a world-class business climate. We could not ask for a better partner and look forward to working together to send the message that Connecticut is committed to continuing its role as a world leader in the aerospace industry.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE