WALLINGFORD—The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Monday to table action on a site plan outlining improvements at the Lyman Hall High School athletic complex. With the vote, the site plan won’t be considered by the commission until mid-June.
Due to the delay, construction of a turf field and expanded track, expected to begin at the end of the school year, will be pushed back until spring 2015, Luke McCoy, a representative of the BSC Group, the engineering firm handling the project, told the commission.
The delay will postpone the bidding and preparation process until July; therefore the project wouldn’t be able to start during summer break. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
BRISTOL — The Bristol Downtown Development Corp. got an earful Monday. Almost 50 people, split evenly between passionate advocates and equally committed critics, aired their thoughts on the controversial Depot Square project that promises to transform the city center.
Builder Joe Geladino said it’s sad to see a growing division in the community that is just getting “deeper and deeper.” The strain is hurting everybody, he said, urging officials to move forward and “bring our city back together.” About 150 people attended the BDDC session at City Hall, listening to the wide range of opinions expressed. Two police officers watched to make sure everything remained calm. Younger residents favored the project far more than their elders, some of whom worried the city was heading for another costly mistake like the redevelopment era, in which a historic downtown was torn down and a mall erected as a centerpiece. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUEMuseum of art breaks ground on 17,000 square foot addition
NEW BRITAIN — The New Britain Museum of American Art broke ground Monday on its 17,364-square foot addition. Guests included Gov. Dannel Malloy, who participated in the ceremony. Director Douglas Hyland led the institution through its past campaign and transformation. He said the museum was “thrilled to again be working with [architect] Ann Beha and her outstanding team. We look forward to a seamless and beautifully designed addition that will be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors for years to come.” Calling it “a great day for New Britain,” the governor added that, “Working with [the museum] on this and the Busway, is an important connection. It will deliver a whole bunch of folks who will visit the museum for the first time.” “It’s good to see the museum taking another step forward under the dynamic leadership of Douglas Hyland,” said Lindsley Wellman, former general manager of the New Britain Herald and former president of the Herald Publishing Co. Wellman, current owner of the Wellman Group, said, “To reinforce this museum is something citizens of New Britain, the state and the nation can take great pride in.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
DOT offers 2 new proposals to cross busway at Flower Street
HARTFORD — Residents, city officials and business owners affected by the closure of a city street due to construction of the CTfastrak busway learned more Monday about the state's multimillion-dollar proposals to restore pedestrian and bicycle access, but could not reach a consensus about what to do next. Department of Transportation officials provided the handful of residents and business owners who attended the informational meeting with two detailed plans for a proposed handicapped-accessible walkway over Flower Street, which has been closed to pedestrians and bicyclists as the busway construction progresses. One plan calls for a "skywalk" that would begin near the corner of Flower Street and Capitol Avenue, envisioned as a 900-foot-long sloped walkway with illuminated handrails. That plan would cost between $11.3 million and $12.4 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bristol to rebuild stretch of Waterbury Rd
BRISTOL - The public works department advises motorists that it has begun extensive, long-term work on Waterbury Road between Terryville Road and the Plymouth town line.
Crews will tear up the pavement, re-grade the road bed, installing storm drainage along with new roadside barriers and curbs, and repave the surface. The project is scheduled to continue through the fall. "There may be traffic delays during construction, however the road will remain open for mail delivery, emergency vehicles, and local traffic at all times," the public works department said in a statement. "Temporary 'No Parking' signs will be posted as needed during construction."
Madison approves funds for East Warf, other projects
MADISON >> More than two years after Tropical Storm Irene battered the Shoreline, the Board of Selectmen on Monday unanimously approved a $450,000 special appropriation for the reconstruction of East Wharf. East Wharf was heavily damaged by the storm and the end of the wharf was “reduced to a pile of stone rubble,” First Selectman Fillmore McPherson said. “The end of the wharf was heavily damaged during Tropical Storm Irene,” Director of Public Works and Town Engineer Michael Ott said. “It was reduced to a pile of stones.” Ott said the construction should start after Labor Day and is expected to be completed before the start of next year’s beach season.
West Wharf — also damaged by Irene — was repaired last summer. Up to 75 percent of the cost of the project can be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Ott said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction Bog is real, But not forever
For more than a decade, Ken Simonson has been analyzing construction industry statistics for Associated General Contractors. Economically speaking, he has witnessed ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and, for several years now, a bog. The AGC chief economist’s look at 2014 identifies trends that are supporting industry growth or are impairing it. They are revealing. Simonson cites three positive trends—shale oil drilling, residential construction (a shaky trend) and… Panama Canal expansion. Not many people on the street would cite widening of the canal as a major contributor to construction industry health in the U.S. But Simonson charts 16 Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf ports in the U.S. that are busier because of canal work. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE