Officials hope to clear final hurdles for Costco's August groundbreaking
NEW BRITAIN — Shovels in the ground by August. That’s the expectation of Mayor Erin Stewart for the future Costco megastore on Hartford Road. Discussion of the site on Route 71 near Westfarms mall has raged for more than three years. Three city administrations needed to clear several hurdles, including reassuring Friends of A.W. Stanley Park who were concerned about potential loss of forest land; changing the layout of the Stanley Municipal Golf Course and acquiring state and local permits, all so Costco could build on the site. Overshadowing the project was a provision in Costco’s contract that it could cancel if it were determined that the property failed to meet the store’s “financial and competitive objectives in the trade area.” Stewart, a Republican, said that, since she has taken office, she has been frustrated by “lack of progress on the project. Nobody has been together at the same table for more than two years. People who own the property that the Target store [adjacent to the Costco site] sits on wanted a lot of money to share the driveway to the store with Costco.” Stewart said Costco was prepared to make improvements to the entryway. However, the Target landowners and Costco couldn’t agree on payment for the work. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Battle not over on tribal recognition
The Obama administration released proposed regulations Thursday that would make it easier for Indian tribes to win federal recognition, a move that could pave the way for three tribes to build casinos in the state. The ruling by the U.S. Department of the Interior would aid the Schaghticoke Indians in Kent, the Golden Hill Paugussett Indians in Trumbull and Colchester, and the Eastern Pequots in North Stonington. All three have expressed an interest in building casinos but have been blocked because they have failed to gain federal recognition. The proposal published Thursday would create a fast track to federal acknowledgment for tribes that have been rejected for recognition but have had a state reservation since at least 1934. The current rules require proof of reservations back to as early as 1789. Each of the Connecticut tribes could qualify under the 1934 requirement.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Attorney General George Jepsen and the state's congressional delegation fought the changes, which the Obama administration said were aimed at making federal recognition easier and faster. Malloy wrote President Barack Obama earlier this year lobbying against the proposals. State officials have argued that the new rules would uniquely affect Connecticut. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Burlington fire station to be built with $1M in state aid
BURLINGTON >> State Sen. Beth Bye (D-5) and state Rep. John Piscopo (R-76) announced Thursday that the State Bond Commission is expected to approve $1 million in state aid for a new fire station to be built in the Lake Garda section of Burlington. The commission will next meet May 30 in Hartford. Bye and Piscopo said they have been working to secure funding for a new fire station for more than a year. “This funding is abolutely critical to Burlington - both for the level of current fire protection services and for the future growth that this town and the region will see,” Bye said. “I’m pleased that the volunteer firefighters who lend their time and talents to this town...are going to have a modern, safe facility from which to operate. They deserve it.” Piscopo agreed with Bye that the funding is needed for the Burlington community. Burlington First Selectman Theodore Shafer called the bonding announcement “an exciting day for Burlington.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE