Bristol firm gets stop work order from state
WETHERSFIELD — The state Department of Labor has issued a stop work order to Bristol-based Alvin Quality Masonry LLC for a construction site at 230 Industrial Park Road in Old Saybrook.
Industrial Technical Services Inc. of Westfield, Mass. was also issued a stop work order. It was determined that the construction contractors did not have Connecticut workers’ compensation coverage or unemployment coverage. According to State Labor Commissioner Sharon Palmer, Alvin was issued stop work order after inspectors with the agency’s wage and workplace standards division determined that the contractors — both working on the Big Y supermarket building project — did not have workers’ compensation or unemployment insurance coverage for their employees. G&F Group LLC of Baldwin, Ga., which was doing carpentry work on the Kohl’s building being constructed at the same site, was issued a Stop Work order for failure to have workers’ compensation or unemployment insurance coverage, and for misclassifying its employees as independent contractors. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
$2.1M earmarked to fix East Haddam's Basham Lake Dam
EAST HADDAM >> Environmental and state officials are hailing more than $2 million in state funding slated to be approved to repair the town’s aging dam over Bashan Lake.Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has announced that $2.1 million to fund needed repairs to Bashan Lake Dam in East Haddam is expected to be approved at the next meeting of the state Bond Commission. “Bashan Lake is a very extremely popular recreational water resource used long enjoyed by residents and visitors,” Malloy said. “These repairs will improve the safety of the dam, ensure public access to recreational fishing and boating, and improve parking and access at the state boat launch.” The historically rebuilt dam was originally of stone masonry construction. The masonry was covered with concrete around 1939 to slow seepage through the structure. Around 1966, dam ownership was transferred from the Moodus Reservoir Company to the State of Connecticut. The dam and gate structure are in need of major repair due to seepage through the structure. A new walkway over the spillway will be installed to improve safety and access for yearly maintenance and inspection. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Stonington school roof replacement to start July 1
Stonington - The $1.2 million project to replace the leaky Deans Mill School roof is slated to begin July 1 and be completed by Sept. 1, according to a "very aggressive" timeline released by Superintendent of School Van Riley. In a memo to school staff and parents, Riley said that from today until June 30, school officials will complete the design, prepare and process the forms required for partial state reimbursement, meet with local and state officials, seek bids and hire a contractor, among other tasks. "This is a very aggressive timeline. Depending on the workload as at the state, some items may take longer. The architect has confirmed that, if necessary, construction can take place during the school year after school dismissal each day. We will move as quickly as possible to complete the project prior to the beginning of school," Riley wrote in his letter. School is slated to begin on Aug. 27. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction to begin on New Haven's Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School
new haven >> A new facility, believed to be the largest of its kind housing a public pre-school program, has gotten final approval with construction to start at the end of the year. The current Helene Grant School on Goffe Street will be demolished and replaced with a new structure specifically designed for the 565 3- and 4-year-olds that will occupy it when it is completed by the end of 2016. The school, which will include historic references to Helene Grant, will be renamed the Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School in honor of the former superintendent of schools.
Mayo was superintendent for 21 years and worked in the New Haven public school system for 46 years. Kenneth Boroson, architect for the project, said there was extensive consultation with early childhood experts on the design and program needs of the children. “There was a lot of going back and forth with varying points of view expressed,” Boroson said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction employment up in 39 states
Construction firms added jobs in 39 states and the District of Columbia over the past 12 months and in 29 states and D.C. between March and April according to an analysis May 16 by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials welcomed the mostly positive figures but cautioned that the industry's recovery remained fragile, with construction employment levels below prior peaks in every state except North Dakota.
"Growing demand for a range of construction services and better weather helped boost construction employment in most states in April," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "But we are still a long way away from getting back to the kind of employment levels the industry experienced nearly a decade ago."?? CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Building market picking up
MIDDLEBURY — Toll Brothers construction company has sold 23 "luxury town homes" in a community called Ridgewood of Middlebury and recently broke ground for new housing on the site.
Since buying the property from GDC two years ago, Toll Brothers has breathed new life into a development that had stalled at 58 town homes — and has given a boost to building permit applications for new construction. Of 42 building permits issued for new construction in the past two years, 25 went to Toll Brothers, according to the Middlebury Building Department "I've been going there a lot," Building Official Ollie Leduc said of making inspections. "It's almost a daily trip. The new home construction this year really picked up. It's not a boom, but it's picked up considerably."
Three years ago, the Middlebury Building Department had only issued three permits for new construction. When Ridgewood of Middlebury is completely built out, Project Manager Stephen Rodgers said, it will have 270 units. "There's some job recovery from the low point in the economic downturn, so that gives people some more confidence in the market and decisions to buy a home," Rodgers said. Liz Bauer, a sales manager for Toll Brothers, added that interest rates have remained steady and low, allowing buyers to get loans. "It's definitely picked up," she said of the housing market. "Since we opened for sale in early July, we've sold 23 units. We're not building on speculation. We build as people purchase." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE