Town to receive funding for spring bridge work
A pair of bridges in Gaylordsville will be the first beneficiaries of a new arrangement agreed on recently by the
New Milford Town Council. The council approved a Local Bridge Program Fiscal Year 2015 commitment with the state
Department of Transportation to fund bridge repairs and replace. Bridges targeted for work are over Bull Mountain Brook at the southern end of Mud Pond Road and the bridge over Morrissey Brook on Gaylord Road at the Sherman town line.
State Department of Transportation funding for the projects will be $235,000 of the $440,000 cost of repairs for the Mud Pond Road bridge and $500,000 toward the $1.6 million replacement cost of the bridge along Gaylord Road. Work is anticipated to begin during the 2015 spring construction season.
Groups seek state grant to connect southeastern Connecticut's water lines
NORWICH - A consortium of local government and Mohegan tribal leaders are backing a $630,000 state grant application that would link two of the region’s largest water suppliers together to ensure uninterrupted delivery to nearly 100,000 people during emergencies On Tuesday, the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments unanimously approved the request be made to the state Department of Housing for a community development block grant to fill a 1,220-foot gap between a 24-inch water main in Preston with a 16-inch main in Ledyard at the Poquetanuck Cove bridge on the Thames River. “It would definitely be a benefit to anyone that’s connected to each line: The tribe, Norwich, Waterford, it’s an important piece of the puzzle,” Preston First Selectman Robert Congdon said. If approved by the state, the funds would come from a $26 million Community Development Block Grant pool administrated by the Department of Housing on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money is set aside for the rehabilitation and resiliency of infrastructure in “disaster impacted areas,” according to information on the housing department’s website. The council of governments is asking for $637,500 to pay for the total cost, with Norwich Public Utilities agreeing to a 25 percent match, or $212,500. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Small turnout, but big concerns about impact of Southington police station proposal
BERLIN — The few residents who attended a discussion Wednesday on a proposed $21 million police station raised concerns about the tax impact, whether the building is too lavish and if there is a better use for the Farmington Avenue lot. Three people spoke at the meeting, which followed the town council vote on Aug. 12 allowing the town to raise the $21 million through the sale of bonds. Since then, members of the Republican town committee have started a petition drive to get the matter on the November ballot as a referendum question. George Miller, a former chairman of the town Republican town committee who has been helping gather petition signatures, said people are not opposed to improving the police station but have many questions the town should answer. He said at the public session, before the police commission meeting, that the town needs to do a better job of telling citizens about informational meetings to explain the proposed 31,000 square-foot station. It is planned for town-owned land at 903-913 Farmington Ave. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Neighbors unhappy with approved apartment complex near center of Bloomfield
BLOOMFIELD — Town officials last month applauded a proposed apartment complex with over 400 units near the center of town. The proposal, put forth by a
West Hartford developer and approved unanimously by the town planning and zoning commission, would include 232 units in four-and five-story apartment buildings to be built in the first phase on the east side of
Bloomfield Avenue near town hall, north side of Jerome Way and west side of Jerome Way. The proposal, which includes 129 units in the second phase to be built on the east side of Jerome Avenue near Jerome Way and 46 units in the final phase on Bloomfield Avenue across the street from town hall, was met with approval by many who attended the planning and zoning meeting. But not everyone is happy with the proposal, especially about a dozen residents whose houses are near the planned development. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE