CT puts $62.6M into cleaning up brownfields
The state has invested more than $62 million in cleaning up brownfield sites across the state in the last two years, almost six times the amount spent in the previous seven, according to a memo released by the Malloy administration on Tuesday. Working with private developers, a total of 37 sites in 27 cities and towns, including New Haven, Derby, Middletown and Clinton, have been remediated and turned into housing, a brewery and other uses, the administration said. Most of the sites represent “the scars of the Industrial Revolution, when you had big manufacturing operations right in the middle of downtowns,” said Tim Sullivan, who oversees brownfield development in the state Department of Economic and Community Development. The brownfields, which consist of both contaminated buildings and land, were “creating public health hazards, creating blight,” Sullivan said, before they were cleaned up and put to good use. The state’s involvement is important, Sullivan said, because “In so many cases … the cleanup costs are far in excess of the value of the property.” One example of a turnaround is Two Roads Brewery in Stratford, which received a $500,000 grant through DECD, employs more than 40 workers and is in the center of a revitalized section of town, according to Andrew Doba, spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. According to the memo, conservatively, “for every dollar invested by the state, $3.43 has been or will be invested by non-state partners.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New Meriden technical school welcomes back students
MERIDEN — Construction crews were in the final stages of work at Wilcox Technical High School Tuesday, preparing for students to return today. The students will find an almost entirely new building — the portable classrooms that lined Oregon Road are completely gone, replaced by staff parking. A new courtyard sprawls between wings of the school, and administrative offices have been moved out of the middle of the school to make way for a library and media center. “It’s a huge change. This is a huge building compared to the tiny building it was before. It’s probably three times larger than when we started,” School Principal Lisa Hylwa said Tuesday. The project, begun in early 2012, cost $77.9 million. It was paid for by the state. A statement from the state Department of Administrative Services, which oversaw the project says, “The school will open as scheduled. We are in the final stages of the project. The main building is complete, and there is some work left in the annex building, as well as some site work. We are on schedule and within budget...we appreciate the patience and assistance of the Wilcox staff, faculty, and students.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Support for New London pedestrian plan varies
New London — The proposal to tear down the Greyhound bus station to make space for an elevated walkway over the railroad tracks to the proposed National Coast Guard Museum, ferry terminals and City Pier is being met with acceptance among several of the key players downtown, but other aspects of the plan for the overpass are not meeting with universal support. "It would solve a lot of problems if we moved (the bus station)," Rob Sherlin, general manager for Wheaten Solutions, the company that runs the bus station for Greyhound, said Tuesday. The current bus station, in a single-story, 1,000-square-foot building adjacent to Union Station, needs repairs, and there are often traffic problems when buses try to pull up and taxis and other vehicles are in the way, Sherlin said. Greyhound leases the space from the owners of Union Station. Todd O'Donnell, a partner in the company that owns the 29,500-square-foot railroad station and the bus station, said the smaller building is believed to be an addition to the original structure and dates back at least to 1896. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Track and field project delayed at Simsbury High School
SIMSBURY — The running track and artificial turf athletic field at Simsbury High School will be closed until late September because of renovations, said school Business Manager Burke LeClair.
He said the schools tried to complete the project over the summer, but a delay in awarding bids delayed construction. The town let bids for the artificial turf project in June, but no bids were received by the July 7 deadline. The town had to re-bid the project, and the contract was awarded to G-9 Turf Inc. for $38,900. Bids for the track project were let on July 15 and a contract was awarded July 28 to Cape and Island Tennis and Track for $135,500. "Both bids came in well within budget," LeClair said. LeClair said the town hoped to complete the turf project first, but the bid delay caused work on the track to begin first. LeClair said the expected completion date for the entire project is Sept. 21. LeClair expects the track to be completed the first week of September, but it will remain closed until renovations to the turf field are completed. LeClair said the field and track were in need of renovations and the schools didn't want to wait until next summer. The artificial turf is receiving a "specialized grooming," LeClair said, that will help maintain shock absorption on the playing surface.
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