Bethel bridge, intersection project could start next spring
BETHEL -- After more than a decade in the planning, it appears one of the town's most troublesome intersections will finally be fixed. The Plumtrees Road bridge -- located above East Swamp Brook and at the intersections of Walnut Hill Road and Whittlesey Drive -- has been a magnet for rush-hour snarls and car accidents. After numerous attempts to fix the problems, Town Engineer Andrew Morosky said this latest reconstruction effort is all but ready to begin.
He said the work will reconstruct the bridge and its intersections, install a traffic signal and construct a sidewalk. The project is in the final stages of planning, and ground is expected to be broken next spring. Contractors have 445 days -- not including the winter shutdown -- to finish the work, which means it will be wrapped up by the end of 2016. "It's a cumbersome intersection to navigate," Morosky said. "This project will greatly reduce delays through the improvement of roads." Morosky estimated construction will cost between $2.5 million and $5 million, but it will be fully funded by state and federal funds. Eighty percent of the construction will be picked up by federal funds, with the other 20 percent paid by state funds. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction delays push back of new Westport Weston Family Y
The long-anticipated of the Westport Weston Family Y's new home on its Mahackeno campus will have to wait a while longer. Y officials announced late Tuesday afternoon that the planned Aug. 29 opening of the new Y -- to be called the Bedford Family Center -- will not take place on schedule because of "unforeseen construction delays and the uncertainty of receiving the necessary permits and certifications required for the public use of the facility." In a statement, the Y CEO Rob Reeves said, "Unfortunately, we're unable to confirm exactly when we will receive the necessary signoffs from local and state officials, which would allow us to open our pools. We don't want to open our new Y until the entire facility is ready for use by our members and guests."
A new opening date will be announced later this month, Reeves said, with the expectation that the new Y will open in early September. Reeves said programs will continue at the downtown Family Y until the new facilities are open. Despite the delayed opening of the new Y, the dedication and ribbon-cutting will take place as previously scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28.
The new 54,000-square-foot Y along the Saugatuck River has been named the Bedford Family Center in honor of the Y's founder, E.T. Bedford, and the continuing support for the Y by his descendants. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Democrats offer alternative to fund Costco construction
NEW BRITAIN — Democratic city council members and the city’s Democratic legislative delegation are offering an alternative to a $2.3 million city taxpayer-funded Costco abatement proposed by Mayor Erin Stewart.
Council members opposed to the abatement have put together a plan that calls on the state to fund Costco development through an economic development assistance grant. Council members Suzanne Bielinski and David DeFronzo said that “due to the regional economic impact of the Costco plan, it should be a prime candidate for state economic development assistance.” DeFronzo added that if the Costco plan is to go forward, “the state, and not city taxpayers, should shoulder the financial burden.”
Bielinski, the council’s majority leader, agreed, indicating that with more than 200 jobs on the line and the potential impact of Costco on the economic activity of central Connecticut, state investment can be easily justified. Alderman Emanuel Sanchez, a Costco supporter, said “pursuing additional state assistance will help keep the project moving forward without unnecessarily burdening local taxpayers.” State Sen. Terry Gerratana and members of the city’s legislative delegation have agreed to support a city request for an economic development grant in the amount of $2.3 million which they said, if approved, would potentially eliminate the need for a tax abatement and alleviate pressure on New Britain taxpayers. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
University of Connecticut presents details on 10 year initiative
HARTFORD — The state is investing $1.55 billion in tax dollars at the University of Connecticut over the next 10 years to bolster research programs and facilities, hire faculty and establish partnerships with the business community. On Tuesday, lawmakers got a detailed look at what that money is paying for. UConn Provost Mun Choi provided members of the General Assembly's commerce, higher education and finance committees with an overview of the project during a two-hour meeting at the Legislative Office Building. Dubbed Next Generation Connecticut, the sweeping effort aims to remake the university into a leader in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields (STEM). It complements but is separate from the state's bioscience initiative; the centerpiece of that undertaking is The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, a nonprofit research institute being built on the campus of the UConn Health Center in Farmington. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Storrs Center developer wants to build Hartford Stadium project
HARTFORD — The lead developer for the Storrs Center project near UConn is part of a group that wants to redevelop Downtown North, a project that includes a 9,000-seat minor league baseball stadium. New York-based LeylandAlliance, the master developer of the residential and retail development in Mansfield, and Centerplan Cos., with headquarters in Middletown, are leading a partnership proposing a plan for Downtown North. "Our proposal is a comprehensive plan for the whole DoNo area, including the stadium," Howard Kaufman, managing member of LeylandAlliance, said Tuesday. The group submitted one of four bids to the city of Hartford. Kaufman said the partnership includes Hartford-based JCJ Architecture and Urban Design Associates, based in Pittsburgh, The latter is working on LeylandAlliance's $220 million, mixed-use Storrs Center project.
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Open house on power plant
OXFORD — Residents fear a planned power plant facility near their homes, but workers say the jobs it will bring are good for the economy and the state. Competitive Power Ventures hosted an open house Tuesday to update area residents on its CPV Towantic Energy Center project that's been 15 years in the making. CPV plans to break ground next year on an 805 megawatt combined-cycle electric generating facility. The natural gas power plant will be constructed on a 26-acre site at the Woodruff Hill industrial complex, near the Middlebury-Oxford line. The electricity generated by the facility is enough to power more than 750,000 Connecticut homes. Josh Rickards of Middlebury recently purchased a home that abuts the proposed facility site. He said his biggest concern is the safety of his family and what the plant's emissions could mean for them. "I am forced to live within 3,000 feet of a machine that measures its waste output in the millions of tons and wonder what that means for my children and my wife for the next 30 years as I pretend it's not there," he said. "That scares me. That's not fair." But members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478 in Hamden attended the event in support of the project. "If they build it, it's good for my town, my job and all my union brothers' jobs," said union member and Oxford native Bob Miles. "It's a no brainer — it'll generate millions in tax revenue, it's out in the middle of nowhere and it's a win-win for everyone involved." xisting permits, approved in 1999, allow for a $300 million, 512-megawatt facility. The project has been dormant for about five years after hitting some legal roadblocks, but was relaunched when General Electric Energy Financial Services purchased the Towantic Energy subsidiary from Calpine Corp. in 2007. roject director Andrew Bazinet said there is a need for this kind of energy in the New England region. He said the permits will be updated in about six to nine months, allowing CPV to break ground in the second half of next year. The project is estimated to create as many as 500 jobs during two and a half years of construction and up to 25 full-time jobs once the plant is online in 2018. Bazinet estimated more than $1 billion in private infrastructure investment, nearly $22 million in sales tax during construction and $53 million in property tax over the life of the project. Nearby residents have raised concerns about the plant's impact on property values, noise pollution and air quality.