Bridgeport to receive funding for affordable housing
HARTFORD – Bridgeport, Stamford and New Milford are receiving $4.2 million in state grants and loans to create additional affordable housing. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Monday announced $10.6 million in funding statewide to help eight projects and create 131 units of new affordable housing.
“Increasing the supply of all types of affordable housing is one of the best ways we can build stronger communities, reduce homelessness, promote transit-oriented development and improve the quality of life for our residents,” Malloy said. “These are smart investments that are making a real difference in peoples’ lives,” the governor said. In Bridgeport, a $1 million grant will be provided to ComCap, a non-profit organization which has provided over $25 million and assisted in the development and rehabilitation of over 1,000 units. The state grant provides financing for the development and preservation of affordable multi-family rental housing for low- and moderate-income families in Bridgeport. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Demolition of Church and Morse buildings in Meriden
MERIDEN — Buildings at the corner of South Colony and Perkins streets began falling in dramatic fashion Monday morning, as the city proceeded with its flood control and redevelopment plan downtown. Progress on the demolition project had some residents feeling nostalgic as they watched the 100-plus-year-old buildings come crashing down. The buildings at 33 and 51-53 S. Colony St. — the former Church and Morse company and the Meriden Auction Rooms buildings, respectively – are being torn down to allow better access to the railroad bridge behind them. A twin culvert will be added to the bridge to prevent chronic flooding. Harbor Brook runs directly under the Church and Morse building. Sarah Baxter-Church, whose sister Joanne Church ran the hardware store until 2010 when her ailing health forced her to step down, said that the demolition brings mixed feelings. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Society Rd Bridge replacement t0 be completed in 2016
The state Department of Transportation said the construction work, which began on Friday, will be complete by May 19, 2016. The project includes the replacement of the bridge, as well as roadway paving and new drainage structures and guide rails, according to a DOT news release. The existing 140-foot-long overpass, near Interstate 95's Exit 73, was built in 1958, according to the DOT. They will replace the bridge to address the condition of its substructure, which the DOT considers “structurally deficient.” The project also will modernize the overall bridge and bring its vertical clearance up to current standards. The DOT first presented its plans for the bridge to the public two years ago and said the bridge will accommodate the proposed widening of I-95 in the future. The state awarded a $5,275,452.50 contract this summer to New England Road Inc. for the construction work. I-95 traffic may be halted up to 10 minutes between 12:01 a.m. and 5 a.m., and between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, according to the DOT. Other roads may be impacted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with 10 minute stoppages. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Loureiro adds D.C. office
Plainville's Loureiro Engineering Associates said it has opened an office in Washington, D.C. that will focus on offering recycling and waste management services to companies in that area.
It's the fifth office for the firm, which also has operations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. The office will be led by new hire Russell Klein, who previously worked as a community recycling educator for D.C.'s public works department. Klein holds a LEED certification in green building practices from the U.S. Green Building Council.
West Haven City Council approves application for $2M state clean-up grant for The Haven
WEST HAVEN >> The City Council unanimously approved the application for a $2 million state brownfield grant Monday night to do environmental clean-up on two parcels slated to be part of the The Haven upscale outlet mall on the West River Crossing site adjacent to New Haven Harbor.
The approval of an application — for a state Department of Economic and Community Development grant that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy already announced last month that the city will receive — came after council members spent a few minutes asking questions about how the grant differs from a previous grant to clean up the property. Commissioner of Economic Development Joseph Riccio explained in response to a question from Councilman Mike Last, D-9, acting chairman of the council Finance Committee, that the first grant was for demolition and stabilization of the shoreline and the installation of a new bulkhead. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE