October 31, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 31, 2014

Town leaders approve natural gas plan for East Hampton

EAST HAMPTON >> The town has agreed to a proposal to bring natural gas to town. The Town Council voted unanimously earlier this month to accept a proposal that was made by Connecticut Natural Gas.  The project was also approved by both the Board of Education and the Board of Finance, Town Council Chairwoman Barbara Moore said.  Some details still must be worked out, town official acknowledge, including what form the town’s share of the project will take. Under the proposal, CNG would construct a nine-mile pipeline that would run from St. Clement’s Castle along Route 66 and then Route 16 then up through the Village Center and back out along 66 to the Marlborough Town Line. The projected cost of the pipeline is upwards of $5.7 million, town officials said. In addition to providing residents an option for heating their homes – and the town to heat its buildings — the proposal could also result in as much as $100,000 in additional tax revenues, Town Manager Michael Maniscalco said in unveiling the proposal earlier this month. “We really need to work on our infrastructure. It’s one of the paramount things we need to work on,” Maniscalco said in explaining the CNG proposal and its potential impact on town. The pipeline would connect to virtually every major commercial property in town, and anyone whose home is along the main route can tie in as well,” Maniscalco said. CNG is pressing for the town to sign an agreement in January, Maniscalco said on Wednesday. The utility has also outlined three conditions the town has to accept if the deal is to go forward. The first requirement is perhaps the easiest for the town to agree to: All town facilities must hook up to natural gas. Second, the town must “close the roads” after the company installs the pipeline – meaning the town would repave the trench line after the installation is completed, Maniscalco said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Groton to build new middle school on Merritt property

Groton - The School Facilities Initiative Task Force decided Thursday to pursue plans to build a new middle school on the Merritt property, with an entrance off Fort Hill Road and the building as close to Robert E. Fitch High School as possible. The task force reviewed three options presented by educational consultants Milone & MacBroom and SLAM, an engineering, architecture and construction management firm. Two of the options would have built the middle school adjacent to the high school or behind it, with a goal of creating one campus. It also would use the same entrance on Groton Long Point Road as the high school. But to do that, the new building would have covered either the recently upgraded baseball field and tennis courts or the track/football field complex. It would have also led to choke points along the drive to the schools. The third option, which the task force told the consultants to move forward with, would create an entrance to the middle school off Fort Hill Road, and locate the building with Ella T. Grasso Technical High School to the rear and St. Mary's Church to the left. The middle school area would include a synthetic turf field, a multipurpose practice field, a softball field and a baseball field. The task force still wants students and staff to be able to easily move between Fitch High School and the middle school. "It's as centrally located as you're going to get," said consultant Mike Zuba of Milone & MacBroom, referring to the Merritt property. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Federal agency starts cleanup at Higganum Cove superfund site

HADDAM — A new chapter has begun at the old Higganum Cove industrial site near the Connecticut River, where huge tractor-trailer trucks are hauling away tons of contaminated soil and debris.Already, 1,000 tons of PCB-laced soil, asbestos, countless tires and construction debris have been carted away from the 12-acre property, a 200-year-old mill site beside scenic falls that was a state Superfund site for decades.  "It's exciting because you can see a lot more of the old foundation," said First Selectwoman Melissa Schlag, referring to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's cleanup of Higganum Cove. "I think it would be really cool to have a picnic area here and some nature trails." Higganum Cove, at 19 Nosal Road, had been on the Superfund list since 1989, when fire destroyed the Frismar Co. factory beside the falls, which produced mimeograph paper. Originally a cotton spinning mill, the site also produced dyed cloth and yarn, bridge netting and boat paint. In the 1980s, Higganum Cove became a dumping ground for D&L Enterprises of Bridgeport, a demolition business run by brothers Russell and Geno Capozziello, who operated an illegal landfill in Bridgeport known as Mount Trashmore, according to the EPA. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

New Haven's $400M downtown development to be underway by summer

NEW HAVEN >> Two years after he first met with the developer and city officials, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was back in New Haven with news the state would come through with its share of funds for infrastructure that will make a $400 million development project possible. Shovels will be in the ground in the summer for the LiveWorkLearnPlay project on the former Veterans Memorial Coliseum site adjacent to Ninth Square. Where once there were hockey teams and rock shows at the Coliseum, plans are to convert the 5.5-acre site to an “urban village” with more that 1,000 units of housing, 75 local restaurants and stores, as well as a hotel and public square with an office building set for Phase 2. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE



October 30, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 30, 2014

Canton holds referendum on $4.78M highway garage

CANTON — After years of setbacks, town officials are hoping they can clear the way to build a new highway garage in a referendum that will be on Tuesday. Residents will go to the polls on that day to decide the fate of a $4.78 million plan for a new garage at 325 Commerce Drive. This will be the third time that residents have voted on a proposal for a new highway garage since 2010. In both of those previous referendums the proposals town officials presented were defeated by wide margins. The existing highway garage is off River Road. Town officials say it is dilapidated and too small to support the public works department's operations. Officials said at a town meeting on Oct. 22 that the facility is so small that the department's vehicles must be stored outdoors, which exposes them to the elements and shortens their lifespan. There is also insufficient space to store salt that is put on the roads during winter storms and so it must be brought in from Burlington. Reaction by the public to the plan has varied. A few speakers at the town meeting said they opposed previous plans but are getting behind this one. Many agree that a new garage is needed but still question the cost. Others have questioned putting the garage on Commerce Drive, a site the town has to buy and was originally planned for economic development. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

State expected to provide $20.5M for New Haven downtown project

new haven >> New Haven has two major projects on its wish list where it needs the state as a partner.
Five days before the Nov. 4 election, there will be only one left. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is coming here Thursday morning, and is expected to announce an agreement to provide $20.5 million in funds to connect Orange Street to the Hill, across the quickly disappearing Route 34 connector.  In the afternoon, first lady Michelle Obama will be at Wilbur Cross High School in the city, campaigning for Malloy as he looks for a second term,. Malloy has been in New Haven virtually on a weekly basis — more recently multiple times a week — as he looks to Democrats here to produce a big turnout as they did in 2010 when he won the governor’s race by only 6,404 votes over Republican Tom Foley.
The pair are in a repeat contest that is tied, according to several polls, where some $29.4 million is expected to have been spent by Tuesday, a figure that includes $13.5 million in public funds alloted to the candidates themselves and $15.9 million in independent Super PACs. The road funds will allow Max Reim, co-managing partner and founding principal of the Montreal firm LiveWorkLearnPlay, to build a $400 million development on the former Veterans Memorial Coliseum site, adjacent to the Ninth Square. Reim plans to construct a new neighborhood of 719 apartments, stores, offices and a hotel, as well as a public plaza, on the 4.5-acre site bound by George, Orange and State streets and the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Development of the prime land, just off the confluence of Interstates 91 and 95, will be the largest private project in the city. Reim, who already has gotten the necessary regulatory approvals, has said he needs a commitment on the complex road construction in order to move forward. Malloy said he wants to see a 4½-star hotel on the site in phase one in order for the state to come through with the money. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Highway lanes to shift for construction work on Newtown bridge

NEWTOWN -- Commuters from Greater Waterbury on Thursday morning will notice a new traffic pattern over a bridge on Interstate 84 just past the Southbury town line that has been under construction since early last year. Workers for Manafort Brothers Inc., the contractor performing work on the bridge over Center Street, will shift the westbound lanes over the span beginning at 7 p.m. today. The new alignment will be in place by 6 a.m. Thursday, in time for the morning commute. Tonight's work will involve relocation of the concrete barriers that have kept traffic away from a construction zone since last year. Pavement markings will be removed, and new markings will be put on the road. Workers had to rebuild both the westbound and eastbound bridges, but only the traffic pattern on the westbound side will change for now. The bridges are just west of the Housatonic River. Work on both sides of the highway is scheduled to be completed in April. The project is estimated to cost $5.91 million. The bridges were built in 1977 and 1978, and were supposed to last an estimated 75 years, however cracks were discovered in the concrete beams during an inspection two years ago. Steel I-beams are being used to support the new bridges.     

October 29, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 29, 2014

DOT public hearing Wednesday in Shelton on Hull Bridge

SHELTON-State Department of Transportation officials will discuss their planned $9 million renovation of the Commodore Isaac Hull bridge during a public hearing Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m. in the city hall, 54 Hill Street. The planned renovation which will include painting, catwalk upgrade and repairs to the steel, fencing, railings, drainage and navigation is expected to being in the spring of 2017 and be completed in the fall of 2018. Federal funding will be used. The bridge which connects Shelton to Derby and is part of the annual Memorial Day celebration, was built in 1951 and spans 1,578 feet. In 1990 additional trusses were added to increase the width to allow for the addition of on and off ramps. Project plans will be available for inspection during the session at which the public is invited.

Airport work to close Stratford road

After years of delays and fighting between Bridgeport and Stratford, work is set to begin on the construction of an airport safety area at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford.
The work will require the realignment of Main Street (Route 113) to make way for the safety area. The entire project will cost $46 million. A portion of Main Street (Route 113) in Stratford will be closed starting on Wednesday, Nov. 5, the state Department of Transportation has announced. It will be closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic between Sniffens Lane and Dorne Drive beginning on “or about” that date. The project consists of excavation and removal of all hazardous material from the site identified as “Raymark Waste,” improvements to the Runway Safety Area adjacent to Runway 24, construction of an Engineered Materials Arrestor System to replace the existing blast fence adjacent to Runway 24, rehabilitation of existing Runway 6-24, various drainage improvements, the relocation of State Route 113 and various mitigation activities for wildlife habitat and wetlands impacts. For years, many Stratford residents and officials had opposed the project because they were concerned the airport would expand. But in 2013, with increased pressure by federal officials and court decisions, an agreement was reached between Bridgeport and Stratford.
Runway 6-24 and its ominous blast fence have been cited as a factor more than a half-dozen accidents over the years, the most tragic of which occurred on the foggy night of April 27, 1994. Eight people died in the fiery crash of a chartered twin-engine Piper that night; the lone survivor was the co-pilot, who was badly burned. Although that crash was blamed on pilot error, the FAA concluded at the time that had the blast fence not been there, the crash would have been survivable. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Stamford developer angers residents with delayed hearing

More than 100 people went to City Hall Monday night to speak out about something important to them. Minutes later, they left -- angry, throwing their hands in the air, murmuring to themselves, a few shouting over their shoulders, "We'll be back." Many carried backpacks and briefcases because they were commuters who rushed from the train station to catch the 7 p.m. public hearing.
But it ended before it began. The hearing was about a Zoning Board proposal that would give the city some control over plans by the state Department of Transportation and its private developer, Stamford Manhattan Development Ventures, to replace the dilapidated train station parking garage with a million-square-foot office, residential, retail and hotel complex. Commuter parking would be moved farther away from the train platforms, and 180 spaces would be added, though there is demand for many more. The DOT says it can do what it wants with the train station property because it is owned by the state. The DOT and Stamford Manhattan Development Ventures stand to earn revenue from their proposed complex, but the amount is unclear. The plans are "proprietary" because they are the property of Stamford Manhattan Development Ventures, a private developer, the DOT has said. The plans are private even though the project will be built on public land using $35 million in state taxpayers' money. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

City bridge paving to wrap up next week

MERIDEN — Road work throughout the city continued Tuesday, as crews worked to pave four bridges and crack-seal some smaller roads. Though most work is expected to finish in the next week, at least one city official is still frustrated by the pace. One of the long-awaited improvements that will wrap up this week is the repaving of the portion of East Main Street that crosses over Interstate 91. Work on the bridge began at the end of September, and was delayed for weeks because the bridge required more extensive repairs than expected.  The city is responsible for repaving, while the state Department of Transportation is responsible for repairing the bridge structure.
Associate City Engineer Howard Weissberg said the state “removed and replaced soft concrete sections” as well as repaired some of the bridge joints. The deterioration was caused by water and road salt seeping into the concrete, he added. To protect the cement structure in the future, a waterproof membrane needed to be laid on the road, immediately followed by asphalt paving. “The membrane contractor had to be coordinated with the paving contractor, because we didn’t want the paving contractor to have to mobilize twice,” Weissberg said. Now that the DOT has finished repairs, the section of East Main will be waterproofed and paved on Thursday. The delay has frustrated local drivers and city officials. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
 
 
The Chatfield senior-living facility in West Hartford is preparing for a more than $20 million, 75,000-square-foot expansion that will accommodate 84 more assisted-living and memory-care residents and add some 40 permanent jobs. The real estate investment trust landlord Ventas Inc. and operator Brookdale Senior Living Inc. say construction will soon start on a three-story building with 50 assisted-living apartments at its campus at 1 Chatfield Drive. That building will be linked to a new, single-story building providing specialized care for up to 34 residents with Alzheimer's and related dementias. The assisted-living and Alzheimer's facilities will feature separate dining areas, with an adjacent café. Both building's amenities will include spa and salon areas, activity and living rooms, an assisted-living fitness area and a secured outdoor courtyard for dementia care residents. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Proposed multi-utilities installation plan unveiled in Stafford

A joint meeting of the Planning & Zoning, Economic Development and Conservation Commissions at the Stafford Senior Center on Oct. 21, unveiled a unique multi-utility installation plan that could net huge economic development in town. Town Engineer Dennis Milanovich described a nearly two-year effort to convince YankeeGas to take the town up on a proposal to install a more-than-20-mile gas trunkline coming in from Enfield and Somers along Route 190. Besides the need for natural gas service, Milanovich also noted that Johnson Memorial Hospital is desperately in need of hooking into a public water and sewer system. "By combining a sewer and water line with gas expansion, we could employ a magnitude of scale that would reduce the unit cost for each," Milanovich said. The proposed plan would involve installing a water main from the Dunkin Donuts and the sewer line from Chelle's Diner both to the top of the hill on Route 190. He said town staff has discussed the idea with officials from what would be five major users on the line - Johnson Memorial Hospital, TTM, 3M, the Big Y, and American Woolen - and they have all agreed to support the effort. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE


October 28, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 28, 2014

Danielson beautification project moving pretty fast

KILLINGLY - A massive beautification project in downtown Danielson has reached its halfway point and is on schedule to be complete before Christmas, officials said. On Monday, workers stood waist-deep inside trenches dug near the eastern intersection of Water and Main streets while, on the opposite side, streams of concrete poured from a cement mixer was layered between a section of new curbing and freshly-laid sidewalks. The "streetscape" project, paid for through a combination of state and local funds, is adding new walkways, curbs and ornamental touches along Danielson's main business strip, from the borough's post office to Academy Street. The main impetus behind the work, begun last month, was to improve degrading curbs and crumbling sidewalks in the area, said Mary Bromm, Killingly's community development administrator. "Most of the east side of the road is finished," she said. "Curbs are being set and workers will begin grading for the sidewalks on the east side." The project, years in development, is being funded by a $500,000 state grant, supplemented by $150,000 in town funds. It is scheduled to be finished mid-December. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Groton OK's renovation plans for two schools

Groton - The Groton Board of Education approved plans on Monday for renovating Carl C. Cutler Middle School and West Side Middle School into elementary schools for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5.  The plans go next to the School Facilities Task Force for review and further action. They then move on to the Town Council, Representative Town Meeting and, if approved, to voters at referendum. The plans, or "educational specifications," detail for the state Department of Education how Groton would renovate each building and what it would include, such as the number of classrooms and the number of students it can expect. The Cutler and West Side projects are part of a larger plan to achieve racial balance across the district, deal with aging schools and make the district more competitive with surrounding school districts. "What we have here is a plan to restructure the whole district to make it the most efficient and effective it can be," Superintendent Michael Graner said. "We believe that bringing in the programs that we are planning will make Groton one of the premier districts in the state of Connecticut." He said he believes Groton would qualify for 80 percent reimbursement from the state for at least one of the renovation projects, because it's being done to achieve racial balance. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

CT's bankroll quickens brownfield redevelopment

Owners and developers of contaminated, vacant or underused Connecticut commercial-industrial sites are finding the state's funding window open for cleanup and redevelopment of "brownfield'' parcels. In early October, the state Department of Economic & Community Development's brownfield division launched a new round of brownfield funding of up to $300,000 per project — $1.5 million in all — to conduct revitalization studies and assessments of any one of the estimated 400 old mills, factories and other historic industrial sites around the state.
Earlier this year, 42 applicants with remediation/redevelopment proposals totaling $75 million bid for the $20 million in cleanup funds DECD had available this fiscal year. Demand was so high, the agency wound up awarding $28.1 million to 31 of those applicants, said Tim Sullivan, state director of brownfield, waterfront and transit-oriented development at DECD.
"It's the seed money that's so desperately needed to put these properties on a competitive redevelopment pathway,'' said Halloran & Sage environmental-land use-utilities attorney Ann Catino, co-chair of the state's Brownfields Working Group, appointed by state lawmakers to guide them in shaping policies and funding for brownfield remediation. Recent funding initiatives included a $2 million loan to start site remediation of the former Capewell Horsenail Factory in Hartford's South End, idle since the 1980s, for conversion to affordable apartments and townhomes. The city of New Britain got $2.7 million to remove harmful asbestos from the former police station so it can be razed to pave way for potential development next to a stop on the CTFastrak commuter line. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Another downtown demo project begins in Meriden

Demolition of the former YMCA and Stone Insurance building at 88 State St. in Meriden began Monday to make room for a parking lot for a new train station on the New Haven- Hartford-Springfield rail line. Work in surrounding towns in preparation for new train stations is also underway. Demolition of the State Street building follows the award of a $58.8 million station construction contract to New York-based Judlau Construction, announced by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy last week.  John Bernick, assistant rail administrator at the state Department of Transportation, said Monday that the state received six bids for the work and accepted the lowest bid, per state regulations. He added that the DOT follows explicit regulations to go with the lowest bidder in selecting contractors and does not have the leeway to select contractors based on location or other factors. The contract includes building stations and platforms in Meriden, Wallingford and Berlin, in addition to site work and the demolition of the Meriden building. The demolition will clear space for a 79-space lot on State Street. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Agreement give MHA power to control downtown project

MERIDEN — An operating agreement approved unanimously by the Meriden Housing Authority board Monday night will let the authority take control of a proposed development on Colony Street, if it is financially capable. The housing authority, Westmount Management, the state Department of Transportation and the city are developing a 63-unit residential building with office space and a parking garage at 24 Colony St. To help fund the estimated $30 million to $40 million project, the housing authority and city have been working with the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority to apply for the use of tax credits.  Robert Cappelletti, housing authority director, said Monday that CHFA requires an operating agreement for the partnership in managing the housing at 24 Colony St. The housing authority and Westmount Management will jointly manage the project when completed. Cappelletti said the housing authority has a 51 percent stake in the agreement.
“We are a true partner in this,” he said.  As part of the agreement, the housing authority can “take over the development to run it and manage it ourselves” once it can do it, Cappelletti said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
 
 

October 27, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 27, 2014

Route 165 bridge work ahead of schedule

GRISWOLD - Here’s the good news for drivers on Route 165 who have put up with one-lane traffic over Pachaug Pond for a year and a half: The project is ahead of schedule. The bad news: The work won't be completed until late spring, at best. “It’s not cut in stone, but we think we can have this finished up by June of 2015,” state Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Nursick said. The original completion date was November 2015. Construction on the bridge began in April 2013, Nursick said; the original structure was built in 1934 and had reached “the end of its useful life span.” Alternating one-way traffic guided by stop lights has kept traffic flowing throughout the project. “That’s the trade-off with projects like this,” Nursick said. “If you need to maintain traffic flow, you slow down the pace of the work. If we could have detoured the traffic, we could probably have gotten it done in half the time.” Hemlock Construction of Torrington is doing the work on the $1.4 million project. The roadbed on the bridge will be widened from 30 feet to 34 feet. The former reinforced concrete slab construction will be replaced by a cast-in-place reinforced concrete deck supported by galvanized steel beams and vertical foundation walls, according to the DOT. Weather could influence the timetable for completing the project, Nursick said. “If water levels rise as a result of heavy rain or temperatures fall below a certain level, that can definitely impact a construction schedule," he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

83% of construction firms report having trouble finding qualified workers

Most construction firms report they are having trouble finding qualified craft workers to fill key spots as the industry recovers from its years-long downturn, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released Oct. 22 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials called for new career and technical school programs, as well as other workforce measures to offset the labor shortages. “As the survey results make clear, many construction firms across the country are having a hard time filling available positions,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors. “Considering how much the nation's educational focus has moved away from teaching students career and technical skills during the past few decades, it is easy to understand why the construction industry is facing such severe labor shortages.” Eighty-three percent of responding firms nationwide are having a hard time filling craft worker positions — on site construction jobs including carpenters, equipment operators and laborers. Sixty-one percent are having a hard time filling professional positions — including project supervisors, estimators and engineers.
Simonson noted that worker shortages appear most severe in the southeast, where 86 percent of contractors report having a hard time finding qualified workers. Eighty-four percent of contractors in the midwest, 82 percent in the west and 67 percent in the northeast report difficulty finding workers.
The construction economist added that many firms are changing the way they operate to address worker shortages. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Oxford power plant divisive as ever

OXFORD — A proposed power plant to be built near Waterbury-Oxford Airport could help power homes and lower electric bills in the region, but critics say it could also pose a hazard to air traffic.
Supporters of the natural gas facility, including Oxford town officials, say it would provide a much-needed boost to Oxford's economy in the form of lower taxes and more jobs, all while producing enough electricity to supply 750,000 Connecticut homes. Opponents, many from nearby Middlebury, claim the plant will drive down their property values, create noise and air pollution and threaten the safety of planes flying in and out Waterbury-Oxford Airport. The Connecticut Siting Council approved a smaller version of the plant 15 years ago and will decide if the expanded project can move forward. The council also will consider studies from various groups, including the Federal Aviation Administration and state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The project is approved based on permits from 1999 allowing for a 512-megawatt plant on a 26-acre site in an industrial zone on Woodruff Hill Road in Oxford, a half-mile due east of Waterbury-Oxford Airport.
Massachusetts-based Competitive Power Ventures seeks to modify the application to accommodate an 805-megawatt facility at the same location. THE AIRPORT, which opened in 1969 and houses about 167 aircraft, has a daily average of 127 takeoffs and landings, according to recent data. Most of the airport property is in Oxford, with a small portion extending into Middlebury. Ray Pietrorazio, a Middlebury resident, has been a long-standing critic of the plant and claims its proximity to the airport would be extremely dangerous for air travel. "What is clear to me is that a power plant of this size and magnitude cannot safely coexist with a bustling regional airport," Pietrorazio said. "Sooner or later a tragedy will happen, and we should not invite the risk." Pietrorazio emphasized that his primary concern is the plant's location — directly in the left downwind leg of the landing pattern for planes flying into the airport. "There are multiple clear and readily identifiable hazards to aviation, most notably the introduction of pollution and heat thermal exhaust plumes from the proposed smokestacks which would cause aircraft to lose altitude and stability and suffer loss of control," Pietrorazio said. "The lack of oxygen in the plumes will pose the additional risk of engine ignition failure and stalling which is a frequent precursor to crash." The FAA has gone back and forth in its opinions about the proposed plant. In 2008, the FAA released an aeronautical study stating that the power plant's stacks would be a "hazard to air navigation" unless the stack height was reduced to 132 feet above ground level. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE



 

October 24, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 24, 2014

Stonnington building looks at possible sites for new middle school

Stonington - The K-12 School Building Committee is considering three properties in town for the site of a new middle school, which has emerged as the preferred option among school officials for upgrading the town's aging elementary schools. A subcommittee of the building committee met Thursday night and discussed the three sites - land behind the high school between the picnic pavilions, the existing West Vine Street School property and 28 acres on Route 1 just east of the high school, which are owned by the McShane family. It is also interested in beginning discussions with the Harley Chase VFW post about some of its property. The first two properties are owned by the town, while the third would have to be purchased. Superintendent of Schools Van Riley said that purchase cost, however, could easily be offset by the sale or lease of one of the three elementary schools and school administration building, all of which would be closed under the new middle school plan. That plan calls for moving students in kindergarten through grade five to the Mystic and Pawcatuck middle schools. The subcommittee on Thursday agreed it would have its architect design a building and come up with a cost estimate for each site. It also plans to discuss and update First Selectman Ed Haberek about the procedure involved with a possible purchase. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

New Highway Garage debated in Canton

CANTON — Residents at a town meeting sparred over whether the town needs to reconsider plans for a new highway garage or press on with the $4.78 million plan to be presented at a referendum Nov. 4. About 20 people spoke at the special town meeting Wednesday, which was required before the referendum. The plan being presented at referendum calls for a new highway garage to be built at 325 Commerce Drive.
About six mentioned a plan that was given to town officials earlier this month that calls for a combined highway garage and firehouse to be built at 51 River Road, the location of an existing fire station. Several speakers asked whether officials had reviewed the plan, and others said the town should give the proposal a more serious look. David Hudon said long-range plans calls for the River Road firehouse to be replaced, and that the town should take a closer look at putting a new one on the same site as the highway garage. "We have a history of knee-jerk emotional reactions, and I get the feeling that we are not looking far enough ahead," Hudon said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Industry confidence remains steady in October

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) released the October 2014 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI). Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $827 billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 60.4, slightly better than the September index of 60.2, with survey participants indicating increasing or consistent demand tempered by U.S. economic concerns. When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent David Schaefer, CEO, Mintaka Financial LLC, said, “Application volume has been solid this past quarter. We expect exceptional year-over-year fourth quarter growth to be greater than 50 percent. It's hard to find much negative at this point so we are focused on being disciplined both in terms of credit and pricing.”
October 2014 Survey Results
The overall MCI-EFI is 60.4, steady with the September index of 60.2. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

October 23, 2014

CTConstruction Digest October 23, 2014

Shopping complex work ramps up on rockpile

If you live in Guilford, you'd have had to been living under a rock the past several years to never have heard of plans to develop the so-called "Rockpile." Current activity at the site has only increased the interest in what's going on at 1919 Boston Post Road, as on a daily basis there has been a stream of trucks working on roads in and around the entrance to the future shopping complex. In a recent interview, DDR Corporation officials were more candid than ever in outlining their plans to build a 139,000-square-foot shopping center. The big question everyone in town has had about the project now known as "Guilford Commons" is who will be the main tenant(s). "While our policy is not to identify potential tenants during these negotiations, we can share that plans call for three junior anchors and one restaurant to occupy the shopping center," said DDR Director of Communications Matt Schuler.  "Junior anchor spaces typically encompass between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet," said Schuler. "We anticipate stores will begin opening in late 2015." Asked again about the names of the possible tenants, Schuler reiterated, "Our leasing team is currently in negotiations with numerous national retailers to occupy space at Guilford Commons." In addition to construction at the shopping center site, improvements to nearby roadways have also recently begun. Plans call for the widening of Route 1 with a dedicated turn lane, the addition of a traffic signal, the addition of a bus stop, and the widening of the I-95 North off ramp. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Downtown Madison beautification readies for bids

After close to a decade-and-a-half of discussion, planning, and some work, the finish line is in sight for the downtown Madison beautification project. At a recent Board of Selectmen meeting, Director of Public Works Mike Ott updated the selectmen on the project, stating that two landscape architect firms have been retained for the project; one to assist with the plantings, and one to assist with selection of sidewalk pavers. Also, the streetscape improvement is designed and ready to go out to bid, said Ott. The requests for bids will be advertised in February 2015, and the work will be scheduled to be started in spring 2015 and be completed prior to the 2015 holiday season.
Regarding the utility portion of the project, Ott noted that the infrastructure has been placed on the south side of Route 1. Work on the north side has been designed and is ready to go out to bid.
The request for bids will be advertised soon, with work to be completed before the start of the streetscape portion next spring, Ott said. Further, the town plans to hire an outside person to help with relocation of utility services for individual buildings after the northern utility work is complete.  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

CT earmarks $51.5M to 6 apartment sites

This is an updated version of an earlier report
Hartford's Billing Forge Apartments is getting $10 million to rehabilitate its 112 units as part of the state's ongoing funding to build or recondition thousands of affordable apartments.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, state Department of Housing (DOH) Commissioner Evonne M. Klein, and Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) President Eric Chatman announced $25 million in state capital funding, plus $3.9 million in CHFA tax-exempt bonding, to go with $22.5 million in federal housing tax credits, earmarked to six apartment communities statewide.
The properties with more than 500 existing or proposed units are the latest recipients in the state's Competitive Housing Assistance for Multifamily Properties (CHAMP) initiative, authorities said.
"In this year alone, we've made more than $100 million available to help municipalities address one of their most pressing needs – the lack of affordable housing options in their communities," Malloy said.  Recipients are: CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Sacred Heart University breaks ground on new residence hall

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Sacred Heart University broke ground today on a new 87,000-square-foot, 216-bed residence hall to be built on the corner of Jefferson Street and Park Avenue across from the nearly completed Frank and Marisa Martire Business & Communications Center.
The building has been designed by Centerbrook Architects in Centerbrook, Conn., and will provide students with all the latest amenities. It will be organized like a village, with bedroom suite neighborhoods sharing small lounges. To promote a building-wide community, students can gather around a bluestone fireplace in a grand three-story maple-paneled lounge on the first floor. Warm, glowing glass exterior walls highlight entries, lounges and other community spaces. Two residential wings spread out from the main entrance to form a protected grass courtyard, offering students a sunning spot to see and be seen. On its south side, the courtyard opens to the campus, framed by two glass entry stair-towers. The new hall also features a fitness center, conference and multi-purpose rooms for formal meetings, student government activities and social events. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

I-84 bid comes in under state plan

WATERBURY — The apparent low bidder for the upcoming Interstate 84 widening project is a joint venture between North Haven-based Empire Paving and Yonkers Contracting of New York.
The state Department of Transportation opened bids for the project on Wednesday. The joint venture, called I-84 Constructors, bid $260.55 million for the contract. That amount is roughly 10 percent less than the state expected to spend. The work includes reconstructing a 2.7-mile section of I-84 from the Hamilton Avenue overpass to Exit 25A, the Austin Road interchange. The DOT frequently does business with Empire Paving. In 2008, the company completed the I-84 widening project between Waterbury and Cheshire, after the original contractors botched the work and walked away. Empire Paving also constructed a portion of the New Britain-to-Hartford busway, which is scheduled to open next year. The total cost of the upcoming I-84 project, including ancillary work, is expected be about $325 million. Earlier cost estimates were $365 million to $400 million. Connecticut will pay $145 million toward the project. The rest will be funded by the Federal Highway Administration. "The fact that we are already looking at spending 10 percent less than we had anticipated is great news," Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a news release. "Not only will we be improving the flow of commerce and commuting in this important corridor, we will be creating thousands of jobs. The state estimates that the project will create or sustain 3,000 construction jobs and another 3,700 ancillary jobs. The project involves widening the highway from two lanes to three in each direction, eliminating an S-curve near Harpers Ferry Road, reconfiguring exits, adding 12-foot-wide shoulders and building an access road, called Plank Road East, between Scott Road and Harpers Ferry Road. The section of I-84, which was built in the 1960s, was designed to handle about 34,000 vehicles per day, according to the DOT. More than 105,000 vehicles now drive on it every day. Preliminary work will begin before the end of 2014, and construction will start in spring 2015. The project is expected to be finished in 2019.
The DOT received two other bids for the project. O&G and TPC Joint Venture placed a bid for $279.51 million and Tully Construction Co. bid $294.04 million. The DOT has 60 days to review the bids before awarding the contract.

October 22, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 22, 2014

City Council expected to come to s decision on Depot Square next week

BRISTOL — After months of watching from the sidelines as the long-awaited Depot Square plan grew ever more controversial, city councilors next week will get back in the game.
The City Council has scheduled a special session for next week to decide what to do next with the sprawling and empty lot in the heart of downtown. Officials are eyeing a compromise plan that would allow Renaissance Downtowns, the preferred developer, to continue pursuing financing for its first proposed building on the 15-acre site while the city chips in as much as $2 million to begin construction of roads, a public piazza and other infrastructure. The nonprofit Bristol Downtown Development Corp., created by the city in 2007 to oversee the property’s revitalization, recently recommended the city give Renaissance until the end of January to come up with an acceptable financing plan for a building that would include market-rate rental housing and street-level commercial space. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Manchester Democrats back schools referendum

MANCHESTER — The Democratic Town Committee on Tuesday endorsed a school modernization plan. The committee voted unanimously to support the proposed long-term revamping of the school system, with one absention, Mayor Jay Moran said after the meeting. The Republican Town Committee endorsed the referendum on Oct.8, and the proposal has bipartisan support on the school board and board of directors.  Voters will be asked on Nov. 4 to accept or reject proposed bonding that includes about $3 million for renovations to Manchester High School's athletic facilities. The total cost is $84.2 million; with state reimbursement, local taxpayers would be responsible for about $37 million. The plan includes creation of a fifth- and sixth-grade school by combining Bennet Academy with the Cheney Building and "like-new" renovations and additions to Verplanck and Waddell elementary schools so that each school could serve up to 530 students. Robertson and Washington schools eventually would be closed under the plan. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

October 21, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 21, 2014

State Street in Meriden will be closed for train station work

MERIDEN — A portion of State Street from Mill Street to East Main Street will be closed during the construction of a new train station, expected to begin early next month.  During construction, bus service will move from State Street to Pratt Street near Mill Street, said John Bernick, state Department of Transportation assistant rail administrator.  “It was an issue we went over with the city a while ago,” Bernick said of closing State Street, one of the city main downtown thoroughfares.
Bernick didn’t elaborate on why State Street would need to be closed during construction. Last week, Public Works Director Robert J. Bass said the state DOT wanted to close the street to “accelerate construction” of the new station, which is part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter rail project.  The project includes improving 63 miles of railroad, new train stations and updated rail cars. Work is expected to begin in early November. Bernick said a contractor has been selected to construct new stations in Meriden, Wallingford and Berlin. He said he couldn’t disclose the name of the contractor.  Bass wasn’t available for comment Monday. During a City-Meriden Housing Authority Joint Planning Group meeting last week, Bass said the idea of closing State Street wasn’t final. “I’m guessing it will be a week or two until a final answer is provided from the state,” he said.  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
 
 
Even inside many of the red-hued buildings, where Canton's Collins Axe Co. carved a global market and built the quintessential factory town churning out axes, hunting and battle knives, machetes and plows, signs are everywhere that the decades have been unkind. Leaky, crumbling roofs and walls, rotting floorboards abound, including inside the 188-year-old factory site's sturdiest structure, a building fashioned from schist that, in more recent years, was a community-theater hall.
Visible, too, are attributes of the 19-acre site: its ½-mile of frontage on, and pristine views, of the Farmington River — most of any city or town in the state; and the old ax factory's central location in Collinsville, the section of Canton named for factory-founder Sam Collins. Now, nearly a half-century after the factory closed, a development partnership consisting of the property's current owner and area investors envision salvaging and rebuilding its sturdiest structures and razing the rest to create The Axe Factory — $56 million worth of luxury single-family houses, townhomes, condominiums, a "boutique" hotel and retail space, and office space. "We're finally looking forward to having that develop into something meaningful,'' said Canton resident Don Scott, president of the Canton Historical Museum next door to the factory, which houses many significant artifacts from its history. If their vision fully flowers, development partner Michael Goman says The Axe Factory could become a regional bohemian- and recreational-lifestyle getaway — Canton already is popular with kayakers, bikers and hikers whose spending supports the local economy, locals say — for people as far off as Boston, New York and New Jersey. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Hartford Hospital embarks on $150M expansion

HARTFORD — Hartford Hospital plans to break ground Tuesday on an architecturally dramatic, $150 million Bone and Joint Institute, the first new patient building on its campus in decades.
Renderings show two white buildings with curvy exterior walls and rounded edges, which from the sky could almost pass for bones themselves, connected by a ligament. The ligament is a third-story skywalk over Seymour Street linking outpatient ambulatory care on the west side of the road with inpatient hospital care on the east side. The project, planned for two vacant lots on Retreat Avenue, next to a parking garage, is a significant part of Hartford Hospital's 10-year master plan. The plan calls for creating more space for intensive care unit beds in existing buildings and a new facility to integrate bone and joint medical services.  The hospital said the five-story inpatient building will cost $110 million and have 130,000 square feet of space, including 10 operating rooms; 60 inpatient beds with the capability to expand to nearly 80 beds; diagnostic services; and orthopedic urgent care.
On the other side of Seymour Street, a $40 million ambulatory-and-medical building will have three floors and 35,000 square feet with offices for orthopedics, rheumatology, neurosciences and five ambulatory surgery rooms. A penthouse will have educational space, mechanical space and a rooftop garden. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

CT has best month for hiring in 20 years

Connecticut businesses in September had the hottest month for hiring in 20 years, according to statistics compiled by the federal government and released Monday by the state Department of Labor.
Businesses added 10,100 jobs, public schools and towns added 900, and the state and federal government added 500 jobs, for a total of 11,500 new jobs in one month. Over the year, the new data show, the state's employers added 26,000 jobs. Anything over 20,000 jobs is a strong year. The state broke the 20,000 mark in 1999 and 2006, and Connecticut employers last added more than 25,000 jobs in 1997.  The numbers are preliminary. They are based on surveys of employers, and are revised as more information comes in, first next month, and again next year, once 100 percent reporting of unemployment taxes is available. For instance, initially, the Department of Labor said 3,600 jobs disappeared in August; now it says it was a drop of 1,200 jobs.
"Reality is nowhere near as volatile as these numbers," cautioned Nick Perna, an economist who has followed Connecticut's economy for decades. "Talk about wonky or weird. Last month looked like the world was coming to the end, now we've got an unbridled boom?" CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

October 20, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 20, 2014

Renovations nearly complete, XL Center looksto long term future

HARTFORD — A $35 million renovation of the city's aging XL Center arena is nearly complete: Black granite shines in the new fan club; lighted signs brighten a refreshed concourse; and lower-level loge boxes offer premium seating closer to the action. But the four-month project is little more than a warm-up for what is coming next: a crucial study on the future of the 39-year-old arena.
The Capital Region Development Authority, which controls the XL Center, has hired SCI Architects of New York and its consulting team to find an answer to a long-debated question. Could the existing venue — and its 16,000-seat arena — be retrofitted so it can offer what will be expected of arenas in the next several decades, or should it be scrapped altogether? It's time to call the big question," Michael W. Freimuth, CRDA's executive director, said. "The work ahead is going to have substantial consequences. This study is a critical component to charting the optimal course." The long-term viability of the arena has been questioned for years, and the recent renovations are expected to take the XL Center only through the next decade, if that. Whatever the outcome of the SCI study, the cost of a major redevelopment could easily run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, with a public subsidy most certainly needed. And it would require something even more tricky: marshaling the political, corporate and tenant support to make the venture possible.
A new arena could cost $400 million or more, by some estimates. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Ansonia starts at the top for infrastructure repair projects

ANSONIA >> Three city-owned buildings are in line to get some much-needed new roofs over their heads. The Board of Aldermen during its Oct. 14 meeting unanimously approved bids for the roofing projects. The projects were included in an overall $5 million bond referendum for city infrastructure improvements that residents approved last November. City officials had said with interest rates at historically low rates, and paying off some maturing debt, enabled the city to take on some new debt with no increase to taxes. Scholar Painting of Seymour was awarded two of the three roofing jobs. They were the low-bidders for both the City Hall roof, at $28,231, and the Nolan Field Athletic Complex field house roof, at $17,830.  DiGiorgi Roofing & Siding, Inc. of Beacon Falls was awarded the roofing job at Eagle Hose Fire Co., having submitted the lowest bid of $47,000. According to Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley, all three roofs are more than 20 years old, in bad shape and way beyond their useful shelf lives. “Mayor Cassetti is working on a long range plan for the maintenance of the city’s buildings and infrastructure so that these projects don’t lag and are done in a timely fashion,” O’Malley said. “The new roofs will be installed after a pre-construction meeting. We will know better after that what the time frame is, but we intend to begin as soon as possible.”  Replacement of the Eagle Hose Co. and City Hall roofs were included as part of $1.2 million in the bond referendum earmarked for energy conservation improvements, which also included HV/AC for Ansonia Rescue and Medical Services, the Ansonia Public Library and police station; a new boiler and replacement windows, sprinklers, new fire alarm and new generator for the police station; new water heater and windows for the library. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

October 17, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 17, 2014

Uconn president previews master plan for thr school

HARTFORD — University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst on Thursday gave the school community a preview of the university’s new master plan, which she says will recreate the Storrs campus into unique districts and concentrate growth in areas where development already exists.
Herbst outlined highlights of the plan during her annual state of the school address. It will be presented in its entirety to the school’s Board of Trustees in December.  The idea of the plan is to create over two decades a more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing campus, where like buildings are located together and compliment the school’s academic mission.  For example, science buildings would be located in one section of campus, while student services and entertainment would be located in another. “The master plan will put an end to decades of treating construction and renovation projects as stand-alone undertakings, done without considering a building’s place in the larger campus,” Herbst said.  The plan includes new residence halls, labs, classroom space, parking facilities and athletic venues for soccer, hockey baseball and softball.  It also includes closing Hillside and Gilbert Roads to most traffic to create new pedestrian walkways, and adding new roads to help traffic flow, Herbst said.  The plan is being devised as construction under the Next Generation Connecticut initiative and plans for the UConn Tech Park are expected to add 3.5 million gross square feet of space to the Storrs campus.  Many of the changes had already been announced, but some were new, such as a fitness path around Horsebarn Hill designed to give students, faculty and staff a safe place to run and exercise. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Building trades ready to step up for stadium

n response to Dan Haar’s column “Stadium Labor Deals In Flux” [Oct. 14, Page 1]. The Connecticut Building Trades are hopeful that come 2016 there will be a new stadium in Hartford, a new residential community and many new jobs. New stimulus in the Hartford region needs to be embraced or we risk stagnating.
We are also hopeful that the construction work is done under a Project Labor Agreement. Large, complex developments with government support, like this one, operate best when there are construction terms in place to establish rules for pay, skilled hiring, quality standards, safety and minority hiring. PLAs set working standards for both union and nonunion workers, and set competitive rates based on the labor market.
Most important, a PLA can ensure that local labor is used and the financial benefits stay locally. It is Hartford citizens that are helping to pay for this project, they deserve for their money to stay locally.

Dam a long time coming

LITCHFIELD — Progress toward construction of a new dam on the Bantam River outlet has been slow as lawyers representing the towns of Litchfield and Morris, and Connecticut Light & Power, review a legal agreement. The agreement has language protecting CL&P from legal claims in case environmental hazards, such as arsenic, are unearthed when the dam is constructed using property owned by CL&P, according to Jack Healy, Litchfield's director of public works. Healy on Wednesday briefed an advisory committee of Litchfield and Morris representatives on the status of the agreement and expressed hope that it would be approved by all parties soon. Once the agreement is in place, Litchfield and Morris could begin seeking permits for the construction project and put it out to bid. The towns have secured $405,000 in state and local grants for the project. The dam, which would help maintain the water level on Bantam Lake and replace an antiquated dam known as the Jambs, would be built between two bridge abutments owned by CL&P. The abutments once supported a bridge owned by the extinct Shepaug Railroad. Healy, who serves on the advisory committee, said railroads often used arsenic to defoliate the sides of railroad tracks. He said he's not concerned about arsenic being dug up as the dam is being built. "Work will be going on in the river between the abutments, not on the railroad bed," he said, "so there's really nothing to worry about."
The legal agreement will allow access to the abutments and, in its current stage, has been approved by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Healy said. DEEP will release $380,000 in state grants once the agreement is finalized, Healy said. The new dam will feature a hydraulic gate that would be raised and lowered using manual controls. It will be designed to keep water in Bantam Lake during the summer season; it will not prevent flooding along the shores of the lake after heavy rain. The Jambs are about 100 yards to the west of the abutments and have been in operation since 1934. Long boards are manually placed between concrete structures to hold the river back. Concern about the safety of Bantam Lake Authority members maintaining the boards led Litchfield and Morris officials to propose a new dam. The first state grant for the project was approved in 2005, but the project was delayed when it was decided the new dam would be built between the bridge abutments. Healy informed the committee that a plan to install a walkway over the bridge is in jeopardy because the town's insurance company won't cover it. A committee proposing a 4-mile greenway using the railroad bed might be able to come up with funding for a walkway, Healy said.


October 16, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 16, 2014

Five things that still must happen before a ballpark is built in Hartford

ARTFORD — The city is moving forward with a project to redevelop land north of downtown.
The first piece of that plan is to build a 9,000-spectator minor league baseball stadium near the intersection of Main and Trumbull streets. City officials have cited the timeline — it must be completed and open by April 2016 — as a reason they moved quickly to approve it. A majority of city council members on Tuesday voted in favor of the proposal, which would bring the New Britain Rock Cats to Hartford.  The $350 million development would also include retail, housing, office space, a brewery and parking. But before DoNo Hartford LLC, the group of developers heading the project, can break ground, there's a few hurdles left to clear. They are:
Special Permit. The developers must seek a special permit from the city's planning and zoning commission to build the stadium. The commission last month agreed to an amendment that would, under zoning regulations, allow the city to develop a ballpark in the downtown north area. But it also gave an unfavorable recommendation to the proposal, saying it didn't fit with Hartford's plan of conservation and development. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

New Haven board approves variance for Church Street housing

NEW HAVEN >> Owners of an office building in the city hope to join the growing trend of converting them to housing. The ground level of 35-39 Church St. would remain retail, but the second, third and fourth floors would be renovated to accommodate 18 apartments, across the street from Gateway Community College. Attorney James Segaloff represented the owners at the Board of Zoning Appeals this week, which granted a variance because they were unable to provide the 25 square feet of open space required for each dwelling unit.  A residential use is allowed by right in the central business BD zone, but there is no outdoor space available on the lot and there is no private access possible to the skylight area at the center of the building. The commercial building was constructed in 1900 and predates current zoning. To make up for the lack of open space, the developer plans to provide common interior spaces, recreation/community room space, rooftop access or tenant bicycle space as an alternative in keeping with the spirit of the provision. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Sewage plant upgrade in Chesire on schedule

CHESHIRE — Work is being done in every corner of the Wastewater Treatment Plant at 1325 Cheshire St. A massive upgrade, which began last year, is only half completed. "I'm very pleased with the progress," said Water Pollution Control Authority Chairman Timothy Pelton. The $32.1 million project is the town's largest capital project in more than 20 years. Earth has been dug up in spots where a new phosphorous removal building has been raised. Four large filters are already in place. At $7.5 million, phosphorous removal is the project's biggest single expense, says Town Engineer Walter Gancarz. The new building has yet to get a roof. Equipment is being replaced and filters and holding tanks upgraded. When it's all finished, the 4-million-gallon-per-day plant will be more efficient, using less electricity and with newer equipment and facilities. So far, there has been one unexpected overage in the project — when polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCB, was found in caulking and paint in three buildings, including a pump station building, a digester building and the operations building. In all, the paint and caulk removal and remediation will cost about $600,000. The money will come from a contingency built into the project for cost overruns. Pelton said a dry, sunny summer has helped with the progress of the work. It has also helped with keeping the plant operating and under the discharge limit while construction was under way. The project is more complicated than most because the plant has to operate around the clock during the upgrades. Plant Superintendent Dennis Dievert said the plant has been able to stay under the required discharge limit and have had no operating issues. Town officials, including members of the Town Council and the Water Pollution Control Authority, toured the building recently. Council Chairman Timothy Slocum said given the investment the town is making, he wanted council members to take a tour and see the progress. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

October 15, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 15, 2014

Uconn moves forward with plans for soccer stadium

STORRS — UConn continues to fire shots in what has become an athletic arms race with other major universities, announcing Monday that it will move forward with plans to build a new soccer stadium, thanks to $8 million in donations from a former player. Athletic Director Warde Manuel said the school hopes to raise about $15 million for the new stadium, the latest in a string of athletic construction projects on campus. UConn on Friday will dedicate its new $40 million basketball training center. The school, which opened an on-campus football training center in 2006, also has committed to building an on-campus hockey arena and is planning new on-campus facilities for baseball and softball. “The facilities are a critical part of maintaining excellence,” said UConn President Susan Herbst. “All these sports deserve proper facilities.” Tony Rizza, a Westport investment manager, announced plans to match up to $5 million in donations for the soccer stadium, which is to be built on the footprint of the existing 5,100-seat Morrone Stadium, and will retain the name. The soccer complex, which also includes the practice field adjacent to the stadium will be named the Rizza Family Soccer Complex. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Simultaneous projects in downtown Meriden causes road closures and delays

MERIDEN — A cluster of downtown infrastructure projects have resulted in road closures and detours throughout the center of the city, but officials are pleased with the coming changes.
State Street remains closed in the northbound lane as work continues for the Meriden Hub project. The road will remain closed throughout the project.  City and state officials are considering completely closing the road during construction of a new railroad station. Construction is set to begin in early November, according to Public Works Director Robert J. Bass. “It’s something that’s on the table right now,” Bass said. In the area of Colony and West Main streets, Yankee Gas workers are installing gas service to the downtown area, Bass said. Access to Colony from West Main has been sporadically closed in the last week as a result, Bass said. Gas installation is also underway on Butler Street. There are several trenches and holes that have been cut in the downtown area by Yankee Gas. The company has patched affected roads this year and plans to permanently repair them next year, Bass said. The state began paving Cook Avenue Tuesday morning. In addition to the paving work, the intersection of Cook Avenue and West Main Street has been cluttered by the city’s work to remove bump-out sidewalks and to replace the walkway. The project, which began earlier this month, is expected to be complete by mid-November. The work stretches along West Main Street from Cook Avenue to South Grove Street. Sara Owen, owner of Cafe Dolce on West Main Street, said construction has made parking downtown more difficult. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
 
 
BRISTOL — The Bristol Downtown Development Corp. on Tuesday proposed a compromise on the Depot Square project that would have the city build infrastructure but leave developer Renaissance Downtowns to finance its own Building B construction. The proposal also would open the project, on the former Bristol Centre Mall property, to other developers starting in February. It's unknown what Renaissance or its supporters think of the idea, but that's certain to become clear by the time the city council decides whether to accept the recommendation. The council's three Democrats have come out in favor of keeping Renaissance as the preferred developer for downtown, while the Republican caucus and Republican Mayor Ken Cockayne haven't been publicly advocating for or against Renaissance. The Bristol Downtown Development Corp. endorsed Renaissance's proposal known as Building B, a 140-unit apartment building with 22,000 square feet of retail space. Renaissance has previously estimated that it would cost $26 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
 
 
Hartford will press ahead with a sweeping development plan to bring housing, retail, a brewery and a 9,000-spectator minor league ballpark to long-vacant land north of downtown. The city council approved the $350 million project Tuesday, capping four months of public debate. Six members voted in favor of the plan; three abstained. "The redevelopment of Downtown North is going to create jobs, encourage new businesses, strengthen existing ones and help grow Hartford's grand list, all things that are absolutely vital to create a healthy vibrant city," Mayor Pedro Segarra said in a statement Tuesday night. "Over the last few months, support for the project has grown exponentially and it's exciting to see everyone invested in the future of our city." Some council members hailed the project, which would bring the New Britain Rock Cats to Hartford, as a step forward for a city in need of additional revenue and a shot of vibrancy in an area that has been empty for decades.
"It is exactly a road map to how we move forward as a city," council President Shawn Wooden said at the meeting Tuesday. "There is no reward, there is no benefit, without some level of risk. ... It's appropriately risky for the return." He noted that during recent budget cycles, the council had made deep cuts to city spending. The project offers an opportunity to capture new revenue, Wooden said.
"It's a lot more than a lot of other people have done at city hall and in state government for a long, long time," he added.  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Trench collapses on 4 workers at SCSU in New Haven; all rescued

NEW HAVEN >> Firefighters rescued two workers Tuesday morning who were trapped after a trench collapsed at a construction site on the Southern Connecticut State University campus. Two other workers were able to get out of the trench to safety before firefighters arrived at the scene at 10 Wintergreen Ave.  The four workers were taken to the hospital for evaluation. A Yale-New Haven Hospital doctor from the Sponsor Hospital Area Response Physicians (SHARP) team responded to the scene and checked the workers before they were taken to the hospital  New Haven Battalion Chief William Gould said the workers escaped serious injury. “We’re talking about four extremely lucky individuals,” Gould said. The workers were not university employees. Officials said they work for Connecticut Boiler Repair of West Hartford. They were replacing a corroded steam line near the West Campus Residential Complex. The walls of the trench collapsed, trapping the workers inside.
Two of the workers climbed to safety on their own, a third needed “minor assistance” from firefighters, and the fourth had to be freed using fire department equipment, the university said. The fourth worker was “trapped up to the waist by dirt,” Gould said. The workers suffered “bumps and bruises,” Gould said. The worker trapped up to his waist didn’t seem to have any broken bones and was “very, very lucky,” Gould said.  New Haven firefighters and the Hamden Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Unit responded to the scene. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Industry confidence up in September

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) released the September 2014 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI). Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $827 billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 60.2, an increase from the August index of 58.9.  When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent Valerie Hayes Jester, president, Brandywine Capital Associates Inc., said, “We are experiencing stronger demand than in the past several months, which bodes well for a strong fourth quarter. There is still concern for yield erosion, but we look forward to concluding the year on a positive trend.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE









October 14, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 14, 2014

Succession planning for construction companies

When it comes to the construction industry, where so many businesses are either family owned or closely held, formal plans for a successor are a must, but can be a major challenge for business owners who are busy with managing daily operations and planning for the next big project.
Succession planning, however, is becoming a significant issue for the construction industry and the great unknown of what may happen when the business's founder is no longer able or willing to be in charge can lead to much concern and uncertainty. Yet, currently 70 percent of businesses die with the founder. If the owner desires to keep the business going for years to come, a succession plan is essential. Many construction owners have similar challenges when they start the succession process such as:
• How to avoid selling to a third party and provide for the welfare of the owner's trusted managers and employees;
• Creating a buy-sell agreement under which the company purchases shares from the owner's heirs;
• Possible incentives that the owner can give key employees to remain with the company through an ownership and management transition.
All family owned and closely held businesses should have buy-sell agreements to plan for dealing with problems that arise upon the death or disability of the owner. These agreements provide for the purchase of an owner's interest in the business following his or her death or disability, and in some cases, following retirement.
The purchaser may be the deceased party's partner or co-shareholder, an employee of the business, or the business itself. Buy-sell agreements generally have two basic goals: (1) the conversion of a deceased owner's interest into liquid assets; and (2) the prevention of the transfer of the decedent's stock to outside interests. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Union guarantees still up in the air for Hartford's Downtown North Project

ne of the most important questions about the $350 million Hartford Downtown North project — how much of the construction work will be guaranteed for union labor — remains up in the air as the city council prepares to hand Mayor Pedro Segarra the power to sign a deal. This lapse seems odd considering all the scrutiny aimed at the project, especially the $56 million for a minor league ballpark funded by the city through a lease. The council, which on Tuesday night is expected to approve the DoNo project, is considered pro-union, with six Democrats and three members of the Working Families Party. But the final resolution will most likely only require the developer to "enter into a project labor agreement," meaning some form of legally binding pact to assure union work, with details yet to be worked out. Numbers bandying about are that 80 percent of the ballpark construction would be union, and the remaining $294 million worth of bricks and mortar would rise in the coming years with no assurance of union labor. Despite the lack of mandated assurance, the developer, DoNo Hartford LLC, is reaching agreements for some of the work, but not all of it, with skilled trades, including electricians and carpenters, said Shawn Wooden, the city council president.
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$8M for new Uconn soccer stadium on the way

TORRS — When Joe Morrone started coaching men's soccer at UConn in 1969, the team's field was little more than a forgotten stretch of land on campus. "I actually was the first to line it up and get the markings on it," Morrone said. "I was the groundskeeper, and everything else. There were no stands, no ropes, and no people — there was nothing." Morrone not only put UConn soccer on the map with that field, he built a powerhouse.  On Monday, UConn confirmed plans to build a new soccer stadium after Tony Rizza, a former soccer player for the Huskies and a highly successful investment manager, made the largest gift in UConn athletics history. The $8 million gift will be used for a new stadium, which will be built on the current site of the Joseph J. Morrone Stadium and retain the same name. UConn hopes to start construction by December 2015. "This is a transformative gift," UConn athletic director Warde Manuel said. "This allows us to move forward exponentially." The facility will include the existing training grounds and practice field next to the stadium. It will be named the Rizza Family Soccer complex. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Unions to build baseball stadium

Hartford's city council will likely approve a deal to build a new minor league baseball stadium on Tuesday, and there’s one new change to the deal – union laborers will do the work. The developer has said that tweak could easily add 10 percent to the stadium's cost.  But the council has also decided to put a hard cap on the cost of the stadium at $56 million. So, taken together, that means the council has fixed the cost of the project while potentially making it more expensive. Bob Landino is the developer, and he said that, once he gets real numbers back from the market, he'll have a better sense of the project's total cost. (Hard construction costs are estimated at around $38 million.) And then, if union labor really does add that extra ten percent, it could be time to make some choices.
"You might have a very expensive tile in certain places of the bathrooms or certain places of the public areas and we might replace it with medium quality tile. And, in a large building, that could save a half a million dollars,” Landino said. “We might use a different mechanical system, which might save $200,000 or $300,000. We might change the design to use less steel -- so, by doing that, you lose some of the sizzle of some of the aspects of the building. But, if people could live with that, then it might save another x number of dollars." Landino says there are other ways to save money -- like asking the building trades to contribute to the cost of construction. And there's also a last resort, if all else fails. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

October 13, 2014

CT Construction Digest October 13, 2014

O&G has no-bid contract with Bridgeport dating to 1999

BRIDGEPORT -- Since the late 1990s, under three different mayors, the city has completed 39 school construction projects of various sizes worth well more than a half-billion dollars.
And there are seven initiatives valued at $271 million in the planning or building stages: New Longfellow and Roosevelt elementary schools; a new Harding High School; renovations or additions to Central High and Black Rock schools; and new roofs for Bassick High and Dunbar Elementary schools. Beginning in late 1999, one company -- O&G Industries of Torrington, which recently supplied the above statistics -- has run the show as Bridgeport's schools program manager.
That means O&G is the city's agent with all of the public and private entities involved with planning, scheduling, budgeting, design and construction. City officials said there is nothing unusual about the 14-year relationship. CLICK TITLE TO CONTIUNUE

East Hampton considering 9 mile natural gas pipeline

EAST HAMPTON >> Natural gas could be coming to a substantial portion of town under a proposal outlined to three town boards this week. If the proposal is adopted, Connecticut Natural Gas could construct a nine-mile-long gas pipeline through town, a project that is expected to cost upwards of $5.7 million. Town Manager Michael Maniscalco outlined the proposal to the town council, the Board of Education and the Board of Finance during a special tri-board meeting on Tuesday.
The proposal has been the subject of discussion between the utility and the manager for much of the past two years, Maniscalco said on Wednesday. Installation of the pipeline could yield taxes of as much as $100,000 a year, Maniscalco said. The pipeline would enter town from a tie-in at St. Clement’s Castle. It would then follow Route 66 town to the intersection of Route 16 and then across 16 to Spring Street. It would follow Spring up through the Village Center to Main Street, “where it Ts out,” with one arm going up to the high school and the other to service Laurel Ridge and then on toward the Marlborough town line, Maniscalco said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTIUNUE

Carr Brook Bridge reopens in time for Portland fair

PORTLAND >> It’s a result with a double benefit: the Carr Brook Bridge on Route 17A has reopened – just in time for the Portland Agricultural Fair. The bridge had been closed for repairs since early May. When the state Department of Transportation announced it was closing the bridge – and, by extension, through traffic along Route 17A – First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield told the DOT the bridge had to be reopened by this weekend to accommodate traffic to and from the fair.
The state said it would comply with her request. But when the completion date slipped from Oct. 1 back to Oct. 8, town and fair officials alike grew concerned. Fair Vice President Kelly Chester said the bridge needed to be reopened so that it would not interfere with the fair’s emergency evacuation plan. But their concerns were for naught: the bridge reopened Tuesday afternoon. “I am very pleased with the bridge, and I want to compliment the DOT for a job well-done,” Bransfield said on Thursday. “It’s wider, and it offers beautiful views of the Connecticut River,” Bransfield said. However, “There is still some more work that still needs to be done along the sides of the road, so we ask that motorists who use the bridge obey the posted speed limit and drive with caution,” Bransfield said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTIUNUE

Hub park begins to take shape

MERIDEN — A portion of Harbor Brook can be seen running through the 14-acre Meriden Hub site for the first time in more than 40 years after it was recently uncovered. Its uncovering is part of the city’s effort to create a park on the downtown parcel. The project consists of building a public park on the former commercial site downtown between State and Pratt streets to help with flood control. Three brooks in underground culverts will be diverted into a single, uncovered channel running north to south through the site.  A section of Harbor Brook, in the southwest corner of the property, was uncovered last week. Behind sheet pilings installed to support State Street are two culverts lying parallel at the southwest corner of the property. Harbor Brook runs through the culverts and underneath East Main Street. CLICK TITLE TO CONTIUNUE

Stonnington closes recently renovated athletic field

Stonington - The town has closed the newly renovated all-purpose field at the high school until next year because the work done by the company it hired has resulted in unplayable conditions. The town awarded the $194,501 contract to the low bidder, Aqua Turf Irrigation of Orange, even though 2012 news reports in the Weston Forum show that the Town of Weston charged Aqua Turf with abandoning a baseball field renovation there. This forced Weston to hire a new contractor to fix the problems and complete the $144,900 project. In the Weston Forum report, Weston officials charged that Aqua Turf broke irrigation lines, didn't have the proper equipment to remove rocks and installed a cheaper variety of clay than that called for in the contract. The town also had to resod the field. Weston withheld $46,000 of the $144,900 payment to Aqua Turf while its president, Marc D'Andrea, disputed the Weston allegations, saying he did the job properly. He added there had been many irrational people involved in the project and that the controversy had severely affected his health. CLICK TITLE TO CONTIUNUE

Putnam to open bids Tuesday for construction of tech park bridge

PUTNAM — Tuesday will cap off a busy week for the QuinebaugRegionalTechnicalPark when the Board of Selectmen awards a bid to construct the bridge that will link the project to Kennedy Drive.
The board will choose the lowest bidder, Tully Construction, out of 10 bidders at a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. “It’s been an outstanding week,” Mayor Tony Falzarano said. “When you’re campaigning you promise to get things done and this bridge was one of the things I promised and we’re going to be able to put a shovel in the ground in the beginning of November.” On Tuesday, Pomfret joined the park as partner with the purchase of one share. On Thursday, Brooklyn residents agreed, by a slim margin, to purchase two shares. Proponents in both towns pointed to the regional benefits of the park, especially for job creation and revenue sharing. Scotland purchased the first share in the park months ago. Town Administrator Douglas Cutler said he was pleased to get so many bids for the bridge. The YMCA, which will be located in the park, needs the bridge construction to start before it can start construction on its $14 million facility. The bids, Cutler said, ranged from Tully’s $2,248,000 low bid to just under $3.5 million. By law, Putnam must accept the lowest bid as long as the contractor can meet the requirements of the job, Cutler said. CME Associates, the engineering firm that designed the bridge has vetted Tully and recommended the selectmen award it the bid, Cutler said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTIUNUE

Oil dealers lawsuit: CT natural gas expansion violates environmental laws
 
An association representing 585 heating oil and gasoline dealers filed suit Friday against two state agencies, arguing that a legally required environmental study was not conducted before forging ahead with a $7 billion natural-gas pipeline expansion. Yankee Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas, and Southern Connecticut Gas already have begun installing new capacity as a part of the state's plan to add convert upwards of 300,000 homes to natural gas. The plan, approved in November 2013, includes expanded capacity and 900 miles of new mains. But the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association claims in its Superior Court suit that the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection fast-tracked the plan, failing to conduct an environmental impact assessment required by the state's Environmental Policy Act. The suit says the distribution system serving the state leaked 200,000 metric tons of gas in 2011 and 2012, which contributes greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. CLICK TITLE TO CONTIUNUE

Decision nears for stadium in Hartford

HARTFORD — After more than a year of closed-door negotiations and four months of public debate, the question of whether Hartford will build a minor-league baseball stadium is expected to be answered Tuesday. The city council is scheduled to vote on a $350 million development north of downtown. Members have signaled they have the support needed to approve it. Six votes are required for adoption.  "I'm ready to move this thing forward," Councilman Kyle Anderson, a Democrat, said. "I see it as a multifaceted opportunity that's presented itself for Hartford to revitalize an area that's been dormant, for economic development purposes, for 30 to 40 years. I don't see that as a gamble."
But some council members see a risk. Larry Deutsch, a member of the Working Families Party, said he would support the development if the stadium weren't part of it. He's concerned about the affect on city taxpayers. "I would like to have the predictability and certainty in city finances to avoid possible layoffs and pension cuts," he said. "Most people are trying to be optimistic, but it's a gamble.
"When you go somewhere like Foxwoods [Resort Casino], you're probably not going to win, but some people are lucky and that's their hope. I like to be optimistic, but it's not a safe thing to do on behalf of people who live in the city, work in the city and have pensions." CLICK TITLE TO CONTIUNUE

Sheehan retiring as CEO of MDC

Charles “Chuck” Sheehan will retire in February after 10 years as chief executive officer of the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), the Hartford region’s water and sewer authority.
“For a decade, I have had the distinct honor of serving with hundreds of dedicated MDC employees, past and present,” Sheehan, 65, of Suffield, said in a Friday email to workers at the Hartford-based agency. “Time advances and we all must move on in our lives. Accordingly, after long and careful consideration, it is with regret that I inform you today, I will be stepping down…effective February 1, 2015.” Sheehan, paid $279,875 a year, is expected to receive an annual pension of $112,500. That’s based on 19 years’ total service – 10 at the MDC and nine with East Hartford, one of the MDC’s eight member-municipalities, where he was town engineer and deputy public works director.
Sheehan headed the MDC as it embarked on a massive 20-year, $2.1-billion “Clean Water Project” in 2006 to reconstruct  sanitary and storm sewers in and around Hartford. CLICK TITLE TO CONTIUNUE