Todays Bond Commission Agenda
$850K on the way for Costco project
HARTFORD — The state bond commission is expected to approve an $850,000 Department of Economic and Community Development grant today for work on the Costco store project.
The funds will provide a grant-in-aid to the City of New Britain to finance road improvements along Route 71 (Hartford Road) and at the Route 9 northbound off ramp to Route 71. The grant will accommodate development of a Costco store adjacent to the Target store. Mayor Erin Stewart said she expects to attend the session at the legislative office building along with state Rep. Betty Boukus, a co-chairperson of the state bonding committee. “This was an integral part of the tax abatement, tax modification agreement during the Common Council debate [over Costco],” Stewart said. “I assured the council I would do everything in my power to lobby the state for these development dollars.”
Stewart also thanked Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman. “If she wasn’t so receptive to my phone calls, we wouldn’t be receiving this money,” Stewart said. In addition to the tax modification agreement, the mayor said there was the promise that the city would still press the state for additional funds.
“These funds are to redo the entry way so Costco can have its own entrance,” she explained, “and for the grading of all that land which is pretty costly.” Stewart said she was extremely pleased “this development can now go much faster. I thank our partners at the state for realizing how much of a priority this economic development opportunity is for the city and helping make it a reality.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Opening of new wing at Maloney High school in Meriden is pushed back
MERIDEN — The estimated opening of the new wing at Maloney High School was pushed back a week at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting. The wing should be open by Nov. 28, said board member John Lineen, who also serves on the city’s School Building Commission. The project manager for the Maloney construction estimated last week that it would be open by Nov. 18, depending on building inspections. Assistant Superintendent Michael S. Grove said that “about 85 percent” of the new furniture should have been moved into the new wing by the time students and teachers move. “We’re planning to open with all the new technology. Smart boards are going in now, computers and Wi-Fi will all be set up before students get there,” Grove said.
The only pieces missing would be student desks and chairs, he said, which should be delivered a few weeks after the opening. It was a similar situation at Platt High School when students and teachers moved in. They brought with them desks, chairs, and other equipment from the old building into the new wing, which they used until recently, when the new furniture was delivered.
Both high schools are in the middle of extensive renovation projects that total more than $200 million. Work on the second phases at both schools has already begun. At Platt, students and teachers moved into a new wing that was not yet complete, with the media center and band and choral rooms still under construction. Those rooms have since been completed, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the school on Dec. 4, Lineen said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New Hartford referendum Thursday for projects totaling $5M
NEW HARTFORD >> Resident will be able to vote Thursday on what is, money-wise, likely the largest referendum in two decades. Two maintenance projects totaling $5 million can be voted on: one a cost-efficient bridge repair and the other a much needed roof renovation for the town’s largest elementary school. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday. First District voters can cast their ballots at Town Hall, located at 530 Main St. Second District voters can do so at South End Firehouse, located at 20 Antolini Road. The projects do not have to be voted on as one package. Residents can vote “yes” to one item and “no” to the other, if they so choose.
Both projects were unanimously approved by the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance. The larger project would see New Hartford finance significant construction upgrades to Ann Antolini School, the third through sixth grade institute located at the intersection of Routes 202 and 219. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE