STAMFORD--When the first resident of The Lofts moved in four years ago, it wasn't the lackluster surroundings of the South End apartment building -- converted from a shell of the former Yale & Towne factory -- that sealed the lease deal. Quite a different view awaits the first inhabitant of the new Vault Apartments -- one block over -- scheduled for Tuesday. In a figurative sense, developer Building and Land Technology comes full circle this week, opening the last of four apartment residences planned for the 20-acre site of Yale & Towne, once the city's largest employer.
In the literal sense, the job is only half done, with the original master plan hammered out by BLT, its predecessor developer and the city of Stamford envisioning 4,000 residential units in all.
The Vault represents the tipping point toward that figure, with BLT now boasting 2,100 units of housing at Harbor Point and more on the way in the form of The Beacon, slated to open in the first quarter of next year. If "development" was long the best term to describe Harbor Point, as cranes dominated the sky of the South End while construction trucks rumbled below, today BLT can swap in the homier tagline "neighborhood" for its signature project, which it has kept humming throughout the recession and lopsided recovery. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Natural gas supply lacking in region
Cheap natural gas on Connecticut's doorstep may be plentiful, but supplying it where it's needed most is posing a challenge. While several projects on the books, including one that would add pipeline in Danbury, are aimed at increasing natural gas capacity, most of that new supply is earmarked for homes and businesses. That leaves little left to address growing concerns about the availability of the fuel for the generation of electrical power in Connecticut and throughout New England.
The lack of capacity to fuel power plants, and the resulting increase in the cost of electricity, were chief concerns raised last week by state energy and environmental officials. "We need to focus on a New England-wide approach to address the lack of energy infrastructure in our region," Robert Klee, commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, told the League of Conservation Voters on Wednesday. "That's what it will take to combat the rising electricity prices that have been all over the news lately." Klee and other industry experts explained that while local distribution companies like Yankee Gas and Southern Connecticut Gas have long-term leases with pipeline companies for new capacity that's coming online, power generation companies haven't taken that step. "Due to market failures, gas-fired generators -- who now produce more than half of the region's electricity -- are not contracting directly for the gas capacity they need to run," stated a report, the draft 2014 Integrated Resource Plan, issued by the DEEP on Thursday. Instead, those in the industry prefer to purchase natural gas on the spot market, Klee said. When spot prices spike during high-demand periods in the winter, power generation companies tend to switch to more expensive forms of fuel, such as oil. Besides increasing electric rates, Klee said, the practice is bad for the environment.
Expansion
Tom Kiley, executive director of the Northeast Gas Association, said when Spectra Energy began soliciting interest for an expansion of the Algonquin pipeline system that runs through Danbury and Oxford, the company had hoped to gain a subscription rate of about 650 million cubic feet of natural gas per day from end users, including gas distribution companies and power-generation firms.
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Boughton announces $40M initiative for Danbury High
DANBURY -- Mayor Mark Boughton isn't a stand-up comedian, but he earned chuckles from some 400 business and civic leaders Friday at his annual state of the city address by poking fun at his failed runs for governor and his own obsession with Twitter. The 13-year chief executive, a Danbury High School graduate and former social studies teacher, announced an ambitious, $40 million educational initiative that will revamp the high school, as well as some other educational enhancements linked to an expansion of the Naugatuck Valley Community College's presence in the city. Called "DHS 2020,'' Boughton said he hopes to begin this spring revamping the Danbury High School complex on Clapboard Ridge Road, beginning with construction of a 110,000-square-foot freshman academy at the rear of the school. A new gymnasium and locker rooms are proposed for the bottom floors, and the cafeteria would be enclosed to accommodate separate dining areas for freshmen.
The proposal that will require approval from city and school leaders, as well as taxpayers, also envisions a new front lobby and school store space for both aesthetic and security purposes, as well as a new visual and performing arts center in the current automobile shop that is located outside the main building. The school also needs a new roof at a cost of about $6 million.
"DHS 2020 will encompass programming, athletics, the arts and state-of-the-art energy efficiency,'' Boughton said. "It will be an investment in our public school system that will result in higher property values, and most importantly, better educated children.''
Boughton was also enthusiastic about a new partnership with Naugatuck Valley Community College to build on the successful manufacturing certificate program now offered at Henry Abbott Tech that will be available through Danbury High School. The idea would be to match 100 students with employers and the college so the high schoolers gain real-world experience through internships at local companies, while earning a high school diploma and an associate's degree at the same time CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Budget for new Wallingford firehouse back in line
WALLINGFORD — Plans to build a new firehouse on North Farms Road appear to be moving forward after new bids came in much lower.
“It went much better this time,” said Fire Chief Richard Heidgerd. “This time, the construction came in around $3.9 million, as opposed to last time, which was $6.4 million.”
A low bid of $3.9 million was submitted by Rocky Hill-based Milliennium Builders Inc. But Heidgerd said the final cost could increase to $6 million.
“There’s additional costs past that $3.9 million. It doesn’t include any contingency money and other furnishings and fixtures,” he said.
The cost of the new station at 884 N. Farms Road was originally estimated at about $4.9 million. A round of bids opened in August ranged from $6.4 to $8 million.
After that, the town reduced the size of the station by 20 percent and made other changes and went back out to bid. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New Haven school rebuild winding down, but not all costs
NEW HAVEN >> City school board members were told recently there is a “light at the end of the tunnel” of the 20-year citywide school-construction program, but with that light comes a host of other responsibilities and price tags. Will Clark, the district’s chief operating officer, told the board of the winding down of the rebuilding of nearly all of the city’s schools, which began in 1995. While the end is nigh, “we also see continued opportunity and responsibility with respect to maintaining these facilities and what we call stewardship,” Clark told the board.
Clark presented a 15-item list of capital improvement projects proposed by the district for the city’s budget, totaling $18 million. Among those are maintenance items and other projects included in the master plan of the city’s school construction program. Other financing is for materials and equipment that are routinely replaced or maintained. On the list of remaining projects is Strong School, a proposed kindergarten-through-fourth grade lab school on Southern Connecticut State University’s campus that has a $45 million price tag. The district has already secured state money for that project, and would need to put up about $9.5 million of city financing to get it done. Clark stressed to the board the importance of keeping up with the schools that have been reconstructed and remodeled to get the most and best use of each, and to do so methodically to avoid costly flare-ups or spikes in costs. While the state gave the city about $1 billion for its extensive reconstruction program, there’s no help after the buildings are built — a problem facing all districts that build new facilities, he said.
“There’s no money on the back end,” Clark said. “We want these schools to live to their full use and life and beyond, and to do that we want to make sure we have the appropriate amount of investments and stewardship and responsibility to maintain the systems and avoid the unnecessary spikes that would come if you don’t do those things,” he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Road &Transit investments has benefits outside the industry
Two-thirds of the economic benefits and jobs created by federal highway and transit investment occur in non-construction sectors, according to a new analysis from IHS Inc., a leading global source of critical information and insight. The study also finds that every dollar invested through the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF) in state highway, bridge and public transit infrastructure programs returns 74 cents in tax revenue.
The report, “Transportation Infrastructure Investment: Macroeconomic and Industry Contribution of Federal Highway and Mass Transit Program,” reveals that 70 percent of the economic benefits, or value-added, of federal HTF investments in transportation improvements occur in non-construction sectors of the economy. Among the sectors that benefit the most are service industries such as business, education, health and leisure, and hospitality.
The study also finds that 62 percent of the jobs created from federal highway and mass transit investments are outside the construction industry. Over one-third of all jobs created also are in service industries like business, education, health and leisure, and hospitality.
“The study shows that investment in transportation infrastructure has a positive impact on every major sector of the U.S. economy. These far reaching economic benefits contribute to economic growth by improving the nation's capital stock, which enables increased economic activity,” said Karen Campbell, a senior consultant at IHS, who produced the report with Bob Brodesky, a transportation expert and senior manager in the IHS Industry Consulting Group.
Current federal highway and public transit investment, which is about $50 billion annually, generates an average $31 billion in personal income tax receipts per year and $6 billion in federal corporate tax receipts per year due to increased economic activity, according to the analysis. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE