BETHEL -- One month after town residents rejected a proposal to build a new $14 million police station, town officials heard a proposal this week that calls for an expansion of the existing building.
Two area construction companies that would partner for the project pitched the idea, which First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker described as "very, very raw," at Tuesday's Public Site and Building Commission meeting. Morganti National, a construction company with a location in Danbury, and Bethel's Verdi Construction presented the preliminary proposal and asked town officials to grant them a no-bid contract. However, Knickerbocker said he's afraid it may be impossible to expand the existing site. "It's safe to say that everybody is extremely skeptical," he said. "There just doesn't seem to be another way around." The existing police station, which often becomes flooded during heavy rain, does not comply with current standards from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among other regulations, according to the first selectman. In addition, architects who examined the existing police station more than a decade ago determined the building cannot be expanded because of surrounding wetlands.
The latest idea is to expand the current 8,500-square-foot building on Plumtrees Road by 15,000 square feet. The cost discussed Tuesday would be about $9 million, not including furnishing, equipment or financing, according to Commission Chairman Jon Menti, who said the total cost would come close to the one that was rejected last month. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Despite low gas prices, gas tax hike appears unlikely
WASHINGTON (AP) — The new Republican-controlled Congress is facing an old problem: where to find the money for highway and transit programs.
With gasoline prices at their lowest in years when the new Congress convened, there had been talk that it might be time to raise federal gas and diesel taxes, which haven't budged in more than 20 years. But already, GOP leaders are tamping down expectations, leaving no clear solution to the funding problem. "I don't know of any support for a gas tax increase in Congress," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the No. 2 Senate GOP leader, said flatly. Explained Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.: "They don't want to vote for a tax increase."
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, while not closing the door entirely, said there aren't enough votes in the House for a gas tax increase. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman, was equally dampening.
"The president has ruled out a gas tax. I don't think there's a will in Congress, and the American people don't want it," Shuster recently told The Associated Press.
The gas tax, now 18.4 cents a gallon, and the diesel fuel tax, now 24.4 cents a gallon, were last increased in 1993. In the meantime, Americans are driving less per capita, cars are more fuel efficient and construction costs have gone up. Fuel taxes bring in about $34 billion a year to the federal Highway Trust Fund, but the government spends about $50 billion a year. The trust fund has been the main source of federal transportation aid to states for more than 60 years.
In that environment, two key GOP senators — Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah and Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe of Oklahoma — had raised the hopes of transportation advocates by saying raising fuel taxes should be considered, using the more politically palatable term "user fees." But the idea appears to be a longshot at best. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
MIDDLETOWN — The planning and zoning commission on Wednesday night postponed a vote on a proposed new apartment building on the corner of Broad and College streets.
A plan by Massachusetts-based Hajjar Management, the owner of the MiddleOak office tower and the adjacent vacant parcel, would put 89 residential units in a six-story building one block from Main Street. Planning and zoning commission members said they preferred to wait until the design review and preservation board could finish its review of the project before taking action. The board is an advisory panel to the commission, and its approval is not required for the commission to take action. But commission members said they don't want to bypass the design review process. Hajjar's application will be scheduled for Feb. 11 meetings of both panels.
Planning Director Michiel Wackers said the $20 million project would add significant value to the city's grand list of taxable property and would generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional tax revenue. Wackers said having new residents downtown would benefit the city by increasing economic activity for merchants and restaurants. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New Hartford sewers on agenda January 22
NEW HARTFORD — A round-robin discussion of options for sewer extensions in New Hartford is slated for the next regular meeting of the Water Pollution Control Authority on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. The discussion will follow hard on the heels of a recent presentation to the WPCA by a subcommittee tasked with analyzing sewer extension alternatives. The panel outlined two options for Pine Meadow, another two for Cottage Street and a third proposal for the repair or replacement of the Jones Mountain trunk line, the aging primary line that connects to the sewage treatment plant.
Other options also were considered — a sewer line for the Johnnycake Mountain area was evaluated but not recommended. This option would have added 44 connections at a cost of $2.4 million. An option for sewers on Greenwoods Road and Hillside Avenue also were evaluated, but the subcommittee recommended that this work be funded by a developer. The subcommittee's final recommendation was for a combined project that includes parts of three of the options: an extension in Pine Meadow, the first Cottage Street option and repair of the Jones Mountain trunk line.
The extension of sewer lines is seen as a priority in New Hartford, which several years ago built a large sewage treatment facility based on anticipated business and residential growth. When the economy staggered, development ground to a halt, leaving current users of the system with heavy user fees. It is believed sewer extensions and additional users will help to stimulate growth and reduce sewer bills.
THE OPTIONS PRESENTED LAST WEEK examined alternatives for running Pine Meadow sewer lines along town roads rather than along Route 44 or putting the line in the right of way for an old canal that runs parallel to Wickett Street and Route. 44. It is anticipated this extension would yield 93 new connections at a cost of approximately $3.4 million. At current rates, it would generate an estimated annual revenue of $104,000. Cottage Street Option A would result in 52 new connections at a cost of $1.7 million and generate an anticipated $71,000 per year in revenue. The second option for this street called for extending the line along Reservoir Road and adding another 10 customers at a total cost of $2.5 million. This option would generate an additional $9,000 in revenue per year.
The Jones Mountain trunk line would not be an extension. It has become overgrown with trees and brush, and roots have infiltrated the sewer line, allowing surface water to enter the system. To allow video inspection of the pipe, portions of the land need to be cleared, which would cost about $8,500. A decision on whether to repair or replace the line would be based on the video inspection. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The delay comes after the common council earlier this month postponed action on a tax-incentive plan vital to the developer in order to finance the project. Council members said that they are not yet convinced that the incentives are a good deal for taxpayers, and that they have questions about previous plans for the property and the potential impact the new building would have on the school district. City officials favor the apartment plan and have offered an incentive package that would freeze taxes at the current level for seven years and cap building permit fees at $142,600.
New Hartford sewers on agenda January 22
NEW HARTFORD — A round-robin discussion of options for sewer extensions in New Hartford is slated for the next regular meeting of the Water Pollution Control Authority on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. The discussion will follow hard on the heels of a recent presentation to the WPCA by a subcommittee tasked with analyzing sewer extension alternatives. The panel outlined two options for Pine Meadow, another two for Cottage Street and a third proposal for the repair or replacement of the Jones Mountain trunk line, the aging primary line that connects to the sewage treatment plant.
Other options also were considered — a sewer line for the Johnnycake Mountain area was evaluated but not recommended. This option would have added 44 connections at a cost of $2.4 million. An option for sewers on Greenwoods Road and Hillside Avenue also were evaluated, but the subcommittee recommended that this work be funded by a developer. The subcommittee's final recommendation was for a combined project that includes parts of three of the options: an extension in Pine Meadow, the first Cottage Street option and repair of the Jones Mountain trunk line.
The extension of sewer lines is seen as a priority in New Hartford, which several years ago built a large sewage treatment facility based on anticipated business and residential growth. When the economy staggered, development ground to a halt, leaving current users of the system with heavy user fees. It is believed sewer extensions and additional users will help to stimulate growth and reduce sewer bills.
THE OPTIONS PRESENTED LAST WEEK examined alternatives for running Pine Meadow sewer lines along town roads rather than along Route 44 or putting the line in the right of way for an old canal that runs parallel to Wickett Street and Route. 44. It is anticipated this extension would yield 93 new connections at a cost of approximately $3.4 million. At current rates, it would generate an estimated annual revenue of $104,000. Cottage Street Option A would result in 52 new connections at a cost of $1.7 million and generate an anticipated $71,000 per year in revenue. The second option for this street called for extending the line along Reservoir Road and adding another 10 customers at a total cost of $2.5 million. This option would generate an additional $9,000 in revenue per year.
The Jones Mountain trunk line would not be an extension. It has become overgrown with trees and brush, and roots have infiltrated the sewer line, allowing surface water to enter the system. To allow video inspection of the pipe, portions of the land need to be cleared, which would cost about $8,500. A decision on whether to repair or replace the line would be based on the video inspection. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE