HARTFORD -- Last month General Assembly members from both sides of the aisle applauded when the governor said he would make transportation the focus of his second term.
On Tuesday, Republicans balked at the notion that highway tolls would pay for the work.
"How are we going to fund it?" House Minority Leader Themis Klarides of Derby asked.
They offered a no-tolls initiative to fund the state's transportation needs to the tune of $1 billion a year for the next 30 years.
It may also be a political non-starter, however, because it would take hundreds of millions of dollars a year in bonding authority out of the hands of Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who is unlikely to want to give up that power.
A spokesman for the governor said the $30 billion would not be enough money anyway.
During a late-afternoon news conference in the Capitol, dozens of Republicans led Klarides and Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano of North Haven said that one of the first priorities should be the 400 Connecticut bridges that are in need of major repairs.
They also called for reinstituting a Transportation Strategy Board of state and local officials and other transit experts which issued its last report four years ago.
Klarides said that the exact use of the money should be up to experts and the state Department of Transportation, but public safety should be paramount, including the deteriorating bridges.
"We are not engineers," she said, stressing the need to reform the Transportation Strategy Board to assist the DOT. "We only have a limited amount of money to spend," Klarides said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
After bet on South End pays off, developer targets downtown
STAMFORD -- In his sun-filled corner office overlooking the downtown, John DiMenna has an unusually calm demeanor for a businessman in the thick of Stamford's building boom.
At 70, the tall, salt-and-pepper-maned DiMenna has the bearing of a likeable English professor. Those who know him describe him as articulate but thoughtful, choosing his words with care and taking the time to observe and listen to those around him.
In short, he is not what you expect.
"Not to cast aspersions on the industry, but John DiMenna certainly does not fit the mold when you think about a developer," said Jack Condlin, the president of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce. "He's soft-spoken, very easygoing and very genuine."
In a slightly astonished tone, he added: "He's actually interested in hearing what you have to say."
Similarly, Sandy Goldstein, the president of the Downtown Special Services District, said of him, "You will never meet a nicer or more humble person."
Since founding Seaboard Properties in 1992 and pursuing a strategy of acquiring office buildings, mostly in the South End, DiMenna has over the past six years moved his focus north, assembling a portfolio of mixed-use properties entirely in the downtown that encompasses 900,000 square feet and is valued at $250 million. Along the way, he has earned a reputation as a savvy but low-key real estate investor and developer.
His focus is on Class B buildings, which are marketed to a variety of tenants with average-range rents.
"Traditionally, John is a value investor," said Randy Salvatore, a downtown developer who has worked with DiMenna. "He's bought at the bottom and sold at the top."
In 2007, Seaboard sold a significant chunk of its holdings to Greenwich-based Antares Investment Partners for $87 million, Antares being the initial development team behind Harbor Point. The sale included the company's flagship property, Stamford Landing, a five-building, 206,000-square-foot waterfront office complex. All told, DiMenna unloaded roughly half of his one million-square-foot portfolio for a total of $125 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Northeast region building landscape
Breaking down the bidding landscape over the last three months in the Northeast region we recorded the highest number of public construction bids over the last five years. The Northeast region includes Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Construction Data reported on 5,104 construction projects that had a bid date between November 1, 2014 and January 31, 2015. There were 4,181 bids for public construction projects and 923 bids for private construction projects.
Of the 4,181 public projects bid, 1,360 were classified as General Building, 1,297 were Specialty Trades, 1,359 were Heavy/Highway and 602 were Sewer & Water projects. Projects had near even distribution among the four categories with the exception of Sewer & Water projects which was less than half of what the other categories recorded. There is some overlap in the numbers since projects can fall into more than one classification. General Building projects are all general construction projects regardless of size. Specialty Trades are projects with three or less trades involved where subcontractors can bid as a “prime contractor”. Heavy & Highway projects include projects involving road paving, tennis courts, athletic fields, drainage, dredging, demolition, traffic signals, site improvements and bridges. Sewer & Water are projects involving pump stations, water treatment facilities, force mains, septic work, inspection services, drainage, etc. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Southington eyes land for multisport facility
SOUTHINGTON — Soil will be tested and vehicle traffic counted this week as the town looks to determine the viability of a multisport facility on West Queen Street.
Last November, the Town Council awarded Woodard & Curran, of Cheshire, a $48,000 contract to perform a site study. The land is owned by the Sepko family, who will reimburse the town for the study under a contract signed with the town’s economic development agency in September.
Scott Medeiros, project manager for Woodard & Curran, said he hopes to have conceptual development plans ready for approval sometime in March.
“Our original goal was the end of February, but the weather has affected our progress,” he said.
The traffic study aims to determine peak hours for traffic in the area. Modifications to nearby intersection may then be recommended. Boring will determine soil properties and depth of ledge, so foundation recommendations can be made.
“For example, if we are looking to put in a flat field, we may need to move material from one place to another or blast in some places,” he said. “We are in the data collection phase, and our findings will be incorporated into the design that will produce the highest possible quality site.”
Lou Perillo, Southington’s economic development coordinator, said his goal is to try to attract developers into the area and build “as large a facility as we can handle.”
“Once we have a viable candidate, we would be able to downsize if necessary,” he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hartford, developer reach final agreement for DoNo ballpark project
Weather permitting, turning of dirt will start Feb. 17 on site work related to construction of downtown Hartford's baseball stadium, the developer says.
Clearing the way for work to commence was Monday's signing of some of the formal documents cementing ties between the City of Hartford and the Downtown North partnership for the $350 million-plus development of the ballpark, housing, retail and office space and parking, said Yves-Georges Joseph II, vice president of Centerplan Development of Middletown.
"We're mobilizing equipment today,'' Joseph said.
Late Tuesday, the city and the project's developers annoucned a final agreement on Down North had been reached. Terms of the agreement include 30 percent revenue sharing for all non-baseball events at the ballpark, a project labor agreement, a guarantee of a Double AA Minor League team for the term of the lease, and hiring preference for Hartford residents and minority/women owned businesses for all direct and indirect contract work.
Construction trailers, excavators and heavy equipment are en route to the DoNo parcel at the corner of Main and Trumbull streets, just east of Main Street, where the 6,056-seat, $56 million ballpark will be erected, Joseph said. Forecasts for more snow in the region Thursday and again early next week will impact precisely when work will begin.
Among the documents signed was the stadium agreement and a partial ground lease for the minor-league ballpark between the city, which will own the stadium and lease it to the DoNo partnership that consists of Centerplan and Leyland Alliance.
"It's a big day for the city of Hartford, obviously,'' Joseph said.
The new mixed-use neighborhood will include a supermarket of up to 50,000 square feet, a brewery, new housing, retail, restaurants, and the Double AA minor league ballpark.
Mayor Pedro Segarra said the "pedestrian-friendly development will grow the downtown area with new entertainment venues, restaurants, residential spaces and businesses. This means more jobs and opportunities for our Capital City. I look forward to seeing vibrancy in an area that has been blighted for too long and to seeing the vitality and economic growth it will bring to the City of Hartford."
Hartford releases details of downtown, stadium projects
HARTFORD — The city's agreements with the developers of a $350 million project that includes a minor league baseball stadium and the owners of the New Britain Rock Cats allow the city occasional free use of the stadium, stipulate that "Hartford" be in the team's name and require that tickets be affordable to families.
Mayor Pedro Segarra said Tuesday that the terms of the agreement with Connecticut Double Play LLC include 30 percent revenue sharing for all non-baseball events at the ballpark, a project labor agreement, a guarantee of a Double A minor league baseball team for the term of the lease and hiring preference for city residents and minority- and women-owned businesses for all direct and indirect contract work.
The agreement with developers DoNo Hartford LLC — named for the downtown north section of the city in which the project will be built — calls for the creation of a "mixed-use neighborhood" that will include a ballpark with seating for 6,000, a supermarket of up to 50,000 square feet, a brewery, new housing, retail and restaurants.
The documents released Tuesday did not include specifics on city payments to the municipal stadium authority, formed in January to own and finance the stadium. "A new downtown north mixed-use neighborhood is even closer now to becoming reality," Segarra said in a statement, adding that the project will mean more jobs and vibrancy for a long-blighted area.
The city has entered into a 25-year lease with the Rock Cats. The team has the option for three additional five-year leases beyond that. The city will have free tickets to and use of a "city suite." The city will also be given two "city employee nights" annually with up to 250 tickets provided free of charge. The tickets would be distributed to city employees, their families and guests. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
30-year, $37.4BTransportation Plan
HARTFORD - State Republican legislators unveiled a 30-year, $37.4 billion transportation plan Tuesday that they said can be covered with no tolls and no tax increases.
The Republicans said the state should spend at least $1 billion each year for the next three decades and should reinstitute the Transportation Strategy Board to help pick projects to be funded.
The proposal would be the largest in state history and comes one week before Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is expected to unveil a comprehensive, long-term plan that covers roads, bridges, and railroads.
The Republican proposal does not include a constitutional amendment for a "lock box'' that would insure that all money raised for transportation would be spent on transit - and not diverted as has been done in recent years by both Republican and Democratic governors.
Malloy has not revealed all the details of his comprehensive plan, but he proposed the "lock box" in his State of the State address and has talked about a "five-year ramp up'' followed by 25 years of spending on a wide variety of projects that include widening Interstate 95 from Greenwich to Stonington.
The Republican proposal calls for borrowing money through general obligation bonds that would be set aside exclusively for transportation.
But House Republican leader Themis Klarides said that a constitutional amendment was not necessary because the legislature has not abided by the consitutional spending cap that was passed by the voters as part of the creation of the state income tax in the early 1990s. The legislature has instead been operating under a state law on spending because lawmakers never voted to successfully implement the constitutional cap. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Power plant sponsors testify
NEW BRITAIN — The proposed CPV Towantic Energy Center could bring environmental benefits to the region in the form of fewer pollutants, its sponsors argued Tuesday.
But environmental groups questioned those assertions, saying the backers of the plant need to do more to assure the environment is protected. During testimony Tuesday at the continued evidentiary proceedings at the Connecticut Siting Council's New Britain headquarters, Massachusetts-based Competitive Power Ventures said its proposed 805-megawatt natural gas facility will result in significantly fewer tons of nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions per year if it is allowed to come on line. This is because the facility would allow for the retirement of older, less efficient, higher-emitting plants, which are typically oil- or coal-fired, said Frederick M. Stellars, program manager at Tetra Tech, Inc. and witness on behalf of CPV.
Stellars said the plant would reduce levels of nitrogen oxide by 466 tons per year in 2018 — when the facility would go on line — and 802 tons per year by 2020; carbon dioxide by 207,454 tons in 2018 to 486,621 by 2020; and sulfur dioxides by 416 tons per year in 2018 to 2,466 tons per year by 2020.
"In terms of those environmental externalities, we believe there's a net improvement in air quality on a regional basis," Stellars said. "There will be a carbon footprint, but when you look at the impact of the facility on the overall grid there will be a net reduction in emissions," Stellars said.
Environmental leaders said they want stronger guarantees. Len DeJong, executive director of the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition in Southbury, said during his cross-examination of CPV that CPV has taken positive steps forward with the project but he would like to see a broader, more comprehensive water management plan in place. He said the Pomperaug River is already facing health issues and the coalition would be concerned whether it was CPV in question or any other major water user. About 40 people attended the hearing, which centered on the plant's potential environmental impacts, particularly its water usage and pollutants. A handful of the 24 total parties and interveners on the docket got the chance to cross-examine CPV on its claims, including the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition, the Naugatuck River Revival Group and Westover School in Middlebury. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE