NEW MILFORD -- Work is expected to start this spring on streetscaping and sidewalk improvements along Bridge Street.
The project, funded by a $448,000 Small Town Economic Assistance Program Grant, would revamp the sidewalk from Young's Field Road to Main Street on the north side of Bridge Street.
The work will include concrete curb and sidewalk replacement in the state right-of-way and installation of decorative street lights from the Main Street corner and at the Park and Recreation Office and at Patriot's Way.
Mayor Pat Murphy said the work is long overdue.
"For a couple of Fourth of July's in a row I sat on the steps at Park & Rec to watch the fireworks," Murphy said. "One year I saw someone in a wheelchair going out onto Bridge Street because of the condition of the sidewalk. That solidified this project in my mind."
Murphy said she has long wanted to see the improvements made, but the money hasn't been available in town budgets. That money is now available through STEAP, which is administered by the state Department of Transportation.
Resident Patricia Greenspan is glad to know the improvements are coming.
"This becomes a continuation of all the wonderful work that has been done previously," Greenspan said. "It brings it all together. We always talk about the entrance to our town and this will be wonderful for those entering the town from Route 7."
Daniel Stanton, assistant town engineer, said the design plans will be submitted to the DOT for review. Following DOT approval, the project will go out to bid, a four- to five-week process. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bristol tpo receive $9.5M loan from state for sewage plant upgrade
BRISTOL — The state plans to give Bristol half the $19 million it needs to upgrade its sewage treatment plant and loan the city the rest of the necessary cash.
The allocation, part of a phosphorus reduction initiative, is among those listed on the State Bond Commission for its meeting next week, a move that almost always leads to funding.
“It’s nice the governor stepped forward to take care of Bristol,” said state Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat. He said the money is “a great shot in the arm for the city.”
“We’ve got to make sure that wastewater treatment plant is working properly,” Nicastro said Thursday.
The treatment plant can process more than 10 million gallons daily and discharges its wastewater into the Pequabuck River.
The federal and state government recently mandated that municipalities upgrade wastewater treatment plants to treat phosphorus, a mineral found in waste water that can be harmful to the environment. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
$10M to upgrade Hammonasset Beach buildings
HARTFORD >> The state Bond Commission has approved nearly $10 million for repairs and construction at Hammonasset State Park build a bathhouse to replace two buildings significantly damaged and demolished following Tropical Storm Irene.
Money approved Friday also will be used to replace the Meigs Point Nature Center.
State officials say Hammonasset is Connecticut’s most popular state park, drawing about 2 million visitors a year. The old Meigs Point Nature Center too small for expanded programs and public access. The new Nature Center will accommodate larger school groups and be more energy-efficient.
The funding is being made available as part of state improvements to Connecticut’s 109 state parks and 32 state forests.
East Hampton councilors clash over infrastructure priorities
EAST HAMPTON >> An attempt to resume discussions of the town’s infrastructure priorities ended almost before it began Thursday, amid renewed confusion about the status of the Center School.
Town Council Chairwoman Barbara Moore pressed for her colleagues to continue discussing whether and how to proceed with identifying a site and begin planning for construction of a new police station.
The station has been identified as the town’s number one priority by a Facilities Assessment Committee, which reviewed the status of police, fire and town facilities last year at the direction of the council. But Councilor Ted Hintz Jr. objected to Moore’s suggestion.
“Having additional discussion is inappropriate until we figure out what’s going on with the high school,” Hintz said. The state Department of Administrative Services has demanded the town scale back the size of the high school renovation project or risk losing a promised 50-percent state reimbursement. “It’s pointless to let the discussion go forward,” Hintz said. But Councilor George Pfaffenbach disagreed. “We’re not spending any money. We’re just talking. And there’s lots to be talked about,” he said. Last year, Pfaffenbach said the town had delayed and denied needed infrastructure repair and improvement projects for more than 20 years, and the now the bill has come due. The town can no longer deny the necessity of moving forward to repair and replace old, outmoded and inadequate facilities, Pfaffenbach said last year. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Workers dig deep to fix massive NYC water leak
Wappinger, N.Y. - Workers are planning to go under the river and through the rocks to replace part of a massive tunnel leaking New York City's drinking water. They're blasting through hundreds of feet of shale and building a shaft on each side of the Hudson River, about 60 miles north of New York City. Once they reach about 600 feet below the river next year, they will begin building a 2.5-mile bypass tunnel between the shafts to replace a profusely leaking section of the 85-mile Delaware Aqueduct. The work on the World War II-era tunnel illustrates the ingenious complexity of a water supply system for 9 million people. The Delaware Aqueduct carries about half the city's water and will have to be temporarily drained for repairs in 2022 during the end stage of the project. A portion of the $1.5 billion price tag is devoted to making sure other water sources continue to flow smoothly during the shutoff. The massive project is scheduled to finish in 2023.
"The goal of the city in constructing the waterworks was to construct something comparable to the great works of Rome, to last through the ages," said Paul Rush, deputy commissioner of New York City's Department of Environmental Protection. "It's with that spirit and with that purpose that this work here continues the tradition." The Delaware Aqueduct carries 500 million gallons of water a day from four reservoirs in the Catskill Mountains in southeastern New York state to a distributing reservoir at the city's doorstep. The tunnel, wide enough to drive a car through, is one of two major arteries that carry unfiltered water from bucolic areas of the Catskill and Delaware watersheds. The aqueduct, which the city says is the longest continuous tunnel in the world, relies solely on pressure and gravity. It's an engineering marvel, but it's aging.
The aqueduct is so leaky in one stretch through rural Wawarsing that New York City is buying dozens of homes above it that were plagued with flooded basements and squishy lawns. The leaks are far worse where the tunnel travels under the Hudson by Newburgh, but homes are not affected. Between 15 million and 35 million gallons of water seep through cracks each day. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Plans made to demo Bloomfield eyesore by June
BLOOMFIELD — In September 2012, town officials and a developer said they were happy that a notorious eyesore would finally be demolished.
The reason for optimism was that the State Bond Commission had approved $900,000 for a brownfield cleanup on the site.
"The grant jump-starts this property," Gershman said at the time.
Twenty-eight months later, aside from the overgrowth being removed and fresh plywood covering the doors and windows, the machine shop and a neighboring boarded-up 19th century multi-family house at 460 Cottage Grove Road sit unchanged. Town Manager Philip Schenck said Friday that the proposed development at the location was abandoned when the bottom dropped out of the market for medical office buildings. Other possibilities, such as an elderly housing complex, also fizzled.
Schenck said that the town would have liked to have seen the original proposal pan out, but at this point everyone just wants to see the site cleaned up.
"The town council said tear it down and get it cleaned up" Schenck said, adding that the town was prepared to proceed under blighted property ordinances to take the building down itself. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE