BRIDGEPORT -- The floor tiles are being installed, the lights are on, and last week the boilers were fired up in what soon will be the new Roosevelt Elementary School.
With a squabble over how many on-site parking spaces would be provided now settled, the $44.7 million project to bring a new 82,438-square-foot school building to the city's South End is back on track for completion this spring.
The city's School Building Committee was told late last week that the school -- one of several projects underway -- will be substantially completed by April.
"The only concern we have is the weather," said Larry Schilling, a project manager for O&G Industries, the company in charge of school building projects. Asphalt toppings for parking lots and playscapes will have to wait until the snow clears and the ground thaws, he said.
The school, which is not set to be occupied by students until the start of the 2015-16 school year, is a two-story building at Park Avenue and Prospect Street. It will have a multi-colored exterior facade and be big enough for 600 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
Noe Castro, a parent leader at the school, predicted the school will signal a new beginning.
"It will give us more space, something new," said Castro, whose daughter is in kindergarten. "Yeah we are excited and I hope we can build on it."
The school will also have a synthetic turf soccer field with lights, a feature added to the project by the mayor's office, and which ate into the number of available on-site parking spaces. Teachers and parents complained, and 12 more spaces were included in the plans and the city recently agreed to designate 18 on-street spaces around the perimeter of the school for school use.
The 12 new spaces added $113,631 to the project. A new 10-foot-high chain link fence to keep soccer balls from sailing from the new field into traffic on South Avenue is costing $34,325. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Union membership on the rise in Connecticut
Connecticut unions added roughly 24,000 people to their combined membership base last year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, giving the state 231,000 unionized workers --more than the numbers labor unions were fielding in 2003.
The state's union membership increased to 14.8 percent of the employed population, up from 13.5 percent in 2013. The percentage gain was the third best in the country, after Colorado and Indiana, with the United States as a whole seeing a 0.2 percent decline in union membership.
Only the year before, DOL's Bureau of Labor Statistics had estimated Connecticut's union membership had dropped by 9,000 workers, plummeting by 43,000 workers the year before that. The 2014 gain was surprising given that Connecticut added a net total of 26,000 jobs last year, just 2,000 more than the union membership gains reported by DOL.
In larger unions covering workers in Southwest Connecticut, the 2013 dues collected from members by unions ticked upward in the majority of labor organizations, according to a Hearst analysis of annual reports filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
Lori Pelletier, the head of the Rocky Hill-based Connecticut AFL-CIO, attributed the gains in part due to graduate students at the University of Connecticut unionizing, as well as technicians and clinical workers at the Western Connecticut Health Network that includes Danbury Hospital and New Milford Hospital. But Pelletier added the increases suggested activity from throughout the state.
"Gains can also be attributed to increased employment in the building and construction trades, as well as increased employment at Electric Boat and their suppliers," Pelletier told the Advocate in an email. "Unions are vigilant when it comes to organizing opportunities --the difficulty lies in the union election process. Nationally, businesses spend nearly $8 billion a year fighting union organizing drives. From captive audience meetings, to litigation and intimidation workers today want protections but are afraid of the boss's response." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Middletown high-rise project approved by zoning board
MIDDLETOWN >> Plans for a multi-million-dollar complex proposed in December by Massachusetts-based Hajjar Management have moved quickly through the approval process at city hall, getting a green light Feb. 11 from the Planning and Zoning Commission before it received a recommendation from the city’s Design Review & Preservation Board.
Though city zoning codes don’t require commissioners to wait for the completion of the board’s review, zoning panel members spoke in favor of the process after hearing comments from Design Review & Preservation.
The PZC voted to approve plans with a stipulation that “final materials be reviewed” by members of the Design Review & Preservation Board where members recently locked in a 3-3 vote on the project. Since a quorum wasn’t met, the item was tabled for further review. Now Hajjar only needs site approval and a building permit before construction will begin the spring. Planning department Deputy Director Bruce Driska submitted a laundry list of concerns raised by commissioners that still have not been addressed. The items include, but are not limited to, “trees planted as true street trees, concerns about a ‘halo ring’ architectural feature, the placement of retail stores far from the sidewalk, and the practicability of Dumpster location.”
“What disturbed me the most is that in those three or four meetings [of the board] still don’t have a sense of what the building is going to look like,” said Zoning Commissioner Steve Devoto.
In January, PZC commissioners failed to approve the project with a 3-3 vote, with one abstention.
“There are things we are willing to take into consideration, but these are not standards that you require in Middletown,” a lawyer, speaking on behalf of Hajaar Management, told the commission.
Commission vice chair Molly Salafia was among those who objected in January to moving forward without design review. She said some commissioners feel pressured to vote quickly to approve the project, which was first announced in December by Mayor Daniel Drew.
“It circumvents the process and purpose of having subcommittees,” Salafia wrote in an email after the meeting, referring to the Design Review & Preservation Board. “Subcommittees are extremely important tools for us commissioners to make our decisions.”
The attorney argued that the firm already has appeared at three Design board meetings, and that Hajaar has to meet deadlines on financial and other obligations. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
State eyes $88M overhaul of complex highway interchange in Meriden
MERIDEN — The city could be on the receiving end of a few multi-million-dollar improvements to state highways and airports, according to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget presentation.
A report released after the presentation details more than $5 billion in highway work between New Haven and Springfield, including $88 million for the Interstate 91, Interstate 691 and Route 15 interchange through Meriden. It details work to the northbound and southbound sides of I-91 between Exits 15 and 20, including an additional lane in each direction to allow for better traffic flow for vehicles getting on and off Route 15.
“These improvements will provide a higher level of operations along this section of I-91 as well as enhanced safety to reduce accidents,” the report says.
Judd Everhart, a Department of Transportation spokesman, said the area was chosen because of “very high traffic volume at a very complex interchange. For example, each day, well over 100,000 vehicles go through this interchange.”
Though any construction is still far off, City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior said the area is historically tricky.
“There can be backups both ways: When you’re coming from (Route) 15 north or south, you get backups in the East Main Street area. It could be safer,” he said.
In a Record-Journal story in 2006, a representative of the Connecticut State Police said the area isn’t considered “abnormally hazardous.” In the article, Meriden Firefighter Norm Zimmer called the interchange one of the diciest in the state.
“This is probably the most difficult, dangerous interchange in Connecticut, I would say,” said Zimmer. “I mean, it really is. I think the design makes it that way. Everything merging, and people don’t know if they’re on I-91 or 15 sometimes. It’s difficult. They’re changing lanes, they’re merging. It’s crazy, it really is.” Kendzior said he supports the plan. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Originally known as the Groton-New London Bridge, the Gold Star predates Interstate 95 by two decades. State transportation officials now estimate it will cost about 30 times the original $6 million construction cost — between $150 million and $200 million — for the rehabilitation needed to improve the “poor condition” rating the bridge received after its last inspection in 2013. By federal standards, it is structurally deficient. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who presented a 30-year transportation plan in his budget last week, stood underneath the bridge in January “to highlight the importance of long-term planning and investment in all modes of Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure.” “We can’t afford to wait any longer to fix our aging bridges and infrastructure,” he said.
State Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Nursick said the poor rating is not an indication that the bridge is unsafe, only that it is in need of maintenance. “The inspection process identifies areas of concern years in advance of any major problems,” Nursick said. “There are hundreds of millions of vehicle trips on bridges across the country. They are immensely overbuilt for their job. The Gold Star Bridge is a long way from being an unsafe bridge.” He said the bridge has reached the point, however, that plans are underway for major rehabilitation work. Comparing it to the aging of the human body, Nursick said the work is “like hip replacement or knee work.”
Engineers are refining an evaluation of rehabilitation options to define the scope of the work. Options could include repairs to last either 25 years or 50 years, along with how much it would cost to replace the bridge. In his 30-year transportation proposal released this week, Malloy included $900 million for replacement of the northbound bridge. A spokesman for Malloy said the upcoming repairs and rehabilitation of the bridge are part of the five-year plan for the short-term. The replacement of the northbound bridge is part of the 30-year plan, which does not yet have funding identified. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
RCDA and Fort Trumbull are ready for development
In response to the recent media colloquy regarding the Fort Trumbull area of New London, I felt the public should be aware that the Renaissance City Development Association (RCDA) has been busy during the economic downturn of the last few years making important improvements to the Fort Trumbull site. Because this preparatory work does not dramatically change the outward appearance of the area, many remain unaware of the substantial accomplishments. The extensive remediation of the site has brought Fort Trumbull to the point where new commercial and residential development can now begin in earnest.
When the Fort Trumbull Municipal Development Plan (MDP) - later supported by the Yale Urban Design study - was approved in 2000, the area included 32 acres of vacant former Navy (NUWC) property, a closed oil terminal, a decaying railroad yard, and streets that were in shambles. Much of the land was contaminated and undevelopable. No public access was available to any of the waterfront.
The state had begun work on the construction of Fort Trumbull State Park, and Pfizer was well along in the construction of its 790,000-square-foot office buildings, which now serve as the General Dynamics Electric Boat Engineering Office.
The MDP plan for Fort Trumbull envisions private development including a waterfront hotel, residential development, new office space, and commercial development, facilitated by public investment in environmental work and new streets and infrastructure. Thus far, we have made the following substantial improvements to the area: CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
East Lyme water spill being assessed
East Lyme - Developers and town officials are assessing a water spill that occurred earlier this week from a pump station under construction at the residential Gateway Commons development near Interstate 95's Exit 73.
The town detected the water flow, which started overnight into early Wednesday morning, after noticing that water levels in its tanks were dropping, said First Selectman Mark Nickerson. After searching for the source of the water loss, town responders were able to stop the leak and turn off the water, which had flowed for several hours. Nickerson believes a pipe-fitting issue or a defective valve within the development's water infrastructure likely led to the significant loss of water, as the developers started up and tested their system. "We're trying to assess what happened, and what we need to do to rectify it," said Newton Brainard, vice president of Simon Konover Development.
Simon Konover of West Hartford and KGI Properties of Providence are developing 280 residential units as part of an overall plan for a residential and commercial village by I-95. Construction began last year on the housing units, which residents do not yet occupy. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
$20M sought to make DoNo apartments affordable
The developer building a downtown Hartford ballpark says it needs $20 million in public funding to include affordable apartments in its next development phase that also envisions a supermarket and parking garage.
Officials with developer DoNo LLC appeared at Thursday night's regular meeting of the Capital Region Development Authority and outlined its plan for the proposed $105 million project directly across Main Street from the ballpark now under construction.
The yet-unnamed project would include 328 one- and two-bedroom apartments situated atop street-level retail space that would include a 62,430-square-foot supermarket, plus another 33,000 square feet of extra retail space, and a 705-space parking garage. Twenty percent, or about 65 units, would be earmarked "affordable'' and offer below-market rents; the rest would be priced to the market.
Yves-Georges Joseph II, vice president of development for Centerplan Development LLC, a partner in DoNo LLC, told CRDA board members that preliminary talks have been held between DoNo LLC and staff of the qausi-public agency about what form their financial partnership might take.
Originally, the mixed-use project was conceived to be built with private financing, Joseph said. However, feedback the developer got about the entire DoNo development project from city officials, residents and other "stakeholders'' insisted that some of the apartments have rents tied to the median income of city residents, he said.
To do that, DoNo LLC calculated that injecting an affordability feature into the apartment project would create a private "funding gap'' of $20 million that CRDA could fill, Joseph said. DoNo assumes a monthly affordable rent of about $650 a month for the units, based on city residents' median income of $35,000 annually. The gap reflects the "funding hurdle,'' Joseph said, that the developer would have to cross to sway investors skeptical about the lengthened recovery period for their investment from having some apartments rent for less than others CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Energy center's details to emerge
OXFORD — The Connecticut Siting Council and some of the 24 parties and interveners could learn more this week about the proposed CPV Towantic Energy Center's water usage, energy need and overall environmental impact. According to documents recently filed with the Siting Council, Tuesday's hearing at the council's New Britain headquarters could produce more clarifications on those aspects of the proposed 805-megawatt natural gas power plant. There will also be more opportunities for parties and interveners to question certificate holder Massachusetts-based Competitive Power Ventures on their assertions. So far, CPV and the council have discussed the plant's energy contributions to Connecticut and the region, as well as its relationship to nearby Waterbury-Oxford Airport and claims that the facility's two 150-foot stacks and their thermal plumes would pose a hazard to air traffic. The last hearing on Feb. 10 centered mostly on the plant's potential environmental impact, specifically water usage and pollutants. CPV touted the environmental benefits of the facility, saying the plant 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.
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. Many of those 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. The interveners will be permitted to introduce their own evidence and witnesses later in the proceedings. The council has until May 12 to rule on the project, but it may request a 180-day extension from CPV. The project has already been approved based on permits from 1999 allowing for a smaller, 512-megawatt plant on 26 acres in an industrial zone a half-mile due east of the airport. CPV wants to build the larger plant at the same location. In a report commissioned by CPV, the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at the University of Connecticut estimated that the construction of the plant will create 2,300 construction jobs and 1,800 jobs during operation. CPV has estimated that the facility will generate $1 billion in private infrastructure investment, nearly $22 million in sales tax revenue during construction and $56 million in property taxes over 18 years.