Just days after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy called for a major investment in the state's highway system, one of the nation's leading builders and operators of highway tolls hired Malloy's former top adviser and campaign manager as its lobbyist.
Two weeks before the governor was elected to a second term in November, the same firm's political action committee contributed $5,000 to the Democratic State Central Committee, according to federal records.
Roy Occhiogrosso, who led Malloy's unsuccessful 2006 gubernatorial campaign and the winning races in 2010 and 2014, is a managing partner at the Hartford-based Global Strategy Group, which last month entered a $60,000 a year agreement to represent the HNTB Corp.
Occhiogrosso is listed in filings with the Office of State Ethics as the main Connecticut lobbyist for the Kansas City-based HNTB. The company bills itself as a full-service consultant, from planning to construction and management of tolls, including those with higher "congestion" prices during rush hours to maximize revenue and discourage traffic. It operates tolls in states across the country. The company did not reply to a request for comment.
"I think the questions raised by Roy being involved in the political contribution will make it more difficult to enact tolls on our roads," Tom Swan, executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, a public policy watchdog, said Saturday. Swan added that the $5,000 given to the state Democratic Party is problematic.
He expects opponents to tolls may use the political connections to attack any plans.
In his State of the State address on Jan. 7, Malloy called for a radical transformation of the state's congested highway system, a plan that could take decades to implement and untold billions to fund. He had previously suggested that highway tolls could be a way to pay for the project. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Site studie begin for Southington sports complex
SOUTHINGTON — Soil will be tested and vehicle traffic counted this week as the town looks to determine the viability of a multi-sport 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 intersections 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.
At a council meeting in November, Perillo said the complex may be up to 200,000 square feet and could feature indoor soccer and basketball and outdoor lacrosse fields, along with a restaurant to help offset costs. Perillo said the town may also want to consider putting up some of its own money toward construction. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New East Side tank to improve water pressure
SOUTHINGTON — Construction of a new water tank for the east side of town to improve water pressure is scheduled to begin this fall.
The Water Department secured a $5.8 million bond from a state drinking water fund to pay for the work. Department superintendent Fred Rogers said there’s also a chance for a 30-percent subsidy for the project.
The state money is usually borrowed at a favorable rate, Rogers said, although that number hasn’t yet been determined.
Robert Berkmoes, president of the water board, said water pressure on the east side of town has been an issue for years. Last year, the department bought a 2.5-acre property on Smith Street to install a water tank that would improve the situation.
“That’s always been on the mind of the department,” Berkmoes said. “It’s been a problem.”
Rogers said the land on Smith Street has the right elevation to improve water pressure east of Route 10. Water will be carried from the tank through mains using easements and rights of way to the water system.
The location will also improve pressure for the Windermere Ridge Road and Chesterwood Terrace area, neighborhoods that have experienced low water pressure.
Rogers said a bid hasn’t yet gone out for the work, which he anticipates will be completed in the summer of 2016.
Despite the hefty price tag for the project, Berkmoes said water customers won’t see a major rate hike due to the construction.
“This is in the normal progression of development for the water infrastructure,” he said.
Last year water rates went up. Berkmoes said it’s not yet known whether rates will rise this year.
Fire Chief Harold “Buddy” Clark said more pressure allows the department to install more hydrants, making firefighters less dependent on tanker trucks. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Gas-fired plant set for grilling in Oxford
OXFORD — The Connecticut Siting Council and some of the 24 parties and interveners will proceed this week with their cross-examination of the proposed CPV Towantic Energy Center.
At the last council hearing on Jan. 29, the town of Middlebury was the only intervener to question Massachusetts-based Competitive Power Ventures, the company seeking to build the 805-megawatt natural gas power plant. It is expected that more approved groups, such as Connecticut Light & Power, the town of Southbury and General Electric Energy Financial Services, Inc., will get the chance to question CPV on Tuesday. At the last hearing, CPV and the council discussed the plant's potential environmental impact, such as its water usage, emissions and the overall effect of its replacement of less efficient coal and oil facilities. Additionally, they touched on the plant's 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. Council Chairman Robert Stein and council member Barbara C. Bell had also challenged CPV to defend its contention that the plant is needed to meet energy demands in the state and region. Andrew Bazinet, director of development at CPV, said on its own, Connecticut has a surplus of electricity capacity, but that's not the case across the region. "It's not just us on an island saying, 'This is needed'," Bazinet said. "The proposal that we put in front of you is satisfying both a regional current need, but a forecasted local need, as well."
CPV could not provide the council with exactly how the additional power would impact electric bills in Connecticut, but plans to provide that information to the council. It will be months before the council reaches a decision on whether to allow the plant be built in Oxford 's northwest corner. The council, along with all parties and interveners, must complete their cross-examination of CPV. After that, the parties and interveners are entitled to present their cases, but will also be cross-examined by the council and the certificate holder. 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.
Gas-fired plant set for grilling in Oxford
OXFORD — The Connecticut Siting Council and some of the 24 parties and interveners will proceed this week with their cross-examination of the proposed CPV Towantic Energy Center.
At the last council hearing on Jan. 29, the town of Middlebury was the only intervener to question Massachusetts-based Competitive Power Ventures, the company seeking to build the 805-megawatt natural gas power plant. It is expected that more approved groups, such as Connecticut Light & Power, the town of Southbury and General Electric Energy Financial Services, Inc., will get the chance to question CPV on Tuesday. At the last hearing, CPV and the council discussed the plant's potential environmental impact, such as its water usage, emissions and the overall effect of its replacement of less efficient coal and oil facilities. Additionally, they touched on the plant's 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. Council Chairman Robert Stein and council member Barbara C. Bell had also challenged CPV to defend its contention that the plant is needed to meet energy demands in the state and region. Andrew Bazinet, director of development at CPV, said on its own, Connecticut has a surplus of electricity capacity, but that's not the case across the region. "It's not just us on an island saying, 'This is needed'," Bazinet said. "The proposal that we put in front of you is satisfying both a regional current need, but a forecasted local need, as well."
CPV could not provide the council with exactly how the additional power would impact electric bills in Connecticut, but plans to provide that information to the council. It will be months before the council reaches a decision on whether to allow the plant be built in Oxford 's northwest corner. The council, along with all parties and interveners, must complete their cross-examination of CPV. After that, the parties and interveners are entitled to present their cases, but will also be cross-examined by the council and the certificate holder. 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.