Travelers spending $25M to open up plaza, fix garage leaks
HARTFORD — At its highest point, the granite wall surrounding the plaza next to Travelers' iconic tower downtown is 10 feet, making it impossible for even the tallest person to see inside from the street.
Built in the early 1960s, the plaza's design was likely a defensive reaction to growing Cold War tensions and social unrest of the era. The garage below the plaza was constructed to meet government standards for a fall-out shelter.
Whatever the original design intentions, the walls are getting cut down.
Next month, the Travelers will embark on a two-year, $25 million project that will open up the nearly 2-acre plaza on Main Street. At the same time, the plaza will get much-needed repairs — including leaks into the underground garage.
"The design reflects who we are now, welcoming to the community and part of the community," said Andy Bessette, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Travelers. "Nothing is going to block your view."
The project also will include replacing a three-story, copper-domed rotunda with a more modest entrance, in keeping with the tower's architecture. Massive granite planters will be removed, making way for landscaped lawn areas.
Travelers had considered saving the glass rotunda but its condition has continued to deteriorate even though the insurer spent $1 million four years ago to repair it, said Tom Luszczak, senior director of asset management at the company. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Tax breaks for developers debated
BRIDGEPORT -- If watching developers sweat is your thing, it's time to sit in on a meeting of the City Council's Economic Development Committee.
That's the body that -- for the second time this year -- on Wednesday tabled a request by the prominent JHM Financial Group for 40 years worth of tax subsidies to help build its ambitious, 177-unit-minimum housing project aimed at revitalizing the East Side.
"I am not into 40-year tax abatements, I don't care what anybody says," said Councilwoman Michelle Lyons, D-134.
She recalled when a decade-long tax break was a big deal.
David Kooris, Bridgeport's economic development director, insisted the subsidies are the one tool the city has to help important projects break ground and generate some revenue from otherwise dormant sites. He said while the lost taxes from the "handful" of sites enjoying tax breaks equal around nine-tenths of a percent of the city's total tax revenues, the taxes gained are about 2 percent of that same total.
"This is by no means giving away the store," Kooris said.
Councilwoman Denise Taylor-Moye, D-131, said if that is what it takes to improve Bridgeport, the council must act.
Even if she is not around in 40 years, Taylor-Moye said, "I would definitely like to know I was part of a system trying to make this city grow."
But others questioned whether the East Side neighborhood's schools would be able to handle the influx of students.
Kooris said school officials are projecting declining enrollment.
"It's not true, it's not true," said Councilwoman Lydia Martinez, D-137, who chaired Wednesday's meeting and represents the area. She insisted there is no room for more students.
"These units will take time to build," Kooris said. "Things change, demographics shift."
Councilman Robert Halstead, D-132, said perhaps another developer should be considered rather than "somebody who might be a little connected from the outside."
As reported earlier this year, the McClutchy family behind JHM have been big contributors to the Democratic State Central Committee. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
NY-CONN head excels in male dominated industry
DANBURY -- For MaryJean Rebeiro, growing up in a house with several brothers taught her to be assertive and make her presence known.
"If I wanted people to listen to me as a kid, I really had to speak up," she said.
Today, she's flourishing in a male-dominated industry and receiving accolades for her achievements.
Rebeiro was a young entrepreneur when she completed her business degree at Western Connecticut State University and began her own electrical company.
With just a few employees and a small office, Rebeiro began to make her mark in the industry when she opened NY-CONN Corp. More than 25 years later, the company employs more than 70 people, both men and women, who work on residential and large-scale commercial projects throughout Connecticut and New York state, including work at Fairfield University and the Bridgeport Correctional Center.
As a young girl, Rebeiro and her brothers would often help out their father, Tony Rizzo, an electrician and also a successful entrepreneur in the region, on the job.
"I don't like to admit it, but I guess I was always a little bit of a tomboy growing up," Rebeiro said. "If we weren't in school, we were at work with my father helping out. That's just what we knew as kids. It was our livelihood."
In 1989, after being one of the first members of her family to graduate college with a bachelor's degree in business administration, she decided to return to her roots and start an electrical firm.
"In the early years, I really didn't get a lot of respect," Rebeiro said. "It's a male-dominated industry and there weren't a lot of women working in the trades at time." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Stamford's Metro Green developers get state loan
STAMFORD -- Metro Green in the South End, the state's first newly constructed "green" affordable-housing project, has been awarded a loan of up to $5 million from the state. The money will go toward construction of the third phase of the development, a 155-unit complex near the train station.
The project, which is being jointly developed by Jonathan Rose Cos. and Malkin Properties, opened its first phase, a 50-unit building on Henry Street, in 2009. Another 50 units opened in 2012.
The project was cited as one of 14 across the state that won funding from the state and federal governments. All told, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday announced $60 million in funding for affordable-housing developments. Of those selected, the project in Stamford was the only one to receive money in the form of a loan. Others received grants.
According to a news release, of the 155 units at Metro Green, 73 will be affordable by serving those who earn 50 percent to 60 percent of the area median income and 82 will be market rate. According to standards set by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, 50 percent of the area median income for a family of four in Stamford is $62,050.
The project has obtained more than $10 million in low-income housing tax credits and approximately $38 million in non-state resources.
"We have done more in affordable housing over the past several years than Connecticut has in decades -- and this is yet another step in that direction," Malloy said in a statement. "As we make smart investments today for a brighter Connecticut tomorrow, affordable housing is an integral part." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bus-only corridor opens after 18 years of study and debate
By The Associated Press
HARTFORD >> Riders got their first look at Connecticut’s new $567 million bus-only rapid transit corridor between Hartford and New Britain on Saturday. The 9.4-mile CTfastrak system has been 18 years in the making and is hoped to be a quick, reliable and environmentally friendly alternative to cars. The buses run on a dedicated course, with no cars and trucks. Critics have called it a boondoggle taking money from other transportation projects. The first riders were Hallie Lehmann and Elliot Newman of New Britain, who got on the 4:52 a.m. at the Travelers stop in Hartford, the Hartford Courant reported (http://cour.at/1MgfCtZ). CT Transit Director David Lee greeted them.
Newton and Lehmann said they hadn’t been on a bus in years.
“I see them driving all the time, but I haven’t been on a bus since the school bus,” Lehmann said. “I’ll take this one. My commute takes me 45 minutes — and then there’s parking. This looks great.”
Teacher Kristi Gillespie said she was the first passenger out of Manchester at 5:35 a.m. and spent the morning “joy riding” and checking out the route for her Northwest Catholic High School students in West Hartford. “Some of them, I think it’ll make their lives much, much easier,” she said.
CTfastrak staffers were also riding and monitoring a few glitches.
A bus carrying CTfastrak chief Michael Saunders broke down in New Britain when it overheated. There were minor delays, a Wi-Fi glitch on one bus, and problems with the GPS-based bus arrival notices at a few stations. State transportation officials say the system is more flexible than rail because buses can exit the corridor and continue to other destinations. It has two lanes with pullouts for drop-offs and pickups and for express buses to pass. The buses are diesel-electric hybrids.
The project has cost the state $112 million, with the rest paid by the federal government.
Masonicare says Klewin is out, but project is on
Stonington — A change in contractors working on the $32 million Masonicare at Mystic assisted living facility has resulted in an indefinite delay in construction, but a spokeswoman said Friday the nonprofit still is "fully committed" to the project.
Masonicare spokeswoman Margaret M. Steeves, vice president of marketing and communications for the Wallingford-based organization, acknowledged that Klewin Construction of Mystic had walked off the jobsite on Clara Drive in a dispute over timely payments and changing orders. She said Masonicare is trying to line up another contractor under the expectation that the project will be completed sometime in 2016, rather than the initial target of late fall this year.
"Overall, we just hadn't met our own expectations regarding timing," Steeves said in a phone interview. "This is unfortunate. This is not how we'd like things to go."
Klewin filed suit last week against Senior Living By Masonicare LLC and the architectural firm Bessolo Design Group, claiming it is owed more than $458,000 for work done from Jan. 1 to March 12, when it walked off the 18-acre site.
The suit alleges that Bessolo and Masonicare had concocted "groundless reasons" to stall payments and that progress on construction was slowed by their failure to provide plans in a timely manner. A hearing over a mechanic's lien placed on the property by Klewin will be held April 6 in New London Superior Court.
Steeves called the dispute an "unfortunate setback" but promised that completing the project is still a priority for Masonicare. The many depositors who are waiting for units to open will be invited to a construction update April 14, she added, when more details are expected.