BLT holds ribbon-cutting for new rental building
STAMFORD -- Building and Land Technology recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with city officials for the completion of its latest residential project, the Beacon, a 240-unit rental tower that overlooks Long Island Sound.
At 21 stories, the building is being marketed as the city's only luxury waterfront highrise. Rents for one-bedroom units start at $2,385 and two-bedroom units start at $4,020.
Among those who attended the ribbon-cutting were Mayor David Martin and Carl Kuehner, the CEO of BLT.
The building marks the ninth residential development to date in Harbor Point, an estimated $3 billion mixed-use project in the South End.
-- Elizabeth Kim
Stamford train station garage was built to fall down
Some time around 1980 the federal government decided that train stations in the Northeast were in dire need of renovation.
The Federal Railroad Administration was given $2 billion to undertake a rail improvement project, and Stamford's decrepit train station, built in 1906, was on the list.
The city, growing significantly at the time, was tagged for a new $50 million "transportation center," complete with an 850-space garage. The federal government supplied 70 percent of the money, the state 20 percent and the city 10 percent.
The Federal Railroad Administration chose the design and architectural contractors and the city oversaw construction.
It began in May 1983.
But that was where the good news ended.
In January 1984, eight months after work started on the first phase of the project -- the four-story garage -- the city's chief building official found cracks in three support beams. He stopped construction.
A company was brought in to X-ray the concrete beams to determine where the steel support rods had been placed. Building code requires eight steel rods for every 13 inches of concrete beam.
The X-ray company found eight steel rods for every 23 inches of beam.
It was determined that workers for the concrete contractor, O&G Industries of Torrington, failed to install the right number of rods and their foremen failed to inspect the beams before the concrete was poured.
O&G fixed the weakened beams by adding a support column that ran from the foundation of the garage to the fourth floor. A federal railroad administrator announced that there were no other problems with the garage.
Ten months later, in November 1984, the city's chief building official, citing design mistakes, stopped work on the entire train station project, which included a pedestrian bridge, two towers and the main concourse above the tracks. The flaws were severe and covered just about everything -- engineering calculations, design, fabrication of materials and construction.
In January 1985 two reviews showed that support beams, roof slabs and other elements were so overstressed that all the structures, except the garage, were in danger of collapse. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Malloy talks transportation to Bridgeport business community
BRIDGEPORT -- Speaking about transportation to local business leaders and government officials Thursday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy reiterated his plan to invest in rail service and what he called a necessary widening of Interstate 95.
The governor started his 20-minute speech with a bit of humor about the upcoming mayoral election in the state's largest city. "There's a little stiffness in the room so I just want to get this out of the way. Everyone who is not running for mayor of Bridgeport raise your hand," joked Malloy, who sat at a table with both Mayor Bill Finch, who is running for re-election, and Mary-Jane Foster, who is mulling taking Finch on again in a repeat of the 2011 race.
Also considering runs for the city's top job are former Mayor Joseph Ganim, who was released from prison in 2010 after serving time for corruption while in office, and former Police Lt. David Daniels. Board of Education member Howard Gardner and Charles Coviello, an East End resident, have already declared their candidacies.
The governor has yet to endorse anyone in the local race, although he attended a fundraiser for Finch recently.
After the short quip, though, Malloy focused his speech on examples of how and where the state's dated transportation system has failed residents across the state.
"We have some reasons to beat ourselves up about it," he said. "In part we're responsible. We have underinvested in our infrastructure in Connecticut for the better part of two generations. That's the reality." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Malloy's $101M plan for biking, hiking and pedestrains
HARTFORD -- Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's 30-year vision to improve the state's transportation system includes an unprecedented level of spending for bike lanes, recreational trails and pedestrian pathways.
Tucked within Malloy's $100 billion wish list for new train stations, wider interstates and revamped train service is $780 million -- including $101 million to be spent during the first five years -- for new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure designed to make communities more livable, walkable and efficient.
The plan, Malloy says, offers alternatives to traditional commuting while fostering economic development by encouraging younger residents to settle in cities with or without a car.
"We need a long-term investment strategy that supports everything we do," Malloy said last week.
Kelly Kennedy, executive director of Bike Walk Connecticut, said the state must become more bike- and pedestrian-friendly if it is to compete with other states.
"While other states are taking major steps to promote active transportation, merely maintaining the status quo put Connecticut behind," Kennedy said.
"Cycling can help manage commuting traffic and avoid costs of road building and maintenance. Biking and walking also makes for vibrant town centers and cities," Kennedy said. Her organization works to make bicycling and walking in Connecticut "safe, feasible and attractive." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Stonnington to vote on $69M school project on Tuesday
Stonington — Voters will go to the polls Tuesday to decide if the town should proceed with the most expensive municipal building project in its history — a $69 million renovation and expansion of Deans Mill and West Vine Streets schools, sister schools that are 48 years old.
The project, which will cost taxpayers $52.3 million after state reimbursement, will result in two new schools that meet code requirements, contain additional classroom space, larger gyms, new art and music rooms and libraries, updated mechanical systems and more efficient heating systems to replace the costly electric heat in both schools. The schools also will meet educational requirements that did not exist when they were built.
The plan also calls for closing 115-year-old West Broad Street School and moving fifth-grade students from the middle schools back to the elementary schools, where school officials say they should be according to research.
“We’ve done an exhaustive amount of work to make sure this is the right project for the town and we hope residents support it. Long-term, we think it will pay off for the town,” said Rob Marseglia, chairman of the K-12 School Building Committee, which worked 18 months to develop the plan.
Over the past two years, the town has had to make emergency repairs to Deans Mill and West Broad Street schools. These include replacing the roof at Deans Mill and repairing collapsed ceiling tiles and a broken sprinkler system at West Broad Street School that closed the library, classrooms and stairwells. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE