HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — New England's governors agreed Thursday to a mix of regional and state actions to cut persistently high energy costs.
Five of the region's six governors said they will work across the region while each state pursues individual projects. New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan did not attend the Hartford meeting.
"Obviously it involves a little bit of everything," Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said.
Solutions will include renewable energy such as solar and wind power and natural gas, he said.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker also said the governors are considering a range of energy choices to help reduce costs.
"I prefer to think of it as sort of an all-options approach," he said. "But if you're going to pursue an all-options approach on something like this, you need to do it on a collaborative basis, working with those who also rely on the same grid we rely on in Massachusetts."
In one joint effort, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are seeking power purchase agreements for hydropower or other types of renewable energy.
New Hampshire regulators are looking at new energy efficiency standards.
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo has proposed an infrastructure bank to centralize financing for environmentally friendly public works.
Vermont regulators are considering an application for a transmission line that would bring hydropower to transmission points linking power to other areas in New England.
High energy costs in the region are due in part to natural gas pipeline bottlenecks. The region has limited natural gas pipeline systems, which are reaching maximum capacity, said Gordon van Welie, president and chief executive of the region's power grid operator, ISO- CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The city has made its picks for architects for its two major capital projects. Altogether, the design work will likely cost more than $6 million.
The Board of Finance will consider hiring Berlin-based Jacunski Humes Architects for $3.4 million to design a new police headquarters at a special meeting on April 29.
The board will also decide whether to approve a $2,986,120 agreement with local firm Perkins Eastman to design a K-5 Magnet School at 200 Strawberry Hill Ave.
The Board of Finance meets at 6:30 p.m. on April 29 on the fourth floor of Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd.
If they approve the agreements, the Board of Representatives will still need to give the final go-ahead. They are scheduled to take up the matter May 6.
The Board of Finance will consider hiring Berlin-based Jacunski Humes Architects for $3.4 million to design a new police headquarters at a special meeting on April 29.
The board will also decide whether to approve a $2,986,120 agreement with local firm Perkins Eastman to design a K-5 Magnet School at 200 Strawberry Hill Ave.
The Board of Finance meets at 6:30 p.m. on April 29 on the fourth floor of Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd.
If they approve the agreements, the Board of Representatives will still need to give the final go-ahead. They are scheduled to take up the matter May 6.
The project will be presented to the school’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday for approval.
Fabric wrapping the triangular ceiling tiles and a sealant in the roof are starting to degrade, causing problems including peeling and water leaks, according to the request for the funding from Scott Jordan, the school’s chief financial officer and Mun Choi, UConn’s provost.
“As a 25-year-old building, Gampel experiences many of the same age-related maintenance issues over time as you’d see occurring in similar structures,” school spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said.
Engineers have recommended removing the fabric and insulation from the damaged ceiling panels, re-wrapping them in fabric and replacing each on a piece-by-piece basis. They also recommend resealing the roof after installing changes that will allow better access to workers.
The school is already spending $546,000 to replace the lighting system in the 10,000-seat arena with an energy-efficient LED system. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Utility work to begin on Monday in Meriden
MERIDEN — Downtown residents can expect a temporary disruption of natural gas service this spring or summer as crews replace gas mains.
Mitch Gross, spokesman for Eversource Energy, said work to replace roughly 8,000 feet of mains should begin next week and continue through summer.
Downtown residents may have noticed an influx of painted lines and markers on the streets. New plastic pipes will replace aging cast iron pipes, Gross said, and should “improve reliability of the gas system.”
“A lot of construction these days is going plastic,” he said.
An announcement on the city’s website details a timeline for the work, which is expected to start in some places on Monday. The announcement mentions work beginning in some places on April 20, but Gross said that city permits were being finalized this week, so those start dates have been pushed back a week.
Crews will work Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.. The affected streets will remain open during the process, but excavation may limit traffic to one lane temporarily.
Gross said residents will be contacted by Eversource when work will disrupt natural gas service, which is expected to last a few hours. Electricity will not be interrupted. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
DHG acquired the 182-room hotel in the spring of 2014 and immediately began planning renovations of the rooms, public areas, the bar and restaurant, bathrooms and the pool and fitness areas as well as upgrades of the exterior landscaping and lighting. CBT Architects of Boston is in charge of the redesign, while the C.E. Floyd Co., a Connecticut-based general contractor, is spearheading construction.
“The design concept is heavily influenced by the architectural underpinnings of (Mystic) Seaport,” Lou Carrier, president of DHG, said in a statement.. “You can’t be in the heart of true Mystic and not give credence to the history, culture, and soul of the Seaport area. … We’re committed to presenting a fresh, first-class hotel with contemporary flair and genuine nod to our historic and vibrant neighborhood.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
First steps of Ledyard's school renovation project now in motion
Ledyard — The Town Council on Wednesday night set in motion the first of many steps in the school renovation project, which was approved by voters in January.
By a vote of 8-0, with Councilor John Marshall absent, the council voted to issue $2.5 million in bond anticipation notes — or short-term, up-front funds that will be reimbursed later — to help the Permanent Municipal Building Committee select a construction architect, prepare construction documents and perform necessary tests at the sites.
"We're so thrilled the Town Council's agreed to front this money so that once the (state) legislature releases the funds, we can start building right away," said Board of Education and committee member Rebecca Graebner at the board's Wednesday night meeting.
The $65.8 million project, which will renovate as new Gallup Hill Elementary School and Ledyard Middle School as well as demolish Ledyard Center School, will be funded largely by the state. Only about $24 million will fall directly to taxpayers. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bradley International seen as possible casino site
Why not put a casino at Bradley International Airport?
That suggestion has fresh currency among legislators grappling with the bill that would allow the casino-owning Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to operate up to three “satellite” facilities in strategic locations around the state, chiefly along the Interstate 91 corridor north of Hartford.
“I think it would be a great site,” Sen. Tim Larson, the East Hartford Democrat who co-chairs the legislature’s Public Safety and Security Committee, said Thursday. “As much as we’re looking for international business out at Bradley — they’re doing some remodeling there … they have an isolated area that’s a natural traffic-generator — it would be suitable … Of course, it would be up to the people who run the airport and the people of Windsor Locks (where Bradley’s located).”
An airport casino would target a resort under construction in Springfield, Mass., the first of several out-of-state competitors expected to imperil jobs and revenues at the Connecticut gaming facilities.
Larson noted that the Mohegans, who own Mohegan Sun, announced this week that they’re pursuing a plan to develop a resort casino at Incheon International Airport in South Korea. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Casino development eyed for vacant East Hartford movie theatre
An East Hartford development team has a plan for a $138 million casino at the vacant Showcase Cinemas along I-84 near Rentschler Field that it is pitching to the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes.
The proposed casino would include 1,000 to 2,000 seats at slots or table games; two restaurants that the Mohegan tribe has franchise rights to, Smashburger and Arooga's Grille House and Sports Bar; fast-food restaurants; a German beer hall and Bavarian beer garden; two bars; a dance club; and 950 parking spaces for customers. The plan does not include retail shops. The developers were assembled by Anthony W. Ravosa Jr. of Glastonbury, who, in the early 1990s, was a member of the Springfield City Council, where MGM Resorts International is building an $800 million casino that is expected to draw customers away from Connecticut's Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Ansonia gets $400k grant to extend Riverwalk Park
ANSONIA >> Mayor David Cassetti announced Thursday that the city has secured $400,000 in funding to extend the popular Ansonia Riverwalk on Division Street.
The money is coming from the Federal Highway Administration, which will provide 80 percent, or $320,000, of the grant funding, while the city kicks in a local share of 20 percent, or $80,000.
Cassetti said the project, dubbed Segment 8 of the Riverwalk, will include construction of an additional 500 feet of paved multi-use trail atop the western flood control dike. It will also include construction of a 130-foot pedestrian bridge over the Metro-North railroad.
Up to this point, the city did not have sufficient funds to complete this segment of the riverwalk. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New England governors inch forward on energy
With the careful language of a State Department communiqué, New England’s governors renewed their commitment Thursday to “coordinated action to address our regional energy challenge.”
Exactly what that means will continue to evolve as the region's four Democratic and two Republican governors, two of whom are just three months into the job, work on finding common ground for themselves and their states.
Five of the region’s six governor’s met at the Connecticut Convention Center in downtown Hartford to talk about how to work together on increasing energy infrastructure in the most expensive region for purchasing electricity.
No concrete progress was made toward a goal of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy: Devising a way for state governments to prod the marketplace into increasing the capacity of natural gas pipelines into the region.
New England paid an estimated $7.5 billion over the past two winters in higher costs for natural gas, a mainstay fuel for the generation of electricity in the region, as well as home heating. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE