Soundkeeper opposes Stamford boatyard developer on cease-and-desist case
STAMFORD -- As Harbor Point developer Building and Land Technology seeks legal closure on its controversial demolition of a South End boatyard, one environmental organization is urging a Superior Court judge in Hartford to move forward with a ruling on the city's long-running cease-and-desist case against the company.
Soundkeeper, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting Long Island Sound, last week filed an affidavit opposing BLT's request to postpone the hearing, which is currently scheduled for April 27.
"This is a textbook case of `justice delayed is justice denied,'" argued Soundkeeper, in the affidavit.
John Freeman, an attorney for BLT, did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
In 2012, the city's Zoning Board authorized a cease-and-desist order against BLT after the developer dismantled a working boatyard from a 14-acre peninsula that is part of its Harbor Point development. Among other regulations, the city cited the Harbor Point general development plan, which requires the developer to maintain the boatyard.
BLT went on to appeal the cease-and-desist, but a court hearing on the case has been delayed after several postponement requests by the developer. The Stamford-based company, which is led by CEO Carl Kuehner, has offered the city a plan to build a new boatyard in hopes of resolving the legal dispute and enabling redevelopment of the former boatyard site. Both parties have agreed to delay a court hearing as long as possible.
In its legal filings, Soundkeeper has maintained that the former boatyard site is legally protected under both local zoning and Connecticut law, which gives priority to water-dependent uses to encourage recreational boating. It has also argued that the current plans submitted by BLT to replace the boatyard have little likelihood of winning approval. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Work restarts on Stamford's Urban Transitway
STAMFORD -- After a winter hiatus, construction resumed Monday on the second phase of the Urban Transitway, a $52 million transportation project that will build a four-lane roadway on Myrtle Avenue between Elm Street and East Main Street.
The Urban Transitway, which broke ground in 2007, was designed to provide a more direct route between the downtown train station and the East Side.
The $65 million first phase was completed in 2010, after several delays and cost overruns.
During the latest phase of construction, there will be no parking on East Main Street between Myrtle Avenue and Lincoln and Lockwood avenues.
The city is planning for minimal traffic disruption. According to Ann Brown, a project manager for the city, no roads are expected to be closed as a result of the project.
She said workers will try to keep one lane of traffic open in each direction at all times.
"Any construction causes concern," she said. "But we are trying our best to accommodate people."
Work along East Main Street is targeted for completion by this fall, she said.
-- Elizabeth Kim
DOT to widen I-84 ramps, Route 37 in Danbury
DANBURY -- A transportation improvement project beginning this week is expected to cause periodic delays during rebuilding of heavily congested interchanges along Interstate 84 in Danbury.
The state Department of Transportation will reconstruct the interchanges at exits 5 and 6 and widen an often-bottlenecked stretch of Route 37 known as North Street south of the highway and Padanaram Road north of it.
Bruce Tuomala, director of economic development for Danbury, said the improvements are "fundamentally important" for safety as well as access to area businesses and Danbury Hospital.
"They will improve traffic flow and safety," he said.
The $15 million project is scheduled to be completed in summer 2017, said DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick. Until then, drivers should expect to encounter delays during lane closures and narrowed lanes around the work area during the day and overnight.
Congestion on North Street also causes backups along I-84 westbound because drivers leaving the highway at Exit 6 have to wait for traffic to clear before they can turn right.
"If you want to turn right, you have to go across to go to the left," Tuomala said.
Another busy intersection is at Second Avenue and North Street, where drivers trying to head north on Route 37 get jammed by a line of drivers making their way onto the ramp to I-84.
The area has a high frequency of accidents, Tuomala said, so the project is very much needed.
"Safety is a top priority for the city," he said.
The state awarded the bid in January to New Haven-based C.J. Fucci Construction Company.
The project includes upgrading or adding traffic signals at the North Street intersections from Balmforth Avenue to the North Street Shopping Center. In addition, a new storm drainage system will be installed on Second Avenue. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Lyme Consolidated School roof to be replaced
The Lyme-Old Lyme Board of Education voted Monday to approve a $695,000 contract for the construction of a new roof at the Lyme Consolidated School, a project part of the school district's five-year facilities capital improvement plan.
Construction to replace the elementary school's slate roof will begin the week after school ends in June and occur over the summer. Replacement of the building's cupola with a fiberglass replica may be completed past the summer, said John Rhodes, the district's director of facilities and technology.
The project will encompass placing commercial-grade asphalt shingles on the steep slope of the roof, said Rhodes. A PVC-covering will be placed on the flat roof, he said.
Rhodes told the board that the slate used on the roof was the best technology available at the time of the roof's construction, but materials used today on roofs are more water-resistant and durable.
The Facilities Committee had recommended the board award the construction contract to A. Secondino & Son, Inc. of Branford, which Rhodes said was qualified and the lowest bidder. The budgeted amount for the construction project was $785,000, so the construction component is $90,000 under that.
The school board voted in January to approve a total of $961,023 for the entire project, including architectural fees, according to meeting minutes.
- Kimberly Drelich
I-84 Viaduct Replacement Overdue
HARTFORD — Rebuilding the elevated stretch of I-84 through the city is one of the most important jobs on Connecticut's list of overdue transportation projects, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Monday.
The state is spending in the range of $10 million a year just on short-term patches to keep the half-century-old viaduct in service, and those costs will only get worse in the future, Malloy said. "Connecticut has a history of under-investment in transportation infrastructure in the last 40 years that it has to deal with," Malloy told reporters at a press conference in a parking lot beneath the highway. "You can deal with it by waiting for it to fall down, I suppose, but I don't think that's the best way."
Malloy is trying to build support for his $100 billion, 30-year renewal proposal for the state's entire transportation network. It includes $5.3 billion to replace the deteriorating viaduct, which was built in the mid-60s and now carries three times as much traffic as it was designed for.
The state transportation department's latest timetable shows planning work through October of 2018 and formal design and engineering lasting until December 2021. That would be followed by roughly seven years of actual construction, although that would vary by exactly what the state chooses to build in place of the viaduct. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New Casinos will cost Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods $703M annually
Connecticut's two casinos stand to lose $703 million a year, and annual state slot revenues could drop by $100 million, once four new casinos are up and running in New York and Massachusetts in 2019, a new report says.
The out-of-state competition would "cannibalize" some of Connecticut casinos' customer base, the report said, eating into revenue from gambling, entertainment, restaurants and other lines of business.
The report, released Monday, was financed by the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes, which own Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino, respectively. The tribes are asking legislators to approve a bill that would allow them to jointly own and operate as many as three new casinos to help blunt the impact of increasing competition.
The tribes' top priority is putting a casino along I-91 north of Hartford to compete with a new $800 million MGM Resorts International casino scheduled to open in fall 2017 in downtown Springfield.
The report's author, Clyde Barrow, estimated that $253.2 million of the potentially cannibalized revenue would be spent by Connecticut residents who live in the north and western parts of the state, and they would probably go to MGM Springfield instead of Connecticut's existing two casinos.
"This is certainly money that is in play, that is available to be captured or recaptured by a potential satellite facility," Barrow said during a media conference Monday afternoon. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Winchester town manager, board of selectman discuss plan for repair of town roads
WINSTED >> Town Manager Dale Martin, Department of Public Works Director James Rollins and the Winsted Board of Selectmen discussed the current plan for upkeep of town roads last Thursday evening, in the midst of Martin’s budget proposal for the coming year. “There’s a proposed appropriation of approximately $200,000 for chip sealing, crack sealing, and small sections of paving as needed,” said Martin. “For now, (the plan) is just kind of holding our own.”
There is also another small store of funds—- approximately $19,000 — left over from previous years, which will be used to aid in the effort to maintain roads. The majority of the work in the coming months will be tied to ongoing construction projects, including the state-funded repair of Holabird Bridge. Other repairs will done based on need. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE