Kennedy Flats construction in full swing
DANBURY -- Developers and local officials recently celebrated the start of construction on Kennedy Flats, a $80 million housing project on Main Street hailed as the cornerstone of downtown redevelopment.
"The idea is to have more market-rate housing on Main Street with tenants who have disposable income that they can spend downtown," said Mayor Mark Boughton. "If we have the people living here, they will demand services."
While officials held the celebration Friday, construction on the project began earlier this spring. Several foundations have already been poured and a large, concrete elevator shaft and wooden framing is coming together for the first of five buildings planned.
Dan Lee, a project manager with Greystar, the national development company behind the apartment complex, said the first units may be available in January. The project calls for 374 units on the nearly 10-acre site, including a mix of studios, one- and two- bedroom apartments and three-bedroom town homes. Rentals will range from $1,500 to $3,000.
"Our construction sequencing will enable us to deliver apartments to the market during the course of construction," he said.
Lee said the entire project, which is being constructed in one phase, should be completed by the end of next year.
Boughton said the property once served as the city's first shopping mall before becoming the headquarters of Amphenol RF, a parts manufacturer that left the site around 2006. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CT Bond Commission approves $337.8M
The state Bond Commission approved another $337.8 million in general obligation bonds Monday.
That means the state has bonded $1.38 billion since January. Some of the largest items on Monday’s agenda included $15 million to help school districts across that state construct the space to house their preschool programs. There’s another $36 million released for improvements to Sandy Hook Elementary School and $131.5 million to finish construction of a technology park at the University of Connecticut. An estimated $2.75 million in funding for Waterbury Hospital for the acquisition of medical and diagnostic equipment was withdrawn because the hospital is in negotiations with a private company looking to acquire the nonprofit hospital. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told the three credit rating agencies in February that he’s increasing the amount of annual borrowing the state plans to do this calendar year to $2.5 billion, but he told Republican lawmakers Monday that he anticipates staying under that amount. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Missing rebar could defer East Hampton high renovations
EAST HAMPTON >> A problem has arisen that could, potentially, cause a delay of weeks in the renovation of the high school. Rebar, the steel used to reinforce concrete, is missing in portions of a load-bearing wall in the new gymnasium that is under construction.
What’s more, an independent laboratory hired by the town has certified the rebar was present, the School Building Committee has been told. The issue surfaced during last week’s regular meeting of the building committee as part of the construction manager’s report.
The manager, Charles E. “Chuck” Warrington, told the committee members, “There has been a delay installing the wall.” “When we went to lay out the masonry, the masons discovered a couple of sizes were wrong and couple of more bars were missing,” Warrington said.
“We went back and, looking at previous reports from the testing lab, they said it was fine. Well, it’s not fine,” Warrington said.
In response to questions from committee member Roy Gauthier, Warrington said, “It’s affecting.”
“We should have a good 10 to 12 levels of (concrete) block up in the air, and it’s not,” Warrington said. “These are (load) bearing walls; this would have been significant,” if the wall had been built before the problem was discovered. “Our engineers will work with the engineers so that this wall meets code,” said Glenn Gollenberg, the project architect. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
$28k fine for Wethersfield construction firm
A Wethersfield construction firm must pay $28,000 in employee back wages, under a sentencing agreement, labor officials announced.
Capital Construction Services owner Alan Klavins also received a two-year suspended sentence and five years of probation.
The state Department of Labor issued an arrest warrant for Klavins in June 2014 — six months after he was ordered to pay more than $20,000 in wages to seven employees, but he did not do so.
Klavins now owes the workers $28,295 by the end of May, DOL said.
$131.5M for UConn tech park
The state Bond Commission on Monday voted to approve $131.5 million to construct the first building in UConn's technology park.
The Innovation Partnership Building, slated for the flagship Storrs campus, will offer specialized equipment and shared laboratory space for UConn researchers, industry scientists and businesses.
The borrowing approved Monday morning brings the total amount of state and federal funding for the tech park to $183.5 million, according to a commission document.
The UConn money was the biggest single item authorized by the commission, which approved nearly $338 million in general obligation bonds.
Other notable borrowings included:
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Construction jobs fueled April employment gain
WASHINGTON (AP) - Construction and manufacturing - two bedrock sectors of the American economy - landed on opposite ends of April's jobs report.
Construction companies added 45,000 jobs during the month, bringing their year-to-date total to 108,000. Most of April's gains came from the ``specialty trade contractors' subsector, which includes carpenters, electricians, plumbers and painters.
By contrast, manufacturing job growth remained basically flat, reflecting the beating the industry is taking from the rise in the value of the dollar. A strong dollar makes U.S. exports less competitive in overseas markets because they become more expensive. It also makes imports cheaper for U.S. consumers.
Manufacturers added just 1,000 jobs in March and April combined.
Overall, U.S. employers added 223,000 jobs in April. The unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent, the lowest level since May 2008.