Senior housing community coming to Newington
NEWINGTON — Newington’s plan and zoning commission recently sanctioned a senior living community to be built on the corner of Russell Road and East Cedar Street, and it is expected to have wide-ranging benefits.
Newington Economic Development Director Andy Brecher estimated the property will generate $1.7 million in annual tax revenue to the town once fully constructed. That would likely make it the town’s largest taxpayer.
“It is potentially a much needed shot in the arm,” he said. “It will be an impressive building at the northern gateway of our community, it will provide job opportunities for up to 400 people and it will also provide an option for many of our residents to be able to continue to live in Newington as they age.”
Amara Community Living Development, LLC, expects to break ground late this summer on the 260-unit facility. As a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), it will accommodate both assisted and independent living, memory-care support, hospice and skilled nursing.
An adult day care program will serve an additional 30 clients, and the campus will feature restaurants, shops, walking trails, a pool, fitness and recreation centers, on-site physicians and more.
Company officials say they would like to eventually offer some of these services to town residents, including the pool, spa and possibly an outdoor amphitheater. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CNG begins 10-mile expansion in East Hampton
Connecticut Natural Gas is undertaking its first main expansion project in more than a decade, bringing service to this Middlesex County community later this year.
The 10-mile extension of gas main will allow the town and one of its major businesses — American Distilling — to reduce their energy costs. The extension project started in mid-April in Portland, but Connecticut Natural Gas just recently began its extension work in East Hampton, said Ed Crowder, a spokesman for utility company’s corporate parent, UIL Holdings.
Construction should be finished in the summer and gas should be turned on for East Hampton customers in time for the fall heating season,” Crowder said. Town officials and the utility will hold a ground-breaking ceremony for the project on Thursday.
The expansion of CNG’s distribution network into East Hampton is the result of Gov. Dannel Malloy’s Comprehensive Energy Strategy, which included plans to expand 900 miles of natural gas lines to 280,000 customers over the next 10 years. The expansion project is now in its second year, having been approved by state utility regulators in November 2013. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Senate OK's casino bill
HARTFORD — The Senate voted narrowly late Wednesday to start the process of authorizing a third casino in Connecticut, although proceeding on a cautious path that would buy the state more time to sort out complicated legal issues.
The Senate passed the revised bill, 20-16. It would allow towns to submit proposals for a casino that would be jointly operated by two Indian tribes in southeastern Connecticut. But building the casino would require another vote by the legislature, possibly in the next legislative session next year.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Attorneys for the tribes don't share the same concerns as Jepsen, but legislative leaders say they are listening to Jepsen because he represents the state's interests.
Jepsen's main concerns are that allowing a casino to be built on non-tribal land could raise the risk of violating the state's compacts with the tribes and jeopardizing the slot machine money that has poured into the state's coffers from a revenue-sharing deal with the tribes.
A second concern is if the Pequots and Mohegans are allowed to build another casino off tribal land, what would happen if more Connecticut tribes are given federal recognition? CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Middletown to seek more money for pump station construction
MIDDLETOWN — City officials said they will need to ask voters to approve additional funding to build the pump station that will link the city with the Mattabassett District for sewage treatment.
In March, the city received only one bid for the construction of the pump station. That bid, for $28.9 million, was about $5 million above the budget for the project.
Mayor Daniel Drew said Wednesday that the city would seek new bids, but that the common council will need to ask voters to approve additional funding in a referendum question in November. Drew said it is not clear yet how much more funding will be needed. He said the city's goal is to seek new bids later this year or in early 2016.
Voters approved $37 million in 2012 for the pump station and a pipeline to the Mattabassett facility in Cromwell, and the common council approved another $3 million in 2014 after the water and sewer department said initial engineering estimates for the pump station component were inadequate.
The station will be built on East Main Street at the site of the fire training center.
Officials said they have been looking into the factors that may have led to only one firm bidding on the job. Drew said in March that a few larger projects in the state were also out for bid at the same time which may have been a higher priority for contractors. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Roads added improvement project in Vernon
The Vernon Town Council voted to add more roads to its maintenance schedule for this summer's construction season, as the overall project is running under budget.
Bamforth Road, Cemetery Road and the lower section of Hatch Hill Road will also be resurfaced, along with the 52 scheduled roads in the bond package for this year. Sixteen roads, Public Works Director Robert Kleinhans said, have already been done this year.
The improvements on Hatch Hill Road were deferred from a prior public improvement project until the completion of sewer work, which is now complete.
Officials said that Bamforth and Cemetery Roads had deteriorated more rapidly than expected, necessitating their being moved up on the improvement matrix.
The combined cost of all three roads is $607,252, but savings from the overall road improvements in town will more than cover the cost.
Councilman Michael Winkler asked if adding the roads would detract from improvement of other roads, and if the progress of the bond package indicates that it would still finish on time. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Crowd turns out to slam proposed Tweed runway expansion
NEW HAVEN >> Tweed New Haven Regional Airport officials looking to build community support to pave runway safety areas to extend the usable length of Tweed’s main runway for takeoffs got an earful from wound-up East Shore and East Haven residents Wednesday night.
In the first community meeting on the renewed push by Mayor Toni Harp and the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority to move the airport forward by providing 6,100 feet of usable runway, officials heard familiar complaints about noise and fumes and planes flying low overhead.
But they also heard repeated complaints that residents, after hearing Tweed officials just a few years ago — when Tweed was trying to put in the safety areas — pledge that the airport would never pave the grassy safety areas, and don’t feel they can trust Tweed now.
Well over 100 people crammed into the old terminal at Tweed, at one point filling most of its available space, including a staircase overlooking the action. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE