Construction has started at the Security Building, at 1115 Main St., the latest project in Bridgeport’s Downtown North neighborhood aimed at bringing an abandoned building back into productive use, city officials said this week.
As with other projects in the area, the first floor is being converted into commercial and retail space, while the remaining floors will be converted into residential units.
The Downtown North development dates to the late 1990s, when six blocks were taken by the city to construct a new courthouse complex. Instead, the Fairfield County courthouse down the street was rehabbed, and a redevelopment effort for the Downtown North buildings began.
That effort languished for years, taking a serious hit in the housing market collapse of 2007. It was revived in recent years and split into several projects under different developers. Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, based in Norwalk, is handling the Security Building.
The current project is based on an eight-story building constructed in 1904 by the Security Building Co. Spinnaker is also working on two adjacent structures, at 1103 and 1135 Main St. Together, they will be redeveloped into a 66 artist lofts and ground level retail/commercial space. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
City seeks grant to change traffic pattern
MERIDEN — On Thursday, the city applied for a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grant to help fund road and infrastructure improvements downtown that include restoring two-way traffic to major roads. Here’s what you need to know about the grant and the projects it would fund:
1. What’s a TIGER grant?
The grant is administered through the U.S. Department of Transportation and funding is awarded to projects that “will have a significant impact on the nation, a region, or metropolitan area,” according to information available on the DOT website. In this the 7th round of national funding, $500 million is available for transportation projects that “generate economic development and improve access to reliable, safe, and affordable transportation.”
The total cost of the work included in Meriden’s application is $16,790,400; most of which would come from federal funds awarded by the grant. The breakdown includes $10,074,240 in federal TIGER grant money, with a $6,716,160 non-federal funding match.
City Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski said there’s some leeway on where those non-federal funding can come from, and some would be in the form of already awarded state grants that the city hasn’t spent yet. About $4 million, however, would need to be “new money,” she said, that might include additional city capital improvement funds, or other state funds.
The grants would be awarded in early October, Burdelski said, and Meriden is up against some stiff competition. This isn’t the first time the city has applied for this funding.
“It’s a really competitive, nationwide grant, and it’s very difficult to get,” Burdelski said, adding that she’s confident “we have a very competitive application.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
declared complete in terms of its contract, the dam at Hewitt Farm — and the bridge that goes over it — has yet to opened to traffic.
The $455,000 dam project, First Selectman Nick Mullane said, still needs railings for safety and a wing wall to prevent future erosion — items that weren't included in the original contract with Mattern Construction Inc. Both were unforeseen results of the larger than originally planned 45-foot spillway that replaced two smaller ones, he said.At an April 28 Board of Selectmen meeting, Mullane encouraged sticking with Mattern Construction to finish the wing wall, which the company said it could do for $11,300. At the time, Mullane said the project was under budget by about $50,000.
Just weeks later, Mullane changed his mind. The last couple of invoices the construction company sent to Town Hall, Mullane said Tuesday, were much higher than the town expected.
He said the wing wall likely could be completed at or under $5,000 using a combination of on-site stones and town employees with only a mason contracted out.
If given approval, Mullane said, he could have the wing wall and railings finished in two weeks. But Testa said the town might have no choice but to go out to bid for a project that may cost more than $5,000, and no action was taken Tuesday night. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Park visitors to take bridge not tunnel
WATERBURY — Eventually, pedestrians will be able to access Hamilton Park from Hamilton Avenue without having to trudge through the woods to find a remote tunnel under Interstate 84.
As part of the I-84 widening project, which will add a third lane in each direction from Washington Street to Pierpont Road, contractors are building concrete footings for a bridge over the Mad River.
Currently, pedestrians can use a decrepit footbridge to cross the Mad River — if they can find it in the woods behind East Mountain Village condos — to access a tunnel under I-84 leading to Hamilton Park.
During the I-84 construction project, the tunnel will be filled and abandoned, said Project Engineer Christopher Zukowski, of the state Department of Transportation. A new, wider bridge carrying I-84 over the Mad River will be constructed.
Under the bridge, pedestrians will be able to follow a path that runs along the river's edge. From there, they can enter Hamilton Park.
A paved path leading to the pedestrian bridge will be accessible from Hamilton Avenue.
The bridge is being constructed early in the five-year project, which began in May.
However, it will not be open to the public until the project is complete because of the "massive amount of construction in the area for the foreseeable future," Zukowski said.
As part of the I-84 widening project, which will add a third lane in each direction from Washington Street to Pierpont Road, contractors are building concrete footings for a bridge over the Mad River.
Currently, pedestrians can use a decrepit footbridge to cross the Mad River — if they can find it in the woods behind East Mountain Village condos — to access a tunnel under I-84 leading to Hamilton Park.
During the I-84 construction project, the tunnel will be filled and abandoned, said Project Engineer Christopher Zukowski, of the state Department of Transportation. A new, wider bridge carrying I-84 over the Mad River will be constructed.
Under the bridge, pedestrians will be able to follow a path that runs along the river's edge. From there, they can enter Hamilton Park.
A paved path leading to the pedestrian bridge will be accessible from Hamilton Avenue.
The bridge is being constructed early in the five-year project, which began in May.
However, it will not be open to the public until the project is complete because of the "massive amount of construction in the area for the foreseeable future," Zukowski said.