HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed a bill into law that creates a multi-step process for possibly opening a new tribal casino along the Connecticut border.
Malloy's office announced Monday he signed a bill allowing the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to issue a request for proposals, or RFP, from municipalities interested in hosting one satellite casino to compete with the planned MGM Resorts casino in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Tribal officials have said they would like to locate the facility along the Interstate 91 corridor in north central Connecticut.
The tribes' RFP will be posted on the Department of Consumer of Protection's website for interested communities to review. The tribes own and operate Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resorts Casino and say a jointly run facility will help protect those jobs.
Superintendent of Schools David Erwin said that as a result of the flurry of construction, the access to the school’s grounds is being deemed off limits. He said that includes athletic facilities located behind BHS.
The restriction went into effect today.The work being done at Berlin High School consists of removal of light fixtures and a large percentage of the curbs in the parking lots. That work will be followed by excavating, trenching and installing new parking lot lighting, curbs and an island. Milling and paving will then take place.
Construction crews will also be hard at work on the inside of the building. Erwin said the last third of the school will be abated over most the summer along with selective demolition to facilitate the renovation of the final portion of the school.
“Due to the extensive site work and interior work, the summer administrative and guidance staff personnel will be working at McGee School for most of the summer,” the superintendent added. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
UTC breaks ground on new center
EAST HARTFORD — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy joined officials from United Technologies Research Center on Monday to break ground on a new research facility.
The new building will create more than 100,000 square feet of lab and office space for its campus in East Hartford.
"The investment will transform the UTRC campus into the research center of tomorrow and will provide the resources and foundation for all the innovation that this team will develop," said UTRC Vice President, Research and Director David Parekh. "The investments we are making will ensure continued expansion of our research capabilities as we power the future of UTC."
The work is part of a $50 million investment from United Technologies Corp., parent company of United Technologies Research Center. The company has already started transitioning employees so it can begin demolition work on the old facility. Heavy construction is scheduled to begin later this summer, and completion is expected by 2017. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Newington committee wants guidance on town hall project
NEWINGTON —The town hall building committee will meet July 15 with the town council to clarify how much council members want to spend on the project.
A majority of building committee members appears to have coalesced around a proposal to tear down the existing town hall and community center and erect a $35- to $37 million structure. That's significantly more than the $30 million cost the council has suggested, but never formally set, building committee Chairman Alan Bongiovanni said.
"Before we make a final recommendation, tell us what the ballpark is so we aren't spinning our wheels," Bongiovanni said. "We need some guidance."
Mayor Stephen Woods said that the town would schedule one and perhaps two public hearings as soon as possible after the July 15 meeting, Woods said. Ultimately, residents, who must approve the project at referendum, need to decide what they want, Woods said. He urged them to attend any hearings scheduled and express their opinions.
"I'll do what it takes to get input from the public," he said. "This is not my town hall. This is not my community center. It's theirs. I want it to be right for them."CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Report says Waterbury over capacity and must build more schools
WATERBURY — Tinker Elementary School is one of the more in-demand schools in Waterbury. Located in the relatively upscale Town Plot neighborhood, its test scores trend much higher than district averages.
Principal Darlene Cofrancesco said she frequently fields calls from parents interested in buying or renting a home, but wanting to know if their children would be eligible for Tinker before committing. But space inside Tinker is so tight that Cofrancesco can't even guarantee current students a seat next year. Cofrancesco has devised a complicated chain-reaction shuffle of a kindergarten; computer room, art and music teachers and a parent liaison in order to shoehorn in that additional class. Without the maneuver, Tinker would have to bus out 18 of its fifth-grade students next year.
"I would rather keep them here," Cofrancesco said. "Some of them have been with us since kindergarten. It's hard to go about transferring someone you've had since kindergarten."
Almost all of the city's elementary and middle schools are filled beyond their capacity, as defined by modern educational space expectations, according to the first findings of a $152,000 school facilities study commissioned by the city. Some are worse off than others.
The 90-year-old Tinker Elementary hosted 572 students last school year, putting it at 123 percent of capacity, according to calculations in a study by Cheshire-based Milone & MacBroom. Eighteen of 21 district elementary and middle schools are overcrowded, according to the report. Tinker is the second most so, right behind Regan Elementary, according to the report.
Milone & MacBroom won a contract to analyze the district's current and future space needs, and its ability to meet them with available resources. Milone & MacBroom missed its May 1 deadline to deliver a report, but Mayor Neil O'Leary said he's to blame, having asked the firm to consider potential parochial school assets that might be turned to city use.
Last Monday, members of the Board of Education were emailed a PowerPoint presentation filled with data tables and summaries of findings. Study architects promise a more detailed report, including cost estimates for suggested construction, in August. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE