SOUTHINGTON — The Town Council on Monday gave the final go-ahead to the extension of the Linear Trail and the building of a new sidewalk.
The council voted unanimously to approve a bid of $268,270 from the Bristol-based Clover Co. to build what Town Manager Garry Brumback calls the “sidewalk from hell,” due to the laborious, four-year process of getting the required state permission. The sidewalk will run north-south between Woodruff Street and Crest Road and will connect to Memorial Park.
“I’m very excited to get this taken care of,” said Town Council Chairman Mike Riccio. “I was in this from the beginning, and to have to jump over so many hurdles for 100 feet of walkway is unbelievable.”
Brumback said the money came from a Department of Transportation grant. He recommended approving the bid so long as all the state Department of Transportation’s requirements were met.
The council also approved a $285,200 bid from BL Companies of Meriden to extend the Linear Trail. The project will be covered by $498,000 in grant money, 80 percent federal, 20 percent state. There will be no cost to taxpayers. Brumback said trail inspections will begin by early July.
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Gravel Street roadwork in Meriden continues
MERIDEN — For those who depend on using Gravel Street, work underway for its complete reconstruction is causing headaches. City and state officials empathize, but say the work is a necessary evil that’s at least on track to be completed by its November deadline.
The project, which calls for replacing aging drainage systems under Gravel Street from East Main Street to Baldwin Avenue as well as repaving the full street, is being paid for by a combination of federal, state, and local funding totaling $8.7 million. It’s expected to be complete by this November, a deadline that Associate City Engineer Howard Weissberg said is on track to be met.
“They are actively moving forward, and hope to be working on the area in front of Maloney (High School) as soon as school lets out,” Weissberg said. “Right now everything is on track.”
Work is being overseen by the state Department of Transportation, specifically by Mohammed Bishtawi, supervising engineer.
Bishtawi said that crews are working from north to south along Gravel, or from Baldwin Avenue to East Main Street.
Living up to its name, much of the road between Baldwin Avenue and about David Drive had been reduced to gravel as of Monday. Bishtawi said that’s where crews have finished replacing drainage pipes and are on the cusp of repaving and adding sidewalks to the section.
“We have to finish all the drainage work first, then repave,” Bishtawi said. “Otherwise you’d have to dig up the road twice.”
Bishtawi said paving that area would begin “very soon,” either later this week or by the start of the next. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
NEW BRITAIN — Doubling down on a controversial position, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Monday announced the new state budget will expand CTfastrak to East Hartford and Manchester.
The busway between New Britain and Hartford has been so successful since it opened in late March that the state will use $6.5 million of bonding to extend it to communities on the other side of the Connecticut River, Malloy said.Municipal leaders in East Hartford and Manchester cheered the announcement at a press conference at New Britain's downtown CTfastrak station.
"I think it will benefit everyone east of the river," Manchester Mayor Jay Moran said. "More people can live, work and play east of the river."
Malloy emphasized that the expansion won't be anything of the magnitude of the roughly $567 million New Britain-to-Hartford busway, but will mostly use existing high-occupancy vehicle lanes on I-84. The state will build stations, additional parking and possibly some additional exit ramps, but won't be doing the massively expensive highway construction required for the New Britain busway. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hartford developers seek subsidy for apartments near ballpark
HARTFORD — Developers looking to transform vacant land north of downtown into apartments, shops, restaurants and a minor league baseball stadium are seeking $15 million from the Capital Region Development Authority to subsidize the first phase of apartments.
A request from Centerplan Cos., a partner in the $350 million development near Main and Trumbull streets, was presented Friday to the CRDA's housing committee. The plans call for a mix of market-rate and income-restricted rentals, with the CRDA funds requested to help finance the "affordable" units.
The Hartford City Council had pushed to have some rentals set aside for low- and moderate-income households. Those apartments carry lower rents.
Yves-Georges A. Joseph II, vice president of development for Centerplan, said Monday that the $15 million isn't a final request and the amount could change as developers and the CRDA further analyze the proposal.
Centerplan and its partner, LeylandAlliance of New York, initially said they had intended not to seek public subsidies. However, the decision to include affordable units with market-rate apartments would create a gap between the cost to develop and the revenue that would be generated. The $15 million would fill that gap. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Glastonbury council to review $1.5M plan to fix park
GLASTONBURY — The town council will review a plan Tuesday to use up to $1.5 million to install riprap along the Connecticut River to protect the town's Riverfront Park boathouse.
Town Manager Richard J. Johnson said he determined the cost through competitive bids from companies that specialize in such work. If the plan is approved by the council, a contractor will begin to install small and medium-size rocks known as riprap in July and August to prevent movement in the riverbank slope the boathouse is built near.
"Each of the respondents are highly experienced marine contractors," Johnson said. "Every effort will be made to complete this work as cost effectively as possible. However, given the challenges of working in the river environment, a project budget to allow for unknowns is recommended."
The council is expected to call a June 23 public hearing on a plan to pay for the project by using money from the town's $25 million general fund.
Johnson said the town attorney is working with legal counsel for insurance carriers representing contractors who worked on the $12 million park project. He said the "continuing goal is to reach a collaborative solution to funding the remediation work" through discussion or litigation. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE