STAMFORD — Work remained stopped at three district schools Tuesday, after city building inspectors cited AFB Construction Management for failing to obtain permits for the projects.
The stop-work orders, posted at Stamford High School, Springdale Elementary School and Scofield Magnet Middle School, came fewer than two weeks before classes begin on Aug 31.
It was unclear late Tuesday afternoon when work would be allowed to resume.
“They are not to proceed until they get the proper permits,” city electrical inspector Robert Boender said. “I haven’t gotten to the rest of the schools yet.”
Boender said AFB, headed by president and CEO Al Barbarotta, had failed to obtain the required electrical and building permits for work at the three schools.
Mayor Stewart failed to ensure local jobs for Costco
NEW BRITAIN — Democratic mayoral candidate John McNamara is criticizing Mayor Erin Stewart for allegedly failing to ensure local jobs have been protected and that fair labor practices were followed during construction of the soon-to-open Costco at 405 Hartford Road.
Contrary to assurances from Costco representatives before the project went forward, the company didn’t make a point to hire Connecticut laborers to build the store, which is expected to open Oct. 15, McNamara said.
“New Britain taxpayers were told Costco would create jobs for Connecticut workers, but here we are, deep into the construction phase, and the parking lots are full of cars with out-of-state plates,” he said. “Jobs for local people have lost in the process.”
David A. Roche, president of the Connecticut State Building and Construction Trades Council, said that he saw crew members on the project arrive in cars with license plates from Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and even North Carolina. Out-of-state workers aren’t putting much of their earnings back into the local economy, he added.
“The money leaves New Britain,” he said. “They’re not spending it in Connecticut.”
McNamara said he is particularly concerned about alleged out-of-state hiring since the city gave Costco a seven-year, $2.1 million tax abatement as part of the deal. The state bond commission also provided $850,000 for the project.
“If you’re gonna give away state money to them, I would like to at least see a requirement that they have to hire local people,” Roche added.
John J. Healey, Stewart’s chief of staff, dismissed McNamara’s complaints and said it was “unsurprising that McNamara would deliberately try to mislead our residents.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Eversource Energy modifies Northern Pass plans in New Hampshire\
Officials with Hartford-based Eversource Energy said Tuesday that plans for the Northern Pass transmission line project in New Hampshire are being altered in a bid to gain approval for the plan.
Bill Quinlan, president of Eversource’s operations in New Hampshire, said the company’s latest plans call for burying more of the transmission cable than the eight miles it originally had proposed and running it under public roads in environmentally sensitive areas such as the White Mountain National Forest. Burying an additional 52 miles of transmission line will eliminate the need for more than 400 transmission towers, Quinlan said.
But burying more of the transmission line reduces the capacity of the project from 1,200 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts, said Martin Murray, an Eversource spokesman. That is a 20 percent reduction in the capacity of the project, Murray said.
“The plan we are announcing today represents a balanced solution, providing unique and significant benefits for New Hampshire, while helping the entire region address the acute need for new, clean energy resources,” Quinlan said during a press conference in Pittsfield, New Hampshire. “It’s not a question of whether we import hydro power from Canada. It’s a question of when and how.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Commuters mixed on new Wallingford train station parking options
WALLINGFORD — On a warm Tuesday morning, six people waited at the downtown train station to board an Amtrak train heading to New York City. Some commuters parked their cars at the parking lot next to the station, while others were dropped off or walked.
Parking at the train station lot next to Brothers Restaurant, 33 N. Cherry St., is free for commuters. At 6:40 a.m., eight cars were in the lot. One or two more cars appeared as it got closer to 7 a.m. Some cars parked in the lot belonged to employees of the Board of Education central office, which is in the Hall-Elton building at 43 Hall Ave.
Commuters expressed mixed opinions about construction of the new rail station down the road and whether commuters would pay to park or park on side streets for free.
The station will be built in the vicinity of North Colony, Parker and North Cherry streets. The project includes elevated platforms, an overhead pedestrian bridge and a 221-space parking lot. Construction is expected to be finished next year.
The state will be charging motorists to park in the lots next to the rail station, according to Kevin Nursick, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. Town officials are also discussing options to deter on-street parking.
“The particulars of the fee structure will be worked out as we approach the in-service date,” Nursick said in an email to the Record-Journal. “Our intention is to keep the fees reasonable, so that the convenience of parking near the platform — in a lot that is maintained, well lit, and will offer a roving security patrol — outweighs the incentive to park on adjoining streets.”
Nursick added that DOT is moving toward paid parking for other train station lots in the state that are now free. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
SOUTH WINDSOR — After months of construction, school officials say South Windsor High School's new stadium should be finished at the end of next month
Director of Facility Operations Patrick Hankard said Tuesday that the installation of the artificial turf field and the upgrades to the surrounding track have gone very smoothly since work started in June. Hankard said so far, everything is on track to be completed by the end of September. Principal Daniel Sullivan said the new stadium will be a source of pride for students, athletes and the community. He added that the upgrades will also enhance the pace of play and level of consistency for players.
"There's a great deal of excitement," Sullivan said. "It has a lot of practical opportunity."
Crews from Turco Golf Inc. of Suffern, N.Y., have been working since June to install the turf and new track. The board of education in May approved the $1.6 million plan, created by the Cheshire-based consulting firm Milone & MacBroom.
Once completed, the stadium will have an artificial turf field able to accommodate football, soccer, boys' and girls' lacrosse, and field hockey, surrounded by a six-lane, quarter-mile track.
Superintendent Kate Carter said a date has not yet been set, but there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the project. She added that the annual Thanksgiving Day football game against Rockville will be hosted on the new field.
Athletic Director David Sytulek said, "It sends the message that we will provide our student athletes with top-notch facilities."
The initial bid for the project contained pricing and specification for three separate options for infills. This was in response to concerns about the project's use of crumb rubber, the small black pellets commonly used as infill on turf fields, and claims that the material contains carcinogens. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
DEEP offers look at its Glasgo Dam repair project
Glasgo Pond will go dry again this fall, but this time residents along the shore will be prepared for the year-long repair project to the century-old dam.
About 30 residents attended an informational meeting Aug. 13, where officials from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Uncas Health District and engineering firm Fuss & O'Neil addressed residents' questions about the project.
Local residents have known for some time that the dam, which dates to the 19th century, needed repairs. But they were dismayed last fall when state officials announced a planned repair project only six weeks before it began. When the pond was drained in October, residents with older, shallow wells found themselves without water, and their subsequent protests brought the project to a halt.
In the interim, the town has arranged with local banks and well-drilling companies for low-interest loans and top priority to Glasgo Pond residents, said state Rep. Paul Brycki (D-45). "Within a year, [the state] got the permits and we're ready to get going. So let's go," he said.
Senior Project Manager Chris Cullen of Fuss & O'Neill said the dam is fed by a 38-square-mile watershed. The sheer area of the watershed prohibits routine maintenance and sufficient drawdown, he said. "Every time we have a storm down there, it does damage to the dam. If it overtops, the way it is now, it's going to fail."
DEEP Senior Field Engineer Ted Rybak said the state has bonding in place for the project, which is expected to cost just over $4 million and take about 400 days from start to finish. D'Amato Construction Company of Bristol was the low bidder, and while the contract is not yet finalized, Rybak said he expects to open the gates and begin draining the pond in the second week of September.
After the pond is drained, the existing dam will be reinforced with concrete and new gates will be installed, which will allow for faster drawdown in the future, Rybek said. There will still be water in the upper part of the lake in the Doaneville area of town, and fish would move to waters downstream, he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE