October 15, 2015

CT Construction Digest October 15, 2015

Old Greenwich Associaiton talks train bridge updates at Wednesday meeting

What’s going on in Old Greenwich? People will have the chance to find out Wednesday night at the Old Greenwich Association’s annual meeting.
The association will cover several topics at the meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m. with coffee and then have speakers beginning at 7:30 at First Congregational Church. The event is open to all and is free to attend.
The first presentation will focus on the recently completed Eastern Greenwich Neighborhood Plan, which was approved last month by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The report, which was the subject of several public meetings, is online at http://www.greenwichct.org/government/departments/planning_and_zoning/eastern-greenwich-neighborhood-plan/ and Town Planner Katie DeLuca will speak about it at Wednesday’s meeting.
The plan, which covered Old Greenwich, Riverside and North Mianus, included several suggestions from residents including establishing a village district in Old Greenwich and doing more for storm water management. DeLuca is expected to discuss how action items listed in the plan can actually be implemented.
The second presentation will include an update from both town engineers and the state’s Department of Transportation on the ongoing train bridge construction. Phase one of the state project is underway and people will be able to ask questions.
Old Greenwich Association President David Rafferty said he was hopeful the information provided would help clear up any confusion. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Key Milford intersection closed for a year

MILFORD — A section of Naugatuck Avenue near Bridgeport Avenue will be closed for the next year, for a $3.5 million flood control project at the busy Devon intersection.
Milford Point Road and Landsdale Avenue will handle the diverted traffic during the early stages of the work.
Once the excavation reaches Harold Avenue, there are several side streets that can handle the Naugatuck Avenue traffic, police and city officials said.
Work began Wednesday morning and is expected to take 305 construction days, according to the contract awarded to Coastline Construction Co. Detours have been posted to direct traffic around the work site.
A 200-foot section of Bridgeport Avenue, east of the Naugatuck Avenue intersection, is also included in the project, said Robert Saley, chief inspector in the city’s engineering department. “The work will help to alleviate the flooding problems this section of the road has during times of substantial rainfall,’’ he said.
The contractor will be allowed to store equipment and materials in Edgemont Park while the work is going on, and will restore the park to its previous condition when the project is done, city officials said.
When complete, the project will almost double the capacity of the storm sewers along Naugatuck Avenue between Bridgeport Avenue and the point where it crosses Beaver Brook. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Residents: Town Hall plan too costly

NEWINGTON – A $34.5 million plan to build a new Town Hall will likely be scrapped after residents said it was too costly at a public hearing Tuesday. After their comments, Mayor Stephen Woods suggested disbanding the building committee and starting from scratch.
“I think it’s pretty clear the public is not going to support this plan,” he said. “I don’t believe it’s in reach of what they want to spend.”
Woods also pointed out that councilors should come to a consensus about any plan they expect voters to approve.
“If we stand divided we’re going to divide the community.”
While Democrats and Republicans were at odds over the latest plan’s price, they all agreed Tuesday on what the next step would be.
“Although the building committee has certainly worked very hard it’s probably time to take a new look at it and go in a different direction,” Councilor Maureen Klett said. “We have bipartisan support to do that.”
The council will likely disband the committee at their next meeting on Oct. 27.
While a new committee may have some of the same members, the goal they will be charged with will likely change. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Eversource Joins Companies At UConn Tech Park

The state's largest utility Wednesday joined the list of corporate partners who have committed to sponsoring research at a technology park being built at UConn's campus in Storrs.
Eversource Energy said it will commit $9 million for research that will be conducted at the Innovation Partnership Building, now under construction at the university's North Campus. On Wednesday, UConn marked the construction of the $100 million building — its foundation is already in the ground — in a ceremony.
"The facility is an exciting development not only for UConn but for our entire state," UConn President Susan Herbst said. "The resources being built by UConn and our industry partners are helping to strengthen Connecticut's economic future by connecting leading industries with outstanding research facilities in Storrs, UConn Health in Farmington and in New Haven."
The 113,000-square-foot building is envisioned as a place where academic researchers, industry scientists and entrepreneurs will collaborate to develop new technologies for such fields as electronics, additive manufacturing, microscopy and cybersecurity. The partnership building is expected to be ready in the fall of 2017.
Corporations and other industry groups now have committed more than $80 million for research efforts. They include United Technologies Corp., FEI Co., Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Comcast and Fraunhofer. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

East Hartford Officials Frustrated Over Casino RFP

EAST HARTFORD — Town officials have expressed frustrations about the process municipalities must go through to apply for a new casino in Connecticut, issued by the operators of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.
Town council Chairman Richard Kehoe said he feels the request for proposal form filed to the state by the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes doesn't provide municipalities with significant details to determine whether their town is a proper site for the casino.
"Our feeling is that the process established here, which is not really the fault of the tribes, is one where they somewhat put the cart before the horse," Kehoe said. "We need to figure out as much detail as possible and decide how we want to respond to the RFP."
Last month, planning and zoning commission members approved a plan for a restaurant and entertainment venue development at the vacant Showcase Cinemas on Silver Lane. Developer Anthony W. Ravosa Jr. of Glastonbury, a member of Silver Lane Partners LLC, said the approval was the first of a proposed two-phase plan to create a $200 million gaming facility at the site.
Earlier this year, Ravosa pitched the idea of a casino at the former theater. The theater opened in 1973 and closed in 2008.
The RFP is due Nov. 6 and the tribes expect to select a site in December. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE