CT Construction Digest November 30, 2015

At 11 a.m., Gov. Malloy will be joined by Commissioner Redeker for a press conference to make a transportation announcement at the commuter parking lot at the intersection of Route 4 and Route 508 in Farmington.

Sikorsky runway closed for winter

BRIDGEPORT — One of two runways at the city’s Sikorsky Memorial Airport will be closed for the winter, the result of a federal review into operations there.
“The airport is still able to operate, but partially,” City Council President Thomas McCarthy, who also sits on the Airport Commission, said.
The Stratford-based airport has been in the midst of a long-delayed, runway-safety upgrade mandated after a 1994 plane crash that killed eight people. The focus of the work has been the already completed realignment of nearby Route 113 and installation of a bed of concrete-like material designed to decelerate aircraft that overshoot the runway.
The project also includes runway reconstruction, an upgraded drainage system and removal of hazardous waste.
The Federal Aviation Administration launched its review after a contractor, over Labor Day Weekend, allegedly drove a truck through an area where planes taxi.
No one was in danger, but the FAA takes such incidents very seriously and ordered the runway reconstruction stopped, pending a probe. The FAA began looking into safety protocols, training records and airport operations, and has yet to lift the work stoppage.
Even if it did, repaving cannot be done during the winter, said Brett Broesder, a spokesman for Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, another Airport Commission member.
“The city and the Sikorsky team are working with the FAA on a new safety plan for recommencing construction, (but) paving will not be undertaken until early spring,” Broesder said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Meriden awaits answer from HUD on downtown housing plan

MERIDEN — The city is expected to learn this week whether the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has accepted its final transformation plan for the downtown Choice Neighborhood.

A final draft of the report was submitted to HUD last week and a conference call on whether it’s accepted is set for Wednesday.

“We’ve had regular monthly meetings with them,” said Brian Daniels, a city councilor and chairman of the Choice Neighborhood planning team. “They’ve given us feedback and recommendations on the drafts.”

The transformational plan began in November 2013 and among other things includes proposals for replacing 140 units from the outdated Mills Memorial Apartments into mixed-income communities in the city’s Transit-Oriented District.

The Choice Neighborhood Initiative is a partnership between the Meriden Housing Authority and the city. Wallace Roberts & Todd of Pennsylvania was hired as planning coordinator and lead planner for the neighborhood portion of the plan. MHA and its procured developer, Pennrose Properties, will plan and build the housing. Meriden Children First oversees the social aspects of the plan.

The two-year study aims to provide a blueprint for improving educational, health and employment outcomes for families in the neighborhood, and recommends transportation, recreation and safety improvements, according to city leaders. A $500,000 HUD Choice Neighborhoods grant paid for the research and development of the final draft which included a survey of about 350 residents CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

Congress wants billions from Fed's piggy bank

 

CNNMoney Congress wants to pull billions out of the Federal Reserve.

Lawmakers are trying to pass a $325 billion highway bill to fix America's crumbling roads and bridges. And Congress wants part of the funds to come from the Fed's emergency stash of money.
In fact, Congress wants to take the $29 billion from the Fed and close the account for good too.
The Fed created this "surplus account," shortly after it began operating in 1914. The idea was that it would serve as a cushion to absorb any potential losses the Fed incurs.
However, many members of Congress believe that the Fed doesn't need the money any more and should be put to better use.
"It is appropriate to liquidate [the Fed's surplus] account to meet today's realities," Randy Neugebauer, a Republican Congressman from Texas, told the House earlier in November.
The House agreed, and overwhelmingly voted to include the Fed's billions in the highway bill.
However, some believe the move to dip into the Fed's cash is politically motivated and is just the latest in a series of salvos against the Fed from members of Congress.
The Fed doesn't want to look like Congress' bank account.
"To the extent that they're seen as a piggy bank, [that image] threatens them," says David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Attracting Future Construction Workers . . . in 140 Characters or Less

In the spring of this year, a Chicago concrete and building materials firm, Ozinga Bros., launched its “Born to Build” ad campaign to celebrate hard-working industry professionals. In England the year before, the UK Contractors Group launched a social media campaign also called “Born to Build” to attract fresh talent into the industry. Are the campaigns working?
U.S. campaigners were encouraged by responses to their initial burst of billboard, TV, radio, print, online and social media promotions and scheduled a second round. And in September, they introduced a game app called “Super Nano Trucks” to educate children about construction trades and to raise awareness of the industry among parents. Super Nano Truck game players can playfully mix concrete, deliver it, and ride other construction equipment.
Meanwhile, Born to Build organizers in England are trying to introduce school-age young people to the building going on around them and to make worker-age young adults “aware of what this great industry has to offer.” Organizers reported that some 1.2 million people were touched by the campaign in the first few days of its launch via video, Twitter, and a website. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Renovation, expansion project underway at Housatonic Community College

BRIDGEPORT >> Construction has started on a $37.5 million expansion and renovation to Lafayette Hall at Housatonic Community College.
The expansion will add 46,000 square feet to Lafayette Hall, which was the former Hi Ho Mall before the college moved there in 1997 from a former Singer sewing machine factory on Barnum Avenue on the city’s East Side. The addition will create a new welcome center, which school officials say will make it easier for students to enroll and register for classes.
The project also will expand and renovate the school’s library, academic support center and science labs, according to school officials.
“The new space will allow us to expand academic programs and provide new ones to meet today’s employment requirements,” Housatonic Community College President Paul Broadie said in a statement. “We are projecting adding programs specifically in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) courses.” The expansion and renovation project is expected to boost the city’s economy by adding more than 600 construction jobs. Work is expected to be finished sometime in the first half of 2017, just in time for the school’s 50th anniversary. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

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CT Construction Digest November 25, 2015

Report: Connecticut motorists losing $5.1 billion annually

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A national transportation research group released a report Tuesday that found Connecticut motorists are losing $5.1 billion annually due to congestion-related delays, higher vehicle operating costs and traffic crashes.

The annual report determined 33 percent of major locally and state-maintained urban roads in Connecticut are in poor condition, while more than a third of bridges are structurally deficient. The Washington, D.C.-based organization TRIP reviewed various state and federal data sources.

Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said the report comes at a crucial time as federal surface transportation legislation is set to expire on Dec. 4.

"This is really a call to action from us here in Connecticut, to Congress, to work and continue to work on a long-term, sustainable funded bill that is federal, that we can plan and work with the $100 billion transportation plan that we passed this year as well," said Duff, referring to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposed overhaul of Connecticut's transportation system.

Will Wilkins, TRIP's executive director, said the condition of Connecticut's roads will only worsen if greater funding is not made available at the local, state and federal levels. A committee created by Malloy is expected to release recommendations at the end of the year on possible revenue streams to fund the governor's $100 billion transportation overhaul.

Tuesday's TRIP report found drivers in the Bridgeport/Stamford area are paying the most for congestion, $1,174 annually, when compared with Hartford and New Haven. That figure takes into account lost time and fuel due to congestion-related delays. In the Hartford area, motorists pay $1,038 for congestion, while those in New Haven pay $932. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

FuelCell breaks ground on $65M Torrington expansion

 

Danbury's FuelCell Energy broke ground last week on the first phase of a $65 million expansion that is expected to create several hundred jobs and approximately double the company's manufacturing capacity.

The fuel cell maker broke ground last week on a 102,000-square-foot addition to its existing 65,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the Litchfield County town. A second phase will see the acquisition of more manufacturing equipment.
The expansion was first announced last year.
The state is providing two $10 million low-interest loans and as much as $10 million worth of tax credits. The Department of Economic and Community Development could forgive as much as half of the $20 million in loans if FuelCell hits job creation pledges.
The company had said it will add 325 new jobs over four years to its workforce of nearly 540.

Windsor Locks To Hold Public Hearing On Possible Casino Development

WINDSOR LOCKS — A new board of selectmen was sworn into office Tuesday night and quickly laid out a plan — which will be based on residents' approval and culminate in a townwide referendum — on how to move forward with the possible development of a casino in town.
The board approved entering into negotiations with the state's two existing casinos, who want to build a third facility in the state, but added three stipulations: At a public hearing, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 15, residents must indicate their approval for a casino, and spell out some of the conditions that need to be met; the board would review a detailed development agreement from the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans' joint venture MMCT and present that for residents' approval at a selectmen's meeting; after the meeting, the plan would be subject to a townwide referendum.

Just over two weeks ago, two separate casino proposals from the Connecticut Airport Authority and Sportech Venues were submitted to MMCT. The Connecticut Airport Authority submitted plans for a casino at Bradley International Airport. Sportech Venues' managing director Ted Taylor has said his company, which operates a betting parlor in the same building as Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar, is open to collaborate with proposed plans for a casino at Bradley Airport.

Windsor Locks has not endorsed either of these plans, a necessary step for MMCT to move forward. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Murphy: Gas Tax Hike Should Be Considered For Funding Connecticut Transportation
Projects

STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) — U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy says it might make sense to raise the gas tax in Connecticut to help pay for road and transit projects.
Murphy, D-Conn., said he’s not married to the idea of tolls or a higher gas tax, but added there needs to be a funding mechanism for transportation improvements.
He noted that the federal gas tax hasn’t budged since the 1990s.
“We’ve got to do a better job of explaining that when the gas tax goes up by 1 cent, the way the formula works, Connecticut gets 1.6 cents back,” Murphy told WCBS 880’s Paul Murnane.
A long-term transportation upgrade proposed by Gov. Dannel Malloy calls for a $100 billion investment over 30 years. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Advocates hope CT’s transportation woes will spur spending

While transportation advocates offered further evidence Tuesday that Connecticut’s aging, congested transportation system is weakening the economy, they remained uncertain whether it would translate into greater state investment in the problem.
A new report from a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group concluded congestion and aging infrastructure cost Connecticut residents in urban areas between $2,050 and $2,236 per year.
“We need to make sure this (issue) is front-and-center in our economic development plans,” Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said of the latest report from TRIP, a national transportation research group. “Let’s not take our foot off the pedal on this issue.”
Duff and the rest of the General Assembly are awaiting a report from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration on how to fund a dramatic overhaul of Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure over the next 30 years.
A study panel is expected to give its recommendations to the governor next month. Legislators will return for the regular 2016 legislative session on Feb. 3.
But transportation advocates already are worried that any recommendations will be swamped by growing state budget deficits.
Nonpartisan analysts are projecting a $254 million general fund deficit this fiscal year, a $552 million hole in 2016-17, and a $1.72 billion shortfall in 2017-18 — the first new budget after the next state elections.
Legislators and Malloy agreed this past June to dedicate a portion of state sales tax receipts to increase transportation spending for this fiscal year and the next four.
But that initial ramp-up period largely involves catching up on deferred maintenance. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

State officials want to make sure West Haven High School project moves forward

WEST HAVEN >> Officials from the state agency overseeing school construction came Tuesday to meet with city and school officials and learn more about the $124.69 million “renovate as new” high school project. The meeting ended with no formal conclusions but with a desire on all sides to look for ways to move the project forward sooner rather than later, according to representatives of the state, the city and the school system.
“We’re concerned about every school construction project,” and West Haven High School is one of the larger high schools in the state, said Kosta Diamantis, director of the state Office of School Construction Grants. The office is part of the state Department of Administrative Services’ Division of Construction Service.
“There’s a lot to it,” Diamantis said of the project. State officials arranged the meeting after city officials announced Oct. 27 they had decided to push back actual construction of the project until after the city can take action to address its growing cumulative deficit. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

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CT Construction Digest November 24, 2015

TRIP will be releasing the “Connecticut Top Transportation Issues” Report at 11am, TODAY Tuesday, November 24, 2015 in room 1B at the State Legislative Office Building in Hartford. TRIP will be joined by Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and others for the release. 

Pipeline developer seeks FERC okay

Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) subsidiary Tennessee Gas Pipeline filed its formal application for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval of the Northeast Energy Direct Project, a $5 billion pipeline that would expand the supply of natural gas to Connecticut and New England from shale gas fields in Pennsylvania.
Tennessee Gas plans to build a 133-mile pipeline from northern Pennsylvania to Wright, N.Y., and a 188-mile pipeline from there to Dracut, Mass. with one 15-mile loop south into the Hartford area.
Tennessee Gas hopes to begin construction in January 2017 with service initiation dates between November 2018 and November 2019.

Bridgeport set to take on Remington Arms site

Bridgeport is poised to take possession of the former Remington Arms factory, including the iconic shot tower, on Barnum Avenue after reaching a settlement on a longstanding bankruptcy proceeding.
The century-old buildings on the site are adjacent to the property planned for the city’s second train station, and are considered vital to Bridgeport’s transit-oriented development plans.
The settlement in U.S. bankruptcy court last week was awaiting a judge’s final approval and, because of the pending change in city government, will require assent from the City Council.

Environmental coalition opposing natural gas transmission line

A coalition of Connecticut environmental groups is opposing the construction of a new natural gas transmission line that would bring natural gas from Pennsylvania to New England, because part the project would go through watershed lands owned by the Metropolitan District Commission, which provides drinking water to Hartford and surrounding communities.
The eight environmental groups announced their opposition to Kinder Morgan’s Northeast Energy Direct pipeline on Monday, after the Houston-based energy infrastructure company filed its plans for the project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
“The Northeast Energy Direct pipeline would set a terrible precedent by trampling on our state’s most important drinking water protections, while increasing our long term dependence on dirty gas,” Lou Burch of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), said in a statement. “This ill-conceived proposal not only threatens our drinking water, it delays Connecticut from meeting its clean energy goals and should be denied without delay.”
Friday’s filing by Kinder Morgan for its $5 billion project was more than 20,000 pages, said Richard Wheatley, a spokesman for the company. A decision by FERC on the company’s application for the project is expected to come during the fourth quarter of 2016, Wheatley said.
“There is a very extensive environmental review that will take place with this project, one that we feel is necessary for all stakeholders, including environmental groups,” he said. “We are going to great lengths to make sure that this project will be done in harmony with the environment. Quite frankly, that’s part of the reason that our FERC filing is so lengthy.”
 CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Environmental group seeks to block Eversource’s Northern Pass project

A New Hampshire environmental group is going to court to block a major Eversource Energy transmission project designed to bring hydroelectric power into New England from Quebec. Attorneys representing the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests filed a lawsuit last week in Coos Country Superior Court in New Hampshire against Eversource Energy and its Northern Pass transmission project. The lawsuit contends that Eversource Energy is making an unauthorized attempt to use land the group controls to build part of the regional utility company’s 192-mile transmission project.
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests contends its owns the land under less than a quarter-mile of U.S. Route 3 near the Canadian border. That stretch of the road is where Eversource Energy wants to bury a portion of the Northern Pass transmission line.
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests owns the land on either side of that section of the highway.
“Northern Pass cannot show that it has the property rights it would need to build the facility it is looking to permit through the Site Evaluation Committee,” Jane Difley, president of the environmental group, said in a statement. “Nor does Northern Pass, as a merchant transmission project, have the ability to use any form of eminent domain to acquire those rights.”
The lawsuit also seeks to have the court issue a permanent injunction that would keep the Northern Pass line from being buried under the road without the Forest Society’s permission. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Hartford public works project helped national construction figures

A $153 million expansion to a sewage treatment plant in Hartford helped drive a growth in public-works construction nationwide in October. Overall, new construction starts in October advanced 13 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $591.1 billion.
According to the Dodge Data & Analytics monthly construction report, the increase follows the lackluster performance for construction starts during August and September, when activity fell to the lowest levels reported so far in 2015. Much of October's gain for total construction was due to a sharp rebound by non-residential building, with additional support coming from a moderate uptick for housing as a result of further strengthening by multifamily housing.
The public works categories in October grew 4 percent, showing further improvement after September's slight 1 percent gain, which followed double-digit declines in July and August.

Wright-Pierce Project Wins Best Regional Project Award

The Mattabassett Water Pollution Control Facility in Cromwell recently won recognition as Engineering News Record's Best Regional Project of 2015.
Wright-Pierce, a Middletown wastewater and infrastructure firm, was the design engineer for the $100 million project.
The facility upgrades contributed to the clean-up of Long Island Sound by reducing the facility's nitrogen levels below state and federal compliance mandates, while increasing treatment capacity with energy-efficient design components that qualified for more than $1 million in incentive rebates from Connecticut Light & Power.

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CTConstruction Digest November 23, 2015

Bridgeport hoping for Steel Point spillover effect

The promise of Steel Point, beyond the immediate benefit of jobs and local spending, has long been predicated by local officials on benefits for Bridgeport beyond its 50-acre footprint. A thriving waterfront enclave, while welcome, would not fulfill years of politicians’ promises if its successes were cut off from the rest of the city.
It’s a particular geographical challenge at a peninsula that is separated from the rest of Bridgeport by water in two directions and an elevated expressway to the north.
 But with a wildly successful opening night last week of Bass Pro Shops — the development’s anchor tenant — and visible work beginning south of Stratford Avenue, there are signs that economic activity could start to flow outwards.
Construction company O&G Industries, which has a recycling plant at 1225 Seaview Ave., is reportedly in negotiations to move the facility elsewhere in the city, opening up a prime location for future development.
“It’s close to Steel Point, very visible from the highway, and it’s on the waterfront,” said Paul Timpanelli, president of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council. “What is there now is not the highest and best use of that site.”
O&G, which is based in Torrington, had been in discussions to close the site, but with a change in administrations the talks were put on hold, Timpanelli said. Mayor-elect Joe Ganim takes office Dec. 1, succeeding two-term Mayor Bill Finch. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Bethel’s long-delayed solar project finally moves forward

BETHEL — A proposed solar energy project that has been entangled in bureaucracy for years could finally get underway early in 2016.
Officials expect that a proposal to build a “solar farm” on the site of the town’s old landfill will finally come to a vote soon, allowing construction to begin in the spring. The plan is to have nearly 3,100 solar panels installed on four acres on Sympaug Road, just south of the town’s highway garage.
 The project would generate electricity for sale to Eversource’s power grid, which would cut the town’s cost for electricity and reduce its carbon emissions.
“This thing has been dragging through the regulatory process for literally years,” First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said. “It was painful. Our energy committee kept trying and running into roadblocks.”
However, with recent changes to state law, the availability of new clean-energy incentives and the approval of tax credits for the town, the project could go to the Planning and Zoning Commission before Christmas, Knickerbocker said.
The preliminary design calls for a 954-kilowatt array comprising 3,078 photovoltaic panels, each rated at 310 watts. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

I-95 Stratford bridge now at ‘full capacity’

Just in time for one of the busiest travel periods of the year, I-95’s Moses Wheeler Bridge over the Housatonic River is now open at full capacity.
It’s a completely new bridge between Stratford and Milford that’s taken six years to build and $270 million to pay for it.
“Getting this bridge back to full capacity just before one of the busiest weeks of travel in the year - and before winter sets in - is a great achievement,” said Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker. “I want to commend the hundreds of DOT employees, our designers, contractors and inspectors on achieving this milestone of providing full-width travel lanes about a month before originally expected.”
 But don’t expect construction workers to be suddenly gone from the area. There’s some additional work to do, including completion of median work, repaving of the entire bridge, removing the existing bridge pier, and construction of a new parking lot and boat launch in Milford in 2016.
None of that work, however, will cause any major traffic disruptions before everything is completed next year.
Building a new bridge wasn’t easy. First, there was building a new foundation into the Housatonic’s riverbed and banks. Then, there was building the new span, one deck at a time and removing the old bridge.
The new Moses Wheeler is the second major I-95 bridge to be finished this year. The Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, aka, “The Q Bridge,” in New Haven was finished after the southbound lanes opened on Sept. 28.
At a price of $591 million, the New Haven bridge’s cost was nearly double the cost of the Moses Wheeler.   CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Malloy: $3.9B rail investment will bring billions in return, thousands of jobs

NEW HAVEN — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is calling for $3.9 billion in rail upgrades, and promising a nearly 250 percent return on investment. But where the state will find the money is still up in the air.
On Friday, Malloy publicized a Boston-based Economic Development Research Group study forecasting that an overhaul of the New Haven Line could yield 4,000 to 6,000 construction jobs as the upgrades progress, and between 2,000 and 3,100 new permanent jobs.
Were the improvements to go forward, Malloy suggested that service could double during peak hours, cut travel time from New Haven to New York City by 15 minutes, quadruple the numbers of express trains and quintuple the numbers of local trains.
“The New Haven Line has the potential to carry thousands of additional commuters, and do so at a faster and more frequent rate,” Malloy said in a prepared statement. “That means we will be far more attractive to businesses — our economy will benefit greatly from these investments.”
The governor’s figures anticipate having four tracks in use at all times, rather than two or three at a time. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

US utilities see ability for drones to inspect lines, towers

BLENHEIM, N.Y. >> U.S. utilities see great potential in the use of remote-controlled drones to do the often-dangerous work of inspecting power lines and transmission towers but strict regulations have so far slowed adoption of the technology.
The remote-controlled devices make the work of linemen safer, more efficient and less expensive, according to the Electric Power Research Institute, which last month put on a three-day workshop to help nearly a dozen utilities choose the best machines for the job. Miniature helicopter-like drones, some equipped with cameras and other sensors, conducted demonstration inspections of transmission lines at a hydroelectric plant in the Catskill Mountains.
“We want to start using drones next spring when the inspection season begins,” said Alan Ettlinger, research and technology director for the New York Power Authority, who attended the workshop.
Utilities spend millions of dollars inspecting power lines, which are often in hard-to-reach places. The industry has been interested in the potential use of drones for years, but has been slower than European companies to adopt the technology because of U.S. regulatory restrictions. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Rate of contingency spending on Maloney High School project causing ‘conservative trepidation’

MERIDEN — With contingency funds being depleted quickly, some officials are concerned about finishing work at Maloney High School under budget.

“We’re getting to the point, with less than a year left in this project, where we’re going through contingency at a rate that’s getting close to not having any contingency left,” Assistant Superintendent Michael S. Grove said this week. 

The school, like its crosstown counterpart, is in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation and new construction project. Both schools will be left nearly new once work is complete. Work at Maloney is being done on a $107.5 million budget.

Grove was referring to contingency funds that are built into the total cost for construction projects and set aside to cover unforeseen expenses or expenses incurred by errors or omissions.

At both schools, the city holds a contingency fund to cover design errors and omissions, owner-requested changes, and unforeseen changes. The construction company also holds a contingency fund to cover work-related expenses.

At Maloney, the city budgeted $4,015,466 for its own contingency fund, and $1,935,649 to be held by the Glastonbury-based Gilbane Building Co., the construction company overseeing work at the school. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

 

 

 

 

CT Construction Digest November 20, 2015

UConn Hartford project swells to $140M

The final project budget for UConn's downtown Hartford campus has been set at $140 million, nearly $25 million more than was originally projected as bids and work to preserve the former Hartford Times building came in higher-than-expected, school officials say.
The UConn Board of Trustees signed off on the budget in a meeting Wednesday. University spokesperson Stephanie Rietz said in an email, "It was necessary to adjust the earlier estimates once we learned that the work to preserve the Hartford Times façade would be much more expensive and extensive than expected, particularly since it needed more stabilization than anticipated.
"We also received higher-than-expected bids from contractors interested in working on the project, despite sending it out for bid twice; and need to remove PCBs that were found in interior plaster."
When originally designed, the project had a $115 million construction price tag. UConn trustees were told in a memo from Scott A. Jordan, UConn CFO and executive vice president for administration, that the costs had to be adjusted 10 percent for each of the next two years because of rising Connecticut construction market costs. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Wethersfield Housing Development Gets Initial Approval

WEHTERSFIELD — The Inland Wetlands Commission on Wednesday approved a 20-lot subdivision near the border with Rocky Hill, the town's biggest proposed housing development in about two decades.
The commission gave the green light for the project after the developer eliminated two lots and made other adjustments to address the group's concerns.

"We're making every accommodation to get to what the town would like to see," said James W. Dutton, the project's engineer.

Developer Frank DiBacco, owner of CCC Construction, called the approval "a step forward."
"I'm excited about the development," DiBacco said. "The town has been really supportive. I look forward to a good relationship with them."
The project now goes to the planning and zoning commission for additional approvals.
The development is slated for 16 undeveloped acres off Two Rod Highway and bordering the 1860 Reservoir. The homes will be 2,700 to 3,200 square feet, comparable to the houses in the area, DiBacco has said.
The land is among the few undeveloped parcels in Wethersfield still in private hands.
About 2,300 square feet of wetlands will be filled in for a road, Dutton said. DiBacco will donate just over a quarter of the land to the town for open space, slightly more than required by regulation, he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

First Phase Of Filley Park Renovation Nears Completion In Bloomfield

BLOOMFIELD — Phase one of the multiyear renovation of Filley Park is expected to be completed by the first week of December.
Town Manager Phil Schenck said that most of the concrete work for extending and widening sidewalks from the center to the north parking lot has been completed and the stonework continues on the new mezzanine-style entrance. Shade trees and other plantings included in the nearly $600,000 first phase of the project may not be planted until the spring, Schenck said.
Work on phase two, which is expected to cost between $1.5 million and $1.7 million, is scheduled to begin in July. That phase will include dredging the pond, removing the dam and constructing a fish ladder. The work is expected to be completed by the end of construction season.
As part of the dredging project, the town expects to eradicate an infestation of European water chestnut that was discovered in July. The town has had the invasive plant sprayed with chemicals to kill it and will spray again in the spring.
Schenck said that the town may have to spray annually to keep the plant from making a resurgence.
Schenck said the town has about $1.1 million for the project and expects the town council to approve additional funding. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 West Haven’s Zoning Board of Appeals approves expanded plan for The Atwood

WEST HAVEN >> The Zoning Board of Appeals has given its approval to the new, expanded plan for The Atwood apartments and retail on the site of the recently demolished Carroll Cut-Rate Furniture store.
That leaves the Planning and Zoning Commission, which previously approved the original rehab plan, still to go. The plan was to have been on Tuesday night’s PZC agenda but has been put off until a future meeting, Assistant City Planner Rob Librandi said.
The ZBA approved the plan to build 67 units and ground-floor retail at 222 Boston Post Road between Atwood Place and Taft Wednesday night by a 4-1 margin.
Member Sal Russo voted against it, saying he thought the developers, Forest Manor LLC headed by former Starter Co. CEO David Beckerman, “overbuilt” the site and that they wouldn’t have to come to the ZBA if they got rid of the fourth story.
But other members, including Chairman John Clifford and member Ed Wise, praised the plan and said it could be the catalyst the city — and especially the Allingtown section, which it would be in the heart of — need.
“It could make Allingtown a shining light for West Haven,” said Clifford
“I really believe this development’s going to start the ball rolling in Allingtown,” said Assistant City Planner Rob Librandi.
Forest Manor lawyer Mark Sklarz said the developers “are really excited” to present a plan for a development that would be a “gateway” to West Haven, using “smart growth” techniques to help create “a walkable district” just down the hill from the University of New Haven. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

OSHA Fines Could Increase Over 80% Next Year

Congress recently passed the budget agreement which contained a provision which permits OSHA to raise fines significantly starting in August 2016.  The law permits a one-time “catch up” increase up to 82 percent, since fines have not been raised since 1990. This “catch-up” amount is tied to the inflation rate from 1990 to 2015.  After that, the maximum penalties would increase with the inflation rate every year.

This would have the following effect:

Citations	Current Max.	With “Catch-Up” Increase
Other than Serious	Up to $7,000	Up to $12,740
Serious	$7,000	$12,740
Repeat	$5,000-$70,000	$9,100 – $127,400
Willful	$5,000-$70,000	$9,100 – $127,400
Failure to Abate	$7,000/day	$12,740/day

While OSHA has the option of implementing an adjustment less than the maximum amount, Assistant Secretary David Michaels has pushed for years to increase maximum penalties so it seems unlikely that they would not take full advantage of this increase. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

 

CT Construction Digest November 19, 2015

Cost of UConn Hartford campus rises to $140M, up from $115M

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — The University of Connecticut's Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a $140 million final budget for the construction of a new satellite campus in downtown Hartford, $25 million more than originally projected.

Laura Cruickshank, UConn's master planner and chief architect, told the board that more work than expected will be needed to stabilize the former Hartford Times Building, the centerpiece of the campus, and to restore the facade of the building.

She said the design plan had called for spending about $6 million on renovations to the building, but the actual cost will be about $12 million.

Construction bids on the entire project also came in higher than expected, she said.

The additional funds will come from a pool of contingency money that was built into the state's 10-year, $2 billion Next Generation Connecticut bonding program to upgrade the university's infrastructure, Cruickshank said.

"We specifically allocated contingency for situations like this, because you simply don't know, especially in renovating an old building," she said. "We don't have any problems covering this cost."

Cruickshank said the school's contracts with the developers ensure there will be no further significant increases to the state in the cost of the project. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
 

MGM says it will spend $950 million on Springfield, Mass., project

 

Springfield, Mass. — MGM Resorts International executives assured city officials here Wednesday that they’re not backing away from MGM Springfield, their downtown resort casino project, and are, in fact, recommitting themselves to it.
Bill Hornbuckle, the MGM Resorts president, announced that his company was upping its investment to more than $950 million from the original $800 million.
“We’re as proud of this project today as we were in September 2012,” when it was first proposed, Hornbuckle said, addressing an audience at CityStage, a downtown venue where residents filled a 479-seat theater.
He later said he would stake his reputation and his career on the project.
In recent months, design changes characterized by some as a downsizing had raised questions about the viability of the project. In particular, the elimination of a 25-story hotel tower and a 14 percent reduction in overall square footage had caused alarm in a city counting on the project’s promise of jobs and revenue.
Hornbuckle said the changes had to be made “for all kinds of reasons” and that they would result in a better project.
Mike Mathis, the MGM Springfield president, said MGM would meet all terms of the “host community agreement” it reached with the city, among them guarantees of $25 million in annual payments, 2,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs once the project is built. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

East Lyme superintendent presents elementary school plan

East Lyme — More than 50 residents attended a community forum Wednesday on a proposal endorsed by the school board to completely renovate Niantic Center School, build a new Flanders Elementary School and give the Lillie. B Haynes School building to the town.
Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Newton said the proposed plan entails two elementary schools, each with about a 400-student capacity, that feature flexible learning spaces, geothermal heating and cooling, and enhanced safety features.
The completely renovated 70,671-square-foot Niantic Center School would include a new gym and additional parking spaces and would house first-graders and kindergarteners on the first floor, according to the presentation.
Flanders School, which would be rebuilt as a 82,135-square-foot building behind the existing school, would have new parking, bus and drop-off areas. It also would accommodate pre-kindergarten classes for students in the district with special needs.
The project would cost the town an estimated $58,713,124 after state reimbursement, based on a timeline in which the project is approved at a March 2016 referendum.
He said the school district will save $750,000 in its annual operating budgets by going from the current three schools to a two-school plan.
If the project is approved at a referendum in March 2016, the two-year process of construction could begin in July 2017 and finish in the summer of 2019, according to the presentation. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Torrington Historical Trust proposes transit facility be included in mixed-use development

TORRINGTON >> The Torrington Historic Preservation Trust has put forward a study regarding the brownfields formerly occupied by the Hendey Machine Company, which suggests that the site be turned into a mixed-use development with both commercial and residential aspects.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation is currently engaged in an ongoing effort to construct a transit facility at 200 Litchfield St. to be utilized by the Northwestern Connecticut Transit District for the storage and maintenance of its buses.
As part of this plan, ConnDOT planned to demolish the buildings on site, prompting the attention of the Torrington Historic Preservation Trust.
The market feasibility study was crafted by Gorman+York Property Advisors, an East Hartford-based firm, on behalf of the trust, and funded through a grant from the state Historic Preservation Office of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.

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Taking into account Torrington’s status as the urban center of Litchfield County, and thus as the heart of a micropolitan area, it suggests that the site be repurposed into “129 units, 34,000 square feet of first-floor commercial and 90+ enclosed parking spaces.”
The study also includes analysis of the potential retail and rental market in the region, as well as diagrams of three possible layouts for the mixed-use development, all of which include the transit facility in one form or another. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Master fix for Mixmaster

State outlines plan for Waterbury interchange
BY ANDREW LARSON REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN  WATERBURY — The state Department of Transportation plans to rehabilitate the Mixmaster — the network of ramps, bridges and stacked highway that comprise the Route 8 and Interstate 84 interchange — to extend its service life for another 25 years. Many of the bridges and ramps, built in the 1960s, have deteriorated to point that they're in "poor" condition by the DOT's standards, but they are safe, said Robert Brown, the DOT's supervising engineer for bridges.
The $190 million rehabilitation project, scheduled to go out to bid in fall 2017 with construction beginning in spring 2018, should ensure the Mixmaster continues to be safe until it can be replaced. The work is expected to be finished by fall 2022.
The DOT presented plans for the rehabilitation during a public information and scoping meeting Wednesday night at Crosby High School. About 20 members of the public attended.
The project entails repairing 10 bridges and several connecting ramps, along with rehabilitation and span replacement on Route 8 southbound and full deck replacement on Route 8 northbound.
Corrosion on the underside of bridges suggests water has worked its way through the joints and become trapped in the structures, Brown said. In some places, there's even exposed rebar.
"These are telltale signs of deterioration to the point where we need rehabilitation," Brown said.
During construction, all lanes will remain open during peak traffic hours. However, lane closures will occur during off-peak hours and at night.
Some ramps on Route 8 will be temporarily closed, and detours will be in effect.
The DOT proposes a bypass road around a section of Route 8 northbound that needs to be repaired.
The bypass road would take vehicles off Route 8 just south of Exit 31, over the Mad River, along Jackson Street, back over the Mad River and along Riverside Street before reentering the highway.
Because the bypass would block the exits for I-84 eastbound and westbound, vehicles needing to access I-84 from Route 8 northbound would be directed to swing a U-turn over the median at Exit 35 and merge onto Route 8 southbound to I-84.
Alderman Lawrence V. De Pillo asked several questions, including what properties the DOT would take to build the temporary bypass and the impact on the city's tax rolls.
Michelle Miller, the DOT's rights of way coordinator, said the state will acquire three properties, which are currently owned by Eversource, Yankee Gas and Laidlaw Transit, and obtain several easements.
If we're taking taxable property off the tax rolls, I want to know where they're being relocated in Waterbury so it will not reduce the tax rolls," De Pillo said.     

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CT Construction Digest November 18, 2015

Burns Const. making due with its tiny lot, won’t expand into nearby park in Stratford’s S. End

STRATFORD — Burns Construction, still bursting at the seams in the tiny lot on Access Road that it calls home, has decided to no longer pursue its dream of taking over at least a part of a park next door to expand its paving operation.
The company will still build a new heavy equipment garage, replacing the one that it’s been using since the 1950s. But left unsolved is the issue of that has bothered the company and its South End neighbors alike — finding a place for employees to park.
“The community was unwilling to give up any part of that park, so one of the town engineers figured out how how to fit the new garage on the land we have,” said. Mitch Flynn, the flee operations manager for Burns. “I still have to find a place for all of our employees to park.”
The park is called Great Meadows Park. Burns offered to buy the park from the town, but the company ran into stiff opposition from the neighborhood. Town officials say that the park has an in perpetuity clause, meaning that it’s supposed to remain a park until the end of time.
“This would make it difficult to purpose the park for anything else,” said Amy Knorr, the assistant economic development director for the town.
Anyone who has visited that end of town has noticed the cars parked alongside Access Road. Those belong to Burns’ employees, and company officials say that they’re not happy with not having a proper place for them to park, particularly when it snows. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

DOT study: $5.3B Hartford viaduct replacement worth the cost

The economic benefits would outweigh the $5.3 billion price tag to replace the I-84 viaduct in Hartford, according to an economic value analysis released Tuesday.
The report, which calls the replacement "expensive, but essential," comes as a decision about the future of the aging viaduct looms. Among the alternatives the state is facing for rebuilding the viaduct: Building a tunnel or building a lower section of highway.
The study was conducted by the state Department of Transportation's Bureau of Policy & Planning along with consulting firm CDM Smith. It looks at the issue in two ways.
Using a cost-benefit analysis, the report concluded that replacing the viaduct would result in more than $9 billion in benefits, like reduced travel time, fewer accidents and congestion, and lower vehicle operating costs.
And using a second method, called economic impact assessment, the report concludes that replacement would yield $10.2 billion in business sales and output over three decades. DOWNLOAD PDFs
Read the DOT report

UI to build Woodbridge microgrid

New Haven-based utility provider United Illuminating Co. said Tuesday that it has finalized an agreement with Woodbridge town officials to build a 2.2-megawatt microgrid.
Powered by a fuel cell made by Danbury-based FuelCell Energy, the Woodbridge microgrid will supply power to seven town facilities, including the police and fire departments, during power outages.
The fuel cell will be located near Amity Regional High School, which will receive heat and hot water from the plant's co-generation process.
The Woodbridge microgrid will be operational late next year. FuelCell Energy has a long-term service agreement with UI to maintain and operate the plant.
UI said the project fulfills the company's 2013 commitment under its Renewables Connections Program agreement with state regulators. The agreement allows UI to earn a higher financial return on 10 megawatts worth of renewable energy installations.
Other projects that qualify toward those 10 megawatts include a 5-megawatt fuel cell and solar facility in Bridgeport and a 2.8-megawatt fuel cell in New Haven.

Malloy: Connecticut Can't Afford Not To Replace I-84 Viaduct

HARTFORD — In a pitch to shore up support for replacing the I-84 viaduct, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Tuesday said the multibillion-dollar project will recoup more than twice its cost through economic growth and savings for motorists.
"The cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of action," Malloy said at a press conference beneath the deteriorating elevated highway that takes the interstate through Hartford. "Making a down payment … will generate billions in economic activity and grow thousands of jobs."

Replacing the heavily used stretch of highway between Exit 45 and the I-91 interchange is a key piece of Malloy's ambitious $100 billion, 30-year proposal for overhauling Connecticut's transportation network.

Some legislators have recently signaled that they want to scale back the governor's proposal because of worsening budget deficits. Lawmakers' first opportunities to do that would involve diverting transportation money to the state's general fund, and scaling back the design and engineering work that is budgeted for dozens of big-ticket highway and transit initiatives.
Malloy, however, maintains that Connecticut needs to make up for decades of politically driven neglect of its highways, bridges and transit systems. On average, highway commuters in the state lose 40 to 42 hours a year to delays caused by congestion, he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

CT Construction Digest November 17, 2015

City plans land swap with RBS

STAMFORD — Though Royal Bank of Scotland is cutting jobs in the city, the investment bank does plan to bring tax-paying people to the city — in the form of apartment residents.
RBS owns properties behind and around its Washington Boulevard headquarters, and plans to build somewhere between 400 and 600 apartments on them.
“They’re coming in with a (zoning) application,” said Thomas Madden, Stamford’s economic development director.
 It’s not an indication RBS wants to get into the development business now, said Robin Stein, special assistant to the mayor on economic development.
It’s more likely that the company will get the project approved for development and then sell the land to a company that can complete it, Stein said.
In addition to potential new residents, Stamford would also benefit from the proposed development in other ways. The city also owns properties in that area, some of them in between the RBS lots, so to consolidate them, the two will swap some of the parcels, giving the city the land needed to continue the Mill River walkway.
Stein said plans to extend the Mill River walkway will increase the value of RBS’s land because it will raise the land along the waterfront and take the area out of the flood plain.
The area where the apartments would be built are not zoned for that density of housing, so both the city and RBS are asking for changes to the Mill River Park project plan and the city’s master plan.
The project is time sensitive because funding for the Mill River walkway includes a $3.75 million Hurricane Sandy grant awarded to the city, which calls the project to start next spring and be done by June 2017. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Request for proposals out for solar arrays in Pomfret

POMFRET — Pomfret officials have sent out a request for proposals inviting companies to submit plans for the construction of solar arrays on town-owned property, a move First Selectwoman Maureen Nicholson said would put the town at the "forefront of energy efficiency" projects in the state.  "It's an exciting opportunity that would generate income to the town without disrupting the rural character of the area," she said. The plans calls for leasing portions of two pieces of town-owned land: 178 acres at 434 Killingly Road/Route 101 — better known as the "Murdock property" — and 10 acres at 89 Searles Road. Nicholson said the Murdock tract, once a gravel pit - has been largely unused for decades. Grounded solar arrays, from 2 to 20 megawatt output capacity, would be constructed on the property. "The idea is to choose a contractor and have that land primed and ready to go before the state sends out its request for proposals this year for large-scale renewable energy systems," Nicholson said. The upcoming state renewable procurement, administered by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, authorizes the large-scale acquisition of regional renewable power as part of the state's goal of providing cheaper and more reliable energy for residents. The power generated from the renewable energy projects would be sold to Eversource, the state's largest electric distribution utility. "The town would see an annual income stream from leasing the land, as well as from tax revenue on the panels," Nicholson said. "The amount the town gets — which could be substantial — would depend on the size of the arrays. And at the end of the 30-year lease period, the town could take the land back, or renew the contract."CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

CT faces daunting transportation issues

Q&A talks about the costs of Connecticut's decaying transportation infrastructure and opportunities to fix it with Carrie Rocha, Connecticut office leader and associate vice president of HNTB Corp., an infrastructure engineering firm.
Q: There has been a lot of talk about the decaying transportation infrastructure in the U.S. How bad of a situation is it? What would it cost to make us 100 percent in CT?
A: America's infrastructure is decaying, suffering from age and overuse. Dwindling federal funding, lower purchasing power from a gasoline tax that hasn't been raised since 1993, and more fuel-efficient cars have resulted in a nearly insolvent Highway Trust Fund unable to keep up with transportation demands.
The Federal Highway Administration reports 35 percent of Connecticut's 4,218 bridges are either 'structurally deficient' (378 bridges) or 'functionally obsolete' (1,079 bridges).
According to the American Society of Civil Engineer's 2013 infrastructure report card, 41 percent of Connecticut's major public roads are in poor condition.
The Texas Transportation Institute's 2014 Urban Mobility Scorecard calculates drivers in the Hartford area lose 45 hours per year due to congestion at an average annual cost of $1,038.
Gov. Malloy's transportation proposal involves a five-year ramp-up and $10 billion investment. His long term 30-year vision calls for $100 billion, which is needed to address all critical infrastructure preservation and modernization needs for roads, bridges and rail. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Transportation overhaul focuses on bike, pedestrian pathways

Trail projects in Plainville, Southington, Farmington, Cheshire, Bloomfield and a handful of other communities are among those expected to be completed under Connecticut's five-year transportation ramp-up plan unveiled earlier this year, which aims to make biking and pedestrian walkways a more prominent part of the state's transportation strategy.
The $10 billion ramp-up plan, which is part of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's more ambitious 30-year, $100-billion transportation overhaul, includes $101 million for maintaining trails, completing gaps in the state's trail network and completing urban bike/pedestrian connectivity projects. For the following 25 years, $250 million is earmarked for pedestrian and bicycle improvements including construction of a trail along Route 15 (Merritt Parkway) and $30 million for trail maintenance.
Tom Maziarz, bureau chief for the Connecticut Department of Transportation's Bureau of Policy and Planning, said Malloy's transportation plan — called Let's Go CT! — is based on a new state strategy that aims to achieve more than simply reducing accidents or congestion. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

State Planners Say They're Closer To Choosing I-84 Hartford Plan

HARTFORD — Planners say they're likely to decide in 2016 whether to rebuild the I-84 viaduct in Hartford, replace it with a ground-level highway or dig a tunnel.
The choice might come as soon as the first half of the year, depending on whether there's consensus for one of the options, state transportation department engineers said Monday at an informational forum.

Construction is still years away, and the state hasn't lined up funding for the multibillion-dollar work, which involves replacing the viaduct that brings I-84 through Hartford. But selecting a design is essential so engineers can prepare detailed plans for replacing one of the highway's most heavily used stretches, said Rich Armstrong, project manager with the Department of Transportation.

The decision will influence traffic patterns throughout the heart of the city, because options include removing some downtown exit and entrance ramps and adding new ones at other locations. Planners are focused on the stretch from Frog Hollow to the I-91 interchange. The most recent estimates from the DOT show a ground-level highway would cost $4 billion to $5 billion. Replacing the elevated highway would run $5 billion to $6 billion, and constructing a tunnel would cost $10 billion to $12 billion.
The DOT has been gathering opinions from large employers, commuters, trucking companies, residents and others as it prepares to make a decision.
Monday's session at the Hartford Public Library's Mark Twain branch was the latest in a series of public briefings. Several people asked whether the DOT is still considering a "quick fix" approach to construction. That would involve shutting down an entire stretch of highway for a year or more so that contractors could work uninterrupted, shaving years off the construction schedule. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Dozens Attend Hearing On Hartford's Gold Street Realignment

HARTFORD — The second public hearing this year on the controversial relocation of downtown's Gold Street drew just as much fervor — for and against — as the first hearing held in February.
Dozens packed the city council chambers Monday for the hearing, nine months after the city planning and zoning commission had first approved moving the street closer to the Bushnell Tower condominium. But earlier this month, the courts ruled that a relatively obscure state law that requires towns and cities to hold a separate hearing if a road is planned for a park or open space had not been held. "What we object to is the traffic running right next to the building," said Bourke Spellacy, the president of the condominium association, the plan's leading opponents.
Spellacy said the association doesn't oppose the goals of iQuilt, a vision for making the city more walkable and inviting to visitors. But the association says the same result could be accomplished by a less drastic and costly approach, perhaps by creating bicycle and walking paths in the same area where the road relocation is planned. Supporters, wearing "Realign Gold Street" tags on their lapels, pressed for the relocation, saying it is crucial to linking Bushnell Park to Main Street, with a new, wider green space on the north side of the street. The area would include Carl Andre's "Stone Field" sculpture.
"If the city doesn't move ahead, it will leave a gaping hole," James Carter, iQuilt's chairman, said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Former Carroll Cut-Rate Furniture building in West Haven comes down

WEST HAVEN >> The former Carroll Cut-Rate Furniture store on Route 1 is coming down, to be replaced by new construction, assuming that the city’s two zoning boards — which previously approved a rehab of the 89-year-old building — go along.  In fact, much of the building at 222 Boston Post Road between Atwood Place and Taft Avenue already is down. Demolition of the Carroll Cut-Rate building and two adjacent buildings that used to be the Torrello & Sons auto parts store began earlier this week.
Details of exactly what went on between the developer — a partnership that includes former Starter Co. CEO David Beckerman — its insurer and the city were unclear. Gary Letendre, executive vice president of Forest Manor LLC, the developer of what’s to be rebranded “The Atwood,” did not return a call for comment.
City Commission of Planning & Development Joseph Riccio Jr. said he didn’t know how the developer got from an approved plan to rehab the building to the demolition order and a new plan for new construction. “I don’t know their dealings with their insurance company or their inner workings,” Riccio said. “I don’t know. ... I don’t poke my nose into their business.” But “I think it’s great news that they’re going to build a development of that type across the street from” University of New Haven, he said.
The building is in the heart of the city’s Allingtown section. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

CT Construction Digest November 16, 2015

Greenwich building committee seeks construction manager

The committee overseeing the planning of a new building for New Lebanon School is seeking proposals from construction firms interested in managing the project.
The construction firm will work with the building committee during planning and construction and will be responsible for budgeting, scheduling, safety, design work, contracts and permits. Once construction starts, it will monitor the site work daily and report regularly to the committee on the building work. A request for proposals was released Tuesday, with a due date of Nov. 25. Committee members plan to interview finalists on Dec. 7 or Dec. 8 and then vote Dec. 9 on which firm to hire.
Building committee members want to hire a construction manager now so the firm can join the project right after the panel chooses a building design to develop. The panel has already hired an architectural firm, the Hartford-based Tai Soo Kim Partners.
On Wednesday, Tai Soo Kim Partners presented four construction scenarios to the New Lebanon building committee. The plans’ estimated costs range between $32.8 million and $34.3 million. Two of them would involve moving New Lebanon students during construction, while the other two would let the children stay put during the building work.
“We’re just teeing it up, so that we don’t lose time once the option is selected,” Stephen Walko, the building committee’s chairman, said. “It’s also to make sure we have refined numbers to give to the BET so that when the RTM ultimately votes on this, we’re comfortable with the cost of the project.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Environmentalists to rally for renewable energy, against Algonquin pipeline

HARTFORD — The state’s push to bring more natural gas into Connecticut to heat homes and produce electricity is drawing fire from environmentalists, who say an expansion in pipeline construction means declining focus on renewable energy.
The Algonquin pipeline, which will run through the state from Danbury to Oxford, to Putnam, is the first of five planned interstate pipeline projects approved in March by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
“Renewable energy is a great investment in people and the economy, and avoids fuel cost increases due to scarcity and the worsening harm of climate disruption,” said Martha Klein, a spokeswoman from the Connecticut Chapter of the Sierra Club.
Klein said a law sponsored by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in 2013 to expand the state’s gas distribution system is discouraging renewable energy and driving massive gas pipeline construction across the state, including an interstate line that will travel through Danbury.
The Sierra Club and other environmental groups are calling for a state energy mix based primarily on renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind and hydroelectric, as opposed to gas, oil and coal.
They will hold a noon rally Saturday at the state Capitol to call for a state energy policy based on “100 percent renewable” sources.
“The construction of 900 miles of intrastate gas pipeline to connect hundreds of thousands of new customers to gas is underway,” Klein said. “The pipeline expansions will bring vastly more gas into the state, more gas than we use now, so the state is creating the need for gas. Discounts are offered to homeowners and businesses to convert to gas.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Subcontractors Angered By Long-Delayed Payments For Work On Highway Service Plazas

Since embarking in 2009 on a project to rebuild Connecticut's 23 highway service plazas, state officials and private developers have talked in glowing terms of their "innovative public-private partnership, through which private sector funding will help to rebuild and maintain public infrastructure."
But now, as the nearly $150-million job is at its end, subcontractors who are still owed a collective $5 million for work they have completed use less-than-glowing words to describe the two corporations that ran the six-year project: Centerplan Construction Co. of Middletown and Project Service LLC of Milford. "I hope you feel proud being a failure!!" Pablo Jimenez, owner of subcontractor PJ's Construction Co. of New Haven, wrote in an Oct. 13 email to the president of Centerplan, which managed the construction on project. Jimenez said he is still owed $320,000. He called Centerplan a "dead beat company" in the email and threw in "unqualified, incompetent, [and] greedy" — along with a couple of other choice words — and sent copies to the state Department of Transportation and The Courant.
The payments to subcontractors have been held up because of a financial dispute between Centerplan and Project Service, which for months had been pointing fingers at each other over who had to pay final project costs, including payments to people like Jimenez.
Only in the past few days has the DOT forced an apparent solution to the problem of non-payment, although Jimenez still doesn't have the money in his pocket.
It all has sounded a sour note at the end of what the DOT and the two companies say has been a successful project that has rebuilt rundown service areas on I-95, I-395, and the Wilbur Cross and Merritt parkways into inviting rest stops with varied food choices — all using private investment funds and not taxpayers' money. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Proposed XL Center Makeover Comes With A Hefty Pricetag

HARTFORD — A $250 million plan to transform the XL Center into a modern venue envisions swapping ugly concrete for glass at the corner of Ann Uccello and Church streets, bringing some of the vibe that’s inside the arena out to the street.
“When you’re in it, you feel the city and when you’re outside on the street, you can look inside,” Michael W. Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, said. “In other cities, these buildings deliver an energy level, and that’s what we have to achieve here.”
The goal is daunting and the redesign of the back of the XL Center is just the latest component of a proposed, top-to-bottom makeover and expansion of the 40-year-old arena. The $250 million project would be spread across several fiscal years and paid for almost entirely by the state.
The authority, which oversees the XL Center and the renovation, will have to marshal the political support from both Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the state legislature to secure funding. The project will have to compete with a myriad of other projects, including Malloy’s sweeping statewide plan to improve transportation and comes at a time when the state is mired in deepening financial woes.
The first chunk of funding — perhaps as much as $50 million — could get the project fully underway next year. If legislative approval is secured, construction could start the following year and be completed by 2019.
The plans envision a dramatic change that would essentially create a new arena: a second concourse to relieve congestion and irritating waits at concessions; more “premium” seating lower in the arena; and more amenities and restrooms. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

CT Construction Digest November 13, 2015

Are workers’ comp violations more common where income disparity is high?

A pair of researchers sought to find out whether certain labor violations were concentrated in areas with more intense economic inequality. They shared their work with Trend CT.
Daniel Ravizza, a researcher for the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, with the assistance of Matthew Zagaja, an attorney and fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet andSociety, compared the frequency of stop-work orders with a measure of economic inequality in the map above.
What are stop work orders?
When employers fail to provide proper workers' compensation insurance, the State Department of Labor can order them to stop work.
Stop-work orders are used to penalize only worker’s compensation violations. Other labor laws, such as those relating to working conditions, are enforced with other types of penalties, said Gary Pechie, director of the Department of Labor Wage and Workplace Standards Division.
Failure to provide proper workers' compensation coverage can stem from other violations. For instance, Pechie said, an employee might not be listed on the payroll at all, or a construction worker with a hazardous job might be listed on the books as an indoor office worker who doesn’t face the same risks, Pechie said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

State Grants May Help Middletown Developers With Cleanup, Funding

MIDDLETOWN — The city is applying for two grants that would help the developers of two planned residential projects secure financing.
Both projects, a 43-unit condominium complex on River Road and a 19-unit affordable apartment project at 27 Stack St., have been approved by the planning and zoning commission. But the properties, designated as "brownfields" because of environmental contamination, may qualify for the state grants to help pay costs associated with assessing the cleanup.

Martin Smith, owner of Waterhouse Development, said his project on the former Jackson Corrugated Container Corp. property on River Road will include 2,000 square-foot, two-bedroom condominiums that face the Connecticut River.

The property, however, has contamination, including lead and asbestos.
"If we can get the grant now, it's going to be a lot easier for us to get financing," Smith said. The grant would help pay for an environmental assessment to determine remediation costs. Lenders hate contamination," Smith said.
Planning Director Michiel Wackers said the city is applying for a $518,100 grant for the River Road site and a $825,000 grant for the Stack Street project. He said there is $14 million available in the current round of brownfield grants from the state, but both applications will be competing with other proposals throughout Connecticut. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

New transfer station in Ansonia on the way

ANSONIA >> The city broke ground this week on a new transfer station geared to not only save the city money but offer residents more efficiency and options, including an item swap section.
Mayor David Cassetti and Public Works Director Doug Novak took shovels to the ground to help pave the way for construction of the new, $1.2 million facility being built on North Division Street, on the same site as the existing transfer station.
Cassetti said the new facility will make solid waste collection more efficient and reduce overall transportation costs, air emissions, energy use, truck traffic and road wear and tear. He said the project will ultimately save Ansonia money and lower the overall cost of solid waste management services. “This project is a key infrastructure project that will allow for easier disposal of bulky waste for our residents,” Cassetti said. “This project will also ensure that Ansonia remains in compliance with all of our state and federal regulations. I know residents will find the new site more convenient and more efficient, and the net effect on our taxpayers will be positive.”
Associated Construction of Hartford will serve as the project contractor. Cassetti said the new facility is expected to take about four months to complete.  City officials said the current system in place at the transfer station allows residents to dump leaves, brush, metal and bulky items directly on the ground, which are later picked up, sorted and transported off site. The new transfer station will feature designated containers and will keep debris and waste off of the ground, allowing for easier pick up and transportation. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Dirty soil plan holds up housing development at former Hamden Middle School

HAMDEN >> Remediation plans that will lead to redevelopment of the former Hamden Middle School are before the Planning and Zoning Commission, but still have far to go before any work can begin.  Mutual Housing Association of South Central Connecticut is buying the 14-acre property for $1 and plans on transforming it into a 99-unit apartment complex, including a community center open to the public.
However, before that can happen, the soil contaminated by years of use as a landfill needs to be addressed by a plan that not only the town, but also the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, must approve.
The contaminated soil on the property won’t be removed, but will be kept on site and capped, according to Michael Nanolakas, a civil engineer working on the project who appeared before the commission Tuesday night. The meeting was a continuation of the public hearing on Mutual Housing’s application for a site plan and special permit for the project.
“We don’t plan to take any of the fill off the property,” Nanolakas said. “We will use all of the fill on the site.” The contaminated soil is the result of more than a half-century of dumping at the site and surrounding area by the Winchester Repeating Arms factory, and possibly other factories in the area. It stopped in the 1950s, and after that the school and surrounding homes were built on the land.
The school closed in 2000 after concerns about the soil, which is contaminated with lead and arsenic. Since then, the entire 18-block area around the school has been remediated and now the attention turns to the school property’s reuse.
“In my opinion, (keeping the contaminated soil on-site) is the better thing to do than to send it to a landfill,” Nanolakas said. “It’s not contaminating the groundwater and will be in an area where it will be encapsulated where it won’t affect anyone.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Voters say Cheshire can spend $7.2 million for projects 

BY ANDREW LARSON REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN 
CHESHIRE — Voters approved six ballot questions on Election Day, authorizing the town to bond $7.2 million for six projects ranging from preserving open space to making Cheshire High School fully accessible to individuals with disabilities. The largest project, with an estimated cost to the town of $3.1 million is to replace the East Johnson Avenue Bridge over the Quinnipiac River, which is just east of Southshire Drive. The town will pay 20 percent of the total cost; the state will pay 80 percent.
The bridge will probably need to be shut down during construction, Town Manager Michael A. Milone said.
Recently, the town engineer found a scour problem beneath the bridge deck, which means it's beginning to rust and deteriorate, Milone said. Also, the piles that hold up the 44-year-old bridge are "somewhat overstressed," he said.
The town plans to go out to bid for the project soon and construction will begin in the spring.
THE BALLOT QUESTION that received the most yes votes was the $1.7 million bond authorization for a road repavement project. That money will be combined with a prior appropriation of $8 million, bringing the total cost to $9.7 million.
Milone expects that will be enough to pave about 7 miles of roads. The town has earmarked a number of roads it hopes to repave in the spring, but depending on how much damage occurs to roads over the winter, those plans could change.
Milone said the town tries to pave a new set of roads every year, so when roads start reaching the end of their life span, they won't all have to be reconstructed at once.
"It's ongoing maintenance and if you deter it, it doesn't go away, it gets more costly," Milone said.
VOTERS ALSO APPROVED $500,000 in bonding for the town's open space and conservation fund. Although the town doesn't have specific plans for the money, it will go into a fund reserved for acquisitions of open space, which currently has a balance of about $2.2 million, Milone said. "This is money to hold for when opportunities present themselves," Milone said.
He said the town has acquired about 1,500 acres since 1988. Some of the land is used for walking trails, sports fields, municipal buildings and other passive uses.
The town's desire to preserve large swaths of open space stems from its roots as a rural farming community. "The town decided to buy open space to maintain its character and provide passive recreation activities for residents," Milone said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

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