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
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