States throw money at military bases to keep them open
GROTON — States with large military bases are filling what is traditionally the federal government’s role by picking up the tab for construction and repairs, saying they can’t afford not to.
The number of states willing to spend taxpayer money to fix infrastructure in military facilities, and the scale of the projects, has increased steadily in the past five years. State officials argue that the Pentagon keeps asking for base closings and they want to protect their bases and the revenue they bring in.
Essentially, states are treating their bases like large corporations they want to keep within their borders, and at least one high-ranking Navy official says it’s a good idea. Connecticut has been a leader, setting aside $40 million to improve aging infrastructure at the naval submarine base there, much like it’s also spending hundreds of millions of dollars to keep companies in Connecticut and create jobs.
“We are changing the ways we think about military bases,” said Bob Ross, executive director of Connecticut’s Office of Military Affairs. “These are big commercial enterprises. They are publicly financed, but there is so much commercial activity that goes on at these bases, you have to look at them the same way you look at a corporation.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Old Middletown High School restored into 65 units of affordable housing
MIDDLETOWN >> City and state officials joined residents Wednesday to celebrate affordable housing with the nearly completed renovation of the Old Middletown High School Apartments done by the nonprofit developer Preservation of Affordable Housing. Senior citizens and disabled residents have called the Romanesque Revival-style complex home since the 1970s. POAH acquired the property in March 2014 and began a major rehab featuring masonry repair, new windows, energy-efficient boilers and upgraded kitchens and bathrooms, according to PAOH.
Current residents remained in their homes throughout the process.
Resident Barbara Salvati says the upgrades are wonderful. Salvati, who uses assistance of a walker, is one of several residents thrilled about upgrades like new kitchen cabinets, appliances and windows in her apartment.
Salvati also had a rave review about new community washers and dryers that cost residents just .35 cents per use, she said. Before their acquisition, POAH considered the property one of the state’s most “at risk” because of its downtown location and historical significance, according POAH.
Highlighting the stunning architecture now preserved and its ideal downtown location, speakers all touched on these major selling points of the property.
Middletown Deputy Mayor Robert P. Santangelo joked lightly that perhaps, one day, he too would be fortunate enough to become a resident. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Improvements To Athletic Facilities At Manchester High Moving Forward
MANCHESTER — Construction of a new playing field and locker room renovations at Manchester High School, with a total price tag of about $3 million, are expected to be finished around the time the next school year starts.
Consultants presented plans to the board of directors Tuesday night. Voters approved funding for the work last year as part of a school improvement bond.
The cost of installing synthetic turf on the field where football and soccer are played and laying a new surface on the track that surrounds the field is expected to be $1.75 million, Luke McCoy of Glastonbury-based BSC Group said. The project also includes work on field event areas, including shot put, high jump and steeplechase.
After bidding and a contract award, construction is to start in the spring and take about 90 days, McCoy said. The synthetic turf has a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years and will have an eight-year warrantee, he said. The track will have a life span of about 20 years, as long as it is recoated every six or seven years, McCoy said. Graduation could be held on the new synthetic field, with some precautions, such as no high heels, he said. The concession stand, press box and bleachers are all code-compliant and can remain as they are, McCoy said. Directors also have been discussing construction of a field house for indoor track and other sports at the high school, a project that is in the conceptual state. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
PURA gives final OK to UIL-Iberdrola merger
The state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority gave final approval Wednesday to the $3 billion merger of UIL Holdings Corp. and a U.S. subsidiary of Spanish utility giant Iberdrola.
PURA commissioners voted 2-1 in favor of approving a draft decision issued last month.
The companies have said they hope to close the deal by the end of this month.
Iberdrola said the deal will create a diversified power and utility company with seven regulated utilities operating in four Northeast states and combined revenue of approximately $2 billion. The combined entity will also have the second-largest wind generation portfolio in the United States, the company said.
PURA's final signoff comes after the regulator negotiated a series of concessions with UIL in September. That settlement followed an initial PURA ruling over the summer that found Iberdrola had not met public interest standards.
The combined entity, which will be 85-percent owned by Iberdrola USA, has committed to $40 million in ratepayer credits, $45 million in potential avoided cost recoveries related to infrastructure improvements, and $39 million in charitable contributions.
Also promised is an expenditure of at least $30 million to clean up a former power station in New Haven, the hiring of 150 workers in Connecticut over three years, and keeping UIL's headquarters and operations in the state. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Malloy calls ‘lockbox’ vote a milestone, not a setback
What do you say when your pitch for a constitutional amendment protecting transportation revenue is strongly endorsed by the General Assembly, just not by the three-fourths margin necessary to place it before the voters in 2016?
“This is a victory,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Wednesday. “It’s not a hundred-percent victory, but it’s a victory.”
Passage of a constitutional “lockbox” is a prerequisite to Malloy's eventually seeking additional revenue for his ambitious transportation infrastructure plans, and failure to win passage in 2016 could complicate any debate in 2017 over tolls, fuel taxes or other dedicated transportation revenue.
But the governor has time. A study panel is not expected to make recommendations about new sources of transportation funding until next year, and the legislature is unlikely to consider a vote on any tax increases until after the 2016 elections.
Malloy, a second-term Democrat trying to leave a legacy of long-term transportation improvements, said he sees the vote Tuesday by the General Assembly as progress, given the reluctance of legislators in his own party to take any steps that might restrict the uses of revenue.
“I don’t think it’s a complication. I think it really is a milestone,” Malloy said.
The Senate voted unanimously for the constitutional amendment, while the vote in the 151-member House vote was 100 to 40, with 11 absences. To reach the three-fourths threshold, Malloy needs 114 votes in the House. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Malloy Cancels MetroHartford Alliance Breakfast Appearance Over Griebel Letter
Governor Dannel P. Malloy is not a friend of diversity of thought. Malloy is in an alright twist over Nelson “Oz” Griebel’s recent letter to the legislature suggesting it slow the rush to adopting an amendment to the state constitution imposing a “lockbox” on transportation spending.
Griebel thinks the legislature should wait until a transportation study panel he serves on issues a report early next year. Malloy was not pleased. Griebel serves as the president of the MetroHartford Alliance, where the governor was scheduled to speak Wednesday at its Rising Star Breakfast. Fast as you can say aurora borealis, Malloy cancelled his speech and Griebel was summoned to the corporate woodshed. Offering measured advice in public that conflicts with the Malloy way is no longer allowed. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker seems more open to other people’s ideas. Sometimes that pays off.
A terse MetroAlliance email message announced the rising star to shooting star cancellation. Refunds are available from Roberto Capossela.
The next breakfast, scheduled for January 12th, will feature the newly elected mayor of Hartford, Luke Bronin Peron. Any zoning supplicants who did not respond to campaign fundraising solicitations from the Greenwich plutocrat may want to consider attending as the season on retribution continues.
Danella Companies Adopts SmartDrive Safety Program
SmartDrive Systems, a leader in driving performance solutions that reduce collisions and improve fuel efficiency, announced that Danella Companies Inc., a leader in construction services for the utility industry, has implemented SmartDrive’s video-based safety program across its fleet of nearly 200 vehicles. In the first three months following adoption, Danella saw critical improvements in key driver safety indicators, including a 79 percent increase in driver seatbelt usage, 40 percent reduction in speeding, 33 percent drop in unsafe following and a 29 percent decrease in handheld device usage. Overall, the fleet experienced a 79 percent improvement in its safety score complemented by a reduction in litigation expenses, better driver retention and greater operational efficiency, according to the company.
Danella Companies is a Pennsylvania-based provider of construction services to a broad range of utility and railroad customers. In its New York and Connecticut locations, the company operates a fleet of just under 200 vehicles, ranging from small pick-up trucks, cars and SUVs to tractor trailers, step vans, and dump, box and bucket trucks. Company leadership advocated for the adoption of SmartDrive’s video-based technology to maximize safety, mitigate litigation risks and minimize accident-related financial losses.
“Having long promoted a culture of safety at Danella, our deployment of SmartDrive’s platform further enhances and extends the safety programs we already had in place, while also exonerating drivers and positively impacting the bottom line. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Griebel thinks the legislature should wait until a transportation study panel he serves on issues a report early next year. Malloy was not pleased. Griebel serves as the president of the MetroHartford Alliance, where the governor was scheduled to speak Wednesday at its Rising Star Breakfast. Fast as you can say aurora borealis, Malloy cancelled his speech and Griebel was summoned to the corporate woodshed. Offering measured advice in public that conflicts with the Malloy way is no longer allowed. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker seems more open to other people’s ideas. Sometimes that pays off.
A terse MetroAlliance email message announced the rising star to shooting star cancellation. Refunds are available from Roberto Capossela.
The next breakfast, scheduled for January 12th, will feature the newly elected mayor of Hartford, Luke Bronin Peron. Any zoning supplicants who did not respond to campaign fundraising solicitations from the Greenwich plutocrat may want to consider attending as the season on retribution continues.
Danella Companies Adopts SmartDrive Safety Program
SmartDrive Systems, a leader in driving performance solutions that reduce collisions and improve fuel efficiency, announced that Danella Companies Inc., a leader in construction services for the utility industry, has implemented SmartDrive’s video-based safety program across its fleet of nearly 200 vehicles. In the first three months following adoption, Danella saw critical improvements in key driver safety indicators, including a 79 percent increase in driver seatbelt usage, 40 percent reduction in speeding, 33 percent drop in unsafe following and a 29 percent decrease in handheld device usage. Overall, the fleet experienced a 79 percent improvement in its safety score complemented by a reduction in litigation expenses, better driver retention and greater operational efficiency, according to the company.
Danella Companies is a Pennsylvania-based provider of construction services to a broad range of utility and railroad customers. In its New York and Connecticut locations, the company operates a fleet of just under 200 vehicles, ranging from small pick-up trucks, cars and SUVs to tractor trailers, step vans, and dump, box and bucket trucks. Company leadership advocated for the adoption of SmartDrive’s video-based technology to maximize safety, mitigate litigation risks and minimize accident-related financial losses.
“Having long promoted a culture of safety at Danella, our deployment of SmartDrive’s platform further enhances and extends the safety programs we already had in place, while also exonerating drivers and positively impacting the bottom line. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE