Winter power, gas supplies, new pipelines – a volatile mix in CT
Another winter, another warning from the folks who run the power grid.
“Especially during the coldest weeks of the year, the natural gas infrastructure in New England is inadequate to meet the demand for gas for both heating and power generation,” said a recently emailed statement from Vamsi Chadalavada, executive vice president and chief operating officer of ISO-New England, the Independent System Operator that runs the New England power grid.
The warning has become a seasonal ritual, along with the announcement, for the third consecutive year now, that ISO’s Winter Reliability Program will be in effect during the Dec. 1 to March 1 heating season.
The warning once again focuses all eyes on natural gas pipelines – viewed as either a big answer to the region’s power difficulties or a big problem, depending on whom you talk to.
“We have a system that’s only working when the weather is mild or when world oil prices are low. We need a grid that can work all the time – especially in the winter,” said Katie Dykes, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s energy chief, who oversees implementing the state’s Comprehensive Energy Strategy, created three years ago.
The strategy’s core is increased use of natural gas, which is seen as cleaner than oil or coal for electric generation or oil for heating. And even with oil at its lowest price in years, gas is still about 20 percent cheaper. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Rail project chugging toward 2017 goal
BERLIN — The new rail line from New Haven to Springfield, Mass., runs through Berlin, and that’s a good thing for the town, Economic Development Director Chris Edge said.
“The train station, and in particular, more frequent trains into Berlin, will bring additional people to the area,” he said. “We are hopeful that residents of Berlin as well as surrounding communities will decide to take the short trip to Berlin to grab the train instead of heading up to Hartford or down to New Haven.”
More people stopping in town, Edge added, means more visitors to local shops and more meals being served at local restaurants, boosting the local economy.
The town, he said, remains focused on making the area around the train station as attractive as possible. Edge said the Main Street streetscape project will begin in the spring, a new pathway from the train station to Town Hall is being planned, and several businesses are taking advantage of the façade grant program to update their appearances.
The Hartford line is progressing. Last week, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy entered into an agreement with Amtrak to complete the line, receiving guaranteed agreements for cost ceilings and a clear timetable for work completion. Work is set to be finished in 2017.
“We are getting this project done. Instead of letting this languish for years and years, we are stepping up to the plate as a state to stand up for better transportation, more jobs, and economic development,” Malloy said. “This is a transformative project — and we have a commitment to get it done.”
The State Bond Commission, according to Malloy’s office, will approve an allocation of $155 million to complete construction of the rail line. The action brings the total funding to $643 million, of which $208 million is being provided by the federal government. An additional $73 million is being spent on related projects, including the revamping of Berlin’s station.
The work on the Berlin station carries a price tag of $22.25 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Stamford firm builds in wrong place, even after battle over water views,
STAMFORD — What a difference 9 feet can make.
Neighbors of an apartment building going up on Southfield Avenue in Waterside had fought to keep their water views, and demanded the developer build 132 feet back from the high water line. The developer, Belpointe Capital, wanted 102 feet. The two sides eventually settled on 111 feet.
Maybe it was a mistake, maybe not, but the builder put the foundation for the new apartments at the 102-foot mark, shorting the neighbors 9 feet. The neighbors question whether it really was a mistake, or the developer is trying to pull a fast one. Belpointe officials declined to comment Friday when contacted.
It’s not an easy situation to undo, and it’s unclear how it will be resolved. For now, nothing is happening. “They can’t work on the building itself until the foundation issue is resolved,” said Elizabeth Carlson, spokesperson for Mayor David Martin. No official stop work order has been issued but the construction crew isn’t allowed to continue the work it was doing at 112 Southfield Ave. A lawyer for the neighbors - the Stamford Landing Condominium Association - sent notice to developer Belpointe Capital and the city in late November that the Baypointe development under construction was being built with a 102 foot waterfront setback, instead of the 111 feet the two sides agreed to and which the Zoning Board approved late last year.
“[The association] considered the location of the waterfront setback to be a very important factor with regard to your development and sought to preserve its sight lines and its own property values,” wrote attorney Michael Cacace, of Cacace, Tusch & Santagata, in a letter addressed to Belpointe but hand delivered to city land use officials and others. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
State approves additional rail money; some lawmakers still wary of Amtrak
With an additional $155 million tacked on to the New Haven-to-Springfield commuter rail budget, some area legislators say they have continued concerns with Amtrak’s management of the project, while others are hopeful timing and cost-related issues have been resolved.
On Friday, the State Bond Commission unanimously approved borrowing $174 million for projects related to transportation improvements, including $155 million for the commuter rail project and $12 million to upgrade four locomotives. The additional funding brings the commuter rail project cost to $643 million.
Amtrak is managing the work, funded in part by the state and federal governments. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has attributed delays and overruns in the project to Amtrak’s failure to manage budgeting and staffing. In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox in May, Malloy requested that ownership of the track be transferred to the state.
Last Friday, Malloy said the state secured promises from Amtrak in return for additional funding necessary to complete upgrades to the line and construction of a track from New Haven to Hartford. The agreement includes a spending cap and deadline for completion. Initially, the project was expected to provide high-frequency service between New Haven and Hartford by 2016, but the opening date has been pushed to January 2018.
State Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano said in a statement Friday that “improving transportation is key to enhancing economic development and quality of life across the state.”
Fasano, a North Haven Republican, also represents Wallingford, where construction is underway on a new train station as part of the commuter rail project. Meriden and Berlin will also have new train stations and extended platforms. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
GUILFORD >> The old Guilford High School is officially gone.
The new Guilford High opened this September, as the old one was getting knocked down. Guilford High School Building Committee member Mary Beeman said the new school continues to see improvements as the remains of the old are simply piles of rubble. “They’re pretty close to completing the bus loop and the parking, which will make a big difference,” Beeman said.
Demolition started last summer at the end of the school year, according to Beeman. The bulk of the demolition job wrapped up on schedule this week.
GHSBC member Scott Pickney said so far, he’s heard nothing but good things about the look of the new school, even at home. “I have a daughter that goes as a freshman next year and she’s thrilled,” he said. Beeman said people have told her the high school feels like a college. “I think we accomplished what we were shooting for,” she said. Beeman said the construction workers spent the first eight weeks making sure the school had no traces of asbestos. She said they knocked down the east part of the building first and moved westward. There is one piece of the old Guilford High School that still remains, the science wing. Although the wing is still there, it is now owned and operated by the town and not part of the school, according to Beeman. There were talks that it will be used as a fitness center, but Beeman said she does not know if that is still the plan. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE