January 14, 2016

CT Construction Digest January14, 2016


Everyone,
Please see below.  Governor Malloy’s transportation finance panel is releasing their recommendations on how to pay for the Governor’s transportation program tomorrow morning.  This is a big deal!  This is the first time, in a long time, that the transportation discussion in Connecticut is moving past the “how are you going to pay for it” stage.  To see the program, you can attend at the Capitol, you can watch it live on the Connecticut Network: http://www.ct-n.com/ ,
or you will be able to watch it on-demand on the Connecticut Network (these are usually posted a few hours after the live broadcast). 
·         This is a really big deal.
·         Two-thirds of this program is going towards preserving the existing transportation assets in the state. (We either do this or start making a schedule of when we plan to close roads and bridges, and cut transit services)
·         This shows that the current funding streams that are in place are merely a floor.
·         The next step is to enact a constitutional amendment to protect transportation funding.
·         Now that we have clear guidance on how to move forward, Connecticut needs to keep the momentum going and get this done.

This will be again at 10:30 in Rm 1E

Suit appealing Oxford power plant approval dismissed

With the dismissal of an appeal to a Connecticut agency’s decision to approve a natural-gas-fired power plant in Oxford, the last legal barriers have been cleared to the facility’s construction.
A Superior Court judge on Tuesday upheld the Connecticut Siting Council’s decision, ruling that the neighboring town of Middlebury and other power plant opponents would not be able to stop the facility, which has been discussed on and off for the past 17 years.
The site on Woodruff Hill Road has already been cleared for construction of the 785-megawatt plant.
The judge said the Siting Council, which oversees the location of energy plants, transmission lines, hazardous waste facilities, cell phone towers, and other infrastructure, had cited “substantial evidence” in support of its position. “The fact is that the council crafted a detailed, 85-page decision based on approximately 9,000 pages of evidence,” wrote Superior Court Judge Carl J. Schuman. “On issues of particular concern to the plaintiffs, such as aviation safety, wetlands and wildlife, the council provided multiple findings of fact with accompanying citations to the record.”
Schuman’s ruling criticized opponents’ claims, saying they had “merely present(ed) a laundry list of complaints ... that have nothing to do with a substantial evidence issue.”
In May, the Siting Council granted conditional approval for Competitive Power Ventures to build the plant on a 26-acre lot near the Middlebury town line. In February, the plant cleared an auction run by ISO-New England, which operates the regional power grid.
Among the council’s conditions was approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which has jurisdiction because Waterbury-Oxford Airport is less than a mile away. That approval was granted in June. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Town Hall renovation project requires new study

NEWINGTON — The Town Council approved hiring a Hamden-based building consultant for $30,000 this week, to take a second look at the structural condition and needs of Town Hall.
After completing the study Diversified Technology Consultants will request an additional $16,000 for construction cost estimates, to include a top-to-bottom building rehaul as well as a more simple renovation.
Town Facilities Manager David Langdon told the council Tuesday that the building’s poor condition is making his job and those of fellow town employees more difficult. An emergency sewer repair briefly closed Town Hall for several days in October, he pointed out, and that’s just one example of the structure’s failing systems.
“I’ve inherited a mess,” Langdon said. “Some of the original mechanical units date back to 1950. Hiring DTC to be our second set of eyes can do a world of good,” he said. “They are the right fit for what we need to accomplish to get this project going.”
Architect Kaestle Boos and contractor Downes Construction conducted structural analyses last year and devised several different plans for renovating and reconstructing the building. These proposals were put forth by the building committee charged with planning the long-awaited project, but deemed too costly by the public. The last $34.5 million plan failed to gain residents’ approval in a public hearing in October, leading elected officials to put the project on hold as they reconsidered their options. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Putnam YMCA taking shape

PUTNAM — With staff putting the final pieces in place, the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center is racing toward the finish line for a February opening.
The Putnam facility's new staff is busy signing up its first members while offering hardhat tours so potential members can see what is taking shape prior to the Feb. 27 grand opening. Members will be able to use the facility beginning Feb. 29.
What visitors will see today is a building completely buttoned up from the outside but with areas inside requiring significant imagination to envision.
“Every day we come in here there’s something new that’s been done,” said Amanda Kelly, executive director of the facility.
The building is laid out in a loop, extending out from the main lobby and front desk which are still blank areas with walls and doorways. To the right of the front desk will be health and wellness spaces and child care services. To the left of the front desk will be locker rooms and aquatics.
Kelly is not sure yet when she and her staff will be able to begin working in the building, but her top concern is hiring staff while YMCA of Greater Hartford’s Vice President of Properties and Procurement Brian Bergeson ensures construction stays on time.
Kelly has put into place more than half of the leadership team including Membership Director Danielle Trubia. When hiring is done, Kelly said, there will be about 80 full-time and part-time positions at the YMCA. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
 
 
SOUTH WINDSOR — An official date has not been set, but the groundbreaking for the new Orchard Hill Elementary School is on track for February, Superintendent Kate Carter said.
"We are in the process of setting dates for a groundbreaking for mid-February," Carter told the board of education Tuesday.
The project just finished the bidding phase and Carter said bids came in favorably for the district.
"This is very good news for the project," Carter said.
The bids are being reviewed by the public building commission and the approval of the bid packages is expected to take place Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. during a special meeting of the commission at the board of education office.
The new Orchard Hill School is part of the district's 10-year plan to update all the elementary school facilities in town. The 72,000-square-foot school will be constructed on the 83-acre campus of the old Orchard Hill School and Timothy Edwards Middle School.
Voters approved the project in March 2014 as the first phase of the 10-year plan. The school is scheduled to open for the 2017-18 school year and will serve 560 students. Some students will be moved from Wapping School, which is scheduled to close once Orchard Hill School is completed.
Carter said before construction on the school starts she will schedule public meetings for residents in the neighborhood. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

West Hartford To Begin Negotiations Over UConn Property

WEST HARTFORD — The town council voted unanimously late Tuesday to authorize the town to begin negotiations for the purchase of the UConn campus property.
The state requires that the university give the town the first opportunity to buy the land. A separate vote would be needed to buy the property, Town Manager Ron Van Winkle said.
"This isn't saying, 'Go forth and purchase this.' This is giving you the authorization to have discussions," council minority leader Denise Hall said. "We didn't just authorize you with a blank check to go out."
UConn plans to vacate the West Hartford campus in 2017 and move the Greater Hartford branch to the former Hartford Times building on Prospect Street in downtown Hartford. The UConn property is a 58-acre parcel bordered by Lawler Road, Trout Brook Drive and Asylum Avenue and includes the Harleigh B. Trecker Library and four other buildings, as well as parking for 1,050 vehicles and intramural playing fields.
Deputy Mayor Shari Cantor recused herself from voting on the property because she is a member of the UConn board of trustees.
At Tuesday night's council meeting, Hall said the state has deferred a lot of maintenance on the existing buildings, and she questioned how much remediation would cost.
"This is not just this pristine site sitting out there waiting for someone to do something with it," Hall said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE