Putnam hires architect for town hall, library complex work
PUTNAM — The town has hired an architect to help it develop plans for a new town hall and library complex.
Putnam's Board of Selectmen approved the Facilities Committee recommendation to hire LLB Architects of Pawtucket, R.I., for the project. The board then approved adding $50,000 to its five-year capital plan to cover the costs of the work to develop the project.
“We interviewed five architects and did site visits to the places designed by two of the firms,” Facilities Committee Chairman Allen Rawson said. “We were really pleased with what we saw.”
The committee had received 17 proposals from architects and narrowed it down to five that it interviewed, Rawson said. From those five there were two that warranted site visits, he said.
After discussing costs and fees, LLB Architects was the one who stood out, Rawson said. Rawson said the contract with LLB is for $43,750.
Town Administrator Douglas Cutler said the town will likely be able to pay for the costs of the architect through some of its LOCIP funding, which is a state grant that can be accrued over time. If the town approves construction of a new town hall and library complex, which would also house the Aspinock Historical Society, the architectural fees would become eligible for funding through the grant, Cutler said.
Mayor Tony Falzarano said he’s been impressed with the work of the Facilities Committee.
A huge demographic, baby boomers are seeking rental properties near services, amenities, shopping and highway access, town planning and economic development director Mark Pellegrini said. Spencer Street off I-384 is a busy strip with stores, restaurants, multifamily housing and access to public transit. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
West Haven residents pack public hearing to criticize use of eminent domain for upscale outlet mall
WEST HAVEN >> With 100 onlookers split between opposing any use of eminent domain and supporting The Haven high-end outlet mall — an opportunity many people don’t see coming back around anytime soon — the Redevelopment Agency Wednesday night unanimously endorsed the acquisition of a handful of holdout properties.
The possible acquisitions — through either negotiated purchases or eminent domain — of what appear to be four properties owned by three holdout property owners, now go to the City Council. Nine properties are on the list, but several are in the process of having sales either worked out or finalized. The council is expected to meet next week. The meeting has yet to be posted, but reportedly will be next Wednesday,
At a Redevelopment Agency public hearing in the Harriet C. North Community Room in City Hall Wednesday, Mayor Ed O’Brien and Haven Group Vice President Matt Armstrong both said they still hope to reach negotiated sales. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Massachusetts taxpayers group says cutting trees for gas pipeline would violate Clean Water Act
SANDISFIELD, Mass. >> A citizens group seeking to halt a new Tennessee Gas pipeline spur through Otis State Forest is planning to sue the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Tennessee Gas Co. for allegedly violating the U.S. Clean Water Act.
The Sandisfield Taxpayers Opposing the Pipeline (STOP), has filed a “notice of intent” at U.S. District Court in Springfield, a first step toward lawsuits against the commission and the pipeline company, according to Washington, D.C., attorney Alexander English.
As a specialist in Clean Water Act issues, he is lead counsel on the case for the Carolyn Elefant law firm, which has been involved in pipeline cases nationwide.
The citizens group contends that “because construction of the pipeline entails removal of hundreds of trees, including forestland protected by Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution, the project will cause significant harm to the environment and waterways of the state. Therefore, FERC’s failure to comply with the Clean Water Act, which would have at least helped to protect these resources, is particularly disturbing.”
On Feb. 11, the federal regulators approved the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company’s Connecticut Expansion Project, involving three loops along existing pipelines in Albany County in New York, Sandisfield, and Hartford County in Connecticut totaling about 13 miles. The company is trying to fast-track construction so the spurs could be put into service by next winter.
Tennessee Gas is an affiliate of Houston-based Kinder Morgan, the nation’s largest pipeline company. The loops are part of the company’s Connecticut Expansion Project to increase the flow of natural gas to three utilities in the state. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction Employment Increases in 243 Out of 358 Metro Areas Between January 2015, 2016
Construction employment increased in 243 out of 358 metro areas, was unchanged in 43 and declined in 72 between January 2015 and January 2016, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released March 17 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that many of the metro areas experiencing drops in construction employment were in energy-producing metro areas.
“Demand in most parts of the country is robust and construction employment is growing in more than two-thirds of all metro areas,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “However, the downturn in energy prices appears to be having a significant impact on construction demand in a number of formerly strong markets.”
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, Calif., added the most construction jobs during the past year (12,400 jobs, 15 percent). Other metro areas adding a large number of construction jobs include Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas (11,060 jobs, 6 percent); Orange-Rockland-Westchester, N.Y. (7,700 jobs, 22 percent) and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga. (7,600 jobs, 7 percent). The largest percentage gains occurred in El Centro, Calif. (61 percent, 1,100 jobs); Weirton-Steubenville, W.Va.-Ohio (33 percent, 500 jobs); Monroe, Mich. (30 percent, 600 jobs); Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury Town, Mass.-N.H. (22 percent, 800 jobs) and Orange-Rockland-Westchester, N.Y.
Both the Town Hall and library are in dire need of new homes, Falzarano said, and renovations to each building to keep them functioning are too expensive. He said Town Hall needs a new roof because every office on the third floor has water damage. A roof is likely to cost at least $250,000 and would only solve part of the problem. The library needs an elevator to become handicapped accessible, he said, and that would likely cost another $150,000. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
HARTFORD — A bill that would require the name of the individual or company that poured a new building's concrete foundation to be documented is on its way to the House of Representatives.
The legislation, House Bill 5180, was approved in a unanimous vote of the planning and development committee last Friday.
Introduced by Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, the bill responds to the failure of concrete foundations across north central Connecticut.
As of Wednesday, 168 homeowners have filed complaints with the Department of Consumer Protection alleging their foundations are failing. A dozen homeowners have sued their insurance companies for refusing their claims and four others have filed a class-action law suit against 111 active insurance companies in Connecticut.
"We are going through the process of working to pass legislation to address this matter on the state level, but many of my colleagues and I believe this situation rises to the level of a 'disaster' for homeowners fearing what will happen next, now that their foundations are structurally unsound," Osten, the chair of the committee, said. "We need to take action now, and to gain access to the resources that I believe the governor and our federal delegation can provide." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
MANCHESTER — A planned age-restricted apartment complex on Spencer Street has been approved, adding to a surge of development in the area.
The planning and zoning commission on Monday also passed a zoning change that will allow the 128-unit complex to be built at 188 Spencer St.
Calamar Enterprises, a national development company, needed the change from "general business" to "elderly housing development" to build the market-rate apartments at Spencer Street and Hillstown Road. Zoning rules limit residents of such developments to those age 62 and older.
The planned three-story, 128,700-square-foot building is to include 42 one-bedroom and 86 two-bedroom apartments. A centrally located lounge and community room in the H-shaped building and a 20,000-square-foot patio also are planned.
The developer also plans support services such as meals, laundry, housekeeping, transportation and social and recreational activities, according to a town planning department report. About 40 percent of the 9-acre site would be open space.
Although residents in the elderly housing zone must be at least 62 years old, regulations also say "a unit may be occupied by the surviving member of a household, regardless of age, if the other household member at the time of death met the age requirements for occupancy."A huge demographic, baby boomers are seeking rental properties near services, amenities, shopping and highway access, town planning and economic development director Mark Pellegrini said. Spencer Street off I-384 is a busy strip with stores, restaurants, multifamily housing and access to public transit. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
West Haven residents pack public hearing to criticize use of eminent domain for upscale outlet mall
WEST HAVEN >> With 100 onlookers split between opposing any use of eminent domain and supporting The Haven high-end outlet mall — an opportunity many people don’t see coming back around anytime soon — the Redevelopment Agency Wednesday night unanimously endorsed the acquisition of a handful of holdout properties.
The possible acquisitions — through either negotiated purchases or eminent domain — of what appear to be four properties owned by three holdout property owners, now go to the City Council. Nine properties are on the list, but several are in the process of having sales either worked out or finalized. The council is expected to meet next week. The meeting has yet to be posted, but reportedly will be next Wednesday,
At a Redevelopment Agency public hearing in the Harriet C. North Community Room in City Hall Wednesday, Mayor Ed O’Brien and Haven Group Vice President Matt Armstrong both said they still hope to reach negotiated sales. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Massachusetts taxpayers group says cutting trees for gas pipeline would violate Clean Water Act
SANDISFIELD, Mass. >> A citizens group seeking to halt a new Tennessee Gas pipeline spur through Otis State Forest is planning to sue the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Tennessee Gas Co. for allegedly violating the U.S. Clean Water Act.
The Sandisfield Taxpayers Opposing the Pipeline (STOP), has filed a “notice of intent” at U.S. District Court in Springfield, a first step toward lawsuits against the commission and the pipeline company, according to Washington, D.C., attorney Alexander English.
As a specialist in Clean Water Act issues, he is lead counsel on the case for the Carolyn Elefant law firm, which has been involved in pipeline cases nationwide.
The citizens group contends that “because construction of the pipeline entails removal of hundreds of trees, including forestland protected by Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution, the project will cause significant harm to the environment and waterways of the state. Therefore, FERC’s failure to comply with the Clean Water Act, which would have at least helped to protect these resources, is particularly disturbing.”
On Feb. 11, the federal regulators approved the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company’s Connecticut Expansion Project, involving three loops along existing pipelines in Albany County in New York, Sandisfield, and Hartford County in Connecticut totaling about 13 miles. The company is trying to fast-track construction so the spurs could be put into service by next winter.
Tennessee Gas is an affiliate of Houston-based Kinder Morgan, the nation’s largest pipeline company. The loops are part of the company’s Connecticut Expansion Project to increase the flow of natural gas to three utilities in the state. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction Employment Increases in 243 Out of 358 Metro Areas Between January 2015, 2016
Construction employment increased in 243 out of 358 metro areas, was unchanged in 43 and declined in 72 between January 2015 and January 2016, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released March 17 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that many of the metro areas experiencing drops in construction employment were in energy-producing metro areas.
“Demand in most parts of the country is robust and construction employment is growing in more than two-thirds of all metro areas,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “However, the downturn in energy prices appears to be having a significant impact on construction demand in a number of formerly strong markets.”
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, Calif., added the most construction jobs during the past year (12,400 jobs, 15 percent). Other metro areas adding a large number of construction jobs include Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas (11,060 jobs, 6 percent); Orange-Rockland-Westchester, N.Y. (7,700 jobs, 22 percent) and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga. (7,600 jobs, 7 percent). The largest percentage gains occurred in El Centro, Calif. (61 percent, 1,100 jobs); Weirton-Steubenville, W.Va.-Ohio (33 percent, 500 jobs); Monroe, Mich. (30 percent, 600 jobs); Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury Town, Mass.-N.H. (22 percent, 800 jobs) and Orange-Rockland-Westchester, N.Y.
The largest job losses from January 2015 to January 2016 were in Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (minus 4,700 jobs, minus 6 percent); followed by Odessa, Texas (minus 3,800 jobs, minus 19 percent); Midland, Texas (minus 3,500 jobs, minus 12 percent) and Greeley, Colo. (minus 3,100 jobs, minus 16 percent). The largest percentage declines for the past year were in Odessa; Greeley; Victoria, Texas (minus 14 percent, minus 900 jobs) and Huntington-Ashland, W.V.-Ky.-Ohio (minus 14 percent, minus 1,100 jobs). CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
WATERBURY — In a broken and pitted parking lot next to a huge crumbling factory, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy announced Wednesday a push to resurrect two federal tax breaks for redevelopment of polluted properties The former Anaconda Brass site is one of several along Freight Street that is being targeted for redevelopment with millions of dollars in local, state and federal grants and spending. Officials plan to inventory hazardous chemicals in the roughly 60 acres around Freight Street, cleaning and preparing sites for future development. The area is flat, served by a rail line, and is nestled between Route 8 and Interstate 84. The Naugatuck River borders one end.
Mayor Neil M. O'Leary says the area is the most appealing development prospect the city has to offer. But fear of unknown pollutants and huge cleanup costs have kept developers away for decades. The city is working hard to strip away the mystery of potential costs and, eventually, clean up these areas. Murphy, a Democrat, said his proposal could be a part of the formula that finally unlocks the potential of Freight Street, along with other urban centers where clean and undeveloped land is rare.
"We have spent a lot of time on this site and I feel we are closer than ever before to taking this symbol of the old Waterbury and making it the symbol of a new Waterbury," Murphy said.
Murphy said Connecticut will be unable to grow new jobs without creating more room for development.
WATERBURY HAS 27 POLLUTED sites on the state's inventory of polluted brownfield sites. Naugatuck has two. Cheshire and Watertown have one each. Torrington has five.
U.S. Rep. Elizabeth H. Esty, D-5th District, has introduced duplicate legislation in the House.
The most substantial of the two proposed tax breaks would allow companies to deduct the cost of brownfield cleanup off federal taxes in the first year of expense, rather than phasing that break over five years, Murphy said. "That's a big deal because a lot of these developers need as much money and as much capital as they can in the first year, when they are doing the work," Murphy said.
To qualify, an entity would have to spend more than $550,000 or 12 percent of the property's value on cleanup. This tax credit expired in 2011, according to Murphy's staff. Murphy or his staff could not immediately Wednesday point to examples of developers using the tax credit before it expired. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Mayor Neil M. O'Leary says the area is the most appealing development prospect the city has to offer. But fear of unknown pollutants and huge cleanup costs have kept developers away for decades. The city is working hard to strip away the mystery of potential costs and, eventually, clean up these areas. Murphy, a Democrat, said his proposal could be a part of the formula that finally unlocks the potential of Freight Street, along with other urban centers where clean and undeveloped land is rare.
"We have spent a lot of time on this site and I feel we are closer than ever before to taking this symbol of the old Waterbury and making it the symbol of a new Waterbury," Murphy said.
Murphy said Connecticut will be unable to grow new jobs without creating more room for development.
WATERBURY HAS 27 POLLUTED sites on the state's inventory of polluted brownfield sites. Naugatuck has two. Cheshire and Watertown have one each. Torrington has five.
U.S. Rep. Elizabeth H. Esty, D-5th District, has introduced duplicate legislation in the House.
The most substantial of the two proposed tax breaks would allow companies to deduct the cost of brownfield cleanup off federal taxes in the first year of expense, rather than phasing that break over five years, Murphy said. "That's a big deal because a lot of these developers need as much money and as much capital as they can in the first year, when they are doing the work," Murphy said.
To qualify, an entity would have to spend more than $550,000 or 12 percent of the property's value on cleanup. This tax credit expired in 2011, according to Murphy's staff. Murphy or his staff could not immediately Wednesday point to examples of developers using the tax credit before it expired. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE