Power plant’s opponents left with few options
OXFORD — As opponents of a power plant soon to be built in town have been denied in one forum after another, with hope of stopping the facility all but extinguished, a group of diehards are clinging to hope based on the success of a small town in Massachusetts.
Competitive Power Ventures, which has started preliminary construction in Oxford, backed out of a plan in 2008 to build a 580-megawatt power plant in Walpole, Mass., based, to some degree, on the vehemence of local opposition.
Braith Kelly, then as now the Maryland-based company’s vice president for external affairs, said CPV would not go where it wasn’t wanted. “We are not going to shove this project down people’s throats,” he was quoted as saying, giving hope to Oxford residents that they, too, could drive the company away by expressing their disapproval.
But as with nearly every argument Oxford opponents have raised, the story isn’t that simple.
Michael Boynton, currently the town administrator in Medway, Mass., held the same position in nearby Walpole in 2008. He said while local opposition played a role, the economic landscape was key.
“This happened just before the economy tanked in the recession,” he said. “Certainly there was a lot of loud opposition, but the reasons given to us focused a lot on how financing had become a challenge.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Derby roadways busy with improvement projects
DERBY — Covering just 5.4 square miles, this is the state’s smallest city.
But in the past two years it’s major thoroughfares have drawn much of the state Department of Transportation’s attention.
Start with the 2014, $9.1 rehabilitation of the Atwater (Route 34) Bridge leading into downtown, which is expected to be completed in November.
Then there was the renovation of the Division Street railroad crossing.
Coming soon is the $14 million redesign of Route 34/Main Street, in Derby’s downtown, and the $3.1 million renovation of the Shelton-Derby bridge which connects those two downtowns.
Now the DOT has unveiled preliminary plans for a $3.1 million redesign of Route 34 along with its connections to Sentinel Hill Road and the Derby-Milford Road, with work to begin in 2018.
“I definitely think its needed,” said Laurel Greco Vicdomino, who owns Town Line Storage and whose father runs the adjacent Greco & Haines, Inc., a firm specializing in well water systems, on Derby-Milford Road. “I’m a little worried about the traffic patterns, but the (planned) construction start and stop times shouldn’t make it a problem.”
The project calls for turning the two-lane, Derby-Milford Road into three lanes emptying onto Route 34. It also calls for two exclusive left-hand-turn lanes going toward Derby and a right-hand through lane heading toward New Haven. To do this, the grassy median would be removed, as many as 10 utility poles relocated and some adjacent land acquired. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
DOT seeks to permanently close Route 2 ramp
The state Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing on its proposal to close an East Hartford ramp to Route 2.
The closure is part of a larger proposed $48 million resurfacing, safety and bridge improvement project on 2.8 miles of Route 2 in East Hartford.
The proposed scope of work includes rehabilitation of the underlying concrete pavement; reconstructing the median to install a concrete barrier and provide wider shoulders; modify existing drainage; and bridge improvements including minor bridge deck repairs and upgrading concrete parapets to current design standards.
On March 30 at 6:30 p.m., the DOT will hold a public hearing and presentation in Council Chambers at East Hartford Town Hall to discuss the permanent closure of the ramps at Exit 5B (Cambridge Street on-ramp and Sutton Avenue off-ramp) to improve safety and traffic operations along this section of Route 2. The conceptual plans and traffic study associated with these ramp closures will be presented.
Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2018 based on the availability of funding. The project is anticipated to be undertaken with 100-percent state funds.
Burned once, state upbeat on new office projects
Eager to capitalize on a soft real estate market and escape expensive leases, the administration of Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. purchased three Hartford office towers in the early 1990s. But two of the deals quickly proved to be losers, a cautionary tale as the state once again is bullish on real estate.
An aging skyscraper at 60 Washington St. remained empty until its demolition in 2008, ultimately deemed too expensive to renovate and use. The other, a relatively new 20-story office building at 25 Sigourney St., was occupied, only to be labeled a “sick building” with chronic leaks and mold outbreaks.
Now, after the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has spent about $120 million on the purchase and renovation of two office buildings in another depressed Hartford real estate market, again with the goal of shedding leases and consolidating state employees, the state seems to be having better luck.
One acquisition, a 12-story building at 55 Farmington Ave. was purchased and renovated for $37.5 million, allowing the state to vacate space in East Hartford that was leased during the administration of Gov. John G. Rowland at a cost of $67 million over the previous 15 years. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE