STRATFORD — Two bridges along Route 110 in the North End of town will be rehabilitated in the coming months, resulting in traffic delays and detours at both work sites.
The first is the bridge at the outlet of Peck’s Mill Pond, just south of the southern intersection of Main Street Putney. The other is the span over Freeman Brook, which is just south of the northern intersection of Main Street Putney.
Bloomfield Library, Other Projects More Costly Than Anticipated
BLOOMFIELD — The estimated costs for a new library and a senior center-leisure services building have come in much higher than town officials had hoped.
The original estimate for a new library in 2012 was about $12.5 million for a structure to be built adjacent to town hall, but the latest estimate is between $18 million and $22 million.
Town officials had also hoped that renovating of 330 Park Ave., which houses the senior center and leisure services activities, would cost less than constructing a new building, but that hasn't turned out to be the case. Estimates for a new, 60,000-square-foot building are $30 million, or $35 million with an aquatics center, roughly the same as renovating the existing 90,000-square-foot building.
The town is also facing a much-needed $10 million to $12 million renovation and upgrade of the public works garage.Even though the town is looking at $60 million in construction costs, Mayor Joan Gamble said the projects need to move forward because of safety and compliance issues at 330 Park Ave. and the garage.
"Fifty years of neglect has turned around and bitten us," Gamble said. "After so many years of neglect, putting them on the back burner is not an option," she said.
The town, however, is considering another option: combining the library and the senior center-leisure services building at 330 Park Ave. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction Jobs Growing at Twice the Rate of Total Nonfarm Jobs
Construction employment rose sharply in March by 37,000 for the month and 301,000 for the year, while construction spending in February logged a solid year-over-year increase despite a dip compared with January, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the new jobs and spending indicate that the industry is steadily expanding to meet growing demand.
"These two reports confirm that demand for construction is robust and well-balanced among residential, private nonresidential and public segments," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "Compared with the same month a year ago, the industry is adding workers at more than double the rate of the overall economy, and construction spending continues to rise at a double-digit pace."
Construction employment totaled 6,672,000 in March, the most since December 2008, and is up by 301,000 jobs compared to a year ago, a 4.7 percent increase. That rate of increase was more than double the 2.0 percent rise in total nonfarm payroll employment since March 2015. Residential construction—comprising residential building and specialty trade contractors—increased by 13,400 jobs in March and by 166,000, or 6.8 percent, compared to a year ago. Nonresidential construction—building, specialty trades, and heavy and civil engineering construction firms—added 23,900 jobs for the month and 134,800 jobs compared to March 2015, a 3.4 percent increase. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Watertown's public works plan proposed
WATERTOWN — The Public Works Department is facing a number of budgetary challenges as Director Roy E. Cavanaugh works to balance infrastructure needs with taxpayer's willingness to pay.
Cavanaugh outlined a $4 million budget proposal to the Town Council last week. The proposed public works budget is a roughly $81,000 or 2 percent increase more than the current year.
In the highway division, Cavanaugh is hoping to replace the garage on Burton Street, which he said is functionally obsolete. He said the fuel station must be replaced by December 2018, at an estimated cost of $480,000. There is $25,000 in the budget proposal to design the removal.
The budget doesn't include any town general funds for repaving roads, but has about $507,000 in state grants to pave about 2.7 miles. Cavanaugh is counting on a slight drop in state funding as the state settles its own budget.
Also in the budget is $30,000 as a down payment toward the roughly $2.8 million replacement of the Woolson Street Bridge in a future year. The state should pick up part of the cost of that project, Cavanaugh said.
"It continues to deteriorate so it's moving toward the failure mode," he said.
Catch basin cleaning is a significant issue, Cavanaugh said, with public works employees only able to maintain and inspect a small portion of detention basins each year.
Cavanaugh said the solid waste facility is decaying. Staff is unable to keep up with increasing demands and doesn't have the control to tell whether illegal dumping goes on when the facility is closed. He said the facility needs an environmental risk assessment at a cost of about $100,000, which isn't in his budget. "Stuff is piling up there," Cavanaugh said. The transfer station in similarly in bad shape, Cavanaugh said, with a temporary construction trailer installed more than 20 years ago still serving as the main office. "It's definitely showing it's age," he said. "We have a transfer station which is literally decaying."
Concrete blocks of the retaining wall, poured from waste concrete, are crumbling, he said. The budget includes $11,000 to relocate the office. The department's vehicle life extension program is paying off, Cavanaugh said. Better maintenance of town trucks is helping them live beyond their 10 year expected useful life. For the first time in 15 years, Cavanaugh said he is not asking for a big new highway truck. The budget does include $55,000 for a pickup truck and a small dump truck, but the town finished paying off four other trucks this year. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Murphy Calls For Electrification Of Train Service Between Norwalk, Danbury
"The holy grail of this line is electrification," Murphy said after talking with commuters on the train Friday morning. "Ultimately this line needs to electrified in order for it to be modern and regular, more frequent."
Murphy’s stop in Norwalk was part of his continued Fed Up campaign to hear directly from Connecticut’s commuters about why they’re ‘fed up’ with Connecticut’s poor transportation infrastructure.
Murphy, who is a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, was joined by U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-5th District), a member of the House Transportation Committee at the event.
During their ride, they collected feedback from Metro-North passengers and handed out surveys to riders.
Esty said she talked with one man on the train who was on his way to help his mother move boxes. He was in no rush, but she said daily commuters need faster service to spend more time with their families.
“He said he’s got the time today, but most days our commuters don’t have the time,” Esty said. “They want to get there on time. They want to get home and see their kid’s baseball game.”
Future rail investment in Connecticut would be a boon to the area, but it couldn’t be done without widespread support, she said.
“It can be a real win for our state, but that’s not going to happen unless we work together,” Esty said.
CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE