WETHERSFIELD — The school system invited the public to tour the partially rebuilt Wethersfield High School this week as the three-year construction project enters its final stage.
"I love it," parent Kate Lipka said after a guided tour of the school. "It's open and bright and an inviting place to come and learn. I'm impressed."
Lipka said she was especially happy with the new science labs. Her son Matthew Lipka, who accompanied her on the tour, said he looks forward to entering the school as a freshman in the fall.
"It's a great school," he said. "I'm excited." The latest milestone in the $85 million project, the largest ever undertaken by the town, is the opening of the new auditorium, with roughly 800 seats, Principal Thomas Moore said. The auditorium's completion means the district no longer has to worry about a rain location for graduation, scheduled for June 15 at Cove Park, Superintendent Michael Emmett said.The school's new gymnasium, music wing, media center and cafeteria are already completed. Major work still to be done includes the new student entrance, new tennis courts, a technology education area, renovation of art rooms and construction of auditorium side rooms, Moore and Emmett said.
"I'm looking forward to completion, having a ribbon-cutting next fall," Emmett said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Glastonbury Chimney To Be Demolished At Soap Factory
GLASTONBURY – A brick chimney that dates to the time when Aqua Velva and Lectric Shave were made in Glastonbury is coming down.
The chimney, which was originally 125 feet tall, was part of a steam plant built in 1904 that produced electricity for the J.B. Williams factory complex. When the buildings were turned into the Soap Factory condominiums in the late 1970s, the chimney and oil boilers were still used.
But unused in recent years after a conversion to natural gas, the owners of the Soap Factory have deemed the structure a safety hazard and will have it torn down this month. The owners have obtained a permit from the town to demolish the chimney. The sandy yellow chimney can be seen along William Street East.
"The structural integrity of this chimney is severely compromised due to extensive deterioration throughout the interior and exterior," according to a report done by the Boston Chimney & Tower Co. "The chimney in our opinion is beyond repair and should be removed to alleviate public and property safety issues."The Soap Factory owners said it will cost $175,000 to demolish the chimney. They also received a quote of $323,000 from Boston Chimney & Tower Co. to restore the structure to its former glory when the company made men's toiletries and popular products as Williams' Genuine Yankee Soap, Aqua Velva and Lectric Shave. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Seymour wins lawsuit against water company
SEYMOUR >> The town recently prevailed in a lawsuit brought against it by Birmingham Utilities Co. regarding taxation of a certain property on Roosevelt Drive. According to Town Attorney Richard Buturla, who represented the town in a recent trial concerning a tax appeal case, the town was successful in convincing a judge that property at 151 Roosevelt Dr. is subject to local property taxes. “We are gratified that the court upheld the position of the Town and determined that the property is subject to municipal taxes,” Buturla said. The property, while owned by Birmingham Utilities, is indirectly part of the South Central Regional Water Authority system (RWA), according to Buturla. According to Buturla, Birmingham Utilities Inc. built an addition in 2010 to a previously existing building that it owns at the Seymour well field, located at 151 Roosevelt Dr. While the building is only 10’x14’ in size, it houses an electrical transfer switch that can change the well field from utility power to generator power, along with a distribution panel that controls the flow of electricity, according to Buturla. Buturla said the Town of Seymour, for purposes of its 2010 Grand List, determined the value of the newly constructed building was “zero,” but the equipment housed inside it was valued at $237,500, which is classified as personal property.
RWA claimed that the property was tax exempt for the improvements made, but the Town of Seymour did not agree, according to Buturla. Taxes and penalties were since charged by the town because the water authority did not properly declare the property. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hill-to-Downtown Steering Committee takes no position on proposed New Haven development
NEW HAVEN >> Jorge Perez, chairman of the Hill-to-Downtown Steering Committee, made it clear Wednesday night that the group has not taken any position on what the zone should be for a proposed development by Randy Salvatore. The plan before the Board of Alders is to change the zone from BA to BD-3. Among the committee’s recommendations to the alders’ Joint Community Development and Legislation Committee is to not change the BA zone for two specific parcels: one at 2 Church Street South and one at 35 College St.
But the committee did not go beyond that.
Perez said people who have opinions about the zoning should express them to the alders.
“We had the opportunity, but whether right or wrong, the only thing we did was to say don’t change those two parcels. It is not right or wrong. Life is not that simple,” Perez said. Perez was the longtime president of the Board of Alders before being appointed as the state’s banking commissioner.
Salvatore, when contacted later Wednesday night, said changing the zone to BD-3 is necessary to make his project work. He said he had an extensive dialogue with some steering committee members on various terms they all agreed to and the assumption was that the parcels he wants to buy to develop would be re-zoned to BD-3. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
I-84 team welcomes public to forum on reconstruction
WATERBURY — The Interstate 84 Reconstruction Team is hosting a public forum from 6 to 8 p.m. today in the auditorium of Crosby High School, 300 Pierpont Road.
The I-84 project, which is taking place on a 2.7-mile stretch between Washington Street and Pierpont Road, involves adding a third lane to both directions of the highway, straightening an S-curve, and rebuilding several bridges and more than a dozen culverts and retaining walls, along with improvements to local roads.
The work began a little more than a year ago and is on track to be finished in 2019 — one year early — which would allow the contractors to receive cash incentives offered for early completion.
At the forum, project engineers will explain what has been accomplished so far, and what to expect during the next phase of construction. The event is free and open to the public.