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Westport bridge over Merritt Parkway to close
Come Monday, the first day of summer, the North Avenue Bridge over the Merritt Parkway in Westport will be closed to all traffic, day and night. The bridge is expected to reopen by Aug. 25.
It’s the latest snag in the project, begun in 2015, that has tested the patience of drivers and town officials. During the winter, all work was suspended. Late last year, officials had hoped to complete the project by June 30; now the target date is Sept. 15.
During daytime, alternating one-way traffic has been allowed to cross the bridge, controlled by traffic lights. Now, the state Department of Transportation says a full closure is needed to complete the $2.8 million job.
Developer presents apartment plans on former Elmcrest property in Portland
Residents sat in a large circle in the middle school cafeteria as Daniel Bertram, president of the Danbury-based BRT General Corporation, presented his vision Tuesday of what he hopes rise on the 14-acre former hospital property. Taken together, the project would be worth an estimated $50 million, Bertram said.Using photographs of a similar development now under construction in Brookfield, Bertram said he hopes to build as many as 240 high-end apartment units on the site, on the southeast corner of Main and Marlborough streets intersection. Rents for the apartments would begin at $1,000-$1,100 for studio apartments and climb to $1,300 to $1,500 for one-bedroom apartments capping off at $1,900 to $2,200 for two-bedroom apartments arrayed in four-story buildings. The proposed rents were outlined to the audience by Bertram’s sister, Teresa LaCroce, who is BRT’s vice-president of sales and marketing. She said BRT properties have an occupancy rate in the mid-90 percent range. LaCroce also said based on the Brookfield development, the proposal would have a minimal impact on school enrollment. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Mystic YMCA project hires construction manager, continues fundraising
Mystic — The Ocean Community YMCA has hired a construction manager for its $7.2 million renovation and expansion of its Mystic branch and could start construction as early as the end of this year, depending on fundraising, according to Executive Director Maureen Fitzgerald.
She said Wednesday that during its silent leadership and major giving phase, the YMCA has received one $250,000 gift, five $100,000 gifts and others between $20,000 and $75,000.
Fitzgerald said a public phase of the campaign will be announced in coming weeks.
“Were off to a very good start,” she said. “But we need community members, businesses and Y members to support us in this process.”
The YMCA has hired Carlin Construction of New London as the construction manager.
“We’re excited to be working with them to bring this project to fruition. They have a lot of experience and are a very civic-minded organization,” Fitzgerald said.
According to a list on its website, Carlin has completed projects at the University of Connecticut, Mitchell College, Connecticut College, Mystic Aquarium, Millstone Nuclear Power Station and the Zachry Group on Lords Hill Road, among many others. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
With Developer Removed, Hartford Stadium Has No Property Insurance Protection
HARTFORD — Hartford's $63 million minor league ballpark — now standing unfinished just north of downtown — is not being covered by property insurance in the wake of the city's decision a week ago to terminate a construction contract with its developer, city auditors said Wednesday.
"The bottom line is the city's investment in that stadium is not insured for property and contents," said Craig S. Trujillo, the city's deputy chief auditor. "There is no insurance on that property for perils, like windstorms, like fires."
Typically, such construction policies end when building is complete, Trujillo said, but halting the project before it was finished had a similar effect. When a public building project is completed, the city then seeks a permanent policy to cover property damage. Trujillo said he was told earlier Wednesday by the city's risk manager that the coverage was no longer in force. The city also did not start to make other arrangements for property insurance until after the contract was terminated, Trujillo said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Residential Subdivision Plan Moves Forward In Rocky Hill
ROCKY HILL — A 15-lot residential subdivision planned for a heavily wooded, archaeologically sensitive area adjacent to Quarry Park was approved Wednesday night by the planning and zoning commission.
The Indian Hill development, planned by Bellsite Development LLC of Manchester, will be accessed via a 1,200-foot roadway from Old Main Street. The street will bisect the lots of two of the town's most historic homes, built in the 1700s, and end in a cul-de-sac on the ridge overlooking the park, where Native American artifacts dating back thousands of years have been recovered.
The commission approved the development following conclusion of a public hearing continued from May 18. The proposed development had raised red flags with neighboring homeowners concerned about potential blasting, Old Main Street residents concerned about the impact on traffic and historic preservationists.
The site, comprising two lots, is listed to 244-262-264 Old Main Street LLC, a corporate entity set up by the Zariphes family which has owned the properties for decades. On the north side of the planned roadway, at 244 Old Main St., stands the Jacob Robbins House, built in 1770 with a prominent, four-column Greek Revival portico added about 1920. On the south side, at 262 Old Main St., is the John Robbins House, popularly known as the Duke of Cumberland Inn. Dating to 1767, the red brick Georgian house "is one of the finest examples of brick Georgian architecture in Connecticut,'' according to its listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The home's original owner, wealthy Wethersfield merchant, farmer and legislator Esquire John Robbins operated a tavern and kept slaves on the property. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE