STAMFORD — The school district’s outgoing superintendent has asked the Board of Education to approve a temporary agreement with its embattled facilities contractor — a Bridgeport company under local and federal investigation for possible extortion.
Interim Superintendent James Connelly said the four-month contract with AFB Construction Management will allow new Superintendent Earl Kim, who starts next week, time to review the six-figure arrangement and consider restructuring the district’s facilities operations.
The deal with AFB Construction, run by CEO Al Barbarotta, would be the company’s first short-term contract with the district since it began managing the city’s public schools 18 years ago. The agreement would cost taxpayers about $57,000 a month — an 8 percent cut from the current agreement, which paid AFB about $62,000 on a monthly basis and cost a total of $742,000 this school year.
“My proposal not only allows for the continued smooth operation of all ongoing and planned facilities work, but also allows time for incoming Superintendent Earl Kim, along with staff, and the city of Stamford, to evaluate the current arrangement, the roles and responsibilities of other city departments, and consider a number of viable options,” Connelly wrote to the school board.
The panel is expected to vote on the proposal Tuesday night.
Connelly said some of those options include working with AFB in other roles, starting a partnership with the city or implementing in-house facilities management.
“The hope is that these options will be studied over the next four months,” he said Monday. “This protects us in case we don’t have a plan.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Crews begin to lay track in Wallingford for commuter rail project
WALLINGFORD — There has been a lot of recent construction activity along the Route 5 corridor, including downtown, as work progress on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter rail project.
Materials have been delivered and new track has already been put down between Quinnipiac and Ward streets. Officials hope to bring in a machine to lay additional track near the North Haven and Wallingford line by the end of the summer.
“We’re in one of our busiest times,” said John Bernick, assistant rail administrator for the state Department of Transportation.
The $643 million project, which will enhance commuter travel between New Haven and Springfield, includes laying a second track and the construction of new train stations in Meriden, Wallingford and Berlin. Workers from The Middlesex Corporation were creating track beds Monday and laying ballast — the material that bears the load from railroad ties — along the tracks parallel to Route 5 across from the plaza that is home to Holiday Cinemas.
Worker Dave Schafrick said track beds have been completed from New Haven to Pent Highway
“We do the subgrade, then the subballast and then the first lift of the ballast,” Schafrick said.
Once contractors complete the beds, Amtrak will put down the final foot of ballast when they install the track.
Contractor crews in the area have also been busy constructing retaining walls, installing signal boxes and working on culverts.
Crews will be laying “skeletonized” track in the area throughout the summer, Bernick said. The track will still need to be surfaced and brought up to grade before it will be capable of supporting a train. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
They are, in fact, among the most congested in the United States, and their bridges are among the most deteriorated, according to the group, TRIP, which assessed the nation’s 60-year-old Interstate Highway System.
The report found that among the 50 states, Connecticut’s urban interstates have the third-highest rate of vehicle travel per lane mile and are the eighth-most congested. Traffic on 60 percent of the state’s urban interstates experiences significant delays during peak hours.
Seven percent of Connecticut’s interstate bridges are structurally deficient, the fifth-highest rate in the nation, TRIP found.
Nationally, 43 percent of urban interstates are considered congested, with California ranking as the most congested. Rhode Island (No. 4) and Massachusetts (No. 6) have a greater percentage of congested interstate miles than Connecticut.
California also ranks as the state with the busiest urban interstates in terms of vehicles per lane mile. Rhode Island ranks fourth, right after Connecticut, and Massachusetts is 10th.
At 15 percent, Rhode Island has the greatest share of structurally deficient interstate bridges. New York ranks fourth at 8 percent and Massachusetts ninth at 6 percent.
The report, “The Interstate Highway System Turns 60: Challenges to Its Ability to Continue to Save Lives, Time and Money,” says interstates face increasing congestion, unprecedented levels of travel — particularly by large trucks — and insufficient funding for repairs and improvements.
According to TRIP, the current backlog of needed upgrades to the system, as estimated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, is $189 billion. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CT deals seen as linchpin for 'Access Northeast'
Connecticut's energy regulator is in the midst of a major power procurement that could determine the fate of New England's largest proposed natural gas expansion project.
On July 1, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will accept responses to a recent request for proposals to expand natural gas capacity and storage in the state.
Among the expected bidders will be the $3 billion Access Northeast project, a proposed expansion of Spectra Energy's Algonquin pipeline, which runs from the Marcellus Shale and crosses Connecticut diagonally from the southwest to the northeast, before heading into Massachusetts.
DEEP's selection of Access Northeast — in which Eversource owns a 40 percent stake — would provide a substantial amount of the demand needed to make the project economically viable, particularly since Connecticut is the second-highest power user in New England, according to Morningstar analyst Travis Miller, who covers Eversource.
If Access Northeast doesn't get picked, however, it could threaten the project, leading to the region's second major natural gas expansion hitting a roadblock this year. Competing expansion
A competing $3.3 billion pipeline expansion — targeted largely at natural gas utilities — was shelved by Kinder Morgan in April after the company reported that it couldn't secure enough customer contracts.
"If either Connecticut or Massachusetts decides not to move forward with contracts [for Access Northeast], it would be very challenging to justify constructing the pipeline," Miller said.
Sidebar: Rate recovery controversy
At stake is potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in annual ratepayer savings that developers say Access Northeast could bring to Connecticut, although some are skeptical of those projections. Meantime, environmentalists and others also worry that expanding the region's reliance on natural gas could cause greenhouse gas emissions to rise. Access Northeast will also be competing against clean-energy projects that supporters say would better allow the state to meet its energy needs and achieve environmental goals.
Camilo Serna, Eversource's vice president for strategic planning and policy, said earlier this month that Access Northeast has approximately half of the commitments from New England utilities it feels are needed to make the project viable.
"We continue to look for more commitments in the region and we're in good standing today," Serna said. $250M annual savings? Serna said Access Northeast could translate to net annual savings of $1 billion to New England ratepayers for 15 years or more. Connecticut's portion of that number would be approximately $250 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
DOT Seeks Grant To Study Mileage-Based Tax
HARTFORD — Amid criticism from Republican legislators, the Department of Transportation said there are no plans to implement a mileage-based tax on motorists, even after the state signed on to a grant application with four other states to investigate that model of transportation funding.
Connecticut joined New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Delaware to apply for $2.1 million in federal money to study so-called "mileage-based user fees," which would tax drivers based on the number of highway miles they drive.
Advocates say new transportation revenue is needed because gasoline taxes have remained relatively flat while cars become more fuel efficient and electric vehicles are introduced.
"This means vehicles are traveling farther for the same amount of gas (and the associated fuel tax), with some vehicles (e.g., EVs) not paying anything for their use of the roadway," the five states wrote in a grant application submitted on behalf of the "I-95 Corridor Coalition."
Republicans in the state legislature were quick to criticize the proposal, which was floated last year as a possible way to pay for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's $100 billion transportation plan.
"If you thought the idea of tolls was unpopular, just wait until you try to tax Connecticut residents for every single mile they drive," said Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, ranking member of the General Assembly's transportation committee. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUEAvon Water Co. Replacing Line On West Avon Road
AVON — The Avon Water Co. has resumed a water main replacement project on West Avon Road that began last fall, and work is expected to go through mid-August, the company has announced.
Crews replaced a section of the water line near Avon High School in the fall. The project went on hiatus during the winter but started up again earlier this month. A new water line is being put in between Devonshire and Country Club Road.
Some disruption to traffic is expected while the work is going on, including closing the southbound lane of West Avon Road. The water company said construction work will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Water company officials said the water line is being put in grassy areas that abut the roadway, but some disruption to traffic will still occur.
"AWC is aware of the inconvenience posed by this project and requests residents and motorists to be mindful and patient of the construction activities," water company officials said in a statement announcing the work. "AWC further requests that any particular concerns be brought to its attention promptly so that necessary adjustments can be made to accommodate them."
Water company President Robert Wesneski said in an interview that the company delayed getting started until the week of June 21, after town schools were done for the academic year. The work area is near Avon High School and Avon Middle School."The last time we did a water line project, schools were in session, and that creates a lot more issues than when they are not in session," Wesneski said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Newington Parks And Rec. Proposes $19 Million Makeover Of Churchill Park
NEWINGTON — The parks and recreation department is proposing a $19 million makeover of Churchill Park, but leaders of both parties on the town council say fiscal constraints will likely require the project to be downsized.
"Nineteen million dollars is a lot of money," GOP Mayor Roy Zartarian said. "I don't foresee the entire project happening. If it does, it will not happen all at once."
Democratic Minority Leader Carol Anest called the proposal "marvelous," but said she didn't think the voters would approve such a large expenditure at this time.
"I think to make it palatable to the taxpayers, the project would have to be scaled back," Anest said. The proposal, which includes a new pool, a new synthetic turf playing field and additional picnic pavilions, comes as the town faces a wave of major building projects. Topping the list is a projected $25 million town hall renovation. Also on the agenda are the expansion and modernization of the Lucy Robbins Welles Library and renovation of Anna Reynolds Elementary School. All the projects would be funded primarily through bonding, which spreads out the cost over decades. Voters would have to approve the bonds at referendum.
Zartarian and Anest said they expect the council to talk about which projects to prioritize during a discussion of the capital improvement budget at Tuesday's council meeting. Both listed the town hall project, which has been pending for nearly a decade, as their top priority.
Parks and recreation Superintendent Bill DeMaio said that he was asked shortly after assuming his position last July to prepare a redesign of the park, the first major renovation of the facility in about 50 years. The parks and recreation commission has approved the resulting plan, he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Waterbury dorm plan needs zoning approval
WATERBURY — City leaders will approach the Zoning Commission on Thursday seeking changes to zoning rules to allow student dormitories in the downtown business district. A pair of New York investors plan a $7 million project to put 90 college students in 28 new dormitory style suites in the Brown Building, at 20 East Main St. It's just a short walk to the University of Connecticut branch campus. Current rules prohibiting group living would stop any project in which a building owner would assign strangers to live together in units with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. It's meant to prevent rooming and boarding houses. A change proposed by city Economic Development Director Joseph McGrath would carve out an exception for housing of "post-secondary" students.
City Planner James Sequin said the rule would allow housing for any post-high school student, be they attending UConn, Naugatuck Valley Community College, Post University or some form of formal vocational training. The rule change would open the door for the proposed redevelopment of the Brown Building, but its impact would be felt beyond that address. It would apply to the entire downtown business district.
Joseph Gramando — one-half of Green Hub Development — said he expects to rent exclusively to UConn students, but hasn't ruled out students from other local higher learning institutions.
Sequin said the proposed change would require proof of enrollment for all tenants. The city would also be able to inspect the housing with notice of three business days. No more than two students could be housed in any one room, and no more than eight per dwelling unit, or suite. Landlords would have to provide local contacts who are reachable at all hours. The city could demand updated confirmation for any resident student within 10 days. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Study says Connecticut's traffic is among the worst in the nation Malloy office says $100 billion plan needed
HARTFORD — Connecticut motorists probably did not need another study to confirm they travel on some of the busiest and most congested stretches of interstate highway in the United States. A new national report released Monday ranks the state's interstate highways the third busiest and the eighth most congested in the country, and it rates bridges on interstate highways as the fifth most structurally deficient in the nation. The governor's office says the findings underscore the urgent need to move on the 30-year, $100 billion transportation modernization plan that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has laid out. "This report is yet another reminder of exactly why we must transform our transportation systems and take action," said Chris Collibee, a Malloy spokesman. The Connecticut Construction Industries Association also highlighted the findings. The association supports Malloy's transportation plan. The national study was released by TRIP, a think tank sponsored by insurance companies, construction equipment companies, highway construction and engineering businesses, and labor unions and organizations Only the states of California and Maryland had higher rates of vehicle travel per lane mile than Connecticut, the report said. The state's interstate highways carried on average 15,391 vehicles per day. This compares to a nation-leading 19,424 vehicles per day for California and 18,425 for Maryland.
At 15,281 vehicles, the neighboring state of Rhode Island ranked fourth behind Connecticut. Massachusetts was the only other New England state to rank among the 10 most busiest. At 14,496, the Bay State was 10th. At 60 percent, Connecticut ranked eighth among the 10 states with the greatest share of congested interstates. With 63 percent each, Rhode Island and Delaware tied for third. After them, it was Massachusetts with 62 percent. Connecticut tied for fifth among the 10 states with the greatest share of Interstate bridges that are structurally deficient with the states of Michigan and Illinois. The report said 7 percent of the bridges in each state fell in that category. At 15 percent, Rhode Island led the country. The New England states of Massachusetts and Maine ranked 9th and 10th, with 6 percent and 5 percent respectively.