CT Construction Digest Thursday July 28, 2016

Environmental groups decry natural gas conversion of power plant

A coalition of environmental groups says a plan to convert a coal-fired Bridgeport power plant to one that runs on natural gas is indicative of a faulty regionwide strategy when it comes to addressing global warming.
 A new report issued by the Toxics Action Center, Frontier Group, Environment America, and more than a dozen community groups across New England says natural gas-fired power plants as a bridge from burning coal to generate electricity yields no positive gains and may actually be worse in terms of global warming. The groups presented their findings in Bridgeport, where PSEG Power has agreed to replace the coal-powered Unit 3 of Bridgeport Harbor station with a 485-megawatt generation facility that will run largely on natural gas.Construction of the new $550 million power plant is expected to begin in 2017, according to officials at the energy company, and be ready to run by June 2019. The existing coal-fired power plant produces 410 megawatts, but only runs during periods of peak demand.The report’s claims center around a contention that there are significant amounts of natural gas that leak into the atmosphere from the time its is brought out of the ground to the time it is delivered to homes and power plants around the region. That is important because the report emphasizes that natural gas is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, trapping 86 to 105 times as much heat as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. “Our review of the evidence suggests that these leaks may have an annual global warming impact equivalent of up to 250 coal-fired power plants, enough to nearly or completely offset any other climate benefits of natural gas,” Elizabeth Ridlington of Frontier Group and an author of the report said Wednesday.
Environmental groups have sought for years to have the coal-fired plant shut down, contending the particulate matter that is emitted from the plant is unhealthy for the neighbors of the plant to be inhaling. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Voluntown plans for new Public Works garage gets final OK

 VOLUNTOWN - Design plans for a new town garage have received final approval from Voluntown's Planning and Zoning Commission.The commission approved the site plans last week for a new Public Works Department facility. The vote came after the commission delayed approval last month because of concerns that the garage would be too big and too close to the elementary school.To address those concerns, First Selectman Bob Sirpenski requested a 35-day extension for the application and he said now that the plans are approved, the town can go out to bid for a contractor to build it.“We’re hoping to break ground before the fall,” he said. The proposal calls for a 60 feet by 100 feet building on Gate Street, which is the area next to the school’s bus depot behind the school.  Design work was completed by CLA Engineers of Norwich. The project will be funded through the $500,000 grant Voluntown received in March 2015 through the state's Small Town Economic Assistance Program. Sirpenski and Public Works Department employees have said the needed garage will include an emergency chemical cleaning area and heat, which the current space does not have. Approval of the project didn't come without tension. At a July 13 meeting, Planning and Zoning Commission member Carl Grenier said a level of hostility was geared toward him regarding the project. He has expressed concerns about the scope of the project saying the trucks and noise of construction will distract students. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 Fired Developer Suing Yard Goats Owner

 HARTFORD — The fired developers of Dunkin' Donuts Park are suing the owner of the team that is someday expected to play its home games there, alleging interference with contractual relationships and violation of state unfair trade practices.
The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court last week by Centerplan Construction Co. and DoNo Hartford, says the Hartford Yard Goats baseball team and its owner, Josh Solomon, insisted on changes to the design of the minor league baseball stadium that made them miss two deadlines for completing the project on time.

The first missed deadline resulted in an additional $10 million in construction costs and the team's playing its early season home games on the road. The second missed deadline resulted in the city firing the developers from the project in June and the team's playing its entire season on the road.

The suit alleges that Solomon knew in both instances that the design changes would jeopardize the developers' ability to meet the deadlines.

According to the lawsuit, in both instances that caused missed deadlines, the team and the city met without the developers to make changes to the design of the stadium that resulted in cost overruns and construction delays. The suit also says that Solomon had agreed to make a $2 million contribution to cover the additional $10 million in construction costs but never came through with the money, and that the city did not have enough money to pay to finish the ballpark even with Solomon's contribution.
As a result, the suit says, the city sought to have the bonding company that guaranteed completion of the ballpark pay subcontractors money that was owed to contribute to the completion of Dunkin' Donuts Park.
According to the suit, Solomon and representatives from John Moriarty & Associates Inc. met with the city July 19 and the city told them that they could contact subcontractors who had worked on the project about returning to work with Moriarty overseeing the project instead of Centerplan. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Berlin Police Station Proposal Halted By Split Council

BERLIN — A yearlong plan for a new $16 million police station has been halted by a split town council, with majority Republicans deciding to shelve the project for at least a year because of uncertainty over state aid and worries about an increasing debt burden.
After the 4-2 vote Tuesday, Mayor Mark Kaczynski said the town could offer $2 million to improve the existing station, built in the lower level of the 1974 town municipal complex and considered overcrowded and inadequate since 1995 by a succession of police chiefs and commissions.

It wasn't immediately clear what the $2 million could be used for. Police Chief Paul Fitzgerald could not be reached for comment.

The 10,000-square-foot station has outgrown the space, with a staff more than twice the size of the 18-officer force that moved into the facility in 1974. The department lacks storage space for records and equipment, and needs room for private interviews, police officials have said for years.

The project stalled by the council vote was construction of a police station building on town-owned land on Farmington Avenue.

The $2 million could be used to "give you some relief quickly," the mayor said to Fitzgerald, who sat quietly in the council chamber as the vote took place. Kaczynski said concerns about adding to town debt and likely cuts in state aid were the reasons for the decision to delay a project that he said will eventually be done.
"We had a very difficult budget year," Kaczynski said, with the state cuts of municipal aid reducing Berlin's revenue by $400,000. "From what we hear, this year will be worse. This is a very, very difficult scenario, and we can't make a decision in a vacuum."  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

DOT raising fares, cutting construction to balance budget

To offset a $37 million budget reduction, the state Department of Transportation has announced fare hikes and reductions to planned rail and bridge improvement.
Road and bridge program reductions total $19 million and public transportation program reductions total $18 million.
The highway and bridge reductions include decreasing maintenance work related to items such as tree cutting, joint and crack sealing, and drainage work. Additional plan savings include delays in hiring personnel, anticipated fuel savings and anticipated reduced salt purchases based on larger than normal starting inventories resulting from last year's mild winter. Other savings include $100,000 in subsidy reductions to Municipal Planning Organizations.
Effective Dec. 1, DOT is planning to increase fares by 5 percent on the New Haven commuter rail line, including the New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branches, and Shore Line East, which the agency said would generate about $5.9 million in new revenue. On the New Haven Line, the increase would be combined with a 1 percent previously scheduled fare increase that supports the purchase of the new M-8 rail cars that the state put into service beginning in 2010.
DOT said in a statement that another $7.2 million would be saved through Shore Line East fuel savings, reducing New Haven Line overtime costs through reduced after-hours maintenance, and closing underused ticket windows at the Greenwich, South Norwalk and Bridgeport stations. At the New Haven station, two ticket windows will be open on weekday mornings, down from three currently.
The standard one-way fare on the statewide CTtransit services would go up 25 cents, from $1.50 to $1.75, and the express bus fares and other pre-paid fare types would rise a proportional percentage – generating an estimated $2.3 million. Approximately $1 million will be saved through subsidy reductions to local transit district operations and other reductions.
DOT also plans reductions of staffed hours at seven highway rest areas and closing the Westbrook welcome center completely. The seven staffed rest areas will be closed overnight, but truck parking will be permitted. The budget proposal is also based on obtaining sponsorship funding to sustain the CHAMP highway emergency service program.

Panel puts rules on Yale lab project

NEW HAVEN >> An aldermanic committee Wednesday adopted a process whereby a proposed $70 million Yale science building renovation could get its final city approval by mid-September.
After hearing another two-and-a-half hours of testimony, the Joint Community Development and Legislation Committee amended Yale’s current central/science campus Overall Parking Plan with three stipulations to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles coming to the university by July 2017.It directs Yale to open a satellite parking lot with shuttle service to the campus near the city’s northern border to accommodate its workers and students coming to New Haven from nearby suburbs.It also said Yale should partner with local transit agencies to provide reduced-cost monthly transit passes to its commuters. The final point was to work with the city to create a plan to improve bicycle infrastructure that would connect the city’s neighborhoods to Yale and downtown.
The amendment, which was read by Alder Adam Marchand, D-25, had not been shared previously with Yale officials. Marchand, after the meeting, said they could not do that until the public hearing, which extended over two months, was closed, which it was just after 9 p.m.Lauren Zucker, Yale’s associate vice president for New Haven affairs and university properties, said she would have to read it first before commenting extensively, but on its face she felt it was “ a little arbitrary.”She said the university tries to be a “good partner” and reaches out to the community whenever it has a project. “It is unfortunate that we didn’t get the same courtesy here,” she said.“If they really wanted to promote more sustainable transportation, we could have had a positive conversation about that,” Zucker said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE 

CT Construction Digest Wedneday July 27, 2016

DOT traffic update at I-84 and Route 72 interchange

NEW BRITAIN — The Connecticut Department of Transportation will temporarily alter a highway traffic pattern Aug. 1 as construction continues at the Interstate 84 and Route 72 interchange.
The DOT said Tuesday that the traffic design on I-84 eastbound will be “flipped” by having the two vehicle lanes shift from the right to the left to accommodate the rehabilitation of five bridges at the interchange in New Britain and Plainville.
The bridge carrying I-84 over Routes 72 and 372 will remain reduced from three lanes to two lanes through the end of August, according to the DOT.
As reported by The Herald in May, the $15.7 million bridge rehabilitation project began in February and is expected to be completed by December 2017. Work addressing various issues from basic deterioration to the poor shape of steel girders is being led by Manafort Brothers of Plainville.
The project is funded through state and federal money.

Berlin Town Council says ‘no’ to new police station

BERLIN- A $16 million police station project will not be moving forward in Berlin.

The Town Council voted down the proposal with a 4-2 vote Tuesday night. Mayor Mark Kaczynski cited the state’s financial woes and town budget uncertainty as the primary reasons for not going ahead with the project.

“It’s been a very difficult budget year,” he said. “Going forward next year I only see worse figures from the state.”

A public hearing on the project was held last week with support voiced by the police department and police commission, as well as by a few residents. Fitzgerald explained to the council during the hearing that the current facility was cramped and unsafe with limited space.

The plan consisted of a two-story building which would be located on the site of the former Kensington Furniture store at 913 Farmington Ave.

This was the second time that the station was proposed. In 2014, a $21 million station project was rejected at referendum by 62% of voters.

Several councilors Tuesday night voiced their concerns with the new $16 million proposal.

“I agree definitely that improvements need to be made, unfortunately our state finances are such a mess and we don’t know where our budget is going,” said Councilor Charles Paonessa. “I just can’t in good conscious put our taxpayers at risk for a large debt like this.”

The council discussed town priorities and how a new station would factor into the current debt projections.

Councilor Dave Evans, also budget chair, said that the town debt was continuing to rise and would increase substantially with the construction of a new police facility. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

Wallingford adopts transit-oriented strategy

 

WALLINGFORD — The Planning and Zoning Commission has adopted the Transit-Oriented Development Plan, outlining recommendations for developments and infrastructure updates around the new train station in advance of expanded rail service on the Hartford Line.

The town received a state grant for $75,000 to create the plan in June 2015. Consulting firm Fitzgerald & Halliday was hired craft the plan and conduct a market study.

The plan, approved Monday night, consists of a review of the area within three-quarters of a mile of the train platform, running approximately between North Plains Highway and downtown Wallingford, incorporating the Route 5 corridor and the Choate Rosemary Hall campus. Key recommendations include moving the current commercial, industrial zone in the immediate vicinity of the new train station north toward North Plains Highway while allowing for medium- and high-density residential development instead. The plan recommends mixed-use zoning for the area south of the train station, heading downtown, to encourage developments with retail on the first floor and apartments above.  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

Meeting Thursday on Saunders Point wastewater facilities plan

 

East Lyme — Engineers working on a wastewater facilities plan for Saunders Point are slated to update the Water and Sewer Commission about the ongoing study during a special meeting on Thursday.
The meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Town Hall, will serve as an update on the study, which is in progress and has not yet been completed. The meeting also will include public participation and general discussion, according to the agenda.
The preliminary engineering study by Weston & Sampson is looking at the feasibility of sewers in Saunders Point, the best types of sewers for the area, what would be eligible for state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection standards and estimated costs, said First Selectman Mark Nickerson, the commission's chairman.
It includes studies of topography, bedrock and soils to determine how to best go forward, he said.
The draft facilities plan is expected to be completed by the end of September, according to Brad Kargl, the town's municipal utility engineer.
The plan will then be submitted to DEEP for review and approval, Kargl said.
A public hearing to present the final plan would be held in early December.

Tribes Make Pitch For Third Casino In Breakfast They Sponsored For DNC Delegates

PHILADELPHIA – During a breakfast they sponsored for the state’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention, the tribes that operate the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos reiterated their pitch to open a third casino in north central Connecticut.
“As you know, a corporate competitor is building a billion dollar casino in Springfield, and that could draw up to $702 million dollars and 9,300 jobs away from Connecticut.” said Kathy Regan-Pyne, corresponding secretary of the Mohegan Tribal Council. “Fortunately there’s way to prevent this from happening.”

The tribes are racing to complete the project before the MGM Resorts International casino opens in 2018, something they say will siphon money and jobs from southeastern Connecticut.

A location hasn’t been chosen yet for the third casino, but the tribes are evaluating several sites. Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council and a Connecticut delegate for Hillary Clinton, said the tribes’ joint venture had survived a lawsuit and battles in the state and federal legislature. But the plans still need to be approved in the next session of the General Assembly before construction can begin.

“I’m hopeful because of the relationship that both tribes have had with the state for so many years,” Butler said. “Going into the legislative session I think there’s going to be support for a project moving forward.”

The two tribal leaders thanked U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy for their support, including speaking out against an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have effectively killed the project.
MGM has said its opposition to the tribes’ casino stems from the fact that they were shut out from the process of building a third casino in the state. They said the state legislature violated the state and U.S. constitutions by giving the tribes exclusivity on the project. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Naugatuck bridge project aided with light-switching technology 

NAUGATUCK — Last week, the Naugatuck Fire Department responded to a house fire on New Haven Road and needed to cross the Whittemore Memorial Bridge on Maple Street. The bridge is undergoing construction and is closed to traffic going east, which is the direction in which firefighters were headed, so trucks needed to head the wrong way on what is now a one-way street.
Thanks to technology that was installed at the beginning of the construction project a month ago, firefighters have the ability to stop all traffic coming in the other direction. They hit a switch on the truck that activates a white light that is attached to the traditional fire lightbar. Once they hit the button, the stop light for traffic about to head over the bridge automatically turns red. Firefighters have 45 seconds to get over the bridge, Fire Captain Michael Chatfield said. He said this situation has played out several times in emergencies since bridge construction started on June 27. "People have said that they don't really know what to do when the fire trucks are coming toward them and they are on the bridge," he said. Firefighters wait for all bridge traffic to clear, so Chatfield encourages people to just keep driving until they are off the bridge. The system that Naugatuck uses is the Opticom Emergency Vehicle Preemption, which states on its website that it enables cars, fire trucks and ambulances to navigate intersections more effectively. "As a result, agencies can improve response times while reducing the potential for costly accidents," the website says. There are two other such systems in Naugatuck — at the intersection of High and South Main streets and at Prospect and Locust streets. The fire department can request access for green lights at those intersections, whereas the one on the Maple Street bridge only allows for the department to request red lights for other traffic.

Naugatuck police and ambulance do not have this access.

 

CT Construction Digest Tuesday July 26, 2016

Groton to seek permission to create Airport Development Zone

Groton — The town plans to file an application by the end of this month to create an airport development zone around Groton-New London Airport, which could provide tax breaks to manufacturing and other businesses that locate within a 2-mile radius and create a potential economic gain for the region.
If approved, the zone would make it possible for a manufacturing or airport-related business to receive a tax exemption of 80 percent of assessed value for five years.
The incentives would help attract employers, said Jonathan Reiner, director of the Groton Office of Planning and Development Services. “When we start talking about this section of Connecticut versus southern Rhode Island, that may not have the tax abatements, we can get the businesses here (and) we can get the jobs here.”
The benefits of a zone could extend well beyond Groton, said Tony Sheridan, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut.
“It has an impact through the job creation process. Look at the thousands that are going to work at (Electric Boat) and Pfizer and the casinos every day. They’re from all over the area and from all over the state of Connecticut,” he said. “So it’s not about the parochialness of the decision. It’s about the job creation.”
The town would first propose the zone to the state Department of Economic and Community Development, which would then forward its recommendation to the Connecticut Airport Authority.
If approved, the zone would apply to businesses within the zone that buy or lease space and those that renovate, expand or build facilities used for manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and other services needed for industry.
Town leaders had earlier discussed a legislative proposal to try to shift the boundaries of the development zone. State law limits airport development zones to a 2-mile radius around the center of an airport, and in Groton, one-third to one-half of that area is under water. The Thames River, reservoir and Long Island Sound cover large areas, and other space is occupied by state parks and land that cannot be developed. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Orchard Hill Topping Out Ceremony

  Town officials, members of the Public Building Commission, parents, and students all gathered together at the Topping Out ceremony for the new Orchard Hill School earlier this month.During the ceremony, the last beam to "top out" the framework of the new school was placed. The topping out signifies a milestone for the construction of the school and all parties involved were able to commemorate the occasion.

Mayor Tom Delnicki attended and recalled memories of attending the first Orchard Hill School the first year it was open – in the early 1960s.

The school will open next year.

No decision yet on boatyard

STAMFORD — The city’s Zoning Board continued to grapple with the finer points of the Davenport Landing boatyard applications Monday as final decision was postponed for at least one more day.
The board to another step forward in the approval process when it began discussing and modifying the final drafts of the bundle of applications submitted by Building and Land Technology. Still, Zoning Board chairman Thomas Mills has made it clear that he is not adhering to a time frame.
“We’re not going to be rushed by BLT, the city or anyone,” Mills said in an interview Thursday. “I’m not going to waste five years on this and then rush and get something wrong.”
Time is of the essence for BLT, though, as a seasonal dredging window opens in September and proposed operator Hinckley Co. waits in the wings.
While some members of the board seemed optimistic that they could come to a decision Tuesday, Mills is skeptical. He encouraged the board to set aside time in August, when the board usually takes a hiatus, to continue deliberations.
The board made tentative plans to convene again on Aug. 8 to discuss the boatyard applications.
Several revisions
The proposed boatyard would replace the one BLT demolished in 2011, in violation of its zoning agreement with the city. The developer’s revised plan includes a 4.4-acre boatyard on Southfield Avenue with a 25,740-square-foot building. BLT also wants to build a 115-unit housing complex on the site. It proposed a separate boat storage site at 205 Magee Ave.
The Harbor Management Commission and the Planning Board already rejected BLT’s revised boatyard applications earlier this year, triggering a requirement for a two-thirds vote in favor from the Zoning Board.
Throughout its review process, the Zoning Board has been most concerned about the future viability of the Davenport Landing boatyard. As a safeguard, the board has shown interest in two significant conditions of approval, including a deed restriction that reduces the company’s development rights, promotes water-dependent uses and protects coastal resources at the 205 Magee site. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Block Island Wind Farm ready for final construction phase

Providence — The Block Island Wind Farm entered its final phase of construction Monday, with five foundations installed, 30 miles of undersea cable laid and the last shipment of turbine blades scheduled to arrive from France by the end of this week.
“By early September, the wind turbines on the first offshore wind farm in North America will be ready to start spinning,” said Jeffrey Grybowski, chief executive officer of Deepwater Wind, the company building the five-turbine, 30-megawatt project 3 miles offshore from Block Island’s south shore. “This is the start of something much bigger. This industry is just starting to take off.”
Grybowski spoke at an event at PortProv, where 15 of the 240-foot turbine blades and eight tower sections are being stored as they await transport to the construction site.
Gov. Gina Raimondo toured the site and praised the project as one that makes the country’s smallest state a national leader in a new and promising industry.
“This is precisely the kind of company and jobs we want to create,” she said, speaking at a podium set up in front of the stacks of blades. “This is the way to rebuild our economy, with high-wage, high-tech jobs. We cannot go back to low-skilled manufacturing jobs.”
The project is employing 300 workers, among them unionized iron workers, electrical workers, painters, carpenters and longshoremen, some of whom attended the event in “Block Island Wind Farm” hard hats. Also attending were representatives of General Electric Renewable energy, which manufactured the nacelles that will house the components that will turn the movement of the wind into electricity. GE also recently opened a digital technology office in Providence.
Bryan Martin, chairman of Deepwater Wind and managing director of D.E. Shaw & Co., a major investor in the company, said with the path paved by the Block Island project, the way is now clear for a burst of new projects. He noted that many of the nation’s fossil fuel plants are nearing the end of their lifespan, and that wind energy offers an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to replace them. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Commission Members Tasked With Review Of Power Plant Proposal

The members of Killingly's Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commissions have a huge task before them.
They have to review hundreds of pages of technical reports and applications from NTE Energy to the Connecticut Siting Council regarding a proposed power plant on Lake Road in Dayville. And they have 65 days to do so once NTE files an application with the CSC. That is expected to happen sometime in early August.

Both commissions have the opportunity to make recommendations to the CSC regarding the plant and whether plans to build it should move forward. The ultimate decision doesn't rest with them, however. It doesn't rest with the town or the residents and voters of Killingly. The final authority to sign off on the project belongs to the CSC, a nine-member council charged with balancing the need for energy with the impact on the environment.

Thirteen IWW and P&Z commission members met with a team of representatives from NTE on July 19 at Killingly High School. They heard an hour-long presentation on the project and nearly an hour of comments from citizens. Afterward, they had a chance to ask their own questions about everything from tonnage of air pollutants released to how the town could be held harmless if an equity partner bowed out of the project.

There is a lot of material to digest.

The CSC will review the impacts on air, wetlands, water usage, stormwater, cultural and historical resources, and species. The council requires studies on traffic patterns and usage, visibility, and economic and environmental benefits.
"The review is long and difficult," said Timothy Eves, senior vice president of Development for NTE.
CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

New Haven mayor: alders have proposal for Yale science facility parking; Coliseum site may get redesign

NEW HAVEN >> Mayor Toni Harp said alders have a proposed solution for dealing with Yale’s Overall Parking Plan that should advance the university’s proposal to upgrade a $70 million science facility. On another important development deal, she said Max Reim of Live Work Learn Play has agreed to look at redesigning plans for the former Veterans Memorial Coliseum site so that major utility lines won’t have to be moved.  Economic Development Administrator Matthew Nemerson, contacted while on vacation, said the regulatory issue of moving distribution and transmission lines adds $15 million to the project, brings ISO New England into the picture and pushes construction of the hotel piece to 2019. He said he drove to Montreal last Monday to talk with Reim on the delays that were not anticipated for the $400 million proposal on the 5.5-acre site when it was signed by former Mayor John DeStefano Jr. in 2013.
He said Reim, who has a dozen years to complete the project, would get back to the city on the proposed changes late next week.
Nemerson said changing the design would mean construction on the hotel could start in 2017, rather than 2019. Harp, on the radio show run by the New Haven Independent, and later confirmed to the New Haven Register, said Live Work Learn Play has also picked the Hyatt hotel chain as the group that will build the hotel. Nemerson said a redesign for the proposal would shift the whole plan about 30 feet to the north, while the central square would become a slightly elongated rectangle, possibly with the first floor of the hotel becoming part of the plaza where the retail shops would be located.He said he and Reim walked around Montreal to look at the design of plazas in that city.Two-and-a-half years into the Live Work Learn Play project, the director said the complications with the utilities were increasing rather than decreasing.He said the estimated 1,000 units of housing — with about 450 planned for Phase 1 and 20 percent affordable — as well as the 50 stores, would remain. The housing, retail and hotel components are estimated to each cost about $110 million. The state is committed to sending $21 million toward the infrastructure if the hotel deal is a certainty.Nemerson said plans for an extension of South Orange Street over the Route 34 corridor, which is 60 percent designed, would continue with slight changes. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE