When federal railroad officials unveiled a proposal that included three alternate routes for a high-speed line through New England, Old Lyme officials were shocked. One of the options would cut straight through the heart of the town, oblivious to environmentally sensitive areas and historical sites such as the Florence Griswold Museum, leaders from the town said.
But that option for rerouting Amtrak trains through the region would have a significant impact in other local towns as well, including Stonington, where it would cut through Olde Mistick Village, Mystic Aquarium and a Pawcatuck golf course.
The proposed $10 billion to $15 billion bypass from Old Saybrook to Kenyon, R.I., is one component of Alternative 1 as set forth in the Federal Railroad Administration’s proposal for future investments in the Northeast Corridor, called NEC FUTURE.
Under this option, the new rail line, meant to supplement existing tracks, would cut through Old Lyme's village area and then run roughly parallel to Interstate 95 through East Lyme.
It would then shift northeast and run parallel to Interstate 395 in Waterford before crossing to the south, in a tunnel, and continuing east, adjacent to I-95, according to the NEC FUTURE Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement, a broad-level review of the plan.
"The segment crosses the Thames River in New London, between the eastbound and westbound bridge spans of I-95 and continues on embankment or aerial structure parallel to I-95 through Groton and Stonington, crossing the Pawcatuck River north of the existing NEC into Westerly, Rhode Island," the proposal states.
The goal is to shave about a half-hour off the time between Washington, D.C., and Boston, Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie A. Reemsnyder said in February.
Opposition first surfaced in Old Lyme, but has now spread to other coastal towns as residents and officials learn of the proposal."They're going to have a fight on their hands," said Joyce Resnikoff, co-owner of the 43-year-old Olde Mistick Village.
She said such a rerouting would be devastating to Mystic, which thrives on tourism.
"I can travel all over the world and everyone knows Mystic," she said. "We all work very hard to support tourism here. It's big business."
On Friday, U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, called for the Federal Railroad Administration to attend a public meeting in Old Lyme. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bozrah selectmen to hear sewer project proposals
BOZRAH – Bozrah’s selectmen are set to hear presentations from a pair of engineering firms on the logistics of a proposed project to install a sewer network under the town.
Lenard Engineering and Woodard & Curran Engineering, two firms under consideration for the job, will lay out price estimates and potential construction timelines Tuesday during a special Board of Selectmen meeting beginning at 5 p.m.The meeting will pay special focus to the scope of the proposed work and how it might impact residents, according to an agenda drafted by First Selectman Glenn Pianka though not posted on Bozrah’s website. Such an undertaking has been under consideration since 2014, according to Board of Finance meeting minutes from March of that year. The project got new life in February after Bozrah was awarded a $500,000 Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant through the state’s Office of Policy and Management, Tuesday’s agenda shows. The town has not formally accepted the money yet, but has the funds earmarked for a wastewater collection system once it does. “The availability of wastewater treatment capacity can significantly improve the development potential and employment possibilities in the local community,” said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in a press release when the grant recipients were announced. The project’s details are not yet clear, although the sewer lines would likely border and be shared with the town of Franklin, and would connect into existing Norwich Public Utilities lines, finance board minutes show. Franklin considered a very similar project in 2015, but residents spiked the proposal by 20 votes in May of that year. A Lenard presentation to Franklin residents before that referendum showed that that project would have cost about $14 million and taken about two years to complete. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New Haven alders stall development at behest of Yale unions, Chamber leaders say
Leaders of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce say members of Yale University’s union are threatening the city’s economic future by using their clout on the Board of Alders to influence the approval of construction projects.
A group of Chamber leaders — including President Tony Rescigno, and Larry Bingaman, the chairman of its board of directors — met with the New Haven Register’s editorial board to express their concerns about a group of alders who are either employed by the unions or are sympathetic to their concerns. Specifically, the business leaders are concerned that the alders are ignoring the recommendations of the city’s professional planning staff regarding several Yale University projects, choosing instead to focus on minutia that result in the approval process getting bogged down.“The people on the Board of Alders are taking their orders (from the unions),” Rescigno said. “We are incensed that the Board of Alders is stalling projects. This sends out a message that development of any kind is not welcome in the city.” Some 11 members of the 30-member Board of Alders have some connection to the Yale University unions, Local 34 and Local 35, which are currently negotiating contracts with the university. Officials with the two main Yale unions, Local 34 and Local 35, did not respond to several phone calls made this past week by the New Haven Register seeking comment on the claims made by the Chamber’s leaders. But with both unions trying to get new contracts, sources say that it’s not that the unions are anti-economic growth; they’re just using their supporters on the aldermanic board to get some of what they want in a new contract. For it’s, the majority on the Board of Alders seems determined to speak as one voice. Calls made to several alders with ties to the Yale unions were not returned. But Board President Tyisha Walker and Majority Leader Alphonse Paolillo issued a two paragraph statement Saturday that indirectly addresses the claims made by the Chamber’s leadership. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE