PLAINVILLE — The first meeting of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Gap Closure Study and CTfastrak Connection Study met July 26 at Plainville Library, drawing several dozen residents interested in creating a bike path route through town.
The 18-month trail study, being conducted by the Capitol Region Council of Governments with help from consultants VHB, and Blue Zones, will conclude in the summer of 2017.
It will examine how to create local trail routes to connect Plainville to the 84-mile multi-use trail, extending from New Haven to Northampton, Massachusetts and to the CTfastrak busway.
The trail is also part of the 109-mile Greenway, which extends from Florida to Maine. Of this length, 60-miles are done. The rest is either under construction or has a plan to move forward. All, that is, except for a four-mile gap through Plainville.
David Head, senior transportation planner with VHB, said the stated mission of the study is to prioritize safety, comfort and mobility along the trail regardless of age or ability of trail users.
“We want to create a world-class facility for people to come and use,” he said. “We want it to be something that people in town feel comfortable using.”
Head said people need to determine if the Plainville-route is on-road, off-road or a combination of both.
“This has been discussed before but did not progress because Plainville has active rail and while options were given, they were never refined enough to go before the Department of Transportation,” said Head. “We need to come up with a defined path alignment.”
Dan Burden of Blue Zones spoke next, arguing that the core concept of towns is that they are designed for people. For the past 50 years, he argued that they were designed only for cars. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Middletown draws qualified contractors, offers extension on Mattabassett sewer station bids
MIDDLETOWN >> A “postage stamp-sized” parcel off East Main Street is the future site of the Francis T. Patnaude Pump Station, expected for completion in the fall of 2018.
Qualified pump station contract bidders got an extension to Aug. 11 on the request for proposal for the project estimated to cost up to $28 million. The parcel sits beside the city’s fire training center.The station is named for the late common councilman and deputy director of the water department Patnaude, who died in 2012. Patnaude, the city’s longest-serving councilman — took office in 1985 and sat on numerous commissions, including the Water Pollution Control Authority.Up to eight “highly-qualified” bids are expected on the complex phase two of the Mattabassett regionalization project, according to officials. Bids must be received at City Hall by 11 a.m. on, Aug. 11, according to the city’s Water and Sewer Director Guy Russo. “I like to think we are looking at a lot of qualified contractors,” said Russo, of the highly specialized project requiring work by many unique subcontractors and equipment providers.
City voters already approved $55 million in funds to pay for the multi-phase project that will one day pay out a bonus of valuable, open riverfront land for use for recreation, economic development or a combination yet to be decided. A boat house, seen as the centerpiece of the waterfront development project, is now under design. Like dominoes, the future of the boathouse project rests on the back of others before it, like the decommissioning of the sewage treatment plant. The decommissioning will clear the way for the city to reclaim valuable riverfront property for leisure, recreation, entertainment and dining opportunities projected to boost local quality of life and even the city’s finances. Initial project costs were estimated at $37 million, but that was soon pushed up to $40 million. After most of the budget was absorbed in phase one of the project, officials asked voters last year to approve $15 million to finish the pump station and link up with the the Mattabassett District Water Pollution Control facility. A $5 million contingency fund is included within the overall budget, Despite the bid extension, Russo still expects the RFPs to come into city hall at the last minute, as they tend to do, he said. Contractors often wait to secure the best pricing deals on materials and other items before locking themselves into the contract, Russo added. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Public comment sought on waste-to-energy plant in Southington
State regulators are accepting public comment with regard to a pending air quality permit for a food waste-to-energy plant in Southington, as well as groundwater testing at a former needle factory in Cheshire.
Quantum Biopower, owned by Supreme Industries Inc. of Harwinton, has draft approval for its anaerobic digester on DePaolo Drive in Southington. The digester will turn organic trash into energy. It’s one of the last steps before the long-awaited plant is able to open.
Jaimeson Sinclair, of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the public has until late August to weigh in on the permit. The company has “tentative” approval for its plant.
“They’re in the home stretch,” Sinclair said. Quantum Biopower’s efforts to open have slowed due to financing difficulties and permitting problems. In June, the Connecticut Green Bank — a quasi-public agency — approved a $2 million loan to help start construction.
The company intends to expand its existing mulching operation at 49 DePaolo Drive to process 40,000 tons of food waste a year. The venture is capitalizing on a 2013 law requiring supermarkets and wholesalers to recycle rather than trash leftover food.
Quantum Biopower was the first company of its kind in the state to apply for the necessary environmental permits. Company officials initially thought the process would take up to a year, but it has been over two years.
Brian Paganini, managing director of Quantum Biopower, couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.
DEEP is also taking the public’s views on requirements for continued groundwater testing at the site of a former needle manufacturer in Cheshire. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
SOUTHINGTON — A pollution cleanup settlement with the now-defunct Solvents Recovery Service will fund a portion of the Farming Canal Heritage Trail which will pass through the Lazy Lane property.
The town is working on extending the trail from Curtiss Street to the SRS property. Public Works Director Keith Hayden that work, which includes reconfiguring the intersection of Hart and Curtiss streets, could begin in the fall.
When Solvents Recovery was in operation, the distilling process produced clean solvents and fuels for other companies but also produced unusable solvent that was disposed in unlined lagoons located on the property. The company operated from 1957 until 1991.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, people might be at risk if they drink the groundwater. Town wells downhill of the property were taken out of service in 1979 after contamination was found. The soil contains lead, cadmium and polychlorinated biphenyls while the groundwater was found to have isopropyl alcohol, acetone and other chemicals.
Cleanup has involved heating the ground and vaporizing contaminants that captured in vapor wells.
Heavily contaminated sites such as the Lazy Lane property are classified as superfund sites by the EPA. Bruce Thompson, project coordinator of de maximis Incorporated, a Windsor environmental project management company overseeing the work, said SRS was the largest superfund site in Connecticut and possibly New England. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
HARTFORD — The city of Hartford Tuesday said it has agreed to pay the architect for Dunkin' Donuts Park more than $245,000 for work previously done on the minor league baseball stadium, clearing the way for the company to resume operations on the long-stalled project.The payment means that Pendulum, the Kansas City-based architectural firm, could start work again as early as Wednesday, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said.
Bronin said that the money it is paying is for past invoices that DoNo Hartford did not pay to Pendulum and that Arch will pay the architects for work going forward. The city has also reserved the right to seek reimbursement from Arch and DoNo Hartford for the funds
Work ceased on the $63 million, 6,000-seat stadium in early June after the developers Centerplan Cos. and DoNo Hartford missed a deadline for substantial completion and were fired by the city.
Pendulum's return would be significant because an architect is required to reopen the construction site and oversee the remaining work in order to complete the stadium.
The mayor said Arch Insurance, the surety bonding company guaranteeing completion of the ballpark, has entered into an agreement with Pendulum to return to the ballpark.
Bronin hinted that the agreement could be the precursor to construction resuming soon.
"Despite all the distractions, threats, and gamesmanship, we've stayed laser-focused on getting Arch Insurance to take over construction of the ballpark, because it's the best result for Hartford and for Hartford's taxpayers," Bronin said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. "Arch has not yet taken full responsibility, but by formally engaging the architect, they've taken a significant step forward in that direction." Bronin said that the money it is paying is for past invoices that DoNo Hartford did not pay to Pendulum and that Arch will pay the architects for work going forward. The city has also reserved the right to seek reimbursement from Arch and DoNo Hartford for the funds
Work ceased on the $63 million, 6,000-seat stadium in early June after the developers Centerplan Cos. and DoNo Hartford missed a deadline for substantial completion and were fired by the city.
The city claimed that the developers defaulted on their contract by not having the stadium ready for a planned May 31 home opener of the Hartford Yard Goats, Double A Eastern League baseball team. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Nonnewaug renovation plan includes timelines, estimates
WOODBURY — Members of the Nonnewaug High School renovation building committee on Tuesday were updated on the hazardous materials survey, the commissioning agent bids and a detailed project timeline. Marc Sklenka, senior director for project manager firm Colliers International, said the hazmat survey has been completed and samples have been sent to laboratories. Sklenka said he hopes to have results by the end of this week and that Colliers can present the findings at the next building committee meeting. The hazmat survey will analyze all materials in the building and on the property to determine if any remediation is required and then those remediation costs would have to be included in the project estimate. A final project estimate is still to be settled once many aspects of the project are completed. Colliers mapped out a timeline, which includes design, bid, construction and closeout dates. Right now, the project is in the early design phase, which spans from last month through August 2017. Within that design period are grant verification, schematic design, which is ongoing, and schematic design estimates expected in October. Also in the 14-month design phase are the permits process and any early abatement bids. Some abatement would take place at the end of next school year when no students are in the building.
Once the design phase is completed, there's a three-month bid process for the work, then the 20-month construction period is set to begin in December 2017 and end in July 2019.
Since the building will need to remain a functioning school during construction, the work will be broken into phases, though representatives from Colliers and architectural design firm SLAM and O&G industries would map out the phases in more detail once more design and construction aspects of the project are determined. The athletic field timeline would be determined by the type of material chosen to cover the fields. Sklenka said laying synthetic turf is more expensive but has a shorter turnaround, meaning fields can be used in a very short period of time after renovation. Laying sod has a slightly longer growing season when the fields could not be used to let the sod take root. If grass is selected, it is the least expensive option but carries the longest growing time of one full year from the time it's planted until the fields can be used. Representatives from Colliers and SLAM said that the committee would have to weigh the costs versus quicker field use time when it comes time to deciding which field material to select. Another task before the committee is selecting a commissioning agent, who typically monitors much of the mechanical work in a project such as plumbing, electrical and heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The selection will likely happen at the next meeting.
WOODBURY — Members of the Nonnewaug High School renovation building committee on Tuesday were updated on the hazardous materials survey, the commissioning agent bids and a detailed project timeline. Marc Sklenka, senior director for project manager firm Colliers International, said the hazmat survey has been completed and samples have been sent to laboratories. Sklenka said he hopes to have results by the end of this week and that Colliers can present the findings at the next building committee meeting. The hazmat survey will analyze all materials in the building and on the property to determine if any remediation is required and then those remediation costs would have to be included in the project estimate. A final project estimate is still to be settled once many aspects of the project are completed. Colliers mapped out a timeline, which includes design, bid, construction and closeout dates. Right now, the project is in the early design phase, which spans from last month through August 2017. Within that design period are grant verification, schematic design, which is ongoing, and schematic design estimates expected in October. Also in the 14-month design phase are the permits process and any early abatement bids. Some abatement would take place at the end of next school year when no students are in the building.
Once the design phase is completed, there's a three-month bid process for the work, then the 20-month construction period is set to begin in December 2017 and end in July 2019.
Since the building will need to remain a functioning school during construction, the work will be broken into phases, though representatives from Colliers and architectural design firm SLAM and O&G industries would map out the phases in more detail once more design and construction aspects of the project are determined. The athletic field timeline would be determined by the type of material chosen to cover the fields. Sklenka said laying synthetic turf is more expensive but has a shorter turnaround, meaning fields can be used in a very short period of time after renovation. Laying sod has a slightly longer growing season when the fields could not be used to let the sod take root. If grass is selected, it is the least expensive option but carries the longest growing time of one full year from the time it's planted until the fields can be used. Representatives from Colliers and SLAM said that the committee would have to weigh the costs versus quicker field use time when it comes time to deciding which field material to select. Another task before the committee is selecting a commissioning agent, who typically monitors much of the mechanical work in a project such as plumbing, electrical and heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The selection will likely happen at the next meeting.