CT Construction Digest Wednesday November 30, 2016

Greenwich school board to discuss funding for field projects

GREENWICH — The Board of Education will discuss seeking interim appropriations to pay for improvements to the Hamilton Avenue School playing field and for testing and development of a remediation plan for Western Middle School’s fields during a meeting Thursday.
Board members will also revisit electing a chairman, which left them deadlocked at their last attempt.
Managing Director of Operations Jim Hricay has proposed an interim appropriation of $250,000 to pay for the job at Western, which includes soil sampling and delineation of lead, chlordane and PCB contamination. The extent of contamination by the first two substances has been determined. Engineers are still working to determine the extent of PCB contamination.
The work, by the firm Langan Engineering, has been ongoing this fall. In October, the board approved $50,000 to be transferred from its maintenance budget to fund Langan’s work.
The board does not yet have a dollar amount for the project at Hamilton Avenue’s field, but Hricay described the playing area as “sub-optimal” in his appropriation proposal.
The field has a five foot difference in elevation from one end to the other and a bumpy playing surface because it was used to store materials during the construction of the school.
Leveling the field would require the excavation and movement of soil, which in turn would necessitate testing the soil before any work began, said Director of Facilities Ron Matten.
Both appropriations have been a subject of debate this fall as board members disputed whether the town or the school district should have responsibility for the cost of fixing soil contamination.
In October, Board member Jennifer Dayton insisted on interim appropriations to pay for the needed work on the fields at both schools as soon as possible, regardless of what testing might be needed at Hamilton Avenue.
Board Vice Chairwoman Barbara O'Neill said, "I don't think it's the board's responsibility to do anything more than level the field. ... We know we are going to have to test, and the chances of finding something there are pretty good. So we have to consider this: Is this really something we want to take on, or is this something for DPW and Parks and Rec?" CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

West Center Street bridge replacement plan approved by

SOUTHINGTON — The Town Council approved a resolution this week to replace the West Center Street Extension bridge and an application for a grant to transform a retired Calendar House bus into an emergency response vehicle.

Both items passed unanimously Monday night.  Built in 1961, the 55-foot bridge is in a high-traffic residential area and has deteriorated over time, said Town Manager Garry Brumback. It could cost more than $2 million to replace.

The town hopes to begin work in March and complete construction by November.

The council vote was necessary because the state Department of Transportation modified project requirements, Brumback said, including how many municipal utilities must be relocated as part of the bridge replacement.

Bridges are rated by the state on a scale of zero to nine. The highest rating indicates a brand new bridge and a zero is a closed bridge. Ratings of four or less are considered structurally deficient, but not necessarily unsafe.    The West Center Street bridge’s deck condition is rated at three by the state. Other portions of the bridge, including the superstructure and substructure, were rated at six or seven. The council also approved a resolution Monday to apply for a grant to transform a retired Calendar House transportation bus into a Community Emergency Response Team vehicle. The bus will be used for emergency situations and will also assist in traffic control, said Deputy Town Manager Mark Sciota.

With the grant, the bus will be equipped with sirens and radios, Sciota said. The exterior will also be painted.

The grant application is due in January. If approved, the town will receive funding in the spring. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

Solar project on former Wallingford landfill moves forward

 

WALLINGFORD — A project to build a new solar energy generation facility atop a landfill in town has received initial approval from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Lend Lease, an Australia-based international development company, plans to install solar panels on top of the town’s 50-acre landfill directly behind Wallingford Animal Shelter at 23 Pent Road.

The solar facility will produce 19.99 megawatts of energy, which will go to a regional electrical grid. 

On Monday, officials announced the selection of 25 small-scale clean energy projects in the region, 11 in Connecticut.

DEEP solicited proposals for the projects as part of a program promoting clean energy in the regional power grid. The department considered over 100 projects, each between 2 and 20 megawatts in size. The 25 selected projects will combine to generate 402 megawatts.

In April, Kris Pitney, Lend Lease Development Manager told the Record-Journal that the facility will include 20,000 solar panels and a large-scale battery system to store the energy over portions of the 50 acre site.

On Tuesday, spokesman John DeLibero said he could not comment on the facility’s size and components until all negotiations are finalized.

Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said the town could benefit financially from the new facility.

The town would receive property taxes and lease payments from Lend Lease. The facility’s equipment may also be subject to tax, assessor Shelby Jackson said.

The town will also indirectly benefit from the creation of 100 to 200 jobs while the project is being constructed, Project Development Director John Wieland said.

“Our goal is to utilize as much local labor as we can,” Wieland said.

The project is scheduled to begin construction in January 2018 and finish in December 2018, according to a proposal submitted by Lend Lease to DEEP.

The project is not expected to have any “substantial negative environmental impacts.”

Pitney said the landfill location in Wallingford is favorable for several reasons.

“It’s an industrial zoned area, it’s not right next to a residential area where people might object to some electrical infrastructure being built,” Pitney said.

Landfills “can be ideal for solar,” DEEP spokesman Dennis Schain said in April.

“It’s a great site. It’s land that is open with room for solar panels and it’s land where there’s limited uses because there had been a landfill there,” Schain said. “You can put solar on a landfill in a way that does not disturb the closure of the site.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

First residents move into $32 million Masonicare project in Mystic

 

Mystic — The first residents moved into the $32 million, 179-unit Masonicare independent- and assisted-living project off Clara Drive on Wednesday.
Residents of four of the independent-living units moved in through the morning and early afternoon on Tuesday, according to Margaret Steeves, Masonicare’s vice president of marketing and communications.
“Everyone here is very excited that we are open,” she said. “The town has been great, the nature center next door has been great.”
The project, which is the largest to be completed in Stonington in recent years, was supported by the town, which waived its $136,000 building permit fee. Masonicare of Mystic, which owns and operates the facility under the umbrella of the nonprofit Masonicare organization, will pay the town $140,000 a year in lieu of taxes.
Former First Selectman Ed Haberek negotiated the deal with Masonicare to lure the project and its 125 jobs to town.
The Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, meanwhile, has offered free one-year memberships to Masonicare residents; its Coogan Farm Nature & Heritage Center borders the 18-acre Masonicare property.
Masonicare took over development of the site in 2014 after a previous developer, Morningside Management of Virginia, had trouble financing its plans for a 245-unit project.
Work on the Masonicare project began in May of 2014 but ceased in March of 2015 when the original contractor, Klewin Construction of Mystic, walked off the site saying it was owed an estimated $1.9 million. Work restarted with a new contractor in July of 2015, at which time Masonicare said the project would be completed in late 2016. Klewin sued Masonicare and several other entities involved in the work but the suit was withdrawn earlier this month. Court documents indicate Masonicare agreed to settle the claim for $3 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

XL Center Renovations Draw Support, But Money For Work Still A Question

 Supporters of transforming downtown's aging XL Center arena lined up at a hearing Tuesday to back the $250 million project, but the uncertainty of whether the money will be there to pay for it hung over the meeting."We need places for people to come together," said Micah Kerr, a Hartford landlord. "We are starting to build places for people to live, and I think it's important to bring people from outside the city into the city and not leave as quickly as they can. This will go a long way in doing so." Two dozen people turned out for the Capital Region Development Authority's hearing on plans to dramatically update and enlarge the 41-year-old arena. The authority, which oversees the XL Center and any renovations, backed the $250 million plan last year. The hearing was needed to formally adopt the plan to move forward.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has said he supports renovations but he has not indicated whether he will bring the project to the legislature in the coming session for funding. The state would pay for almost all of the bill, which, if approved, would be spread out over several years. CRDA's vision drew support Tuesday from downtown businesses, which consider events at the XL Center arena crucial to their survival.
"This could be a make or break deal for the downtown community," said Gerry Grate, owner of The Tobacco Shop on Pratt Street and past president of Business for Downtown Hartford. "The downtown coummunity needs the XL Center to be maintained to continue on."
The plans pursued by the authority envision a dramatic change that would essentially create a new arena: a second concourse to relieve congestion and irritating waits at concessions; more premium seating lower in the arena bowl; and more restaurants, amenities and restrooms.
The push to make the arena more attractive and competitive with newer sports and entertainment complexes comes as competitive pressure from the state's casinos builds and a new gambling and entertainment complex is being built in nearby Springfield.

Whether to pursue the XL Center arena renovation comes as the city is experiencing newfound development momentum, including apartment conversions, Front Street and the University of Connecticut downtown campus. A renovated arena also would sit just a couple of blocks away from the city's minor league stadium, expected to open in the spring CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

Ansonia to receive $900,000 grant to extend Riverwalk into the heart of downtown

ANSONIA >> Mayor David Cassetti announced Tuesday that Ansonia will receive more than $900,000 to extend the Ansonia Riverwalk into the heart of the downtown area. “The goal is to bring downtown Ansonia back to life,” said Cassetti. “This project provides residents of Ansonia, Derby and even Shelton with easy access to our Main Street retail district via the Riverwalk.”
Cassetti said the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments has secured $905,870 in state and federal grant funding through the FAST Act Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program. The money will expand the Ansonia leg of the overall Naugatuck Valley Greenway connecting Ansonia, Derby and Shelton. “I would like to thank Rick Dunne, executive director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, for his work on helping us obtain these funds,” Cassetti added. “Mr. Dunne and his organization are a driving force behind so much of the revitalization occurring in the Valley area.” The money will enable Ansonia to extend the popular Riverwalk, with its entrance located on Division Street, into downtown with accompanying sidewalk improvements, decorative lighting and streetscape amenities, according to Cassetti. In addition, the funding will enable enhancements to a small park at the Riverwalk’s entrance, creating a pathway on the dike that will provide an area for passive recreation. “The improvements will make downtown Ansonia friendlier to families and those looking to enjoy time outdoors,” Cassetti said. “This project will continue the transformation of our downtown into one of the most exciting areas in the Valley.”
The Riverwalk, which is officially dubbed Ansonia Riveralk Park, opened in 2012. It features 3,000 feet of paved trail with brick pavers, a pavilion and landscaping along the Naugatuck River. It is located across the entrance from neighboring Derby’s Greenway.  Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley was grateful to NVCOG for securing the funding for Ansonia.“I have to thank the NVCOG and Rick Dunne!” said O’Malley. “This segment of the Riverwalk will be very instrumental in cultivating continued interest in our downtown. Mayor Cassetti considers the development of the downtown to be a priority and this grant will help generate interest, draw increased foot traffic and helping to enhance our opportunities for development activities.”  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Line Remains on Schedule to Launch in 2018

“The TCM is the main component of a moving assembly line designed to install rails and ties in one efficient operation,” said assistant CTDOT rail administrator John Bernick. “Prior to start of the operation, train cars carrying fifty, 1,600-foot long rails were off-loaded and laid end-to-end on either side of the rail bed. Fifteen tie cars, each carrying 176 concrete railroad ties weighing over 800 pounds each, are towed behind the TCM.
“A mobile gantry runs back and forth along the tie cars picking up ties in bundles of eight and feeding them into the TCM via a conveyor system. While pulled along the rail bed by a bulldozer, the TCM uniformly lays the ties onto the ballast at predetermined spacing and simultaneously threads the rails onto the ties. A clipping machine attaches the rail clips to hold the completed track assembly together. The machine can assemble up to 1,000 ft. (304.8 m) of track per hour in ideal conditions, at roughly one mile of track per day.”
Prior to the use of the TCM, it would have taken months to complete the work, using either track panels, which require offsite assembly and transportation to the site, or manual installation through the use of other, more traditional track construction equipment. Amtrak contracted with Harsco Corporation to secure the equipment and staff to perform this operation. The massive TCM was moved from its previous job on the Hudson Line in New York via freight service to the job site in Connecticut.
“Considering this is the first time this operation has been conducted in Connecticut, it's very exciting,” said Bernick.
Because the TCM can lay track without disrupting train operations on adjacent tracks, Bernick called it a win for everyone. There was some initial apprehension, recognizing this is the first time a TCM has been used to lay such a significant length of track in Connecticut.
“Anytime you try something new, there are always risks that threaten success,” said Bernick. “The key to mitigating these risks is proper planning. Planning for this activity started [more than] three years ago while we were designing the project.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

New England State Reflects on Its 60-Year-Old Interstate System

In 1956, a 61-year-old Swedish-born businessman, Joseph Johnson, was re-elected to a second term as governor of the state of Vermont. At the time of his re-election the cost of a new car in Vermont was $2,050 and gasoline was 22 cents per gallon. The New York Giants were about to report to preseason practice at Colchester's St. Michael's College under Offensive Coordinator Vince Lombardi and Defensive Coordinator Tom Landry.
There were thousands of small family farms dotting the Vermont countryside symbolized by a farmhouse and barn with cows grazing in green pastures. This was the Vermont brand. But the facts surrounding this bucolic setting were a stark contrast to those happy images. In fact, the growing season was short, the winters harsh and impassable and, with creameries scattered around the state, farmers had to travel long distances to deliver their products to market.
Farming was hard work that barely earned enough money to sustain a family and the state was losing almost 800 farms a year. Not just the hill farms were struggling. Even in Chittenden County, things were bleak. The woolen mills had closed in Winooski, the Ethan Allen Air Force Base was facing closure.
Hundreds of Vermonters couldn't sell their homes and had to travel to southern New England to find work, commuting back to Vermont each week on narrow, two-lane roads to see their families. But change was coming to the Green Mountains in the form of tourists seeking the calming, perfect country setting and snowcapped mountains for skiing. The “car culture” was about to invade Vermont.
Nationally, Dwight D. Eisenhower had been re-elected for another term as president. Eisenhower shared a common vision with Vermont's Gov. Johnson regarding transportation and infrastructure construction as a means of development. Eisenhower had been in Vermont trout fishing in 1955. It is a safe bet that transportation was a topic of conversation during that trip.
On June 29, 1956, President Eisenhower signed into law perhaps one of the greatest public works projects in history, the Federal Highway Act of 1956. The bill created the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. The New York Times called it a “Road Bill.” It was, in fact, a program that would construct 41,000 miles of limited-access roads linking cities and states across the country. Eisenhower's dream of “speedy, safe transcontinental travel” would replace the current unsafe and inefficient routes and provide a means for quick evacuation of areas in case of an attack. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE


 

CT Construction Digest Tuesday November 29, 2016

New Milford River Trail advances

NEW MILFORD — Piece by piece, the 13-mile New Milford River Trail is coming together, offering a way for pedestrians and cyclists to travel through town along the Housatonic River.
“The whole thing opens up and you realize how beautiful the Housatonic actually is,” Tom O’Brien, chairman of the New Milford River Trail Association, said Monday night. “I think people will start to realize it as a great natural resource.”
The Town Council accepted a $15,000 donation from the trail’s association at Monday’s meeting to cover the paving costs of the quarter-mile Youngs Field portion. Residents donated most of that money and several businesses and town organizations held fundraisers or contributed as well.
“It’s quite a contribution,” Mayor David Gronbach said.
The trail will ultimately run from the Brookfield border to Kent. So far, about 5 miles have been built and construction started a few weeks ago on the Youngs Field section, which connects the riverfront to downtown New Milford and is expected to open by May, depending on weather.
“From my perspective, it’s just going to make that much easier and safer for people to get out,” O’Brien said.
The town received a $180,000 grant in 2007 to build the 10-foot-wide greenway along the Housatonic River, to address erosion along the riverbank and plant native shrubs and trees, but the money was not enough to pave the path.
The New Milford River Trail Association decided to raise the money to cover the path with a special asphalt that absorbs rainwater and reduces the stormwater runoff that enters the river.
In September, the council allocated an additional $350,000 for the project to enhance it even more, including adding fishing docks and picnic tables. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Lawmakers get glimpse of city's hoped-for future

NEW BRITAIN — Three members of Connecticut’s delegation in Washington got an early look at some of New Britain’s planned construction projects Monday as U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty joined Mayor Erin Stewart to talk about the city’s infrastructure and tour sites included in the Complete Streets Master Plan.
Before walking downtown, the politicians met behind closed doors at City Hall.
“We’re spending time this month, surveying the projects here in Connecticut, projects here in New Britain,” Murphy said. He said some of the projects could be funded through an infrastructure bill in Congress next year.
Murphy said he wouldn’t let President-elect Donald Trump’s infrastructure promises go to the wayside.
“We’re going to hold any proposal that this new president is going to make to a simple standard: If he helps us build infrastructure, here in Connecticut, then we’ll work with the president. If this just about helping Wall Street, if this is just about privatizing our highways our rail lines and our bridges, then there’s probably going to be a problem,” Murphy told The Herald.
Blumenthal shared his peer’s sentiment. “The danger is in the details,” Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal went on to say, “The proposals made by Trump so far are completely inadequate.”
Blumenthal said that the state needs new money, new projects, not necessarily the subsidies and tax breaks Trump endorses.
“We can make a difference that will last for generations and decades to come,” Blumenthal said.
Esty spoke briefly about having state, local and federal governments work together when it comes to infrastructure.
“These are about quality of life issues,” Esty said, “The voters want action. They want things done and they want us to solve problems. That’s our opportunity and that’s our challenge. It’s not about party, it’s about people.”
When asked about having three Democrats in her office, Stewart, a Republican, said bipartisanship is nothing new.
“I worked for Nancy Johnson the year that Chris Murphy became a representative in 2006. I’ve had a great relationship with Elizabeth and Senator Blumenthal, so this is nothing new. You have to work across party lines in order to get things accomplished,” Stewart said.
During the tour, Stewart detailed parts of the planned redesign of Columbus Boulevard.
The plan, part of the Complete Streets Master Plan, includes the installation of a traffic circle. The redesign also includes the relocation of the downtown bus hub from Bank Street to a location closer to the CTfasttrak station. The Columbus Boulevard plan is scheduled to begin in spring.
The final leg of the tour took the group to the CTfasttrak next to the proposed Beehive Bridge. Stewart said the area needed a makeover to increase traffic. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

11 Connecticut clean energy projects advance in DEEP program

State energy officials have selected 25 projects, including 11 in Connecticut, to move forward in a program designed to bring more clean energy into the power pool serving Connecticut and New England.
The projects selected by Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection were selected from more than 100 submissions sent to the agency in a response to a request for proposals. Part of the criteria for the projects is that they could not be larger than 20 megawatts.Two of the projects selected to advance to the next step in the process are in North Haven and Wallingford, according to DEEP officials.Details regarding the exact location of the projects and which companies are behind them is not being made available at this time. Dennis Schain, a DEEP spokesman, said that information “is considered business confidential.” “At this stage, more detail is considered exempt from disclosure by the Freedom of Information Act,” Schain said.
The North Haven solar project will produce 4.98 megawatts of power. The company proposing the project is GRE Gacrux LLC, which, according to the Connecticut secretary of the state’s office, is an affiliate of Middletown-based Greenskies Power, a privately held commercial and industrial solar project developer. The Wallingford solar project will produce 19.99 megawatts of power. The company proposing the project is the U.S. affiliate of the Lendlease Corp. in Australia, a multi-national firm whose business includes energy infrastructure. DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee said the 11 Connecticut projects selected to advance include nine solar, one wind, and 34 megawatts of energy efficiency for a collective total of 170 megawatts. “This will bring more jobs and economic activity as well as cost-effective clean energy into the state,” Klee said. Joel Gordes, a West Hartford-based energy consultant, said given the current state of Connecticut’s economy, the selection process should have been weighted more heavily toward in-state projects because of the jobs and tax revenue produced. Narrowing the field of proposals from more than 100 to 25 was done through a process Schain said “was heavily weighted toward the price of the energy that would be produced.”   “The key here is clean power at good prices for ratepayers, and the RFP has succeeded in accomplishing that,” he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE 

MGM makes its argument against third casino in Connecticut

New York — An attorney for MGM Resorts International argued Monday in federal appellate court that the Connecticut law that sanctioned the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes' pursuit of a third casino in the state hampered MGM's ability to do the same thing.
Kevin King, facing a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said the law, passed by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2015, granted the tribes the exclusive right to take steps that could lead to a third casino.
"You say it's exclusive; they say it isn't," Judge John Walker Jr. said.
"We think it's clear," King said.
"It isn't," Walker said. "It doesn't say 'exclusive' in it. ... It puts the thumb on the scale for the tribes, but that's not the same thing as giving them an exclusive right."
MGM is appealing U.S. District Judge Alvin Thompson’s June decision granting the state’s motion to dismiss MGM’s lawsuit, which asked that the 2015 law be invalidated.
The tribes sought the law out of concern over the impact of MGM Springfield, the $950 million resort casino now under construction in Massachusetts. When complete, it is expected to divert jobs and revenue from the tribal gaming facilities in southeastern Connecticut — Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun — which forward 25 percent of their slot-machine winnings to the state.
While the measure specified that the tribes could form a partnership and solicit site proposals from municipalities, it did not authorize commercial, as opposed to tribal, gaming in the state. Such authorization would require enactment of another law.
King said MGM was looking for “equal treatment,” noting that the tribes posted their request for site proposals on a state website, an option unavailable to MGM.
“It’s a vague injury, not a real injury,” Judge Robert Sack said. “It’s a signal that the rule isn’t for you.”
“It’s discrimination,” King said.
The state, whose case was argued by Assistant Attorney General Robert Deichert, maintains that the 2015 law didn't prevent MGM or any other entity from taking preliminary steps similar to those the tribes are taking. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

XL Center Renovation Plan Gets Hearing Tuesday

A $250 million renovation plan for downtown's aging XL Center arena — including the addition of a second concourse — will get a public hearing Tuesday as the Capital Region Development Authority pushes forward with the plan.
The hearing starts at 6 p.m. in Meeting Room 21 at the Connecticut Convention Center on Columbus Boulevard in Hartford.

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Last year, the authority backed a renovation of the XL's Veterans Memorial Coliseum, one of three options recommended by a consultant. Leaving the XL Center as-is or rebuilding the 15,800-seat sports and entertainment were the other options. The study can be found here.

The authority, which oversees the XL Center and any renovations, is holding a hearing now because it must formally adopt the recommendation to move forward with the plan.

Key to the renovation plan is acquiring about 100,000 square feet of space in the Hartford 21 complex that surrounds the arena. The space — owned by Northland Investment Corp. — includes the atrium, retail space and a portion of the complex's parking garage.

The authority has been in discussions with Northland for a year, but a deal has not been struck, hampered by a disagreement over the selling price. The authority is now seeking a second appraisal; but it has declined to disclose the value determined by the first appraisal, citing the ongoing negotiations.
Two weeks ago, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he supported renovations to the 41-year-old arena, but stopped short of saying he would bring the project to the legislature in the upcoming legislative session.
The $250 million project would be spread across several fiscal years and paid for almost entirely by the state. The authority will have to marshal political support in difficult budget times for the state. There also is a growing resistance to using bonds — essentially the state's credit card — for big-ticket projects when funding is being cut to social service programs, road improvements and school construction.

The plans pursued by the authority envision a dramatic change that would essentially create a new arena: a second concourse to relieve congestion and irritating waits at concessions; more premium seating lower in the arena bowl; and more restaurants, amenities and restrooms. The number of seats could increase to about 19,000.

Physical changes could make the XL Center more competitive with newer arenas and with promoters of concerts and other events, potentially increasing profits for both the promoters and the XL Center. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Connecticut Senators: Support Possible For Trump Transportation Plan

Connecticut's U.S. senators are pledging either eager support or a tenacious fight against President-elect Donald Trump's plan to rebuild the nation's transportation infrastructure.
At a rally of construction workers Monday afternoon at a Route 2 work zone, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy said their decision will hinge on whether the Trump administration's proposal helps the public or just wealthy investors.

The difference could be crucial for megabillion-dollar projects in Connecticut such as modernizing Amtrak's shoreline route or replacing the I-84 viaduct in Hartford and the I-84/Route 8 interchange in Waterbury.

After Trump pledged in his acceptance speech to rebuild the country's highways, bridges, tunnels and airports, transportation analysts have been speculating about what exactly that would include — and how he would pay for it.  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

CT senators blast Trump’s infrastructure plan, but hope for compromise

Washington – Connecticut’s senators on Monday joined a growing Democratic chorus of criticism for President-elect Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan, saying it is unrealistic and unworkable and would result in the building and repair of very few roads and bridges.
“There’s no ‘there there’ in the plan,” Sen. Chris Murphy said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal called Trump’s proposal a “fantasy,” a “Trojan Horse” and a “road to nowhere.”
The plan was co-written by Wilbur Ross, a billionaire investor expected to be nominated as the next secretary of the Commerce Department.
Ross says the United States could spur $1 trillion in infrastructure spending by giving out about $137 billion in tax credits to private investors. Ross and plan co-writer Peter Navarro say the program would cost taxpayers nothing since increased construction would create new jobs and tax revenue.
The plan does not call for an increase in spending by the federal government, the prime source of funding for interstate highways and other big transportation projects, relying instead on private investment.
But Blumenthal and Murphy say there are few things these private investors will be willing to fund, because there are few roads, railways and bridges that can provide a return on that investment.
“In most infrastructure projects, there’s not a whole lot that would create revenue,” Murphy said.
He said Metro North would have to quadruple its fares to make investment in the commuter railroad attractive to investors. “And even if you put a toll on I-95, you wouldn’t generate enough money” to attract investors, Murphy said.
Blumenthal called Trump’s plan “a special deal for Wall Street investors.”
In their proposal, Ross and Navarro argue that public bonds, which are often used to raise money for local roads and bridges, have certain restrictions – including a timeline for the money to be spent – and are impractical for smaller projects.
“And construction costs tend to be higher when projects are built by the government rather than the private sector,” Ross and Navarro wrote.
Their plan also allows a 10 percent pretax profit margin for contractors.
Critics say investors may put money into electrical grid modernization or energy pipeline expansion, but those lucrative projects already may be planned or underway. There’s no requirement that the tax breaks be used for new projects or to expand existing ones.
Like Connecticut’s senators, other critics of Trump’s proposal say desperately needed infrastructure projects that are not attractive to private investors — municipal water-system overhauls, repairs of existing roads, replacement of bridges that do not charge tolls — would get no help.
Congressional Republicans also are wary of Trump’s infrastructure plan. Stephen Moore, a Trump adviser, is pushing the idea of covering the cost with the windfall from a one-time, 10 percent tax on corporate profits currently held overseas.
Ross and Navarro recommended that companies could offset the 10 percent tax on the repatriation of overseas retained earnings by using the tax credit on infrastructure equity investment. “This would effectively convert a tax liability into an equity investment in an infrastructure project,” they said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Trump Infrastructure Overhaul Needs More than Tolls: CT Dems VIDEO

Some of Connecticut's members of Congress made it a point Monday to call on the incoming Trump administration for more details on what its infrastructure plan looks like.

"The devil is in the details," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

The President-elect discussed during the campaign the need for a $1 trillion package aimed at spurring investment in road, bridge, and public transit projects which he said would lead to economic growth.

The issue for Connecticut elected leaders is that the bulk of the plan considered private funds as the way forward, rather than the federal government borrowing money to pay for projects.

"You cannot rebuild Connecticut’s infrastructure based on private financing alone," said Sen. Chris Murphy. "You simply cannot toll the thousands of roads and bridges that need work."

One of the projects that has received the most urgent calls for replacement from Gov. Dannel Malloy and Congressman John Larson has been to re-engineer I-84 through Hartford and East Hartford.

The plans in the works recently have been to change some of the routing of the highway, while placing what amounts to a cap above the roadway, creating new commercial and greenspace at street level.

Larson's plan would create a new tunnel entirely that would take the interstate below ground, beneath the Connecticut River and resurfacing near East Hartford. It's estimated the tunnel plan could cost as much as $10 billion while the covered alternative would cost less than half that. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

 

 

CT Construction Digest Monday November 28, 2016

Congressional guests to get firsthand look at New Britain projects

NEW BRITAIN — Mayor Erin Stewart on Monday will host U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty on a tour of numerous projects underway or in the works in and around the central business district.
The walk will leave City Hall at 11:45 a.m. and will include a look at construction projects that have resulted from the Complete Streets Master Plan, begun six years ago.
Stewart is expected to detail for Murphy the planned redesign of Columbus Boulevard, the Columbus Commons housing-retail proposal on the former site of police headquarters and the Beehive Bridge planned for Main Street.
The Columbus Boulevard plan, slated to begin in the spring, will include, in part, the installation of a traffic circle and the relocation of the downtown bus hub from Bank Street to a locationcloser to the CTfastrak station.
The Beehive Bridge plan, with work scheduled to begin in early 2017, will include new landscaping, widened sidewalks, new traffic signals, crosswalks, pedestrian ramps, revised lane arrangements and two pocket parks on the north side of the bridge.
According to Murphy’s office, the four will discuss top transportation infrastructure priorities for the city, including projects to revitalize downtown and encourage public transportation.
“With investments in infrastructure potentially a top priority of Congress early next year, Blumenthal, Murphy, and Esty are visiting key transportation priorities in local communities to bring feedback back to Washington,” a release states.“The members are working with colleagues across the aisle to identify serious proposals to fix our nation’s failing infrastructure.”

$80 million project in works in Griswold

GRISWOLD – An $80 million mixed-use development on more than 60 acres on Route 164 is on its way to becoming a reality.

Heritage River Village, a mixed-use, mixed-income, live/work community is being proposed to be developed. The community will offer affordable, market rate rental apartments and condominiums along with 42,000 square feet of retail and service space. The single to double room apartments can be occupied by anyone of any age. Also offered will be homes and services for aging adults, with a specific focus on adults suffering from memory loss diseases.

“This will provide a much needed service for this region of Connecticut and Rhode Island,” town Chairman of Economic Development Commission Thomas Giard said. “It will give an opportunity for individuals with memory impaired conditions to have a facility to help keep them in a home environment. A facility like this will give them a normal life.”
The community will function as a self-contained setting, allowing residents walkable access to services such as the bank or a hairdresser along with restaurants and shopping. Health services, local farmer’s markets and exercise facilities will be available along with a high focus on arts and entertainment programming. This model hopes to eliminate social isolation and the stigmas of aging.
“This is an amazing opportunity for the economy of our town,” First Selectman Kevin Skulcyzck said. “We need development. If we don’t inspire our tax base to grow, then we will regress. The great thing about this project is that the developers are intending to hire people locally for construction and permanent jobs.”
The Heritage River Village is expected to bring 150 new permanent full time jobs to the area, 250 construction jobs and $2 million in annual tax revenue to the town of Griswold.
“It sounds like a great opportunity for Griswold. The town has felt dead to me for a long time,” welding/quality engineer Richard Bennardo, a former resident of Griswold, said. “Griswold needs these jobs and opportunities for people in the area.”
“Griswold has been misaligned over the years and this would add to the accomplishments going on in the town right now.” Said Ricky Bevis, a senior citizen who lives in town. “Griswold is really having a resurgence right now.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Work to restart on Spruce Meadow project this week

Stonington -- Work is slated to restart this week on the almost completed, $10 million Spruce Meadow apartment complex on Route 1 in Pawcatuck.

Work had stalled this fall on the project, which includes market rate and affordable units, because of financing issues that required its developer, New Haven-based nonprofit NeighborWorks/New Horizons, to modify the terms of its construction loan, according to Julie Savin, the organization’s director of real estate development.

She said the project which consists of two main buildings is between one and two months behind schedule. She said crews on the site will be "fully mobilized" this week.

She added that the group hopes tenants can begin to move into the 17-unit building around the Christmas holiday, the 25 units in the second building about a month later.

Savin said the firm has received about 180 applications for the units and those are being evaluated at this time. There is a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units with 75 percent of the units deemed affordable according to state guidelines. The project also includes a community building and playground.

Savin said NeighborWorks/New Horizons is set to break ground on the second $12 million, 43-unit project, called Spruce Ridge on the former Rutman’s furniture property in January.

The State Department of Housing contributed $5 million in funding for the project.

The two projects, combined with the just-opened Thread Mill project on Mechanic Street, are expected to provide needed affordable and workforce housing units in a community where home prices and rents are high.

Fuel-cell makers strike out on major CT deals

Connecticut over the years has nurtured its fuel-cell industry perhaps more than any other state, offering policies and financial perks that have made the miniature power plants more economical to manufacture and purchase. But two major state clean-energy procurements, which failed to select fuel-cell projects, have revealed the potential limits of that support and dealt a setback to the industry.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) last month notified winning bidders in the state-run energy programs, which are expected to lead to the purchase of nearly 800 megawatts of clean-power generation by utilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, helping each state reach toward their renewable-energy goals.
Solar developers that bid into the request for proposals (RFP) were the main winners in the selection process, while about a dozen proposed fuel-cell projects were left on the sidelines. That includes bids involving South Windsor's Doosan Fuel Cell, Danbury's FuelCell Energy and California's Bloom Energy — some of the largest manufacturers of stationary fuel cells in the world.
State officials said the fuel-cell bids were more expensive compared to other proposals, and could have led to higher energy prices for individual and business consumers at a time when the state's high energy prices are already a major concern.
The results represent a blow for an industry that has steadily gained traction, particularly in Connecticut, California and New York, but has struggled to turn a profit.
Connecticut fuel-cell manufacturers viewed the state procurements as unique opportunities to capture significant new business and revenues. The RFPs offered the rare chance to build large fuel-cell plants, whose power could be sold to utilities under long-term contracts. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Despite struggles, opportunities exist in CT’s construction industry

Connecticut's construction industry has recovered somewhat in recent years from the Great Recession of 2008-09, though the pace of that recovery remains slower than the national average.
As a result, according to a recent report from a leading national construction trade association, Connecticut has the eighth-highest rate of construction unemployment of the 50 states, with its rate of 6.9 percent far exceeding the national average of 5.2 percent.
Why hasn't Connecticut's construction industry recovered as well as so many other states in the nation? Much of it gets attributed to what has become a very familiar refrain for our state — the high cost of doing business in Connecticut. Taxes, fees, energy costs and state regulations all play a part in this, and the bottom line simply is it costs more to build in Connecticut than it does elsewhere.
But this does not have to just be bad news for the construction industry. Despite the sluggish recovery and relatively higher cost of operating here, opportunities do exist, particularly when we consider we live in the state with the highest median income and one of the best skilled workforces in the nation.
Where do these opportunities exist? They start at the local level, with cities and towns investing in economic development and working to bring more businesses into the community. State funds and grants exist for development projects, which create new, well-paying jobs, and those municipalities willing to make those investments can provide a boost to the state's construction industry.
Next is taking advantage of the state's renewed focus on transportation improvements, which not only lead to more direct construction jobs in the short term, but can also spur new development along improved routes and lead to more jobs in the long term. In addition to the completed CTfastrak bus route, there are a number of major highway projects either underway or in the planning stages right now, and all of them will require well-trained construction workers to complete them. As the state continues to invest in improving its roads and highways, more work will be there for the industry.
Given the level of competition that exists in the construction industry, companies should look inward to ensure they are giving themselves the best chance at success. This means making the right technological and equipment upgrades — a recent study our firm did with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) showed that this is the area where most businesses are currently making the most investments.
Operating a modern, state-of-the-art construction business means operating with more efficiency and innovation than ever before, and those companies that make these investments will have the best opportunities to succeed.
Finally, there is education, another key investment construction companies can and should make with their time and their resources. The state has made an increased effort in recent years to attract more students to technical high schools and trade schools, and this is where much of the future construction workforce can be found. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Parking Lot Owners Say Tax Plan Won’t Spur Development

As the iQuilt project works to make downtown more walkable, a new UConn campus takes shape and once-forlorn buildings now converted to apartments fill up, parking lots surrounding Bushnell Park stand out as prime locations for redevelopment.
A new taxing district clustered around the park proposed by city Councilman John Gale would charge the owners of undeveloped land higher taxes to spur new construction. The idea is to eliminate financial incentives that encourage parking lots instead of new construction.
But while owners of parking lots clustered around the park say the goal is a good one, they say creating a special taxing district to force them to develop or sell their downtown properties is misguided.
"Every single landowner would love to develop a building," said Alan Lazowski, chief executive of LAZ Parking. "There is no benefit to keeping it vacant. The only way they get built is with subsidies and incentives. With all due respect to the councilman, this does not achieve that result."

Lazowski said the city's office market has not fully recovered from the real estate collapse of the early 1990s. The focus, Lazowski said, should be on offering incentives to encourage companies to relocate to Hartford and create more jobs.

"We do have an important parcel," said Cheryl Chase, general counsel at Hartford-based Chase Enterprises. "We are developers. If we think there is a project to be built, we would build it."
Chase, which developed downtown's Gold Building and two other downtown skyscrapers in the 1970s and 1980s, owns the parking lot where the Parkview Hilton stood until it was demolished in 1990.
It is one of a half dozen lots in a two-block radius of Bushnell Park that could fall into a new taxing district. Other areas of the city could also be considered for the taxing district but it isn't likely to be extended citywide.

"There is a future when a project will absolutely make sense," Chase said. "But to be asked to do it now and do something that is uneconomical, it is very shortsighted."

Incentive To Demolish
Hartford — like many other cities — applies the same tax rate to land and buildings. But Hartford assesses commercial buildings at a rate that is generally four times higher than it assesses land. Thus, most of the owner's property tax is based on the building.
This creates an incentive, some say, to demolish buildings that are underused and either leave the properties as vacant land or convert them to surface parking.
If more of the tax is on the land, in theory, the incentive is reversed. An owner is more inclined to build on the land, or sell it to someone who will. It also discourages speculation and holding onto property for long periods of time. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Public to get information on Skiff bridge at hearing in Hamden

HAMDEN >> An information session will be held this week on a bridge project that will have a major impact on traffic for a while.
The bridge on Skiff Street that goes over the Mill River is in a busy area that connects Dixwell and Whitney avenues, so replacing that bridge is going to cause headaches for motorists for the length of the project. There’s been a lot of interest in the project, according to town officials, so a “public outreach program meeting” will be held Wednesday to answer those concerns. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in Thornton Wilder Auditorium at the Miller Library Complex.The project will be done in phases, which will take several years to complete, which has raised concerns, especially among the businesses in that area. The businesses will remain open and signs will direct traffic to them, those involved in the project have said. Last week, the Legislative Council approved a contract for the inspection services related to the project with BL Companies Connecticut, an architectural and civil engineering firm out of Meriden. No one there was available for comment Friday. Councilman Harry Gagliardi said he wants to see the project assigned to the Town Building Committee, but council President James Pascarella said he isn’t sure a bridge project could legally fall under the auspices of the building committee. To assign it to the building committee may require an amendment to the ordinance that created the committee, Pascarella said.
The project has been in the works for several years and recently it was revealed that the cost is going to be much more than anticipated. Initially, the project was estimated to cost $5.5 million, but that price has rose to more than $8 million. The town’s share of the cost is $1.2 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE 

Connecticut’s US senators call for major infrastructure funding

HARTFORD >> U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are calling for major federal spending on roads, bridges, highways, rails, ports, and public transportation.
The Democrats are planning to join with construction workers and businesses Monday to highlight the kinds of jobs they say will help support families. The press conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the closed Route 2 off-ramp to downtown Hartford.Donald Trump has called infrastructure investment a priority for his administration, but Blumenthal and Murphy faulted the Republican president-elect, saying the plans he has proposed so far include corporate welfare tax breaks to private-sector investors without guaranteeing any public benefit. Earlier Monday, Blumenthal and Murphy plan to join local officials for a downtown walking tour of New Britain to discuss top transportation infrastructure priorities for the city.

CT Construction Digest Tuesday November 22, 2016

Eversource gets approval for power line through Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury

Eversource Energy is one step closer to building a controversial power line that would pass through Bethel, Brookfield and Danbury.
The Connecticut Siting Council approved Eversource’s proposal in principle earlier this month and requested a more detailed construction plan for further review.
The 3.4-mile, 115-kilovolt power line would run beside an existing line within Eversource’s right-of-way from the Plumtrees substation in Bethel to Brookfield Junction. Eversource also wants to reconfigure two existing 115-kilovolt double-circuit lines at its Stony Hill substation in Brookfield and the Plumtrees substation in Bethel.
Eversource spokesperson Frank Poirot said the power line would improve service throughout the three towns and the region.
“This provides another path for electricity to flow into these areas,” he said. “It's an integrated grid so it provides benefits to all of our customers in southwest Connecticut.”
But several Brookfield and Bethel residents, as well as some town officials, said they opposed the plan at a public hearing in September.
Among their concerns was a planned access road off Deer Trail Drive in Brookfield, which would have provided Eversource an alternative route to its Stony Hill substation. Residents had contended that an access road would destroy their cul-de-sac and put their children in danger as trucks drove down the road during construction.
But Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn said the access road is no longer part of the plan. After conversations with the town and residents, Eversource decided to use an existing access road off of Stony Hill Road instead.
Dunn said he now supports the power line.
“I think the residents and the town were both in favor of the improvements they were going to make, but not [in favor of] putting an access road off of Deer Trail,” he said. “Once they took the Deer Trail access road off the table, everyone was very happy with the plan.”
Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said the project is good as a whole, although he is concerned that Eversource will have to cut down hundreds of trees near Berkshire Corporate Park, Hearthstone Drive and Chimney Drive. He had hoped the line could be moved to the west or built on top of the existing towers in these spots so that the trees could remain. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Insurance Company Sues Former Dunkin' Donuts Park Developer

The insurance company guaranteeing the completion of Dunkin' Donuts Park has filed a federal lawsuit against former developer Centerplan Construction Co., Robert Landino and several other parties.
Arch Insurance's suit claims that the defendants have failed to reimburse the company for $8.4 million in claims it has paid out. The insurance company determined in August that its potential liability on Dunkin' Donuts Park and the Storrs Center Phase 2 project, a redevelopment project near UConn, total more than $18 million.
The suit does not specify the liability or amount spent on each project. The suit also claims that the defendants have refused to make certain books, records and other financial documents available for review, and failed to post cash collateral demanded by Arch.
Landino is Centerplan's CEO.

Centerplan and DoNo Hartford were terminated by the city from the ballpark project in June, after missing a May 17 deadline to hand over the 6,000-seat minor league baseball stadium to the Hartford Yard Goats to prepare for a May 31 home opener. At the time, the city claimed that the developers had breached their contract by missing the deadline.
The developers countered that the deadline was missed because the city had issued more than 100 change orders in the months leading up to it, making the deadline impossible to achieve.
Centerplan filed suit against the city for wrongful termination and sought an injunction preventing another contractor from finishing the job. A hearing on Centerplan's suit against the city is scheduled for Dec. 13. Arch and the city reached a takeover agreement in October and Arch hired Whiting-Turner Contracting Company to finish the ballpark. The team is scheduled to open the $71 million ballpark April 13, 2017.
Attorneys for Arch and Centerplan were not immediately available for comment Monday.
Other defendants include companies related to both projects. They include: Kelly Landino, Centerplan Development Co.; RAl Investments; Walnut Hill Chase; Tinker House; GH Development, Inc., Center Earth; and Centerplan Communities.

Simsbury Officials Want To Hear More On Proposal For Former Campus Of The Hartford

Town officials are requesting extra time to review a new proposal for The Hartford's former Simsbury office complex.
The zoning commission voted to continue the public hearing on the master site plan for the proposed mixed-use development at 200 Hopmeadow St. until its next meeting on Dec. 5.

The commission asked developer the Silverman Group to return with a better representation of the sight line views of Heublein Tower from Hopmeadow Street, as well as to provide solutions for buffers for neighbors, among other details.

Eight residents spoke to the commission Monday, mostly in opposition to the proposal.  A majority of those who addressed the commission live on Riverwalk Drive, in a condominium complex that abuts the property. More than 50 residents signed a petition against the project, citing concerns of preserving the views of the ridge and Heublein Tower, unsustainable traffic and property setbacks.
The proposed development, The Ridge at Talcott Mountain, was designed using The Hartford-Simsbury Form-Based Code. The document was created by the town in collaboration with The Hartford in August 2014.
Form-based code provides a developer with the town's expectations in the scope of use. The code's purpose, according to the 63-page document, is to "implement a long-term, sustainable redevelopment strategy for the Hartford site."
The Silverman Group's latest plan, submitted Friday, shows a slightly reduced number of residential units from previous plans, from 281 to 208, and increased retail space.

The developers say the project "replaces an obsolete suburban corporate office asset that no longer is viable with a master-planned, mixed-use community."

The proposal details several townhouse units with various layouts and facades, as well as four luxury apartment buildings with elevators, a clubhouse, a 120-bed assisted living facility and a combined 11,600 square feet of retail.
It also describes a walking and bike trail that would connect to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

62-unit affordable housing complex proposed or West Torringford Street

TORRINGTON >> A 62-unit apartment complex is in the works for Torringford West Street, as the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, presented its latest plans to the city Architectural Review Committee Thursday.
POAH owns the Torringford West Apartments senior living complex already established adjacent to 380 Torringford West Street, and is seeking to construct an additional building on the property in the years to come.Originally planned and presented in 2014 as another senior living establishment, the project has now been transitioned to an affordable housing complex, according to Cory Fellows, Vice President of Real Estate Development with POAH, because state funding requirements have changed.The state Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Authority are seeking to provide funding for affordable housing at this time, Fellows told committee members Thursday, and has effectively ceased offering resources for senior-only facilities. “Their funding criteria have evolved to the point that it’s really not possible to get funding for all-senior properties anymore,” said Fellows. “We’ve actually had a lot of conversation with state officials and others, about what we see — there’s still a need for senior housing, obviously, but given the reality now, we’ve made this shift. And we think, based on the research we’ve done — and it continues now — that there is a real need for affordable and quality family housing as well.” Thus, with the help of architects from Studio One Inc. a 62-unit four-story apartment building is being planned to go alongside the existing apartments on Torringford West.
Rents for the mix of one, two, and three bedroom apartments are currently estimated at between $800 and $1,300, Fellows said.That figure is subject to change as time progresses — Fellows said that construction on the project is currently expected to begin, if further state funding can be obtained, in late 2018, with a potential opening in late 2019.“I think that’s nice. It’s a quality building, and the rents should be commensurate with the living space,” said Marc Trivella, committee chairman. Features planned for the four-story facility, which has been christened as “Torringford Terrace,” include community space on all three floors, 112 parking spaces, and trees and shrubbery. The project will be taxable, Fellows said Thursday, and 12 of the units in the complex are projected to be offered with no cost restriction at market-rate prices.  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE 

CT Construction Digest Monday November 21, 2016

Plumtrees bridge project in Bethel moves along

BETHEL - Crews completed the initial paving on Plumtrees Road last week as part of the project to build a wider bridge at an intersection near the Bethel schools.
Town officials hope this project will alleviate some traffic issues at the Plumtrees Road and Walnut Hill Road intersection.
Workers will continue to widen the road up until the winter shutdown in early December. In the spring, crews will reposition Whittlesey Drive, which all five schools are located on, and install a new signal system.
During construction, the road has been open. The town opened a bypass on Plumtrees Road in July so that traffic could continue to flow.
This $2.4 million project is paid for with state and federal funds.

Long-delayed Bridgeport factory conversion could be on horizon

BRIDGEPORT — It was late summer 2015 that city and state officials gathered at the site of a former factory complex next to Interstate 95 and crowed about the conversion that was about to begin. With plans set and financing in place, construction of the buildings into a mix of housing and other uses was said to be around the corner.

Today, the site remains as rundown as ever. But officials insist that everything is at last in place to finally bring new life to the hulking eyesore, and that progress will be clear within weeks.

“This is a very complicated deal with many partners at the table,” said Norbert Deslauriers, interim managing director of multifamily programs at the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. CHFA in September approved $40 million in financing for the project.

In the year since the project was announced, the particulars have remained. The first phase is to bring 157 residential units in the tallest building, with 31 to rent at market rates and the rest to be income-limited under affordable housing statutes.

At the same time, work will begin in another building on a new home for Great Oaks Charter School, whose opening has been pushed back to the fall of 2018. Seventeen housing units would be set aside for tutors at the school.

The second phase would rehabilitate the oldest buildings on the block, facing Hancock Avenue and most clearly visible from I-95, into a mix of housing and retail. A grocery store is part of the plan, and those buildings are to soon be sheathed in a vinyl mesh printed with images of what the structures will eventually look like.

In all, the $120 million project will bring more than 300 units of housing and be known as Cherry Street Lofts.

State officials have called the project among the most complicated they have seen, with financing from a wide variety of sources including historic tax credits, a brownfields rehabilitation loan, low-income tax credits and more. Delays have hampered the progress. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

Meriden officials to discuss Pratt Street Gateway, 2-way traffic publicly

 

MERIDEN — A public information meeting will be held next week to update residents on several downtown projects, including the restoration of two-way traffic in downtown and a boulevard on Pratt Street.

The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, in the Griffin Room at the Meriden Public Library, 105 Miller St. The first hour will focus on sidewalk improvements on West Main Street and Colony Street, two-way traffic conversion and downtown flood control. The second hour will focus on the Pratt Street Gateway project.

Earlier this year, the city was awarded a $3.2 million state grant for a project that would establish Pratt Street as the new gateway into downtown. Design work has been completed to turn Pratt Street into a boulevard and construction is scheduled to begin next year. A wide, landscaped median will be installed on Pratt between Myrtle and Benjamin streets. There will be openings in the median at intersections and parking areas. 

“The proposal would really send people that are coming into downtown off of Interstate 691 from Exit 7 to Exit 8,” Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski said, adding that the goal is a “more attractive way into downtown.”

The project includes realigning the Camp Street and Pratt Street intersection, as well as the intersection of Center Street and Pratt. 

“Right now it’s a racing strip,” Burdelski said of Pratt Street. “It’s not aesthetically appealing.”

 City officials also hope to convert one-way traffic in the downtown area to two-way traffic. While funding isn’t in place for the project, the city has developed a concept that state Department of Transportation is comfortable with, said Associate City Engineer Howard Weissberg. The conversion would impact West Main, Hanover, East Main and Church streets, as well as Cook Avenue and Perkins Square.

In recent years, the city has unsuccessfully applied for federal grant money for the traffic conversion. Burdelski said the city may have to explore bonding city money for the project or waiting to see if federal infrastructure funds become available.

Funding is in place to update traffic signals in the downtown area, a necessity for two-way traffic, Weissberg said.

The city decided to hold a public meeting on the Pratt Street Gateway since funding is in place, Weissberg said, adding that it made sense to cover other downtown projects during the same meeting.

“It kind of grew, so we decided to give everyone an update on all of the traffic and flood control updates,” he said.

 

Turning Earth waiting for state approval to build food waste to energy plant in Southington

 

SOUTHINGTON — A company that hopes to turn food and yard waste into electricity and compost could begin construction early next year on Spring Street.

Turning Earth is waiting on a key approval from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection but expects to receive that “any day now,” according to company co-founder Amy Kessler.

Delays in receiving regulatory approval for unique energy-producing processes has pushed back construction. Company officials had hoped to begin construction this year.

Quantum Biopower, a food-waste to energy facility on DePaolo Drive, ran into similar delays. That company held a ribbon cutting ceremony earlier this week, though it may be a month or two before the plant begins operations.

Turning Earth utilizes a different method then Quantum Biopower, according to Kessler, drawing on proprietary technology from Denmark.

Food waste from grocery stores, large cafeterias and conference centers will be mixed with yard waste such as leaves, wood and grass clippings. That mixture will be stored in sealed containers and sprayed with a solution, drawing out nutrients consumed by the microbes that will produce burnable bio-gas. Oxygen is then introduced to that anaerobic process to heat the mixture and begin turning it into compost which will be sold by the facility.

Once Turning Earth is operational, it’ll still take a few months for those processes to begin before the plant will begin to sell compost or produce electricity with the bio-gas it creates.

Kessler said the plant will be able to produce 1.4 megawatts of power annually.

Dennis Schain, spokesman for DEEP, said he expected the department to act on the company’s permit “in the near future.”

Schain said the department has a goal of removing 60 percent of organic and food waste from the garbage by 2024. Forty percent of trash by weight is food waste.

“This is really vital,” he said. “Organic waste makes up a significant percentage of the waste stream.”

A 2013 law mandated major food waste producers within 20 miles of an organics recycling facility to recycle their waste. Those producers will be charged a fee per truckload of material but Kessler declined to say what the fee would be.

Construction of the plant will take between nine and 12 months. Kessler hopes the plant, which is expected to cost nearly $20 million, will be operational by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

A 37-acre parcel on Spring Street slated for the plant is owned by developer John Senese. Kessler said Turning Earth will buy the land.

 

Earth Tower ‘a proud accomplishment’ for Mohegans

 

Mohegan — The Mohegan Tribe, intent on celebrating its partnership with the state of Connecticut, hosted a who’s who of elected officials Friday at a ceremonial ribbon-cutting for its 400-room Earth Tower hotel.
Rising next to Mohegan Sun, the angular, glass-clad structure will enable the casino to meet some of the demand for overnight stays that exceeds its original tower’s 1,200-room capacity. Casino executives estimate they’ve had to turn away 1 million room nights over the last two years alone.
The Earth Tower stands 13 stories high. The original Mohegan Sun hotel, now dubbed the Sky Tower, is 34 stories.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney joined tribal officials at Friday's event.
“On time and on budget,” Mohegan Tribal Council Chairman Kevin Brown said of the $130 million project, which the tribe itself financed.
He said it comes “after a period of delay,” a reference to the years that followed the scrapping of Project Horizon, a 2007 Mohegan Sun expansion plan. That proposed undertaking, whose price tag had grown to $925 million, called for a 39-story hotel tower that would have been the tallest building in Connecticut.
On the cusp of the economic downtown that would become the Great Recession, the Mohegans pulled the plug on that project.
This, Brown said, was the right time to resurrect the second hotel plan, “not just for us, but for the state.”
The Earth Tower project provided 2,000 construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs, he said.
Malloy, who had attended the groundbreaking for the Earth Tower project in March 2015, pronounced the new hotel “first class all the way.”
“The tribe should be very proud of this accomplishment,” he said. “For everyone who bet against them — you lost.”
Courtney, too, lauded the Mohegans' tenaciousness.
“This tribe is always in it for the long haul," he said. "Their commitment to this area is eternal.”
He cited the tribe’s agreement earlier this year with the Town of Preston to develop the former Norwich Hospital property.  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Stanley eyes $500M N. Britain tech park

Stanley Black & Decker hopes to redevelop its legacy manufacturing properties in New Britain into a state-of-the-art technology park that could include $500 million in capital investment, the Hartford Business Journal has learned.
The plans, developed quietly over the past eight years and revealed in detailed bidding documents submitted to state officials in May, show a state-of-the-art data facility to be powered by nearly 20 megawatts of Doosan fuel cells and low-cost hydropower from a Stanley-owned utility company in Farmington.
Developers hope the data center will be a draw for big data users like ESPN, UConn, Yale and others, and that it would spur some companies to relocate operations to as many as four retrofitted New Britain buildings proposed in the plan.
The Hardware City's state legislative delegation said the potential $500 million investment could help revitalize an economically depressed area of the city.
The project could create average incremental employment of nearly 1,000 jobs over a four-year period, according to an analysis by UConn economist Fred Carstensen, which was done on behalf of Stanley's development partner Thunderbird CHP. The Farmington-based developer has secured rights to a long-term lease of roughly half of Stanley's New Britain campus. The project would also mean more tax revenue for New Britain and help secure Stanley's presence in the city.
Thunderbird likens the proposed data center to one in Holyoke, Mass., that opened in 2012. MIT, Harvard and other major institutions that helped fund the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) send data there to perform complex calculations used in bioscience and other modern research. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Bloomfield's development spurt tinged with housing

Bloomfield is in the midst of its biggest commercial-residential development surge in nearly a generation.
This year alone, Hartford's abutting neighbor has seen developers declare their intent to erect more than 500 luxury and age-restricted apartments over the next few years.
In October, the 132-luxury unit Arbors At Brighton Park opened off Woodland Avenue; a second phase launches soon that will add 60 adjacent luxury townhomes in this town of some 20,500 residents.
Also off Woodland Avenue, Niagara Bottling's controversial bottled-water plant is near opening, employing dozens. And, specialty-alloy and precision-parts maker Deringer-Ney Inc. is about to occupy a newly built manufacturing-headquarters facility off Woodland, replacing its long-time, crosstown leased home sandwiched between Cottage Grove Road and Blue Hills Avenue.
The local McDonald's in Copaco Shopping Center recently reopened after an extensive facelift, while just up Cottage Grove Road, the Wendy's restaurant is shut for renovations.
Seabury Home retirement community is undergoing a major expansion for which earlier this year it bonded up to $80 million to add new independent- and assisted-living units, skilled-nursing beds and an expanded memory-care unit.
Two years ago, another in-town retirement community, Duncaster, launched its $10 million expansion.
That's not all. New Jersey developer Calamar has submitted plans for a 138-unit apartment community for tenants age 55 and older at 1136 Blue Hills Ave., in the shadow of First Cathedral. Building cost is pegged between $14 million and $18 million. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

North Haven hopes to make announcement about former Pratt & Whitney site soon

NORTH HAVEN >> With the prospect of thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue on the line, the town is taking steps to make the redevelopment of the former Pratt and Whitney Aircraft site on Washington Avenue a reality.
The Board of Selectmen recently approved an ordinance that gives large-scale projects a break in the amount they pay in building permit fees, which for developments like this can mean $1 million. Developer 415 Washington Ave. LLC is proposing a 1.5 million-square-foot facility on the 168-acre site. The plans include 3,000 parking spaces for cars, about 245 tractor-trailer spaces and 48 tractor-trailer bays, according to First Selectman Michael Freda. “It will be a giant warehouse distribution facility concept, and the anticipation would be anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 jobs for North Haven and the region for a project that will be a long-term project for North Haven in terms of sustainability, viability and incremental tax revenue and job growth.” The project already has approvals from the Inland Wetlands and Planning and Zoning commissions. While the plans for the warehouse and distribution center have been approved, the end user hasn’t yet been identified pending the finalization of the contract between the user and the developer.
“We have simplified the regulatory processes here in town, we have given them, through our regulatory bodies — Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetlands — all the approvals, and they have asked me for something that we didn’t have as part of our economic development strategy in the past; they have asked me for consideration for a reduction of building permit fees,” Freda said. The project’s estimated personal property value is about $180 million, with the construction value being $220 million, Freda said, both of which are taxable. “They asked for a 50 percent reduction of what the building permit fees would normally be and they asked for this based upon the magnitude of the project itself,” Freda said. The $220 million project would normally yield about $2.2 million in building permit fees, Freda said. “So we created an ordinance that passed unanimously with tremendous public support at a public meeting with a two-tier incentive,” he said. “For anything over $100 million in construction value, we will now offer a 25 percent reduction in building permit fees, and for anything over $200 million, that’s a 50 percent reduction. That’s where this Pratt and Whitney project would fall.”Residents shopping in stores along Washington Avenue Friday were hopeful the project will come to fruition.“To have something move in here that would bring that many jobs, that would be amazing,” said Mark Tienken, who was at Stop & Shop with his son Brady, 4. “We need those kinds of jobs, good jobs that pay well. I have several friends looking for work, and this is just what we need.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE