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.
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 CONTINUEConnecticut 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 CONTINUECT 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