Renovations to Route 133 bridge on Brookfield-Bridgewater border topic of meeting
BROOKFIELD - The state intends to rehabilitate the 851-foot bridge on Route 133 over the Housatonic River beginning in Spring 2019.
The Department of Transportation will hold an informational meeting on the $7.1 million project, which would be paid for through state and federal funds, next week at Town Hall.
The proposed project includes repairs to the deck, joints and parapet, drainage improvements and painting of the bearings on the structure, which straddles the border between Brookfield and Bridgewater.
The bridge was built in 1955 and rehabilitated in 1998 and 2011. In 1998, the state strengthened and lightened the structure, while in 2011 it replaced the rivets with high-strength bolts, DOT District Engineer John Dunham said.
But in 2015, a state report found the bridge was “structurally deficient and functionally obsolete,” he said.
“That sounds really bad, but it's just terms when describing the condition of the bridge and it’s not to say that it’s unsafe,” Dunham said.
Still, the report sparked an evaluation of the structure as part of a statewide program to keep bridges in good condition, Dunham said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Meriden school board puts $1.5 million roof replacement project out to bid
MERIDEN — The Board of Education voted to put an estimated $1.5 million roof replacement project at Roger Sherman Elementary School out to bid.
The City Council voted last year to add the replacement of the school’s 26-year-old roof to the city’s capital improvement plan. On Tuesday, the board voted to put the project out to bid, with construction expected to begin this spring.
“The roof is 53,000 square feet and the last time it was replaced was 1989,” said Michael Grove, assistant school superintendent of finance and administration.
Architects for Silver/Petrucelli Associates Inc. presented design plans and a cost estimate to the School Building Committee earlier this month. Construction is expected to begin this spring and end in the fall, Grove said
The Board of Education first proposed adding the roof replacement project to city’s capital improvement plan about five years ago, but the project has been postponed due to other bonding priorities, such as renovations at Platt and Maloney high school.
During budget deliberations in 2015, then councilor and current Mayor Kevin Scarpati expressed concern about putting the project off due to student safety. Grove assured the council that a structural engineer assessed all school roofs and deemed them safe following heavy snow that winter. At the time, then City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior recommended that the project be put off until fiscal year 2017-18.
In other construction updates, Board member John Lineen reported crews are still laying the floor in the main gym at Platt High School and the administrative offices are nearing completion. They expect the school to be finished by summer. Renovations at Maloney High School are complete besides some landscaping this spring.Future plans discussed for former train station destroyed by fire
BERLIN — Mayor Mark Kaczynski said this week that the town isn’t opposed to future redevelopment on the site of the former train station, which was destroyed in a fire last month.
“We’re not committing to anything, we’re just going to advocate,” he said. “We hope they can do something with that area.”
Since the Dec. 21 fire, some community members have been pushing to reuse the Depot Road site. The Berlin Historical Society is circulating an online petition to rebuild the station. The Economic Development Commission has also been discussing future plans for the area.
“The loss was catastrophic for our community, as we had high hopes for it being reopened as a museum and event space,” said Lorraine Stub, historical society secretary.
The century-old building was undergoing renovations at the time of the fire. A new station is also being built next door.
Town councilors addressed the issue at a meeting earlier this week.
“This was a big loss for Berlin,” Town Councilor Rachel Rochette said. “We don’t own that train station at the moment, so I’m not even sure what the process would be.”
Amtrak owns the building, and was leasing to the state Department of Transportation.
Rochette suggested a restaurant on the site, with a portion of the building dedicated to the old station.
Town Councilor Brenden Luddy said insurance issues have to be resolved before any future plans can be formulated.
“There was construction in process and claims that are associated with that; I really think it’s premature,” he said.
Fire Marshal Steve Waznia said the cause of the fire has not been determined and the investigation is ongoing.
Malloy was at a press conference Tuesday at Mohegan Sun's Sky Tower along with Mohegan Tribal Chairman Kevin "Red Eagle" Brown, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and Preston First Selectman Bob Congdon in which the tribe unveiled concepts for the project.
Brown said the gaming authority's concept is the culmination of years of "hard effort" by local, state, federal and tribal authorities.
"This is a cooperative regional solution," he said. "It's about all of us and achieving a collective goal."
Brown said the development, which could cost between $200 million and $600 million, would feature outdoor and indoor entertainment attractions, large performance venue, time-share unit and retail-restaurant space, among other amenities. He said a timeline for development would be: One more year to clean the land, two years before any ground is broken for construction and five years before Preston reaps any tax benefits from it.
Congdon said the "current Grand List is $387 million" and that there is the "potential" to eventually double that value.
The 393-acre property, on the Norwich-Preston line, has been vacant since 1996. Preston bought the land from the state in 2009 for $1. Since then, the town has spent nearly $20 million, including $9 million from the state, to clean up the property and demolish buildings to prepare the site for development.
Malloy acknowledged Tuesday that the state was "grossly unfair" to all parties involved for leaving the property in terrible condition. He said he was glad it had provided bonding to help with the cleanup. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Rocky Hill Moves Forward On Intermediate School
The town council took the next step on the intermediate school project approved by voters in November, by establishing a building committee .
The $48 million intermediate school was approved during a referendum after the town's elementary school population grew too large for the two existing elementary schools.
During the town council meeting Tuesday night, Town Manager John Mehr said the state requires municipalities to set up a building committee to oversee the management of the project.
"What this resolution aims to do is establish a building committee that satisfies the state's needs and the town's needs," Mehr said. "So that we have representative from the board of ed and the town council...and this would be the main committee that oversees the so called day-to-day of the project." Mehr said the committee would interview and vet candidates for architect, construction manager and contractors and then make recommendations to the council. "When it comes to the contracts associated with architects and construction manager and when we get into the trades it would come to this committee here and they would bring a recommendation to the town council and the town council would have to approve entering into the contracts," he said
Mayor Claudia Baio said the committee would be comprised of two members of the council, two members of the board of education and three members of the public building commission. Members of the committee can resign from the position, but cannot be voted off the during subsequent elections.
Council member Tony LaRosa said he thought keeping members consistent on the committee was a good thing.
"It'll outlive the next election," he said. "So whoever will be on this committee will continue to the end of the project and I like that."
Baio said that the committee had been designed that way, after problems with continuity cropped up during the town's renovation of the high school.
"That was the intention to keep continuity and avoid any interruptions," she said.
Why does our transportation system stink? Ask Connecticut
If you’re wondering why American infrastructure stinks, don’t just look at Washington, D.C. Look at what’s going on right now in southeastern Connecticut.
Last month, as part of an effort to shave 45 minutes off the Acela commute between Boston and New York, the Federal Railroad Administration announced its support for a 30-mile bypass around existing train tracks along the Connecticut shore. Lots of people in Connecticut hate the idea, because the new high-speed railway would cut a new path through farms, conservation land, and historic areas — and around downtown New London, where local officials are eager to hold on to Amtrak service.
Governor Dannel Malloy and Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy swiftly issued a joint statement opposing the bypass, which they say has “inflamed” the affected communities. Blumenthal raised the issue last week in confirmation hearings for Elaine Chao, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for transportation secretary.
Even the most useful project stands little chance when leaders of the state where most of the work would happen resolutely oppose it. The uproar in Connecticut highlights a much broader obstacle to improving America’s transportation systems. Beyond a dearth of public investment — which is also a problem — we can’t strike the political compromises, or absorb the inconveniences, necessary to make major projects happen.