Bedford and North streets: Crews are continuing to clear the site of the city’s new police headquarters. The most recent demolition, near the property line with the courthouse on Hoyt Street, is part of the latest effort to make way for a new 94,000-square-foot, three-story building and attached four-story parking garage. Construction of the new police headquarters, a $45 million job awarded to O&G Industries last month, is expected to be completed in February 2019.
Trump signs orders advancing Keystone, Dakota pipelines
WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump moved to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines Tuesday, a pair of projects that were blocked by the Obama administration due in part to environmental concerns. Both orders are subject to renegotiations of the agreements.Trump also signed a notice requiring the materials for the pipelines to be constructed in the United States, though it was unclear how he planned to enforce the measure.“From now we are going to start making pipelines in the United States,” Trump said from the Oval Office.Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin is praising Trump’s efforts to advance construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The Republican governor said in a tweet Tuesday that the pipeline drives economic growth and is good for national security.
Multimillion-dollar condo complex closer to reality in New London
New London — Plans are moving forward for a $40 million condominium complex on Howard Street — a project with the potential to become the first new construction in the Fort Trumbull Municipal Development area.
Renaissance City Development Association Executive Director Peter Davis said a development agreement has been drafted between RCDA and principals of a project being called Shipway 221.
“This could be the first out-of-the-ground Fort Trumbull project. It’s a huge deal,” Davis said. “It’s a big deal for the city and the RCDA, as well as the state.”
Shipway 221 is conceived as a series of three buildings with ample parking and a host of amenities to attract millennials while specifically targeting employees at the nearby Electric Boat. It is located on two parcels of land totaling about 5.4 acres.
Project Manager Anthony Silvestri said the phased project would begin with a 70-unit, four-story structure with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units with an average price of $200,000. Parking would be located on the ground level of the structure. Other buildings would follow, with a total upwards of 180 units, he said.
The complex would include things like an indoor and outdoor pool with cabanas, a rooftop lounge area and barbeque area, movie theaters inside and out, a bike storage area, sunken fire pits, bar with climbing wall and community gathering and entertainment areas.
The project is being financially backed by the Tagliatela family, who have funded both the ongoing City Flats initiative and Harbour Towers project. Silvestri said the idea for the condominiums is to attract more residents looking to live in a lively city environment. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Casino Proposal Brings Hope For Jobs, Concerns About Crime And Traffic
As the operators of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun narrow the choices for a third casino site, some residents here voiced concerns Tuesday about crime and traffic burdens on the town, but far more were enthusiastic about the potential for job growth.
Kathy Bilodeau, an East Windsor resident, said the $300 million proposed casino could bring the job she's been searching for in town.
"There was a statement on your board that said you would be hiring local workers and working with local businesses ... and I am going to be very bold and give you my resume," Bilodeau said.
Bilodeau, who did submit her resume, was one of hundreds of town residents who crowded into the East Windsor Middle School auditorium to listen to Mashantucket and Mohegan tribe leaders give a brief overview of the project. The tribes, now in a joint venture referred to as MMCT, listened to residents' concerns about the proposed casino, which could be built on the old Showcase Cinemas site off I-91.
The tribes, which formed the joint venture to pursue a Hartford-area casino, are now considering just two locations — Windsor Locks and East Windsor. East Hartford, Hartford and South Windsor were eliminated from the running earlier this month.
A satellite casino in north-central Connecticut is being pushed as part of a strategy to compete with a $950 million casino and entertainment complex under construction in Springfield."We are now in the eleventh hour of our timeline ... that being said, all is not lost if we do not beat MGM," Chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Authority Kevin Brown said of the project.
The idea is to retain jobs in Connecticut tied to the gambling industry and preserve funds the state gets monthly from slot revenue at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.
Brown said the development would help close Connecticut's $1.2 billion budget deficit by creating $77.9 million in tax revenue and more than 6,500 local jobs. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Ballpark Officials Say Work Is Still On Track For April 13 Opener
Officials working to finish Dunkin' Donuts Park in time for a Hartford Yard Goats home opener less than three months away reiterated Tuesday that they will get the job done on time.
"As it stands today, we're on schedule for baseball April 13," Arch Insurance Senior Vice President Patrick Nails told the Hartford Stadium Authority. "That does not mean we don't have significant challenges ahead of us."
Nails and Michael Spinelli, a principal with the architectural firm Cashin Spinelli & Ferretti LLC, updated members of the authority on the progress made on the $71 million, publicly financed ballpark since December. A concrete pedestrian bridge in left field was put into place last week, completing the 360-degree concourse. The roof is also now watertight and a water leak in the right field slab is being repaired, all structural repairs in stairwells are finished, and work continues on fireproofing structural steel. A section of seats that had been installed with an obstructed view has also been corrected. Spinelli also told the authority that areas were discovered where expansion joints should have been installed and that work continues to make all the elevators operational, but added that he expected to have "very good news" at the next meeting in February.
Spinelli said that another concern — slippery conditions on the concourse when it gets wet — was also being addressed and that a coating that eliminates the slickness is expected to be applied in February.
However, Spinelli cautioned that "this is a schedule with zero float," meaning that there is no room for unexpected setbacks that could derail the progress being made.
"If someone opens a wall and finds something no one knew about, it could be a problem," he said.
Asked what the biggest concern was at this point, Nails replied, "time keeps both Mike and I up at night."
Afterward, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said he was pleased with the progress on the stadium and the level of communication. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
EXCLUSIVE: Trump team compiles infrastructure priority list
President Donald Trump’s team has compiled a list of about 50 infrastructure projects nationwide, totaling at least $137.5 billion, as the new White House tries to determine its investment priorities, according to documents obtained by McClatchy’s Kansas City Star and The News Tribune.
The documents, circulated within the congressional and business communities, offer a first glimpse at which projects around the country might get funding if Trump follows through on his campaign promise to renew America’s crumbling highways, airports, dams and bridges.
Among the projects could be a new terminal for the Kansas City airport, upgrades to Interstate 95 in North Carolina and the construction of a high-speed railway from Dallas to Houston. The document obtained by the Star proposes funding the projects as public-private partnerships, with half the money coming from private investment.
The Trump team put together the priority list of “Emergency & National Security Projects,” a senior congressional aide said. It includes cost estimates and job impact numbers.
It is not clear whether that document is a draft or a final version. The National Governors Association circulated a similar list, which had been compiled by the transition team, as a spreadsheet among state officials in December, requesting further suggestions. All but two projects on both lists are the same. Some projects that governors suggested — in California and Washington state in particular — do not yet appear on either list.
The governors’ association has received 43 responses from states and territories so far, said Elena Waskey, a spokeswoman for the association.
“The total number of projects is more than 300,” Waskey said. “We are working to convene information for as many states as possible that we will then forward to the administration.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Spinelli said that another concern — slippery conditions on the concourse when it gets wet — was also being addressed and that a coating that eliminates the slickness is expected to be applied in February.
However, Spinelli cautioned that "this is a schedule with zero float," meaning that there is no room for unexpected setbacks that could derail the progress being made.
"If someone opens a wall and finds something no one knew about, it could be a problem," he said.
Asked what the biggest concern was at this point, Nails replied, "time keeps both Mike and I up at night."
Afterward, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said he was pleased with the progress on the stadium and the level of communication. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
EXCLUSIVE: Trump team compiles infrastructure priority list
President Donald Trump’s team has compiled a list of about 50 infrastructure projects nationwide, totaling at least $137.5 billion, as the new White House tries to determine its investment priorities, according to documents obtained by McClatchy’s Kansas City Star and The News Tribune.
The documents, circulated within the congressional and business communities, offer a first glimpse at which projects around the country might get funding if Trump follows through on his campaign promise to renew America’s crumbling highways, airports, dams and bridges.
Among the projects could be a new terminal for the Kansas City airport, upgrades to Interstate 95 in North Carolina and the construction of a high-speed railway from Dallas to Houston. The document obtained by the Star proposes funding the projects as public-private partnerships, with half the money coming from private investment.
The Trump team put together the priority list of “Emergency & National Security Projects,” a senior congressional aide said. It includes cost estimates and job impact numbers.
It is not clear whether that document is a draft or a final version. The National Governors Association circulated a similar list, which had been compiled by the transition team, as a spreadsheet among state officials in December, requesting further suggestions. All but two projects on both lists are the same. Some projects that governors suggested — in California and Washington state in particular — do not yet appear on either list.
The governors’ association has received 43 responses from states and territories so far, said Elena Waskey, a spokeswoman for the association.
“The total number of projects is more than 300,” Waskey said. “We are working to convene information for as many states as possible that we will then forward to the administration.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE