EAST HAMPTON >> The effort to finally build a new Town Hall and police station took a positive step forward Tuesday when the Board of Finance approved funding for a project architect.
The 4-0 vote only came after two board members metaphorically kicked the tires and looked under the hood of the $128,000 proposal.Alannah Coshow and Stephen Ritchie looked at the proposal to construct a new Town Hall on a 5.4-acre parcel of land in the Edgewater Hill development from every angle. In doing so, Coshow and Ritchie grilled Town Manager Michael Maniscalco about other options — and expressed concerns that moving town offices to a new location could hamstring efforts to revive the Village Center. Edgewater Hill is 1.8 miles east of the present Town Hall. Town Council Chairwoman Patience R. Anderson and Police Chief Sean D. Cox also attended the meeting. “I don’t think all the properties have been explored,” Ritchie said. In November, the council solicited proposals for a new location, Maniscalco said. The council reviewed eight proposals before deciding 6-1 to opt for the plan from developer Stephen Motto to relocate Town Hall to Edgewater Hill. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
UConn moves forward with plans for new athletic fields
Storrs — The University of Connecticut's Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved spending $4.75 million to design its "Athletic District," which will include new stadiums for soccer, baseball and softball.
The project, which school officials have estimated will cost about $46 million, is being paid for through donations and a surcharge on athletic tickets.
The school has so far raised $15 million of a planned $25 million from private donors, with pledges for another $2 million.
The school also hopes to raise about $1.5 million a year for the field through adding an extra $5 to the cost of a football ticket, $2 for a hockey and basketball ticket and $1 for a ticket to soccer matches. UConn officials said that will support the borrowing that will be needed up-front to complete the project.
The school built a $59 million state-of-the art practice facility for its football program in 2006 and opened a $40 million basketball practice facility in 2014.
But, the current baseball and softball fields don't even have running water or restrooms. Athletic Director David Benedict said the new facilities are needed to bring UConn's facilities up to par with rival institutions and attract top athletes.
"We're not an athletic program that has one sport or two sports," he said. "It's important that nationally we have a brand and that people, when they think about UConn they think about excellence across the board."
The new stadiums will be located on the same site or near the current fields on the west side of the campus, which is just down Jim Calhoun Way from the Gampel Pavilion basketball arena.
A recent feasibility study calls for a 5,500-seat soccer stadium, which also would include a practice field and locker rooms. The baseball field would be 1,500 seats and would include a press box, luxury boxes and dugouts with restrooms. The softball field, which would have similar amenities, would include 500 seats.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2018. Benedict said it's too early to say when they will open.
The school also plans to either replace or renovate its on-campus hockey rink, a requirement from Hockey East when the men's team became part of that conference in 2014. The men's team currently plays all of its home games at the aging XL Center in Hartford.
The funding from the board of trustees includes sight planning to allow for a new rink in the athletic district, but no money for design or construction of that facility. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
$50M expansion OK'd for Hartford regional rail system
Connecticut's Bond Commission has approved $50 million to help fund the New-Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) rail program.
Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Commissioner James P. Redeker said Wednesday the money was authorized on Feb. 1.
The funding will support design and environmental permitting for the new CTrail Hartford Line stations in North Haven, Newington, West Hartford, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Enfield. It will also help pay for 7.5 miles of double track from Windsor to Enfield.
This funding will also support the construction of approximately 4 miles of double track between Hartford and Windsor, which is currently underway.
Scheduled to launch in 2018, the CTrail Hartford Line will offer more frequent, convenient and faster passenger rail service between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield by increasing the number of round trip trains from six daily Amtrak intercity and regional trains to a total of 17 round trip trains a day to Hartford, and 12 trains per day to Springfield.
The majority of the existing rail stations will be replaced and several new stations will be built, Redeker said.
UConn STEM building to undergo $85M renovation
UConn trustees Wednesday authorized spending $85 million to renovate its Edward V. Gant building in Storrs, which is heavily used for enrollment and research in the STEM fields.
The first phase of improvements to the 285,000-square-foot complex includes work on classrooms, lecture halls, teaching and research laboratories, faculty offices, and support space.
The building's façade and roof will be reconstructed to better prevent leaks and save energy, while the outdoor plaza area will be improved to be more inviting and accessible to the campus community.
The University Information Technology Services (UITS) data center will also remain and continue to be fully operational throughout the project renovation, UConn said.
The STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programming is provided for such courses as physics, evolutionary biology and physiology.
The U-shaped complex, which fronts North Eagleville and Auditorium Roads, was built in two phases, first in 1970 and then in 1974. Some renovations took place in 2002.
Casino Players To Pitch Plans At Thursday Hearing
The state legislative committee that oversees casinos will gather a half-dozen players in the casino expansion debate Thursday and hear their pitches – for and against – a Hartford-area gaming venue.
The legislature's public safety and security committee will open the forum at 11 a.m. in Room 2E of the state legislative office building.
The project, which school officials have estimated will cost about $46 million, is being paid for through donations and a surcharge on athletic tickets.
The school has so far raised $15 million of a planned $25 million from private donors, with pledges for another $2 million.
The school also hopes to raise about $1.5 million a year for the field through adding an extra $5 to the cost of a football ticket, $2 for a hockey and basketball ticket and $1 for a ticket to soccer matches. UConn officials said that will support the borrowing that will be needed up-front to complete the project.
The school built a $59 million state-of-the art practice facility for its football program in 2006 and opened a $40 million basketball practice facility in 2014.
But, the current baseball and softball fields don't even have running water or restrooms. Athletic Director David Benedict said the new facilities are needed to bring UConn's facilities up to par with rival institutions and attract top athletes.
The new stadiums will be located on the same site or near the current fields on the west side of the campus, which is just down Jim Calhoun Way from the Gampel Pavilion basketball arena.
A recent feasibility study calls for a 5,500-seat soccer stadium, which also would include a practice field and locker rooms. The baseball field would be 1,500 seats and would include a press box, luxury boxes and dugouts with restrooms. The softball field, which would have similar amenities, would include 500 seats.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2018. Benedict said it's too early to say when they will open.
The school also plans to either replace or renovate its on-campus hockey rink, a requirement from Hockey East when the men's team became part of that conference in 2014. The men's team currently plays all of its home games at the aging XL Center in Hartford.
The funding from the board of trustees includes sight planning to allow for a new rink in the athletic district, but no money for design or construction of that facility. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
$50M expansion OK'd for Hartford regional rail system
Connecticut's Bond Commission has approved $50 million to help fund the New-Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) rail program.
Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Commissioner James P. Redeker said Wednesday the money was authorized on Feb. 1.
The funding will support design and environmental permitting for the new CTrail Hartford Line stations in North Haven, Newington, West Hartford, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Enfield. It will also help pay for 7.5 miles of double track from Windsor to Enfield.
This funding will also support the construction of approximately 4 miles of double track between Hartford and Windsor, which is currently underway.
Scheduled to launch in 2018, the CTrail Hartford Line will offer more frequent, convenient and faster passenger rail service between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield by increasing the number of round trip trains from six daily Amtrak intercity and regional trains to a total of 17 round trip trains a day to Hartford, and 12 trains per day to Springfield.
The majority of the existing rail stations will be replaced and several new stations will be built, Redeker said.
UConn STEM building to undergo $85M renovation
UConn trustees Wednesday authorized spending $85 million to renovate its Edward V. Gant building in Storrs, which is heavily used for enrollment and research in the STEM fields.
The first phase of improvements to the 285,000-square-foot complex includes work on classrooms, lecture halls, teaching and research laboratories, faculty offices, and support space.
The building's façade and roof will be reconstructed to better prevent leaks and save energy, while the outdoor plaza area will be improved to be more inviting and accessible to the campus community.
The University Information Technology Services (UITS) data center will also remain and continue to be fully operational throughout the project renovation, UConn said.
The STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programming is provided for such courses as physics, evolutionary biology and physiology.
The U-shaped complex, which fronts North Eagleville and Auditorium Roads, was built in two phases, first in 1970 and then in 1974. Some renovations took place in 2002.
Casino Players To Pitch Plans At Thursday Hearing
The state legislative committee that oversees casinos will gather a half-dozen players in the casino expansion debate Thursday and hear their pitches – for and against – a Hartford-area gaming venue.
The legislature's public safety and security committee will open the forum at 11 a.m. in Room 2E of the state legislative office building.
State Rep. Joe Verrengia, D-West Hartford and a commitee co-chairman, said last week the committee is open to listening to viewpoints that could take the state in a different direction – including opening up the field to more potential operators.
MMCT, a joint venture of the tribal operators of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, is pursuing a location for a Hartford-area casino that would compete with a $950 million casino and entertainment complex now under construction in Springfield. Those invited include MMCT; MGM, which is building the Springfield casino; two additional Native American tribes in Connecticut, the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation and the Golden Hill Paugussetts; Sportech, which operates an off-track betting venue in Windsor Locks; and the spurned developer who wanted to build MMCT's casino in East Hartford. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE