MERIDEN — The general contractor for the Platt High School renovation project is working to get the school’s auditorium open in time for a production of Roger and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” in May.
O&G Industries plans to complete the auditorium by mid-April to allow for final rehearsals, said Glenn Lamontagne, Board of Education project consultant. Performances begin May 11.
“They’re going to get them in there,” he said.
Ceiling tiles in the auditorium were found to contain vermiculite, a fire-proofing chemical. Because it resembles asbestos under a microscope, it was removed “in an abundance of caution,” Lamontagne said.
Students are currently rehearsing for “Cinderella” in the school’s choir room. Platt’s gymnasium floor also contained vermiculite, delaying completion to the third or fourth week of March after a troublesome removal.
“The overall completion is on schedule” besides the gym and auditorium, according to Lamontagne. The Platt and Maloney work began in 2013. Maloney, which cost about $107.5 million, was completed in the fall. Work at Platt is estimated to cost about $118 million.
A building addition for administrative offices is nearing completion at Platt. The city recently issued a bid request for equipment to build a data closet as part of the final phase of the renovation project.
“As we build out the addition, it gets us close access to wireless parts, intercom system, voice over internet protocol phones,” Lamontagne said.
WALLINGFORD — An orthopaedic medical facility under construction on Route 5 is expected to be completed by September.
Construction on the Connecticut Orthopaedic Specialists, 701 N. Colony Road, began late last year. The medical group purchased the property in October 2014. The project is expected to cost about $5 million.
Construction crews were welding steel beams on the site Thursday. The beams were put into place about two weeks ago.
The new facility will offer orthopedic services, pain management, podiatry, physical therapy, diagnostic services and an orthopedic walk-in clinic.
Connecticut Orthopaedic Specialists also has doctor’s offices at 1000 Yale Ave., which will be converted to administrative offices after the Route 5 facility is completed. The medical group will occupy about half of the two-floor building and lease remaining space to another medical practice.
“We have a presence already in Wallingford, this is an expanded presence,” Connecticut Orthopaedic Specialists CEO Glenn Elia said.
The building will face south, with the main entrance oriented away from Route 5. Significant landscaping will also take place. The site, formerly home to Metro Tools and the Wallingford Wine & Spirits Co., was previously almost entirely paved.
“A needed service in the community and beautification along Route 5 is always welcome,” Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said in June. “It’s good to see that there’s interest in investing in the community and certainly health services are always a great benefit too.”
Elia praised the location.
“We like that corridor, it provides great access to the Meriden and Wallingford businesses and communities,” he said.
Costco gives up on Branford plans
BRANFORD >> Nearly two years after wholesale giant Costco submitted a master plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission to build a 158,000-square-foot store near Exit 56 off Interstate 95, the corporation’s representatives have notified local leaders that the warehouse club will no longer pursue building in town.
On Monday, the senior vice president of real estate and development for Costco in a letter informed First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove that Costco Wholesale Corp. had made a business decision to no longer move forward with its proposed location in Branford.
Prior to Costco’s announcement, Cosgrove said his administration did not have any indication the corporation would say goodbye to Branford. “I was surprised, obviously disappointed,” Cosgrove said. “I thought, overall, it was a good project for the town and in a location that could support that development.” Costco sought to construct a 158,070-square-foot main clubhouse facility on 23.43 acres near Exit 56 off Interstate 95. The 44.7-acre lot borders a long stretch of East Main Street to the north, a section of East Industrial Road to the south, and a portion of Leetes Island Road to the west.
The proposal, which named three applicants — Costco and Branford-based 595 Corporate Circle and Orchard Hill Partners LLC — called for a cohesive development that included the main Costco facility with existing structures on the lot.The entire development was expected to generate roughly $800,000 in real estate and personal property taxes, Cosgrove said. While the proposal was set to increase the town’s tax base, it was also expected to create approximately 205 new jobs. “I think it provided a growth in a tax base that we certainly need to support the level of services we offer in Branford and the quality of life that we have. I think it would provide convenience for the residents of Branford and also job opportunities,” Cosgrove said.On July 9, 2015, the PZC approved Costco’s master plan and an application to rezone the nearly 45 acres of land from industrial to a Planned Development District. Costco’s site plans were later submitted to the town’s Inland Wetlands Commission for review. But before the commission could issue a verdict on a wetlands permit, Costco withdrew its application April 26. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE