BETHEL - After decades of discussion, construction might finally begin this spring on the new police station.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved the site plan for the 26,000 square-foot station on Judd Avenue. The two-story, $13.5 million station will be more than double the size of the existing building on Plumtrees Road.
The project’s bid package will go out to interested firms in a week or two, officials said.
The package could not be distributed until the commission approved the project, said Jon Menti, chairman of the Public Site and Building Committee. If the commission had requested that the number of parking spots or the positioning of the entrance be changed, for example, the project would have been delayed once more.
“Nothing could have been started until Planning and Zoning gave its final approvals, in case they wanted any site changes made, which they did not,” Menti said.
The construction manager is reviewing the bid packages for concrete, steel, structural and site work before they are sent to firms, architect Brian Humes said. Bids for other services, including electrical and interior work, will be conducted afterward.
Menti has said he hoped construction could begin in mid-to-late March, but has since revised that to mid-April. Humes said early May might be more realistic.
Menti said the bidding process is complicated and takes time. This is the first building the town has constructed in a while, he said, so residents may not realize how long it takes.
“We kind of forget about how much it takes to prepare this information and that’s what we’re doing now,” Menti said. “But we feel very confident that there will be machines moving there late spring time.”
The new police station has had a long road to approval. As early as the 1980s, officers were complaining about their tight quarters. Voters rejected a $14.1 million project in 2014, but approved a $13.5 million revision in 2015. Officials spent more than a year perfecting the design, but then the cost estimate came in $1.5 million over budget, which forced the site committee to scale back the design.
Officials expect to be within budget once the project is bid.
Police Chief Jeff Finch said he and the other officers are looking forward to moving into the new station. But, he said, quoting baseball player Yogi Berra, the project “ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Former owner of Villa Capri in Wallingford watches as banquet hall is demolished
WALLINGFORD — On several occasions over the last week, Ralph Mesite, former owner of Villa Capri, has watched from a nearby parking lot as crews demolished the banquet hall.
Villa Capri closed last summer after hosting its final event — a wedding — following 56 years in business. Demolition started last week and is almost complete, with only a portion of the front of the building still standing as of Thursday morning.
“It’s very tough, to go by and see that,” Mesite said Thursday. “It was pretty sad.”
Last year, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved an application to replace the banquet hall at 906 N. Colony Road with a Cumberland Farms. Villa Capri was founded in 1960 by George and Rosalie Mesite and started primarily as a restaurant featuring Italian cuisine. The restaurant was originally located at 728 N. Colony Road before moving into a larger location at 906 N. Colony Road.
Villa Capri eventually evolved into a banquet facility and became a venue to host weddings and other events.
Members of the Mesite family took chairs, furniture and railings from the banquet hall after it closed. While watching demolition from a parking lot this week, Mesite witnessed someone take a piece of stone from the site.
“Just some memories,” Mesite said, adding that he plans to visit the site again over the next few days.
Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said it’s sad to see the banquet hall torn down.
“It was certainly a landmark for many, many years,” he said.
Town Engineer Rob Baltramaitis said the Cumberland Farms, which will feature 16 gas pumps and a 4,700-square-foot convenience store, could be built within about 90 days and open this summer.
“I would imagine it’d be done in a pretty quick time frame,” Baltramaitis said.
“Having a big place like Cumberland Farms come in, it’ll be pretty good for the community,” Mesite said.
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Last month's leftover casserole, rotting vegetables and other food waste will fuel two new facilities here to generate enough electricity to power thousands of homes a year.
Gases created as bacteria decomposes food waste is the key to both projects, one built off DePaolo Drive by Quantum Biopower, the other to be built off Spring Street by Turning Earth LLC. These will be the first two such facilities in Connecticut, both in Southington," Dennis Schain, spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said Monday.More are expected, a result of a state mandate that 60 percent of all organic food waste be recycled by 2024. Food waste makes up about 25 percent of the roughly 2 million tons of trash generated yearly in Connecticut, according to state records.
The technology both plants will use is similar to existing food-waste recycling facilities in Europe.
Quantum, a subsidiary of Supreme Industries of Harwinton, is already priming its equipment with food waste, hoping to start full operation by May. Turning Earth, a Pennsylvania company, got DEEP approval two weeks ago to start construction.Quantum's $14 million facility began accepting food waste on Dec. 27. The system is being prepared, its digesting chambers solidly primed with more food waste to encourage the crucial food-digesting bacteria to thrive and grow.
"We're slowly taking the system to full volume," Quantum Vice President Brian Paganini said Monday. "Right now we're about 20 percent. We have to increase it carefully so not to overload the bacteria. We'll keep on feeding it bit by bit and could be fully operational as early as late April." Quantum will process 40,000 tons of food waste from central Connecticut businesses annually to produce flammable gases. The gas will power machines that create 1.2 megawatts of electricity a year.
The Turning Earth permit states the 37-acre facility will turn 54,000 tons of food waste and 25,000 tons of organic leaf, yard and wood waste into power and compost. It will produce 14 megawatts of electricity and an estimated 45,000 tons of clean organic compost. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Construction on greenway trail in Seymour that winds through Valley up to Torrington starts April 1
SEYMOUR >> Construction to the town’s first scenic greenway trail and linear park will get underway April 1. That’s the good news from Economic Development Director Fred A. Messore. “It’s very rewarding to see a project through from concept to design to funding and now construction,” Messore said. “This project kicks off Phase 1 and it’s exciting to bring a wonderful amenity to our downtown. It’s exciting that we can finally be part of the Naugatuck Valley Greenway trail system. This will bring more people downtown, creating bike and pedestrian access.” The greenway, Messore said, will tie in nicely with the Paul Pawlak Sr. Fishway and Park on the Tingue Dam, which are adjacent to where the proposed trail will run.
According to Messore, LaRosa Earth Group, LLC of Meriden, will be in charge of construction of the project’s first phase. The Board of Selectmen, last year, awarded the contract to LaRosa for $736,560. LaRosa was the lowest bidder out of 11 other companies vying for the job. The bid includes 10 percent in contingencies for cost overruns.
The project engineer is Milone & MacBroom, based in Cheshire. The town received $758,000 in state and federal grant money for the project, with the town responsible for 20 percent of the costs. First Selectman Kurt Miller had said the town has already set aside money in anticipation of its share.Phase I is slated to feature creation of a 900-foot linear walking trail that would take advantage of the town’s largest natural asset, the Naugatuck River. The first section of the trail will be built near the bridge on Bank Street, go under Route 8, and bring people to the river’s edge to enjoy the natural assets and species. The project has been designed with the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and other passive recreation users in mind, with various guiderails planned for certain sections of the 12-foot wide path. There will be some sections featuring wooden rail fencing, and other sections with none, giving a more natural feel to the path, with no disruption to any wetlands or wildlife. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE