HARTFORD >> State lawmakers will be asking more questions of Connecticut’s two federally recognized tribes about their proposal to build a third casino, now that they’ve chosen East Windsor for a location.
The General Assembly’s Public Safety and Security Committee has scheduled a hearing Thursday on legislation allowing the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to open their proposed facility on non-tribal land. The tribes, which own and operate casinos in southeastern Connecticut, want a third casino to compete with MGM’s facility under construction in Springfield, Massachusetts.Lawmakers will also hear testimony on a bill that would open up the process to other casino developers, something MGM has advocated.Meanwhile, some East Windsor casino opponents are planning a forum Monday to discuss a possible town referendum concerning the proposal.
Construction, legal woes delay Radisson Hotel apartments conversion
A legal dispute between the owners of Hartford's Radisson Hotel and the contractor hired to do millions of dollars in work to convert the property's upper floors into apartments has delayed the project's completion date.
Radisson Hotel's owner, 50 Morgan Hospitality Group LLC, is spending nearly $6.5 million to convert the building's eight upper floors into 96 apartments, which will overlook Dunkin' Donuts Park.
The project, which received a two-year $6.5 million construction loan from the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), was originally set to debut this spring, possibly in time for the Hartford Yard Goats' opening day, April 13.
In January, however, 50 Morgan Hospitality Group filed a lawsuit in Hartford Superior Court against a contractor it hired — and eventually fired — to oversee the apartments conversion, accusing Arizona-based Excel Hotel Services Inc. of breaching its $6 million contract. (The case has since been transferred to federal district court).
The hotel owner says Excel Hotel Services failed to adopt or follow the construction schedule and didn't provide sufficient manpower to hit key project deadlines and milestones, including required inspections.
Excel also failed to pay subcontractors or adequately document work it allegedly completed, the lawsuit states.
In addition, the state Department of Labor (DOL) issued three stop work orders on the project in January after discovering various subcontractors lacked Connecticut worker's compensation coverage and misclassified workers as independent contractors, according to Nancy Steffens, a DOL spokeswoman.
At least one stop work order remained in effect as of last week.
"From the outset of the project, Excel failed to progress the project with any diligence or professionalism," the lawsuit states.
50 Morgan Hospitality Group fired Excel Jan. 12 and filed its lawsuit Jan. 27, seeking to recoup more than $500,000 in damages it said it's owed as a result of the alleged contract breach. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Enfield apartment project gets $15.5M for second phase
Enfield's Mayfield Place has obtained $15.5 million in financing for its second phase of development from Washington Trust's commercial real estate group in Westerly, R.I.
The second of three phases of the 340-unit apartment project includes construction of 120 class-A apartments on 69 acres.
The first phase consisted of 100 units that are nearing completion. The project's second phase includes apartment units that will be housed in 12 two-story buildings, each containing 10 units.
The property also offers a clubhouse, pool, fitness center, business center and additional tenant storage.
Mayor Says Construction At Former Bristol Mall Expected To Begin This Summer
Taxpayers who've waited more than a decade for redevelopment of the former Bristol Centre Mall property should look forward to seeing construction this year, Mayor Ken Cockayne said Thursday.
The city will start building a road through the 15-acre property in the summer, and Bristol Hospital President Kurt Barwis hopes to start constructing a medical office building in the fall.
The hospital still plans to buy more than 2 acres from the city, and attorneys are trying to have the sale ready to close this month. If the deal goes through, it would be the city's first return on the $5.3 million it spent to buy the failing mall 12 years ago.
"I'm absolutely optimistic. We've come a long way in the last year and a half," Cockayne said Thursday evening.
"Everything is on track, we're working through the developer's contract with our attorney. We're very, very close," hospital President Kurt Barwis said.
The city council will discuss the sale at an executive session meeting Monday, and will hold a special meeting March 13 where the public can hear the latest details about what the hospital will build and when. Cockayne hopes that meeting will end with a council vote to approve a final sale agreement.The Bristol Development Authority is meeting March 9 at 6:30 p.m. at city hall to release its vision for redeveloping the rest of the property. It is inviting residents and local business owners to offer their reactions.
The BDA has spent months with the consulting firm of Milone & MacBroom to plan how the roughly 12 remaining acres should be developed.
Under former Mayor Gerard Couture, Bristol bought the mall and its roughly 17 acres with hopes of a quick redevelopment. But voters replaced Couture with William Stortz, and progress stalled more than a year while the city worked to remove the last few retail tenants in the building. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
A plan to build a state-funded $108 million school in Bloomfield for Two Rivers Magnet High School has been scrapped amid budget concerns, the Capitol Region Education Council said Friday. The 400-student, environmental-themed Two Rivers High in Hartford will also cease to exist next school year and students will instead be shuttled to New Britain to attend CREC's Academy of Science and Innovation, school officials said Friday. CREC leaders blamed Connecticut's fiscal uncertainty and state enrollment caps for the shake-up. At an afternoon press conference, Executive Director Greg Florio said the state Department of Education and state construction officials confirmed to CREC this week that the Bloomfield project would be pulled. A stunned Two Rivers High community was informed of the plans Thursday. The school is the first full-day magnet program that CREC plans to close and consolidate. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Milford lawmakers question wisdom of $10 million Silver Sands State Park project
MILFORD >> Democratic State Sen. Gayle Slossberg is demanding answers from the state on a planned $10 million project at Silver Sands State Park, and questioning the wisdom of such a costly project when millions in state aid is being cut from the schools and city.
She is joined in the sentiment by other Milford lawmakers, including Mayor Ben Blake and State Rep. Kim Rose, D-118.
Slossberg has submitted a Freedom of Information Request to DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee, concerning the construction project that has been widely opposed by town residents. “It is just incredible to me that this unwanted, multimillion-dollar project would move forward at the same time that it’s being proposed that millions will be cut from our schools and town,” Slossberg said in a press release. “It’s insulting to propose cutting funding from our town and then using our tax dollars to build out the beach in our neighborhoods and charge us and others to use it.” According to the DEEP website entry of last year – when budget cuts were raised as a concern by residents as well – the funding would come from available capital bond funds for the project, not the general fund, which is where the deficit exists.
Blake agrees with Slossberg. He said through email that its “incomprehensible” that while faced with a $1.5 billion deficit and looking to slash funding, the state would “dump tens of millions of dollars into massive guard houses, dining facilities, and beach-side administrative offices no one wants.” “We’d much prefer to see the Park’s natural environment kept up, and avoid any projects which will have such a negative impact on the traffic, parking and public safety in the streets and neighborhoods adjacent to Silver Sands,” Blake said by email. Generally, Blake is working closely with Milford’s delegation and meeting with other affected mayors and first selectmen to rally support for a Connecticut budget that makes sense. Rose too has a been an outspoken advocate for the neighbors — part of her district — who fear, in part, that park-goers looking to dodge a new fee that would be imposed to park at Silver Sands would park on residential streets. The shorefront park is uniquely situated adjacent to three residential neighborhoods. Rose said she supports Slossberg’s FOI request and position. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
City and State Studying Redevelopment of Union Station Neighborhood
Two consulting firms — including the architect of the master plan for the city's Adriaen's Landing development — will develop a vision for how the area around the city's historic Union Station will fit into the reconstruction of I-84.
HOK Group and WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff are being hired by the state to create a master plan for about 100 acres to the west of Union Station stretching to the corporate campus of The Hartford Financial Services Group. HOK worked on the Adriaen's Landing plan, which includes the convention center and Front Street.
The I-84 project aims to replace a 2-mile stretch of I-84 through Hartford and is expected to cost $3 billion to $5 billion. Construction wouldn't begin until the early or mid-2020s.
"Now, we have the opportunity created by the new transportation connections being made in Hartford to reconnect our cityscape and reimagine it for a new century," Sean Fitzpatrick, the city's director of development services, said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Broken-down turbine trailer blocks Winsted Road
TORRINGTON — One of the huge 300-ton trailers carrying the first of six turbines for the CPV Towantic power plant in Oxford has broken down on Winsted Road near Kennedy Drive and part of the road is closed as crews work to repair it.
Police officials said a valve on the large trailer broke there, leaking hydraulic fluid onto the road.
The crew had just started on its journey Sunday night, traveling less than three miles from its weekend stop at the Burrvile Fire Department, when it stopped shortly after Kennedy Drive.
The heavy police presence escorting the trailer remained near the Route 8 South junction while crews attempted to repair the valve. Officials said if a repair could not be completed in time, the trailer would be hauled to the Big Y lot nearby until repairs can be made.
Milford lawmakers question wisdom of $10 million Silver Sands State Park project
MILFORD >> Democratic State Sen. Gayle Slossberg is demanding answers from the state on a planned $10 million project at Silver Sands State Park, and questioning the wisdom of such a costly project when millions in state aid is being cut from the schools and city.
She is joined in the sentiment by other Milford lawmakers, including Mayor Ben Blake and State Rep. Kim Rose, D-118.
Slossberg has submitted a Freedom of Information Request to DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee, concerning the construction project that has been widely opposed by town residents. “It is just incredible to me that this unwanted, multimillion-dollar project would move forward at the same time that it’s being proposed that millions will be cut from our schools and town,” Slossberg said in a press release. “It’s insulting to propose cutting funding from our town and then using our tax dollars to build out the beach in our neighborhoods and charge us and others to use it.” According to the DEEP website entry of last year – when budget cuts were raised as a concern by residents as well – the funding would come from available capital bond funds for the project, not the general fund, which is where the deficit exists.
Blake agrees with Slossberg. He said through email that its “incomprehensible” that while faced with a $1.5 billion deficit and looking to slash funding, the state would “dump tens of millions of dollars into massive guard houses, dining facilities, and beach-side administrative offices no one wants.” “We’d much prefer to see the Park’s natural environment kept up, and avoid any projects which will have such a negative impact on the traffic, parking and public safety in the streets and neighborhoods adjacent to Silver Sands,” Blake said by email. Generally, Blake is working closely with Milford’s delegation and meeting with other affected mayors and first selectmen to rally support for a Connecticut budget that makes sense. Rose too has a been an outspoken advocate for the neighbors — part of her district — who fear, in part, that park-goers looking to dodge a new fee that would be imposed to park at Silver Sands would park on residential streets. The shorefront park is uniquely situated adjacent to three residential neighborhoods. Rose said she supports Slossberg’s FOI request and position. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
City and State Studying Redevelopment of Union Station Neighborhood
Two consulting firms — including the architect of the master plan for the city's Adriaen's Landing development — will develop a vision for how the area around the city's historic Union Station will fit into the reconstruction of I-84.
HOK Group and WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff are being hired by the state to create a master plan for about 100 acres to the west of Union Station stretching to the corporate campus of The Hartford Financial Services Group. HOK worked on the Adriaen's Landing plan, which includes the convention center and Front Street.
The I-84 project aims to replace a 2-mile stretch of I-84 through Hartford and is expected to cost $3 billion to $5 billion. Construction wouldn't begin until the early or mid-2020s.
"Now, we have the opportunity created by the new transportation connections being made in Hartford to reconnect our cityscape and reimagine it for a new century," Sean Fitzpatrick, the city's director of development services, said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Broken-down turbine trailer blocks Winsted Road
TORRINGTON — One of the huge 300-ton trailers carrying the first of six turbines for the CPV Towantic power plant in Oxford has broken down on Winsted Road near Kennedy Drive and part of the road is closed as crews work to repair it.
Police officials said a valve on the large trailer broke there, leaking hydraulic fluid onto the road.
The crew had just started on its journey Sunday night, traveling less than three miles from its weekend stop at the Burrvile Fire Department, when it stopped shortly after Kennedy Drive.
The heavy police presence escorting the trailer remained near the Route 8 South junction while crews attempted to repair the valve. Officials said if a repair could not be completed in time, the trailer would be hauled to the Big Y lot nearby until repairs can be made.