BROOKFIELD — The transformation of the Four Corners area is quickly taking shape.
Two of the four buildings that will make up Brookfield Village, a mixed-use development that will be the nucleus of the area, are about halfway through construction and expected to be completed by the end of the year. Bids are due by May 12 for the accompanying streetscape project planned by the town with the help of state grants.
Adding to the momentum is the formation of the Brookfield Town Center 4 Business, a group of business owners that will form an association to support each other and the area. The group plans to form an LLC next month, said Kathy Creighton, owner of Body Vision Personal Training and one of the owners spearheading the group’s formation.
Creighton said she and a few other owners have tried to form a business association in the past, but the construction of Brookfield Village allowed them to “reach critical mass” in getting other business owners on board.
“I think Brookfield took a proactive step and it’s needed in the area,” Creighton said of Brookfield Village and town’s planned streetscaping. “It will be nice to have sidewalks and better lighting. It’s good for public safety and health. I think the village gave the momentum for us to get other owners involved.”
Other business owners currently involved with Brookfield Town Center 4 Business are John Matos, of Panchos & Gringos; Tania Porta, of Brookfield Funeral Home; Rebecca Corna, of Union Savings Bank; and Angelo DaCunha, of Brookfield Cleaners and Tailors.
Creighton said Betsy Paynter, Brookfield’s economic and community development manager, has also been instrumental in helping to launch the group.
Creighton said there are about 60 businesses in the Four Corners area now, but she expects there to be close to 100 when Brookfield Village is completed. A project of Unicorn Contracting, the development will include four mixed-use buildings with nearly 24,000 square feet of street-level commercial space and 72 apartments. The two buildings that make up Phase One are still under construction but have already changed the landscape of the area.
“We’re getting good interest now that the buildings are up. People are talking about it and I’m getting calls every day,” George Walker, a real estate broker with Advantage Commercial Realty, said. “I’m pleased with the quality of what I see going up here. It has a great design and lends itself well to the village concept. This will bring this area back to life.”
Walker is the retail broker and the self-proclaimed marketer for the project. He is seeking restaurants, a coffee shop, retailers and other service providers for the ground-level commercial spaces. He said tenants who commit early can take advantage of prelease deals by the landlord, including financial allowances based on the project’s seven-year tax abatement.
“It’s got to be the right mix. All of the restauranteurs I’ve spoken to are very interested in the outdoor dining areas,” Walkers said, adding the project will include multiple patio areas and a large courtyard. “We’re looking for restaurants and retailers who can play off these outdoor areas.”
The streetscape, which will be done in three phases, will include sidewalks, improved lighting and planters. Eight utility poles will be moved to not disrupt the flow of the sidewalk. The state also approved 27 new parallel parking spots. Greg Dembowski, project manager, said bids are due by May 12. The bids will be compiled and recommendations given to the state DOT. Dembowski said he expects work to start in June and be completed by November, around the same time as Phase One of Brookfield Village. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CT budget process collapses amid dissension
The General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee failed to adopt a $41 billion budget proposal Tuesday afternoon as Democrats were unable to hold together a paper-thin majority on the panel.
And as leaders from both parties blamed each other for the committee’s failure to act — two days before its Thursday deadline — everyone also acknowledged there was a chance the tax-writing Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee might not finish its work before its allotted time runs out on Friday.
Sen. Cathy Osten of Sprague and Rep. Toni E. Walker of New Haven, the Democratic chairs on the appropriations panel, announced at about 3 p.m. that a vote would not be held.
“It was made clear that many of the people who were participating” in preparing the plan “were still voting no,” Walker said, referring to Republican members of the Appropriations Committee.
Both Senate and House Democratic leaders said they had the votes to pass what they called a “compromise budget” – but it would not have been fair to ask their members to vote on a package that they had to give so much on without any Republican votes.
“I can tell you that Senate Democrats were ready to vote on this budget,” said Osten of the stalled plan. “We were not able to reach consensus amongst the House members.”
Democrats said it appears now that Republicans on the budget panel never planned to support any of the tough choices needed to balance the next state budget.
“It is a problem when you do negotiations and only one person has to carry all the weight,” said Walker. “I am very disappointed.”
“Let’s not forget, the Republicans haven’t voted for a budget in 10 years,” Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said. “…So I’m not sure if they just got nervous and decided to walk away.”
The GOP made big gains at the polls last November, which left the Democrats — long in the majority in the legislature over the past two decades — with little margin for error in the difficult task of crafting a state budget.
The Appropriations Committee has six Democrats and six Republicans among its 12 senators, while Democratic representatives outnumber Republican House members by just two, 21-19. House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz said the plan they put forward earlier in the day, had about 85 percent agreement with Republicans.
That means if just one Democrat is prepared to vote agains the plan — and if Republicans are united in opposition — it could fail in a deadlocked vote. And after hours of talks in a closed-door caucus Tuesday afternoon, Democrats weren’t unanimous in support of the budget plan presented by leaders.
GOP will release its budget by the end of the week
“It was obvious they didn’t have the Democratic votes to push that budget through, for one reason or the other,” said Senate Republican leader Len Fasano of North Haven.
Fasano said Republicans, who hold half the seats in the Senate and nearly match Democrats in the House, will produce their own budget by week’s end. It will require no new taxes, he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Caterpillar First Quarter Results Top Expectations
Shares jumped 6 percent in Tuesday premarket trading.
For the three months ended March 31, the Peoria, Illinois, company earned $192 million, or 32 cents per share. That compares with $271 million, or 46 cents per share, a year earlier.
Stripping out restructuring costs, earnings were $1.28 per share. That easily beat the 62 cents per share that analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research called for.
Revenue rose to $9.82 billion from $9.46 billion. That topped the $9.36 billion in revenue that analysts expected.
For the year, Caterpillar Inc. now predicts adjusted earnings of $3.75 per share, with revenue in a range of $38 billion to $41 billion. Its prior guidance was for adjusted earnings of about $2.90 per share, with revenue between $36 billion and $39 billion.
Analysts polled by FactSet are looking for earnings of $3.25 per share on revenue of $37.9 billion.
Caterpillar is having a tumultuous year, announcing that it would move its headquarters to the Chicago area. Last month it denied it had broken any federal tax laws after its headquarters and other facilities were raided by a number of federal agencies including the Internal Revenue Service.
Caterpillar has been challenged for some time by federal agencies in regard to its accounting practices and said that the raids may have been related to a Swiss business, called CSARL.— AP
New London OKs plans for Hygienic amphitheater project
New London — Plans are moving forward for the first of a series of enhancement projects at the Hygienic Art Galleries and Art Park, the flagship for art and culture in downtown.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission last week approved plans for the nonprofit’s $300,000 amphitheater project, a 60-by-60-foot artistically designed roof to cover the art park’s outdoor seating area that could triple the number of performances there.
The Hygienic this week also announced a new initiative to raise funds for a facelift at its historic building at 79 Bank St. and to provide for the ability to boost programming.
Hygienic Director Sarah McKay said it was an exciting time to be part of the long-standing leader in the arts activism scene and expects public support for the projects to help the Hygienic reach its goals.
“In addition to being able to serve the resident population through providing access to the arts, music, performance and cultural programs, we will continue to bring visitors to downtown New London and triple our impact on growing the local economy,” McKay said
Installation of the 3,600-square-foot roof, designed by Holtzman Design Inc. of Chester, is expected to start in September and not interrupt the Hygienic’s summer lineup. It will be called the Frank Loomis Palmer Amphitheater in honor of the organization’s longstanding support for the art park and sizable donation toward the project.
McKay said that ideally the project will be completed before the Hygienic Howling Halloween Bash.
Funding for the project is nearly completed but more public support will help propel the “Hygienic 3.0” facelift at its historic 79 Bank St. building CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
NPU: Extending water connection into Sprague could have regional benefits
NORWICH — The town of Sprague could benefit from a proposal by Norwich Public Utilities to extend an emergency water connection into the Baltic section of town, NPU officials said Tuesday.
And that project could boost state funding for other NPU water system projects that benefit the region, NPU General Manager John Bilda told the NPU Board of Utilities Commissioners.
The 10,000-foot connection would supply Sprague with up to 60,000 gallons of water per day. The main would extend from the intersection of Taftville-Occum Road and Bridge Street in Occum to a location to be determined in the center of Baltic, Bilda said.
The preliminary cost estimate for the Sprague work is $3.2 million, according to NPU.
The extension would be designed as a permanent emergency supply connection for Baltic.
“The facility would be in place in the event that Sprague has a water quality issue or a water quantity issue,” Bilda said. “That’s the original purpose. Will that expand at some point? That remains to be seen.”
NPU would potentially be eligible for reimbursement through the state Department of Public Health’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund of up to 50 percent of the project costs and up to 30 percent of the NPU treatment and distribution system project costs.
Those distribution system project costs add up to an estimated $15.25 million. They include improvements at NPU’s Stony Brook Water Treatment Plant and Deep River Plant, as well as the Occum water storage tank.
“This is going to help multiple towns and improve the region’s water system, not just Norwich’s system,” NPU Operations Manager Chris LaRose said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE