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Construction company awards scholarships to Goodwin Tech pair
NEW BRITAIN - Two E.C. Goodwin Technical High School students have received scholarships from KBE Building Corp., a construction company with offices in Connecticut and Maryland.
Mayte Casiano of New Britain and Aaron Boutin of Bristol were among 34 seniors graduating from the Connecticut Technical High School System awarded $17,000 in scholarships from the company.
“The number of young professionals pursuing degrees and certifications in the construction trades is declining and we wanted to support those students who aim to advance their skills in these fields, as well as students pursuing programs in construction management, architecture and engineering fields,” Simon F. Etzel Jr., senior vice president of KBE, said. “As a company, we place a high value on education and mentorship, and these scholarships are a way for us to help Connecticut to grow and maintain a highly skilled construction workforce.
A 2015 workforce survey by the Associated General Contractors of America found that nearly 80 percent of construction businesses were having difficulty finding qualified skilled labor. Also, only 3 percent of young adults who knew what field they want to study or pursue a career in named the construction trade, according to a 2016 poll commissioned by the National Association of Homebuilders.
“Encouraging and supporting young adults to pursue certificates, degrees and careers in construction-related fields requires a proactive approach,” Etzel said. “From KBE’s unique ‘Ground Up’ internship training program for high school students to monthly education forums with our millennial workforce, we aim to educate teens and young adults about the opportunities available in the construction field, as well as provide them with opportunities to learn and grow in their careers.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the construction sector will add about 790,000 jobs in the decade spanning 2014 to 2024.
KBE first awarded scholarships to state technical school students in 2014.
To be eligible, students must be pursuing building industry-related higher education, such as four-year college programs in structural engineering, civil engineering, mechanical/electrical engineering, construction management or architecture. Students pursuing certification programs for building trades such as electricity, plumbing or HVAC are also eligible.
The scholarships were presented in a ceremony featuring Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman at E.C. Goodwin Technical High School on June 13.
At a hearing Tuesday on a $4.5 billion plan for transportation infrastructure repairs across the state, just one project drew public comment: Whether to fix or replace the little two-lane Cribari Bridge in Westport.
In a change of pace, the town and hundreds of residents aren't asking for money for the work. Instead, they want the state Department of Transportation to scuttle its proposal to set aside $40 million in state and federal funds for it.
"A significantly modified or reconstructed bridge will increase through traffic when I-95 is backed up — this introduces a major safety issue to our Saugatuck neighborhood," Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe said Tuesday afternoon.
Speaking to a roomful of planners and engineers at DOT headquarters, Marpe acknowledged that his request goes against the familiar pattern of communities seeking state and federal money for local projects.
But Marpe and others said the Saugatuck neighborhood deeply opposes any large-scale reconstruction that would open the narrow bridge to more traffic. Many also oppose a redesign or replacement because the bridge is 133 years old
"You've received at least 200 letters from residents asking this project be struck from the list," Westport Preservation Alliance member Morley Boyd told the DOT. "This is the oldest bridge of its type in the nation."The bridge over the Saugatuck River swings sideways to allow tall boat traffic to pass. The DOT says testing has shown it needs significant repair work, particularly on one of its piers.
The Cribari is less than 300 feet long, but its narrowness and design keep Route 136 from being an easy bypass to I-95 traffic jams, according to residents. Westport homeowners want the existing bridge repaired, but oppose any effort to widen it to accommodate more traffic — a development they fear would come from the DOT plan. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
With the General Assembly one week away Tuesday from its latest budget deadline, lawmakers remained gridlocked — along both partisan and policy lines — over how to close a massive projected deficit.
Minority Republicans in the House renewed the pitch for their own budget, a plan that relies on $2 billion in labor savings mandated by statutory changes — and not bargained collectively.
Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, vowed that if House Democrats bring their own budget — which includes a sales tax hike — to a vote on Tuesday — the GOP would offer its own proposal as an amendment.
And while all sides say negotiations continue, many said privately that no one has built consensus yet around any plan — let alone one that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy would sign — to close $5.1 billion in projected deficits over this fiscal year and next combined.
“There have been many leader and governor meetings going on over the past few months,” Klarides said. “Clearly they have not born much fruit, or else we wouldn’t be in the middle of July without a budget.”
The challenge of closing deficits ranging from 12 to 14 percent of annual General Fund spending has perplexed state officials for months.
House and Senate Republicans say their Democratic counterparts would raise taxes too much, particularly the House Democrats, who would boost sales and hotel taxes.
Democrats fire back that the GOP relies on proposed labor savings that probably cannot be achieved legally.
Republicans have proposed unilaterally changing benefits and some collective bargaining rules to cut labor costs. The alternative, the GOP says, is to back a concessions deal that Malloy negotiated. But while it reportedly saves $1.57 billion over the next two years, the state would have to extend a costly benefits program for five more years and forfeit its right to lay off workers for four years.
And there’s also disagreement within each party.
Senate Democrats haven’t endorsed the sales tax hike that House Democrats want.
And some House Republicans say a Senate GOP plan to divert to the General Fund dollars utility consumers pay to support conservation programs would amount to a hidden tax hike.
Given the lack of consensus, Klarides said House Republicans wanted to make sure Tuesday their plan received due attention.
“We wanted to at least start the conversation with our colleagues in the building,” she said. “This is not for purposes of debate. This is not an adversarial discussion.”
Besides cutting labor costs by about $2 billion over two years combined, the House Republican budget also would:
- Eliminate a program to share sales tax receipts with cities and towns.
- Preserve and modestly increase funding for local education.
- Ease certain mandates on municipalities.
- Reduce many state agency budgets by as much as 10 percent.
- Raising the sales tax from 6.35 percent to 6.99 percent and placing a 1 percent surcharge on restaurant bills.
- Legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana use.
- Allowing communities to levy taxes on nonprofit hospitals’ real property.
- Billing communities for $400 million annually to cover a portion of the required contribution to the teachers’ pension fund.
- And sweeping energy and environmental conservation funds. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE