October 27, 2017

CT Construction Digest Friday October 27, 2017

Stamford’s transitway gets final touches amid delays, congestion

STAMFORD — As workers scurried to finish the last bit of paving on Myrtle Avenue at East Main Street, Mayor David Martin stood at the opposite end of the corridor snipping a bright red ribbon with gold-colored scissors, marking the overall completion of the urban transitway’s second phase following two years of delays.
The $52 million project was approved in July 2013 to create a four-lane roadway on Myrtle Avenue between Elm and East Main streets, which would allow for easier passage between the Stamford Transportation Center and U.S. Route 1 on the east side.
“This is a crucial project that we have in the City of Stamford,” Martin said during the ceremony. “It connects our train station all the way through the east side, and I’m just so happy that we’re finally getting it done and getting it open. Quite frankly, I didn’t think we would actually get it done at this point in time, but we were able to work things out and get it done.”
Despite Thursday’s celebration, the project is not yet 100 percent complete, according to the mayor’s office.
The last of the paving will be finished Friday, the mayor’s office said, while landscaping, the marking of crosswalks and other checklist items are slated for completion in the coming months.
Originally expected to take two years to complete, the project has faced multiple delays due to weather and the discovery of old buried infrastructure such as trolley tracks, train tracks and water lines.
Kathryn Emmett, director of legal affairs, in July had attributed much of the delay to the relocation of utility poles and underground equipment taking longer than anticipated. Design changes made by the state during the course of the project were also a factor, she said.
The delays occurred despite efforts to avoid problems that arose during the first phase of the project under former Mayor Michael Pavia’s administration.
That first phase, which cost $65 million, was completed in 2012 and created a commuter pathway between Elm and Atlantic streets. It came in $5.3 million over budget and more that a year behind schedule. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Officials celebrate Zbikowski Park renovation

BRISTOL -- Many city, community and state officials gathered Wednesday morning for a ribbon cutting celebrating the Bristol Housing Authority's newly renovated Zbikowski Park.
Zbikowski Park is a 90-unit affordable housing community managed by the BHA that recently received an $11.5 million renovation. It was one of the projects completed under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s $30 Million housing initiative.
The renovations were focused on cost effectiveness and environmental sustainability. They included new energy-efficient kitchen appliances and heating systems, 24-hour maintenance services and an off-street parking.
Before the ribbon cutting, many officials shared their thought about the project. Mitzy Rowe, CEO of BHA explained, the housing project was made possible through construction and permanent mortgage loans through the sale of tax exempt bonds issued by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.
The project is “improving the lives of residents by boosting their odds for success” and helping resident become “fiscally responsible and self sufficient,” Rowe said. She noted that the project would not have been possible without a collaborative effort from BHA staff, the CHFA, and city, state and community officials.
Director of Multifamily Housing Asset Management at the CHFA, Lynn Koroser-Crane, said, “The CHFA is very proud to be a partner in this. With the issuance of over $3million in tax credits and an additional $3 million in tax exempt bond financing.”
Koroser-Crane continued, “This project together combines over $11 million in financing and subsidies and energy rebates. We think by bringing together seasoned development team … The housing authority was able to actually fill the role of the developer and be very successful.”
“”Without Gov. Malloy’s commitment to affordable housing, in particular this state’s sponsored public housing and the work that the Department of Housing in particular, as well as HUD [Department of Housing and Urban Development], none of this would be possible,” Koroser-Crane added.
State representative for Bristol, Whit Betts also recognized the renovations as a collaborative effort that shows “when people work together, how much accomplishment can be done.”  CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Millstone bill passes House, goes to governor

After blocking similar bills over two years, the House of Representatives voted 75 to 66 for final passage Thursday of a measure variously derided as a windfall for a major energy company and praised as a responsible first step toward stabilizing the finances of Connecticut’s last nuclear plants.
Passage came on a dramatic note, with a half-dozen legislators scanning the tally board before casting their decisive votes in favor. A shift of just five would have turned the win for Millstone into a 71-to-70 loss.
The bill would permit, not require, state energy officials to change the rules for how Dominion Energy sells electricity from its nuclear plant, Millstone, whose profits have eroded as energy prices have been depressed by competition from electricity generated by relatively cheap and plentiful natural gas.
If deemed in the public interest after completing a market study already underway, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority could allow Millstone to compete in a more favorable market, against solar, wind and hydro power, that commands higher prices.
Millstone could sell up to three-quarters of its output in competition with the other zero-carbon sources of electricity under the bill.
Undisputed is that the nuclear industry is under distress, prompting the premature retirement of nuclear plants across the U.S., a loss of what environmentalists and others view as an important bridge to an era when renewable energy can produce a larger share of electricity.
“We are in a transition period,” said Rep. Lonnie Reed, D-Branford, the co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee and lead House sponsor of the bill.
Millstone produces nearly all of Connecticut’s zero-carbon energy, and its loss would jeopardize the state’s ability to meet its long-term goals for reducing carbon emissions. But the questions of how soon Millstone will become unprofitable and what the relief will cost ratepayers and the developing solar and wind-power industries have been bitterly contested at the state Capitol.
“It’s win-win,” said Rep. Kathleen M. McCarty, R-Waterford, who represents most of Waterford, the home of Millstone. “It’s good for the economy. It’s good for the environment.”
But opponents questioned the timing, urging colleagues to delay action until completion of the market study in February, when lawmakers are to return for their 2018 session.
“Does Millstone actually need the money?” asked Rep. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, an opponent.
Attempts to amend the bill and return it to the Senate failed by wide margins. One amendment would have required any decision by DEEP and PURA to change market rules to be reviewed next year by the General Assembly.
A majority of Democrats opposed the bill; A majority of Republicans supported it.
“On behalf of the 1,500 women and men working at Millstone power station, Dominion Energy thanks the General Assembly for giving Millstone an opportunity to participate in a clean-energy procurement process if state regulators determine our bid benefits customers,” said Thomas F. Farrell II, the chairman and CEO of Dominion. “We are grateful to the Malloy administration for its work in negotiating the current form of the legislation.“
The House Democratic leadership killed the Senate’s first two Millstone bills in the 2016 and 2017 regular sessions by refusing to call votes on measures opposed by Dominion’s competitors and some environmental and consumer groups, such as the Connecticut Citizen Action Group and AARP. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

After 117-day marathon, Senate passes bipartisan budget

A newly united Senate took a major step early Thursday toward ending Connecticut's nearly 17-week budget impasse, overwhelmingly adopting a $41.3 billion, two-year plan that closes huge deficits without raising income or sales tax rates, imposes modest cuts on local aid, and provides emergency assistance to keep Hartford out of bankruptcy.
By a veto-proof margin of 33 to 3, the Senate approved the budget after a collegial and self-congratulary three-hour debate that ended with hugs, fist bumps and hand shakes just before 2 a.m. Seventeen of 18 Democrats and 16 of 18 Republicans voted to send the bill to the House, which is scheduled to debate it later Thursday.
The surprisingly strong vote, coupled with the expectation of a similarly strong margin in the House, set the stage for a decision by Malloy to accept the compromise or risk a veto override that could color his last year in office.
He declined to speculate Wednesday morning on whether he would sign or veto a budget he had not seen. A copy was not provided to his office until mid-afternoon.
The budget relies on tax and fee hikes worth roughly $500 million per year for the biennium. It also would raid more $175 million from energy conservation funds — which largely are supported by surcharges on consumers' utility bills — and would offer Connecticut's seventh amnesty program for tax delinquents since 1990.
The bipartisan deal cuts deeply into operating funds for the University of Connecticut — but not as severely as a Republican-crafted budget would have one month ago.
But it does not rely on shifting a portion of skyrocketing teacher pension contributions onto cities and towns.
And it authorizes $80 million in borrowing across four years to assist homeowners dealing with crumbling concrete foundations.
"There really is, I think, a sense of extraordinarily significant achievement in what we've been able to reach together," Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said of the past three weeks of bipartisan negotiations that produced the latest budget deal. "There is so much in this bill that points us int he right direction."
"There is something in this budget for many people to dislike," said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk. But "we can go back to our constituents and say 'we listened. … And we continue to fund the areas we believe are right, are just, and continue to make the state a better state."
Senate Republican leader Len Fasano of North Haven praised lawmakers from both parties for setting aside partisan differences and saying, "Connecticut comes first. What is important is there was courage to bring the budget to life."
Republicans Joe Markley of Southington and Len Suzio of Meriden voted against the budget. Sen. Gary Winfield of New Haven cast the lone dissenting Democratic vote. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Study: Connecticut employers absorb record insurance hikes

As Connecticut employers ready to crack open their health plans next week for open enrollment, a new study shows they paid a record increase in premiums to secure insurance for their workers.
United Benefit Advisors, whose affiliates include 360 Corporate Benefit Advisors in Fairfield, calculated a startling 24 percent increase this year in Connecticut renewal rates for employer-based health coverage, nearly four times the average bump nationally, with employers in the state paying an additional $655 this year on average.
New York employers also saw a large increase of 14 percent, amounting to an extra $712 on average.
In its own study of insurance premiums nationally, the New York City-based Commonwealth Fund estimated at $18,270 the average cost in 2015 of a family health insurance policy in Connecticut, with employers on the hook for all but $5,500 in contributions from worker paychecks, and families facing average deductibles of more than $1,700 before insurance kicks in.
“The drivers of increasing rates continue to be rising medical and pharmaceutical costs and the increased utilization of those services,” stated Katharine Wade, Connecticut insurance commissioner, in an email response to a Hearst Connecticut Media query Thursday. “In addition, actual claims experience is coming in higher than what carriers anticipated.”
On Tuesday, Wade’s department approved a 14.6 percent increase on average for Anthem’s large group plans in Connecticut, below the 16.4 percent increase the Indianapolis-based company had requested, with the department disagreeing with the company’s calculation of inflation for future medical and pharmacy costs.
Anthem had more than 920,000 Connecticut residents enrolled in large-group indemnity and HMO plans in 2016, according to an annual “report card” issued this month by the Connecticut Insurance Department.
Another 95,000 people who enroll in Anthem’s small-group or individual plans will see even larger increases next year — 25.4 percent for small groups and 31.7 percent for individuals, the latter the highest single hike for any single category of coverage by a Connecticut carrier.  CLCIKTITLE TO CONTINUE

New Hampshire residents, students petition Yale to get out of Hydro-Quebec pipeline deal

NEW HAVEN — Dozens of students and a contingent from New Hampshire marched to Yale University’s investment office Thursday to protest its connection to the Northern Pass Transmission line project that they said will have “devastating environmental and social consequences” for that state.
A small contingent presented a petition signed by almost 400 people — the majority of them residents of the area in New Hampshire that will be impacted by Eversource Energy’s Hydro-Quebec 192-mile transmission line.
It was only recently that the residents realized that Yale, as Bayroot LLC, had leased 24 miles of timberland it owns for a right of way to Eversource. It is a small portion of the 125,000 acres of timberland in New Hampshire that is part of the university’s endowment investment.
“The 192-mile Northern Pass will disrupt some of the most remote and undeveloped areas in New England,” the petition reads. No one from the investment office would meet with the small contingent who wanted to present the petition in person, but Yale personnel in the vestibule of the building at 55 Whitney Ave. promised to deliver it to the right office.
The university in June, and again on Thursday, issued a statement through Yale spokesman Tom Conroy to respond to the criticism.
It said Yale contracted with Wagner Forest Management to manage the property, and Wagner in 2012 decided to lease it to the developer of the Northern Pass project.
It said investors “such as Yale typically invest with managers through partnership arrangements that limit the investors’ ability to control decisions from both a legal and best practices perspective.”
It continued that Wagner Forest Management did not have the ability to terminate the option to renew under the terms of the lease and the developer has already extended that lease to 2110.
The petition from Yale students and union members, but mainly New Hampshire residents, said “the university’s statement attempts to shirk Yale’s clear responsibility.”
“Yale University is 98.9 percent owner of Bayroot LLC, which has leased 24 miles of the proposed route to the developers. Yale owns this land and cannot shield itself from the consequences of this investment by hiding behind decisions of a contracted invesment manager,” the petition reads. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE