By Anna Quinn
WASHINGTON — Wearing a white hard-hat featuring the Gunnery’s crest, Tony-nominated producer Thomas S. Perakos broke ground Saturday on the school’s new arts and community center, which soon will bear his name.
“The adrenaline and the joy are indescribable,” Perakos said after the ceremony. “This building is going to unify and bring (the arts) to a state-of-the-art program, and it’s going to attract professors and a curriculum that will make it sing.”
Perakos, who graduated from the school in 1969, became the namesake for the 32,000-square-foot center after making a multimillion-dollar gift for it to be built.
Head of School Peter Becker told the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony that since Perakos’ donation several months ago, the school has raised $16.5 million of its $22 million goal for the center.“We needed someone to step up and believe in this project,” Becker said. “If it wasn’t for Tom ... we wouldn’t be here. It unleashed this passion and enthusiasm and the belief that we could get this thing done.”Becker thanked other alumni, attending alumni weekend, who have made donations.
An alumni parade followed the ceremony, which came just one day before the Tony Awards, where musicals that Perakos was involved with are nominated for a combined 32 awards. He is personally nominated for Best Musical for “The Band’s Visit” and for Best Revival of a Musical for “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CarousThe Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center will also feature areas named for other donors, including a 415-seat performing arts theater named after the Tisch family and an art wing named after alumni Richard C. Colton Jr.
Construction will include relocating a parking lot and creating a landscaped “green space” between the building and the school’s dining hall.
Gunnery teachers and chairs of the performing arts, Jennifer Wojcik, and visual arts, Andrew Richards, told the crowd that the new space will take their programs to the next level.
The Gunnery’s arts program is held in different places all over campus. Wojcik said the new center will allow her to focus solely on the students during performances, rather than worrying about technical difficulties that often occur in the current spaces “(This is) going to be the next generation of art for our school and our families,” she said.
The plan for the arts center was first developed as part of the Gunnery’s long-term capital plan for adding to the school. The plan includes moving all facilities to the western side of Route 47 and creating new venues for certain programs.
“This is the first of what will hopefully be the start of more projects to transform our campus,” Becker said.
Wind and fuel cell power backed by state
By Bill Cummings
DANBURY — The state has selected a city fuel cell company and a major offshore wind farm developer to help bring more than 250 megawatts of clean electricity to Connecticut consumers.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and other officials announced Wednesday in Hartford that FuelCell Energy of Danbury and Deepwater Wind were selected from among 27 bidders vying to provide renewable power under a request for clean energy.
State officials also selected fuel cell projects based in Colchester and New Britain, bringing the total to 52 megawatts.
Deepwater Wind will provide 200 megawatts from it’s Revolution Wind project, a 25-turbine wind farm to be built in federal water near Martha’s Vineyard. Construction of the wind farm is slated to begin in 2021 and power is to be delivered by 2023.
"We have an obligation to our children and grandchildren to invest in energy projects that reduce the impacts of harmful emissions," Malloy said.
"That’s why Connecticut is making investments in the technologies of the future, not of the past," Malloy said. "These projects will result in thousands of new Connecticut jobs, helping to grow our economy, while doing so in a clean and sustainable way."
The price of the electricity has not been determined and the selected companies will enter into negotiations with Eversource and United Illuminating for 20-year contracts.
The Deepwater selection marks the state’s first procurement of power from an offshore wind farm. The company built the nation’s first offshore wind farm near Block Island, R.I.
“Our Revolution Wind project will bring hundreds of new jobs to Connecticut and deliver affordable, homegrown energy to ratepayers," said Jeffery Grybowski, chief executive officer for Deepwater Wind.
The state has committed spending $15 million to upgrade the New London State Pier to accommodate construction of the Deepwater project, including providing an area to stage and manufacture components.
The updated pier will also be used for shipments to the offshore construction site.
The fuel cell project will also create jobs and bring economic development to the host communities.
"We are pleased that DEEP has decided to award these projects," said Chip Bottone, president of FuelCell Energy."Fuel cells are one of the most space-efficient, resilient clean energy technologies," Bottone said. "These projects will provide local tax revenue, high tech manufacturing jobs, economic development benefits and clean energy resources."
A proposal to provide 1.6 megawatts of Anaerobic Digestion power in Southington was also selected. The process converts plant materials into methane gas for heating and power.
By Register staff
HAMDEN — The Skiff Street bridge reopened to traffic Tuesday, according to the town, after it was closed in mid-May due to safety concerns.
“Between May 11 and 15, an existing crack in the old bridge began to open. On May 15, the crack became wide enough that the design engineer on the project notified the Town that the bridge should be closed and the structure formally evaluated,” said officials in a news release. “Professionals recommended the closure to ensure everyone’s safety while evaluation and potential corrections could be completed, to prevent any further damage and to allow the old structure to remain in service until the new bridge is fully constructed.”
“It was an inconvenience for many to have Skiff Street, one of our Town’s main east-west travel roads closed for a period. The decision to close was not taken lightly, but was taken without hesitation when potential safety concerns were brought to my attention by our team,” Mayor Curt B. Leng said in the release. “I very much appreciate the efforts of our Town Engineering Department and our private contractors for the evaluation and work they completed in a timely fashion to get the bridge re-opened safely in less than a month. I also would like to extend my appreciation to our residents and businesses for their patience as the Town worked to make the situation safe.”
The community is currently in process of replacing the bridge, which runs over the Mill River.
Construction on the new bridge continued while the existing bridge was under repair, and the project is expected to be completed in early 2020, according to the town.
DEEP approves New Britain fuel cell project
The wheels are in motion for what is being hailed as one of the most significant private sector investments in recent Connecticut history.
The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection on Wednesday approved a proposal that will allow the start of the first phase of an energy and innovation park to be based in New Britain.
As part of the project, Energy Innovation Park, LLC will construct a 19.98 megawatt fuel cell grid-connected energy project on the Stanley Black and Decker campus.
This fuel cell grid will produce electricity through a chemical reaction between fuel and an oxidant. The process creates minimal byproducts of water and a small amount of nitrous oxide, so the fuel cell project is part of Connecticut’s effort to better utilize clean energy.
The fuel cell is the first of a planned multi-phase $1 billion Energy and Innovation Park in the city’s urban core. The project will provide 3,000 direct and indirect jobs and generate significant tax revenues - $8 million for New Britain for the fuel cell project alone over 20 years. The total project will provide more than $45 million for New Britain and $200 million in revenue for the state over 20 years.
Some of the jobs created through this project are high end construction jobs, electrical jobs and high tech manufacturing jobs.
“This is a game-changer in terms of high-tech jobs, high-speed data processing and clean energy, and we applaud the DEEP and its RFP process and the evaluation team for having the vision to recognize not only the clean energy benefits of this project, but also its transformative power as an important first step to a significant economic development opportunity for both New Britain and the state,” stated Mark Wick, a partner with EIP, LLC.
The innovative proposal was submitted to and selected by DEEP as a response to an RFP seeking eligible Class I Clean Energy Generation projects with Renewable Energy Credits. The submission to DEEP included a written letter of support signed by the New Britain legislative delegation, Mayor Erin Stewart and New Britain Chamber of Commerce.
“We will immediately begin finalizing a power purchase agreement with Eversource and securing approval from the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), with construction expected to start in early 2019,” Wick added. The fuel cells will be manufactured by Doosan Fuel Cell America in South Windsor.
The fuel cell project also re-uses the existing industrial electric and gas infrastructure to reduce project costs, help adjacent businesses and enhance grid reliability for the high performance computing center and key industry clusters throughout the state, according to a statement.
As part of the project, Energy Innovation Park, LLC will construct a 19.98 megawatt fuel cell grid-connected energy project on the Stanley Black and Decker campus.
This fuel cell grid will produce electricity through a chemical reaction between fuel and an oxidant. The process creates minimal byproducts of water and a small amount of nitrous oxide, so the fuel cell project is part of Connecticut’s effort to better utilize clean energy.
The fuel cell is the first of a planned multi-phase $1 billion Energy and Innovation Park in the city’s urban core. The project will provide 3,000 direct and indirect jobs and generate significant tax revenues - $8 million for New Britain for the fuel cell project alone over 20 years. The total project will provide more than $45 million for New Britain and $200 million in revenue for the state over 20 years.
Some of the jobs created through this project are high end construction jobs, electrical jobs and high tech manufacturing jobs.
“This is a game-changer in terms of high-tech jobs, high-speed data processing and clean energy, and we applaud the DEEP and its RFP process and the evaluation team for having the vision to recognize not only the clean energy benefits of this project, but also its transformative power as an important first step to a significant economic development opportunity for both New Britain and the state,” stated Mark Wick, a partner with EIP, LLC.
The innovative proposal was submitted to and selected by DEEP as a response to an RFP seeking eligible Class I Clean Energy Generation projects with Renewable Energy Credits. The submission to DEEP included a written letter of support signed by the New Britain legislative delegation, Mayor Erin Stewart and New Britain Chamber of Commerce.
“We will immediately begin finalizing a power purchase agreement with Eversource and securing approval from the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), with construction expected to start in early 2019,” Wick added. The fuel cells will be manufactured by Doosan Fuel Cell America in South Windsor.
The fuel cell project also re-uses the existing industrial electric and gas infrastructure to reduce project costs, help adjacent businesses and enhance grid reliability for the high performance computing center and key industry clusters throughout the state, according to a statement.