Jeff Mill
EAST HAMPTON — Under a grudging sky, town officials Friday took a key step forward in the three-decades-old effort to finally create a new town hall.
A mix of town officials, architects and contractors conducted a ceremonial groundbreaking to begin in earnest the process that, in 16 to 18 months, will yield a new combination town hall/police station/Board of Education headquarter.
A crowd of some 80 people, the majority of them town employees and police officers, listened and watched as the ceremony unfolded. The 33,000-square-foot, two-story building will be built on a 5.4-acre parcel of plan in the Edgewater Hills mixed-use development.
The building site itself was obscured from general view by a larger stand of trees.
In welcoming remarks Town Council Chairwoman Melissa H. Engel addressed the new facility’s importance to the town.
“A building is wood and nails, mortar and brick with some glass added for light. This particular building will be all that with the added infrastructure of the energy, perseverance and commitment of a community that believed in its need,” she said. “A community that knew we had long ago outgrown our current Town Hall and recognized the poor conditions we asked our town staff to work in.”
The ceremony provided a welcome counterpoint for town officials in a continuing impasse over the adoption of the town budget. While not addressing that issue directly, several speakers made references to the cooperative effort that led to approval of the $18.9 million building project.Among them was Town Manager Michael Maniscalco.“I think it is important to recognize and say thank you to all of the people involved, including the 2015-17 town council, the current town council, board of finance, the Mottos (Stephen and Lisa, developers of Edgewater Hills), town staff, Amenta Emma (the project architectural firm) Newfield Construction (construction manager), the countless volunteers who worked to get this project approving, and finally, the building committee, who have run, literally run, with this project,” he said.
The current Town Hall is housed in a two-story building built as a CL&P customer service center in 1946. It has exceeded its anticipated life span and is now beset by any number of ailments common to old age: leaks, settling, inadequate space and aging electrical service.
There is no room for expansion and parking is severely limited. The building — and especially the office of the director of finance in the basement — is prone to flooding. The facility is not accessible for those residents with mobility issues or the handicapped. Also, the well that serves as the water source for the building is contaminated.
On more than one occasion, Maniscalco has said the present Town Hall is outdated, and it is not an appropriate space for either residents who visit or staff.The police department in the basement of the municipal building is a particular source of concern. It encompasses just under 3,000 square feet and does not have space for a locker room that would enable the department to hire female officers.
Both former chief Sean D. Cox and Chief Dennis Woessner have said the department lacks space to enable police to provide the type and range of services residents can expect in a 21st-century facility. In addition to providing a modern facility, construction of the new town hall will enable officials to gather together in one space offices that have, in some cases, been housed in rental space.
A line of 19 spear-head garden shovels stood in a row in a pile of loose dirt ahead of the ceremony.
As members of the council, the building committee, Chief Woessner and Superintendent of Schools Paul K. Smith and others waited to begin, Maniscalco offered a benediction of sorts for the new town hall.
“This building will create the seat of our government, a one-stop shop for those seeking services. This building will embody the hard work of the countless elected officials, staff, volunteers, and residents who made East Hampton what it is today,” he began.
“I hope all of you understand that what will happen here is a challenge to us all. It is a statement to the countless staff and public officials who will do the work of the people here that this is a special place. Care for her while you are in her charge, and provide her residents with the best services you possibly can.“This will be the people’s house,” Maniscalco said.
Blasting starts at Derby’s Ryan Sports Complex
Michael P. Mayko
DERBY — Building a multi-million-dollar high school sports complex is bound to come with some disruptions.
For nearby residents of the new Ryan Sports complex near Chatfield Street, that includes rock blasting as often as twice a day expected to start during the next two weeks, weather permitting.
“They ran into some issues with rock near the site of the new baseball field and they’re going to have to do some blasting and drilling,” said Mayor Richard Dziekan. “They’re going to sound sirens before they blast.”
Turner Construction informed city hall of the proposed blasting and said the company will blow a horn three times five minutes before each explosion, followed by two horn soundings a minute before the blast. A single horn sounding will signal all clear.
Richard A. Longhi of Turner Construction said the blasting is expected once in the morning and once in the afternoon every day this week.
“The blasting is taking place on an as-needed basis,” said schools Superintendent Matthew Conway. “They’re getting to the tail end of those needs.”
The city is in the process of relining the football field with artificial turf and building an adjacent track field using a $2.9 million grant.
Joan Payden, chief executive officer, president and founder of an asset management firm, donated at least $4 million more to build a state-of-the-art field house and museum and a new baseball and girl’s softball field in honor of her father, who played sports for Derby High in the early 1900s.
The downside of the work is that Derby has had to reschedule all its home football games. The annual Ansonia versus Derby game set for 7 p.m. Oct. 19 is currently scheduled for Oxford.
Conway said the football and track and field areas should be completed by the third week in November. However he said weather could impact that.
“As of now, our annual Thanksgiving Day game with Shelton is still scheduled to take place at Oxford High,” Conway said. “We’ve been playing all our home games there.”
The baseball and softball fields are scheduled to be completed March 1 and the new field house is expected to open May 1.
The field house is named for Joseph R. Payden, Payden’s father and a 1915 Derby High baseball player and valedictorian. After high school, the senior Payden graduated from Yale, flew missions in World War I for the Royal Flying Corps and became CEO of Union Carbide Java in Indonesia.
“My father was an only child,” said Joan Payden, during the March groundbreaking. “The high school meant a great deal to him.”
The field house will stand two stories with outside porches allowing views of the baseball field on one side and the football field on the other. Inside will be locker rooms and offices along with a banquet hall and memorabilia room. “This is the most exciting thing I’ve really ever done in my life,” Joan Payden said.
Work on Meriden Commons II progressing
Mary Ellen Godin
MERIDEN — The foundations, fittings and geopiers are installed at Meriden Commons II, a 76-unit housing development along State and Cedar streets.
Construction started two months ago on the $28 million mixed-income housing project near the former Mills Memorial Apartments, which are now being demolished. The project is the result of a partnership between Pennrose Properties and the Meriden Housing Authority.
“The stairwells are going in and completion is expected in fall 2019,” said Robert Cappelletti, MHA executive director.
Cappelletti updated members of the MHA board of commissioners recently. Board members also learned the housing authority was moving forward on its plans for 143 W. Main St., a $32 million proposal for residential and commercial space with a black-box theater that would seat 700 to 800 people.
Cappelletti recently updated members of the Meriden Economic Development Corp. and the Midstate Chamber of Commerce on the West Main Street project. Although well-received overall, the biggest concerns were parking and deliveries, Cappelletti said.
“Everybody is excited about the project and we’re going for new market tax credits this spring,” Cappelletti said.
Financing will come from tax credits and Opportunity Zone incentives. Opportunity Zones allow private investors to contribute equity for tax credits to spur investment in cities.
Meriden Commons I, a 75-unit residential development on the corner of Mill and State streets, began leasing units two months ago and is now 75 percent occupied. Tenants are moving from Middletown, New Haven and Hartford, with many commuting along the new Hartford Line, Cappelletti said. The entire building is expected to be occupied this month.
Commercial space at Meriden Commons I is under negotiation, with a restaurant eying the corner space across from the Meriden Green and a deli on smaller space on the first floor.
Larson: Business community support crucial to highway tunnel plan
Q&A talks with Congressman John Larson about his multibillion-dollar I-84/I-91 tunnel plan.
Q. It's been about two years since you first publicly discussed your idea of replacing a stretch of I-84 and I-91 through Hartford with two separate highway tunnels. How has your plan evolved since then and what progress has been made to get this plan closer to reality?
A. Since this proposal was put forth, we've held more than 50 meetings, public forums, and other events to engage with the community, explain the benefits of the proposal, and solicit feedback. The response has been tremendous — as demonstrated by the nearly 200 people who showed up on a recent Monday morning to hear from a group of Seattle stakeholders to learn about their tunnel project.
We've received letters of support from key community stakeholders, including MetroHartford Alliance, Travelers, the Connecticut Construction Industry Association, Riverfront Recapture, St. Francis Hospital, to name a few. The Connecticut General Assembly enacted legislation last year supporting the plan by authorizing the state Department of Transportation to construct tunnels for I-84/I-91 if funding becomes available.
Congressman Bill Shuster, the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, and Congressman Peter DeFazio, the committee's leading Democrat, came to Hartford last year and came out in support of the tunnel proposal. I've briefed the current U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on the project. We've built a lot of support and elevated this proposal as a serious alternative to be considered.
The tunnel proposal as currently conceived isn't cut in stone. This project will be refined as we continue to have robust community engagement, but it is imperative that we choose a plan that solves the infrastructure challenges of our region and creates a livable community around our Capital City.
Q. Why are you pushing so hard for this tunnel project? What are the benefits as you see it to the city of Hartford, East Hartford and the region as a whole?
A. Our region faces significant challenges: a divided city, a riverfront blocked by a multilane highway, a crumbling levee system and poor traffic flow. The I-84/I-91 tunnel proposal is a solution to these challenges. Not only that, this proposal frees up acres of land on both sides of the river for economic development, green space and recreation. The tunnels could be constructed with minimal disruption to the city.
When you talk to Andy Bessette (executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Travelers), they have 7,000 employees who commute into Hartford every day. If you look at some of the current plans to rebuild I-84, they would require shutting down the city for years during construction. That would be unacceptable for businesses like Travelers and others that employ so many of our citizens. A turnkey operation, like tunneling, is compelling because it would allow for traffic to flow on the existing surface highways during construction in addition to reconnecting neighborhoods, opening up the riverfront, fixing the levees, solving traffic issues and creating economic vitality.
Q. Costs have been a major part of the discussion. There are estimates that the tunnel project could cost anywhere from $10 billion to $50 billion. You say the federal government must foot that bill. How will you help secure that federal funding?
A. Any project involving reconstruction of the Aetna viaduct and the I-84/I-91 Interchange is going to cost in the billions of dollars. The current Aetna viaduct proposal being floated is around $5 billion. When you add on some of the interchange alternatives you get north of $10 billion. The key is choosing the right plan that has the greatest long-term benefit visa-a-vis the upfront capital costs.
Unlocking federal funding is going to be key to however we choose to shape the future of Hartford's region and I do think we have a good shot at a federal infrastructure bill. I serve on the House Ways & Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over the revenue to fund an infrastructure bill. I think there is a good chance that Democrats will have an opportunity to be in charge of the House next year and infrastructure will be a top priority.
Democrats are pushing for a large and innovative infrastructure investment, and I've introduced the America Wins Act that would institute a pollution tax — making our air and water cleaner to breath and drink — that would raise $1.8 trillion over 10 years with the majority dedicated to investing in infrastructure. It's an idea that has support from Republicans and Democrats in Congress. That's my favored approach but it's not the only way to do it. You can use innovative finance and project delivery mechanisms like design-build.
Make no mistake about it, this is a federal issue and we will get federal funding.
Q. You recently had officials from Seattle visit Hartford to share their experiences with a recent tunneling project in their city. What lessons did you learn from them?
A. Seattle faced many of the same challenges as Hartford. They had an aging highway viaduct that divided the city and walled off the downtown from the waterfront of the Puget Sound. On top of that, they had a flood issue with a sea wall that had to be repaired. They opted for a bored tunnel that will open to traffic soon. Next, they will tear down the viaduct and create a 20-acre waterfront park in its place.
Most importantly, it took a concentrated effort that was led by the community. We learned that the bored tunnel wasn't the first alternative they considered. They debated replacing the viaduct, building a cut-and-cover tunnel, and simply removing the viaduct. Bob Donegan of Ivar's restaurants, who led the business community, told us that replacing the viaduct would have shut the city down for at least five years, which was unacceptable. The business community and the voters rejected the other alternatives and rallied in favor of a bored tunnel that allowed for a turnkey operation.
The benefits to Seattle will be enormous. They have already seen $1 billion in private investment in the area. Businesses were able to stay open during construction and will now be able to thrive and grow without the noise, pollution and the barrier of a viaduct in the way.