The public works department plans to repave Laurel Street on Nov. 26 and 27.
Workers will take off the deteriorated top layer of pavement and then put down a new surface.
"There may be minor traffic delays during construction, however the road will remain open for mail delivery, emergency vehicles, and local traffic at all times," the public works department said in a statement. Parking may be restricted based on construction needs.
well-intentioned plan to open a grocery store between downtown Hartford and the city’s northern neighborhoods has ignited controversy at a nearby school that stands to lose a field it uses for recess and sports practices.Students and teachers at Capital Preparatory Magnet School on Main Street have lined up against building a full-service supermarket on the grassy field that runs behind the school, a move they say would compromise the safety of students.
The dispute shows how a well-meaning plan to solve an arduous problem in Hartford — bringing fresh food to residents and encouraging a healthy lifestyle — can cause a rippling of unintended consequences.
The latest proposal for a grocery store in the area follows a string of unsuccessful attempts, and is still in the early stages. No detailed designs have been drawn up. But discussions are ongoing with potential operators and $8.5 million in state financing has been earmarked for the $23 million supermarket.
The rendering — needed to secure bond funding in the waning days of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration — sparked a strong reaction at the school and among some city leaders.
rJo Winch, a city councilwoman, said she intends to introduce a measure that would eliminate the clock tower site as an option, after a flurry of calls from upset school officials and residents.
The city’s school district has not taken a position on the issue. But school officials are reviewing student concerns and analyzing how the project would affect Capital Prep.“I know that even the student voice has lifted the fact that, yes, we acknowledge the food desert,” Superintendent of Schools Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said. “But we also acknowledge that there could be a potential impact on the school — their experience, the operation, and so there is an opportunity for a collective to come to the table and try to understand what the impact is.”
It needs to be ruled out all together, because why would you put any establishment of any kind behind a school?
The Hartford Community Loan Fund, which is leading the push for the supermarket, is now hoping for a fresh start with Capital Prep. The private, not-for-profit organization that focuses on neighborhood revitalization apologized for not bringing the school into discussions earlier.The opposition now presents a thorny problem for the loan fund. The group envisions the supermarket anchoring what it calls the “Healthy Hartford Hub.”
“So, it would be kind of disingenuous of us to eliminate recreation space at the school with this project,” Rex Fowler, the loan fund’s chief executive, said. “That is something we are trying to figure out — how to make sure there would still be recreation space for the students.”
A supermarket of up to 45,000 square feet and structured parking would be the first phase of development. Additional construction could take place across nearby Ely Street if vacant land there is acquired. Those plans call for services that promote health: a clinic, a pharmacy, a wellness studio and a community kitchen. Housing could be included on a second floor.
All told, the project could cost $36 million.
The acre-and-a-half site is attractive because the services could be grouped close together. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
“We understand there is a food desert, yes we do, but a supermarket in our backyard?” Reanna O’Bryan, 16, of East Hartford, a junior at the school, said. “What about the safety of our children, and the impact that it is going to have on the school and our kids?”
Read more about it: Hartford grocery store could be built near Keney Memorial Clock Tower
Megan Butler, who teaches fifth- and sixth-grade math, said teachers are confounded by the plan that would take away outdoor recess options for younger grades and a practice field for high school football.
“To add a public space in our backyard, it terrifies me that anyone could walk in and out of space where children are, just knowing the world today,” Butler said. “Terrify is a strong word, but for me, it’s a scary thought.”The dispute shows how a well-meaning plan to solve an arduous problem in Hartford — bringing fresh food to residents and encouraging a healthy lifestyle — can cause a rippling of unintended consequences.
The latest proposal for a grocery store in the area follows a string of unsuccessful attempts, and is still in the early stages. No detailed designs have been drawn up. But discussions are ongoing with potential operators and $8.5 million in state financing has been earmarked for the $23 million supermarket.
The city-owned site runs behind Capital Prep, which serves preschool through high school, and the park that surrounds the Keney Memorial Clock Tower. It is one of two locations in the neighborhood under consideration. The other is just south in the Downtown North development, across from Dunkin’ Donuts Park.
The school — and the community — were caught off guard when a rendering of a possible grocery store complex near Capital Prep surfaced in September. A task force of city residents had begun discussing the project, but no location was settled on.The rendering — needed to secure bond funding in the waning days of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration — sparked a strong reaction at the school and among some city leaders.
rJo Winch, a city councilwoman, said she intends to introduce a measure that would eliminate the clock tower site as an option, after a flurry of calls from upset school officials and residents.
The city’s school district has not taken a position on the issue. But school officials are reviewing student concerns and analyzing how the project would affect Capital Prep.“I know that even the student voice has lifted the fact that, yes, we acknowledge the food desert,” Superintendent of Schools Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said. “But we also acknowledge that there could be a potential impact on the school — their experience, the operation, and so there is an opportunity for a collective to come to the table and try to understand what the impact is.”
It needs to be ruled out all together, because why would you put any establishment of any kind behind a school?
The Hartford Community Loan Fund, which is leading the push for the supermarket, is now hoping for a fresh start with Capital Prep. The private, not-for-profit organization that focuses on neighborhood revitalization apologized for not bringing the school into discussions earlier.The opposition now presents a thorny problem for the loan fund. The group envisions the supermarket anchoring what it calls the “Healthy Hartford Hub.”
“So, it would be kind of disingenuous of us to eliminate recreation space at the school with this project,” Rex Fowler, the loan fund’s chief executive, said. “That is something we are trying to figure out — how to make sure there would still be recreation space for the students.”
A supermarket of up to 45,000 square feet and structured parking would be the first phase of development. Additional construction could take place across nearby Ely Street if vacant land there is acquired. Those plans call for services that promote health: a clinic, a pharmacy, a wellness studio and a community kitchen. Housing could be included on a second floor.
All told, the project could cost $36 million.
The acre-and-a-half site is attractive because the services could be grouped close together. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Work starts on $54.2 million sewer facility project in Torrington
TORRINGTON – Preliminary work on the city’s wastewater treatment facility has begun.
Crews from C.H. Nickerson of Torrington have been working at the Bogue Road facility since Oct. 29, prepping areas for construction and starting some demolition work, according to Ray Drew, the Water Pollution Control Authority administrator.
The $54.2 million project is expected to take three years.
Parts of the sewer facility haven’t been upgraded since 1968, and don’t meet phosphorous and nitrogen limits set by the state and federal governments. The facility also must be floodproofed due to federal guidelines put in place after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.In total, $71.3 million was appropriated by the city following a 2014 referendum for $51.3 million and a City Council vote last September for an additional $20 million. Other costs for the project include design, legal, financing fees and contingency.
The city will take out a 20-year loan with a 2 percent interest rate for the upgrades. Though the total cost of the project is $71.3 million, not all of it will be bonded. A federal grant is paying for 22 percent, or $15.5 million, of the project.
In Torrington, payments will be split between the sewer users and the city’s general fund. Harwinton and Litchfield also will share in the cost of paying toward the project. The two towns have intermunicipal agreements, although both have expired, with Torrington because some homes in those communities are served by the Torrington sewer system.