SUSAN CORICA
BRISTOL - The remediation work on the PCB-contaminated brownfield property at 894 Middle St. is in its final phases.
“We got held up a little bit, but we should be done by the end of summer, if not sooner,” said Dawn Leger, the city’s grants administrator. “One turtle was spotted. He was safely removed to Southington.”
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection had concerns about hibernating Eastern Box Turtles on the site, so staff had been educated about turtle habitats, and a wildlife biologist was onsite during the excavations to ensure proper precautions are taken, Ledger said.
The council voted to make an additional appropriation of $350,000 within the Capital Projects Fund for environmental engineering at the site.
The city began the remediation work last April, with a $1.3 million grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and the city contributed more than $300,000.
The 14.87-acre site has been dormant for more than two decades, after the Laviero metal reclamation operation closed in the late 1980s. The city foreclosed on the property in 2015.
The cleanup project includes the restoration of a swath of wetlands along the Southington border, which posed a challenge for engineers that caused significant delays.
“This project will enable us to clean up this valuable piece of land located just opposite ESPN’s campus,” Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu said when the cleanup began.
“After 40-plus years, this funding allows us to put this property back on the tax rolls,” she said. “We’re grateful to DECD and the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments for their support in the past and going forward with this important project.”
Bristol Development Authority Executive Director Justin Malley has noted that NVCOG as well as DECD supported the cleanup project from its inception.
“We had a great plan and a dedicated team, and we’ve worked tirelessly to get this project done,” he said. “This is a very important property for Bristol’s economic development, with its great location, size, and accessibility.”
Portland proposal on riverfront property could bring parking revenue
Jeff Mill
PORTLAND - The town is moving toward a vote on buying the 5.28-acre parcel along the Connecticut River that is across from a popular water adventure park.
The vote on the Brownstone Avenue property, however, likely would not take place until September.
In the meantime, Mary D. Dickerson, the town’s economic development coordinator, has compiled data that looks at the estimated financial impact of potential uses for the property, including parking.
In compiling the information, Dickerson said, “All…the calculations have been completed using the most conservative estimates based on available public data and contain explanations for both the rationale, data source when applicable, and a breakdown of how the final numbers were computed.”
The property, which is the site of the former Connecticut Tar & Asphalt Co., is made up of three parcels of land: 222, 230 and 248 Brownstone Ave.
The town currently receives $16,415 a year in property taxes.
That money would stop if the town buys the property.
The property is diagonally across the street from the Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park, the popular water adventure that occupies the North Quarry.The park attracts 80,000 to 100,000 people a year.
One of the ideas put forward for the riverside property, if the town buys it, is to use it as a parking lot.
The town is paid a portion of the receipts from the water park; since it opened in 2007, the town has earned more than $3.1 million.
Dickerson took note of that in her report.
“The success of the current public/private partnership with the (Park) presents a unique opportunity for the town to add significant additional seasonable revenues through the establishment of a public parking lot on parcels,” she wrote.
In a telephone interview Monday, Dickerson said the water park does not have striped, paved parking lot. But it does have a field with lanes.
Last season, Discovery Park owner Sean Hayes leased two nearby parking lots.
Dickerson explored a new approach to parking, with help from Integrated Technical Systems, a Wallingford-based company.
Dickerson wrote: “Parking meters serve two important functions: they bring in revenue and they help free and they help free up parking spaces for the next customer.” However, a new generation of so-called “smart meters” can do more than that, Dickerson wrote.
The meters can take parking management a step further and provide myriad data to evaluate and track parking patterns, she wrote.
In addition, “smart meters ensure when motorists leave a space, the leftover time cannot be used by the next motorist as the time is sold to a marker plate not a space, (thus) increasing revenue.”
A standard parking space in Portland is 9 feet wide and 18 feet long, Dickerson said.
Handicap-accessible spaces are wider.
In her evaluation, Dickerson provided “very conservative estimate of the possible summer parking revenue.”
She projected 250 spaces, eight of which would be handicap-accessible and two others that would be van spaces.
She used an extremely conservative estimate of the length of the season, setting it at just eight weeks, as well as projected capacity of 50 percent on weekdays and 80 percent on weekend.
Those estimates would yield 125 cars on a weekday and 200 on a weekend.
Her estimated “time of stay” is seven hours; at a rate of $1 an hour on weekdays and $1.25 on weekends. This resulted in a weekly total of $7,875 a week or $63,000 over the 8 week period.
About use of smart meters, Dickerson said:- ITS offers solar-powered kiosk that must be bolted to the ground but require no electrical wiring or connection.
- The cost of a single start up customer pay unit [which would control an entire parking lot] is approximately $15,000. The multi-space pay station has multiple pay options, a large full-color, easy-read screen, multiple language support and network capability.
- It can be easily moved to the most convenient location and removed seasonally and for special events.
- ITS offers mobile parking payment and their Enterprise Management System allows complete remote management of the pay stations and also provides audit and reporting capabilities.
Dickerson said the system is similar to one in the parking lot adjacent to Middletown City Hall, meaning “At the kiosk, visitors enter their form of payment (cash or credit card) their vehicle marker plate number, and their estimated tie of stay.”
The system also would provide data that can be used to determine parking enforcement and the cost of ticket for a non-payment violation, which Dickerson said would generate additional revenues for the town.
Gasoline taxes are on the rise — just not in CT
Keith M. Phaneuf
Connecticut motorists haven’t faced a gasoline tax increase in six years and only two in the past 12.
But as they travel on one of the busiest weekends of the year, they still could face rising prices at the pump — provided they cross the border.
Twelve states ordered gasoline tax hikes that took effect this week, according to the nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).
While many policymakers say fuel levies are on the way out, the latest increases mean 31 out of 50 states have raised gasoline taxes at least once this decade, according to ITEP.
And at least two Connecticut economists say the trend is not surprising.
“The transition to electric vehicles and hybrids obviously is something that seems to be gathering force, but the real question is how quickly are we going to make that transition?” said University of Connecticut economist Fred V. Carstensen. “We still have a huge inventory of gasoline- and diesel-consuming cars and trucks that is not going to instantly disappear.”
And with the AAA estimating a record-high 41.4 million Americans traveled by highway this Independence Day, “gas taxes are an opportunity for states to raise revenue at a time when the economy is slowing,” said Donald Klepper-Smith, an economist with DataCore Partners.
According to ITEP, of the 12 states that raised gas taxes this week, Illinois ordered the largest, adding 19 cents per gallon, a jump of 52 percent. Ohio ranked second, adding 10.5 cents per gallon.
In the Northeast, Maryland, Rhode Island and Vermont imposed smaller hikes, ranging from 1.4 cents to 0.6 cents per gallon.
Connecticut imposes two taxes on gasoline — a flat, 25-cents-per-gallon retail tax which hasn’t changed since July of 2000, and a percentage-based tax on wholesale transactions. Gas station owners then routinely build this cost into the base price they charge — meaning motorists ultimately pay both taxes.
Connecticut’s gas tax burden consistently ranked first or second in the nation immediately after three successive wholesale fuel tax hikes between 2005 and 2007.
But with only one increase since then, Connecticut’s ranking has fallen to eighth, about six cents per gallon more than the national average, according to the American Petroleum Institute.
The last increase came in July 2013 when the wholesale rate rose from 7 to 8.1 percent. Another surcharge effectively raises that tax to 8.81 percent.
The two state taxes currently total about 44 cents per gallon. Combined with the 18.4-cents federal fuel tax imposed in all states, the total gasoline tax burden Connecticut motorists face is just over 60 cents per gallon.
Neither advocates of tolling nor those who believe Connecticut could rebuild using existing resources have suggested raising gasoline taxes to complement their respective pitches.
Gov. Ned Lamont has dangled the prospect of reducing gasoline taxes if legislators will adopt tolls, suggesting fuel levies are going the way of the dinosaur.
“The gasoline tax simply does not provide the reliable revenue we need, period,” Lamont said when he made his first pitch for tolls back in February. “Gasoline tax revenues have been flat for 10 years and are expected to begin declining as cars become more efficient, and as the sales of electric vehicles increase.”
But Joe Sculley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut — the state’s largest trucking association — said Connecticut’s poor track record with fuel tax receipts explains why it isn’t following the example of other states when it comes to raising gas taxes or installing tolls.
Between 2006 and 2014, about $1.3 billion in receipts from Connecticut’s wholesale fuel tax was spent on non-transportation programs.
Voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution in 2018 creating a legal “lockbox” designed to ensure fuel tax receipts are not diverted for transportation, but Sculley said skeptics of this supposed safeguard are plentiful.
“In many other states, motor fuel taxes are specifically earmarked for roads and bridges,” Sculley said, adding that many people believe “we have no such guarantee in Connecticut.”
Sprawling distribution hub proposed in S. Windsor
Joe Cooper
n Indianapolis-based commercial developer wants to build a 421,000-square-foot distribution facility in South Windsor.
Scannell Properties, which recently erected a similarly sized warehouse-distribution facility in Cromwell, is looking to build the proposed South Windsor facility and outdoor storage space at 245 Chapel Road and R008 John Fitch Blvd.
It has asked the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission for a special exception modification and site plan approval. Zoning officials will discuss the proposal following a public hearing Tuesday night.
It’s not yet clear who would operate the distribution hub, which would be located across the street from Coca-Cola’s new $42.4 million office and distribution facility that’s slated for completion this fall.
In May, the PZC unanimously approved a zoning text amendment for the I-291 corridor specifically to allow outdoor storage for product distribution centers, making way for facilities such as this one.
Outdoor storage space no greater than 10 percent of the property is now allowed, as long as products are screened from public streets using walls, plantings, fences, or other buffers, officials said.
Gov. Lamont still pushing for income tax cut in highway tolls package
Christopher Keating
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection had concerns about hibernating Eastern Box Turtles on the site, so staff had been educated about turtle habitats, and a wildlife biologist was onsite during the excavations to ensure proper precautions are taken, Ledger said.
The council voted to make an additional appropriation of $350,000 within the Capital Projects Fund for environmental engineering at the site.
The city began the remediation work last April, with a $1.3 million grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and the city contributed more than $300,000.
The 14.87-acre site has been dormant for more than two decades, after the Laviero metal reclamation operation closed in the late 1980s. The city foreclosed on the property in 2015.
The cleanup project includes the restoration of a swath of wetlands along the Southington border, which posed a challenge for engineers that caused significant delays.
“This project will enable us to clean up this valuable piece of land located just opposite ESPN’s campus,” Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu said when the cleanup began.
“After 40-plus years, this funding allows us to put this property back on the tax rolls,” she said. “We’re grateful to DECD and the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments for their support in the past and going forward with this important project.”
Bristol Development Authority Executive Director Justin Malley has noted that NVCOG as well as DECD supported the cleanup project from its inception.
“We had a great plan and a dedicated team, and we’ve worked tirelessly to get this project done,” he said. “This is a very important property for Bristol’s economic development, with its great location, size, and accessibility.”
Portland proposal on riverfront property could bring parking revenue
Jeff Mill
PORTLAND - The town is moving toward a vote on buying the 5.28-acre parcel along the Connecticut River that is across from a popular water adventure park.
The vote on the Brownstone Avenue property, however, likely would not take place until September.
In the meantime, Mary D. Dickerson, the town’s economic development coordinator, has compiled data that looks at the estimated financial impact of potential uses for the property, including parking.
In compiling the information, Dickerson said, “All…the calculations have been completed using the most conservative estimates based on available public data and contain explanations for both the rationale, data source when applicable, and a breakdown of how the final numbers were computed.”
The property, which is the site of the former Connecticut Tar & Asphalt Co., is made up of three parcels of land: 222, 230 and 248 Brownstone Ave.
The town currently receives $16,415 a year in property taxes.
That money would stop if the town buys the property.
The property is diagonally across the street from the Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park, the popular water adventure that occupies the North Quarry.The park attracts 80,000 to 100,000 people a year.
One of the ideas put forward for the riverside property, if the town buys it, is to use it as a parking lot.
The town is paid a portion of the receipts from the water park; since it opened in 2007, the town has earned more than $3.1 million.
Dickerson took note of that in her report.
“The success of the current public/private partnership with the (Park) presents a unique opportunity for the town to add significant additional seasonable revenues through the establishment of a public parking lot on parcels,” she wrote.
In a telephone interview Monday, Dickerson said the water park does not have striped, paved parking lot. But it does have a field with lanes.
Last season, Discovery Park owner Sean Hayes leased two nearby parking lots.
Dickerson explored a new approach to parking, with help from Integrated Technical Systems, a Wallingford-based company.
Dickerson wrote: “Parking meters serve two important functions: they bring in revenue and they help free and they help free up parking spaces for the next customer.” However, a new generation of so-called “smart meters” can do more than that, Dickerson wrote.
The meters can take parking management a step further and provide myriad data to evaluate and track parking patterns, she wrote.
In addition, “smart meters ensure when motorists leave a space, the leftover time cannot be used by the next motorist as the time is sold to a marker plate not a space, (thus) increasing revenue.”
A standard parking space in Portland is 9 feet wide and 18 feet long, Dickerson said.
Handicap-accessible spaces are wider.
In her evaluation, Dickerson provided “very conservative estimate of the possible summer parking revenue.”
She projected 250 spaces, eight of which would be handicap-accessible and two others that would be van spaces.
She used an extremely conservative estimate of the length of the season, setting it at just eight weeks, as well as projected capacity of 50 percent on weekdays and 80 percent on weekend.
Those estimates would yield 125 cars on a weekday and 200 on a weekend.
Her estimated “time of stay” is seven hours; at a rate of $1 an hour on weekdays and $1.25 on weekends. This resulted in a weekly total of $7,875 a week or $63,000 over the 8 week period.
About use of smart meters, Dickerson said:- ITS offers solar-powered kiosk that must be bolted to the ground but require no electrical wiring or connection.
- The cost of a single start up customer pay unit [which would control an entire parking lot] is approximately $15,000. The multi-space pay station has multiple pay options, a large full-color, easy-read screen, multiple language support and network capability.
- It can be easily moved to the most convenient location and removed seasonally and for special events.
- ITS offers mobile parking payment and their Enterprise Management System allows complete remote management of the pay stations and also provides audit and reporting capabilities.
Dickerson said the system is similar to one in the parking lot adjacent to Middletown City Hall, meaning “At the kiosk, visitors enter their form of payment (cash or credit card) their vehicle marker plate number, and their estimated tie of stay.”
The system also would provide data that can be used to determine parking enforcement and the cost of ticket for a non-payment violation, which Dickerson said would generate additional revenues for the town.
Gasoline taxes are on the rise — just not in CT
Keith M. Phaneuf
Connecticut motorists haven’t faced a gasoline tax increase in six years and only two in the past 12.
But as they travel on one of the busiest weekends of the year, they still could face rising prices at the pump — provided they cross the border.
Twelve states ordered gasoline tax hikes that took effect this week, according to the nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).
While many policymakers say fuel levies are on the way out, the latest increases mean 31 out of 50 states have raised gasoline taxes at least once this decade, according to ITEP.
And at least two Connecticut economists say the trend is not surprising.
“The transition to electric vehicles and hybrids obviously is something that seems to be gathering force, but the real question is how quickly are we going to make that transition?” said University of Connecticut economist Fred V. Carstensen. “We still have a huge inventory of gasoline- and diesel-consuming cars and trucks that is not going to instantly disappear.”
And with the AAA estimating a record-high 41.4 million Americans traveled by highway this Independence Day, “gas taxes are an opportunity for states to raise revenue at a time when the economy is slowing,” said Donald Klepper-Smith, an economist with DataCore Partners.
Klepper-Smith, who was Connecticut’s chief economic adviser in the late 2000s under Gov. M. Jodi Rell, said that for many states, gasoline tax hikes also are a “reasonable alternative” to boosting income taxes.
In the Northeast, Maryland, Rhode Island and Vermont imposed smaller hikes, ranging from 1.4 cents to 0.6 cents per gallon.
Connecticut imposes two taxes on gasoline — a flat, 25-cents-per-gallon retail tax which hasn’t changed since July of 2000, and a percentage-based tax on wholesale transactions. Gas station owners then routinely build this cost into the base price they charge — meaning motorists ultimately pay both taxes.
Connecticut’s gas tax burden consistently ranked first or second in the nation immediately after three successive wholesale fuel tax hikes between 2005 and 2007.
But with only one increase since then, Connecticut’s ranking has fallen to eighth, about six cents per gallon more than the national average, according to the American Petroleum Institute.
The last increase came in July 2013 when the wholesale rate rose from 7 to 8.1 percent. Another surcharge effectively raises that tax to 8.81 percent.
The two state taxes currently total about 44 cents per gallon. Combined with the 18.4-cents federal fuel tax imposed in all states, the total gasoline tax burden Connecticut motorists face is just over 60 cents per gallon.
But while most other states continue to raise fuel taxes, Connecticut has swung in a different direction in recent years and is now exploring tolls as the next potential, major revenue source to rebuild its aging overcrowded highways, bridges and rail lines.
Gov. Ned Lamont has dangled the prospect of reducing gasoline taxes if legislators will adopt tolls, suggesting fuel levies are going the way of the dinosaur.
“The gasoline tax simply does not provide the reliable revenue we need, period,” Lamont said when he made his first pitch for tolls back in February. “Gasoline tax revenues have been flat for 10 years and are expected to begin declining as cars become more efficient, and as the sales of electric vehicles increase.”
But Joe Sculley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut — the state’s largest trucking association — said Connecticut’s poor track record with fuel tax receipts explains why it isn’t following the example of other states when it comes to raising gas taxes or installing tolls.
Between 2006 and 2014, about $1.3 billion in receipts from Connecticut’s wholesale fuel tax was spent on non-transportation programs.
Voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution in 2018 creating a legal “lockbox” designed to ensure fuel tax receipts are not diverted for transportation, but Sculley said skeptics of this supposed safeguard are plentiful.
“In many other states, motor fuel taxes are specifically earmarked for roads and bridges,” Sculley said, adding that many people believe “we have no such guarantee in Connecticut.”
Sprawling distribution hub proposed in S. Windsor
Joe Cooper
n Indianapolis-based commercial developer wants to build a 421,000-square-foot distribution facility in South Windsor.
Scannell Properties, which recently erected a similarly sized warehouse-distribution facility in Cromwell, is looking to build the proposed South Windsor facility and outdoor storage space at 245 Chapel Road and R008 John Fitch Blvd.
It has asked the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission for a special exception modification and site plan approval. Zoning officials will discuss the proposal following a public hearing Tuesday night.
It’s not yet clear who would operate the distribution hub, which would be located across the street from Coca-Cola’s new $42.4 million office and distribution facility that’s slated for completion this fall.
Outdoor storage space no greater than 10 percent of the property is now allowed, as long as products are screened from public streets using walls, plantings, fences, or other buffers, officials said.
Gov. Lamont still pushing for income tax cut in highway tolls package
Christopher Keating
Gov. Ned Lamont is still pushing for a state income tax cut as part of a comprehensive package to install electronic highway tolls.
Lamont told reporters Monday that he is not giving up on a special session on tolls, although no session has been scheduled as many legislators are away on vacation in the middle of the summer.
"We’re going to come back. I can’t tell you exactly when that’s going to be,'' Lamont told Capitol reporters Monday. "We’re in active discussions, trying to find something where I can get these people to show a little courage, stand up, and vote for something that fixes our transportation system.''
"We’re going to come back. I can’t tell you exactly when that’s going to be,'' Lamont told Capitol reporters Monday. "We’re in active discussions, trying to find something where I can get these people to show a little courage, stand up, and vote for something that fixes our transportation system.''
When asked if he would continue pushing for a state income tax cut, Lamont responded, "Why not? The middle class is getting squeezed in this state. I’ve got to find a way that we fix our transportation system and make sure we keep faith with the middle class.'
Lamont held a high-profile meeting with top lawmakers on tolls on June 19, but no agreements were reached. In a potential compromise, Lamont released a new idea that day for a small cut in the state income tax as part of the package for tolls. The lowest rate on the income tax would be dropped to 2 percent, down from the current 3 percent. That would save a maximum of $90 per year for individuals earning between $25,000 and $100,000 a year and a maximum of $180 per year for couples with adjusted gross incomes between $35,000 and $145,000 annually.
Lamont held a high-profile meeting with top lawmakers on tolls on June 19, but no agreements were reached. In a potential compromise, Lamont released a new idea that day for a small cut in the state income tax as part of the package for tolls. The lowest rate on the income tax would be dropped to 2 percent, down from the current 3 percent. That would save a maximum of $90 per year for individuals earning between $25,000 and $100,000 a year and a maximum of $180 per year for couples with adjusted gross incomes between $35,000 and $145,000 annually.
But Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, a New Haven Democrat, was not optimistic about a special session on tolls soon.
"I would not put a timetable on that,'' Looney said. "We are in a similar position to the House - close, but not a guarantee that the votes are actually there yet.''
Looney said the Senate Democrats have not yet held a caucus on the tax-cut issue, which would cost the state about $100 million a year in lost revenues.
State legislature expected to return July 22 to vote on construction money for towns and cities
State legislature expected to return July 22 to vote on construction money for towns and cities
With state legislators on vacation in the middle of the summer, lawmakers expect to return to the state Capitol as soon as July 22 to vote on the annual bond package to pay for municipal construction projects.
Officials are working behind the scenes to craft the package, which would be held on the same day as the annual veto-override session. Gov. Ned Lamont has not vetoed any bills yet, but July 22 is the target date for that session. Under the state constitution, the veto-override session must be held on a Monday.
Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, a New Haven Democrat, said that money in the bond package would likely be set aside "in large pots'' for cities and small towns in various categories "rather than cluttering up the bill with a lot of specific earmarks.'' As a result, lawmakers would likely vote on a generic, overall total of millions of dollars for small towns, instead of naming each project for each town in the bill.
Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, a New Haven Democrat, said that money in the bond package would likely be set aside "in large pots'' for cities and small towns in various categories "rather than cluttering up the bill with a lot of specific earmarks.'' As a result, lawmakers would likely vote on a generic, overall total of millions of dollars for small towns, instead of naming each project for each town in the bill.
"It’s substantially ready, and that’s why we think the 22nd is a reasonable target date,'' Looney said Friday.
While the legislature will likely vote on a large bond package, the key factor is that Lamont has been pressing forward with his "debt diet'' in order to control state borrowing. During his first six months in office, Lamont has held only two State Bond Commission meetings - cutting back the overall bonding that had been approved during the previous eight years under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Regardless of the amounts approved by the legislature, Lamont holds the authority as chairman of the bond commission to set the agenda and determine which individual projects are eligible for a final vote.
While the legislature will likely vote on a large bond package, the key factor is that Lamont has been pressing forward with his "debt diet'' in order to control state borrowing. During his first six months in office, Lamont has held only two State Bond Commission meetings - cutting back the overall bonding that had been approved during the previous eight years under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Regardless of the amounts approved by the legislature, Lamont holds the authority as chairman of the bond commission to set the agenda and determine which individual projects are eligible for a final vote.
When the regular legislative session ended on June 5, lawmakers said they would return to complete unfinished business on a wide variety of issues. With no agreement on the installation of electronic highway tolls, lawmakers still do not have a date for a vote.
"I would not put a timetable on that,'' Looney said. "We are in a similar position to the House - close, but not a guarantee that the votes are actually there yet.''
Lamont held a high-profile meeting with top lawmakers on tolls on June 19, but no agreements were reached. In a potential compromise, Lamont released a new idea that day for a small cut in the state income tax as part of the package for tolls. The lowest rate on the income tax would be dropped to 2 percent, down from the current 3 percent. That would save a maximum of $90 per year for individuals earning between $25,000 and $100,000 a year and a maximum of $180 per year for couples with adjusted gross incomes between $35,000 and $145,000 annually.
Looney said the Senate Democrats have not yet held a caucus on the tax-cut issue, which would cost the state about $100 million a year in lost revenues.