CT Construction Digest August 30 2019

Downtown Danbury to get $4 million face-lift
Rob Ryser
DANBURY — City Hall’s latest attempt to infuse new life into a once-thriving Main Street corridor calls for $4 million worth of granite-inlayed sidewalks, street amenities and ornamental trees.The Streetscape Renaissance Project could begin as soon as mid-November, when voters will have decided whether Republican Mayor Mark Boughton or Democratic challenger Chris Setaro will lead them into a new decade.The new streetscape idea was unveiled in the spring as part of a larger $250,000 study about fueling downtown renewal. The study’s recommendations included revitalized nightlife, rebuilt streetscapes, abundant public art, 1,200 new apartments and a $27 million transit center.
The hope is to make Main Street the cultural centerpiece it was for decades, or at least bring the downtown core up to speed with the rest of Danbury, which is one of the fastest growing cities in the state.
The reality is Main Street is a neighborhood of mixed signals.
On one hand, more shops and businesses have closed than have opened in recent months — including Danbury Democratic Party chairwoman Andrea Gartner’s Pour Me café. On the other hand, a $13 million apartment complex could begin construction in the fall at the former News-Times building site, across the street from the 375-unit Kennedy Flats complex.
In contrast City Hall’s streetscape project is a small step in the longer journey to downtown economic revitalization.
The streetscape project, half of which is being paid for with a $2 million state grant, includes the heart of Main Street and Kennedy Avenue, along with the streets near the CityCenter Green, and the streets near the Danbury Ice Arena.
“We are going to get a lot done with this project,” Boughton said.
Setaro has faulted Boughton for allowing the Main Street corridor to languish.
The city plans to replace its asphalt-patched sidewalks with scored concrete and granite inlays, and install larger tree planters with room for annuals and perennials.Main Street medians will be redesigned with new plantings and trees to replace the two dozen cherry trees that were cut down in 2017 because they were not growing or blooming.
In all, 200 trees will be planted in the Main Street corridor including Honey Locust, Ornamental Pear, Sugar Maple, and English Oak, according to a project outline on the city website.

Grasso Tech students start school year in brand-new building
Kimberly Drelich
Groton — Ella T. Grasso Technical High School seniors Logan Woodall and Mariana Latorre remember when construction started next to their school during their freshman year.
Every morning, students looked out from their bus and saw the site changing and the new school taking shape over time, they said.
Students were excited — and a little nervous — Thursday to step foot into the new 226,000-square-foot, three-story building with "GT" on the outside. The interior of the building features blue and gray tones to match the school's colors, as well as wood paneling, large windows and bright lighting.
"I'm super excited to actually finally be here and understand everything that's going to be going on and experience the whole new school," Woodall said.
He and Latorre said the facility made them feel more motivated to learn. They described the school as welcoming, prestigious and professional.
"It’s a lot more high tech," Latorre said. "We have a lot more new technology here compared to our old school."
The climate-controlled building includes a new auditorium with more than 300 seats, a student-run restaurant, classrooms and shop areas, a college-style cafeteria, a library media center with stations where students can sit and work together, and a gym and fitness center with new equipment.
Principal Patricia M. Feeney expressed excitement about the brand-new space and programs that have been added this year.
She said the school is providing a new four-year welding program and a new four-year digital media program. The school also is offering a two-year guest services and hospitality management program for juniors and seniors.
Construction on the approximately $128 million project, funded through the state Department of Administrative Services, started in June 2017, Feeney said.
The former school facility was aging and had issues, from leaks at times when it rained to an HVAC system and other infrastructure in need of repairs, she said. With little cost difference between a complete renovation and building a brand-new facility, the decision was made to build a new school on existing acreage, she said.
The school buildings are similar in size, but the older building had unused space, while the layout in the new building is more conducive for a high school setting, she said.
"It's a very inviting, very welcoming atmosphere," Feeney said.
Dean of Students Jonathan Grossman said the new school — which has the capacity to accommodate 800 students in the future — provides an academic, professional environment for students.
"They're more motivated to be here, to learn in their shops and excel," he said.
The second phase of the school project entails demolishing the old building in the late fall and early spring and then beginning to build athletic fields, Feeney said.
Athletic Director Gregg Antoch said an athletic complex with a turf field, track and field house will be installed on the site of the old school, while the existing soccer field will be turned into a baseball and softball complex.
Antoch said Grasso Tech hopes the "state-of-the-art" athletic facilities will draw in more students and allow the school to offer more sports programs on site. Students at Grasso Tech, which is part of a football co-operative, are bused to Norwich to play football, but Grasso hopes it will host football with the new turf complex. The school also is looking at adding lacrosse on site.
On Thursday, students walked the hallways and looked at the new space and started their school year in new classrooms and shops. Freshmen, sophomores and juniors started school on Thursday, while seniors will start school on Friday. Latorre and Woodall were at school on Thursday because they are student mentors.
Latorre had looked through the windows into the hairdressing shop and said it was nicely lit and more spacious and inviting.
"It looks so pretty," she said.
"I just feel like everything's just more up-to-date and you can actually interact with everyone a little easier from what I noticed," said Woodall, who is in the drafting shop, adding that overall there is more and better equipment.
Teachers also were excited about the new facility.
Peter Barber, welding instructor, said the welding shop is the best he's ever seen or worked in. He will be teaching students primarily welding and fabrication, which will prepare them for careers at Electric Boat and other manufacturing companies, along with other jobs.
"Locally, there's a huge demand," he said.
At a time when the automotive industry is expected to change immensely over the next five years, John Blake, head of the automotive department, said the school's technology is "right on the cutting edge."
"I love this shop," said Blake, as he stood in the space with new equipment, drop lights and large windows. "This is state-of-the-art all the way."

Unions favor controversial highway tolls; opposition continues
Christopher Keating

Key union leaders called Thursday for the state legislature to approve electronic highway tolls in Connecticut - a long-running issue that continues to cause controversy.

Nearly 25 top officials in the Connecticut State Building Trades Council and the state AFL-CIO asked the state House of Representatives and Senate to approve the tolls as soon as possible.

For years, tolls have prompted fierce opposition from Republican legislators and opponents who say they are nothing more than another tax. Despite hearings in recent years, tolls have never been approved by the legislature. No special sessions have been scheduled this summer to debate the issue, and Republicans say that the legislature simply does not have enough votes to approve tolls.

Toll booths were removed from Connecticut highways three decades ago after a fiery crash in Stratford and have never returned.
The construction of tolls would be a major job-creator, and the union leaders said that the construction industry has not fully recovered from the jobs that were lost during the Great Recession of 2008-09 that accelerated with the collapse of the Lehman Brothers investment bank on Wall Street. Of nearly 21,000 construction jobs that were lost, only 88 percent have been recovered, according to the unions. Overall, the state had nearly 61,000 construction jobs as of five months ago.

"We’re still down 7 percent from the peak, and the outlook is still shaky,'' Don Shubert, president of the Connecticut Construction Industries Association, said in the two-page letter. "It’s shakier than it’s been in a long time. There’s a lot of uncertainty right now in Connecticut as far as public construction.''

The letter was signed by AFL-CIO president Sal Luciano, AFL-CIO executive vice president Jan Hochadel, and David Roche, the president of the Connecticut Building Trades Council and general vice president of the AFL-CIO.

“When our members are employed, not only do they do the essential work of building our infrastructure, they pay taxes and contribute to overall economic growth,” the letter states. “It is important for our economy that Connecticut invest heavily in infrastructure projects that the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says, ‘will boost productivity, support business growth, create jobs, provide a healthier environment, and improve opportunities for all of [their] residents.’”

Gov. Ned Lamont strongly supports tolls, and his administration has estimated that the tolls would generate about $800 million per year - depending on the number of overhead gantries and the pricing of the tolls. As estimated 40 percent of the money would be paid by out-of-state drivers.
The union leaders say that Connecticut’s highways and bridges are badly in need of repairs, citing a grade of C - by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2018.
The letter states that the engineers said that “much of Connecticut’s infrastructure is over 50 years old, meaning it is beyond its intended life… Investing in infrastructure will foster opportunities for our economy to grow in a sustainable fashion and support ongoing prosperity.”

Protesters have repeatedly arrived at the state Capitol to speak out against tolls, and they spoke to Lamont on Monday morning when he returned to the Capitol for the first time since a summer vacation on the island of North Haven, Maine.

Patrick Sasser of Stamford, a strong opponent of tolls, said "it boggles my mind'' that all the money that was supposed to go into the special transportation fund has not always gone into the fund in the past.

"They want to impose tolls and put another tax on people,'' Sasser said. "They’re not saying a word about all that money being diverted.''

Haskell hints at upcoming “major” news while talking tolls, other issues with Himes in Norwalk
Justin Papp
NORWALK — State Sen. Will Haskell, D-Westport, hinted at the possibility of some upcoming transportation news while talking about the most recent tolls plan with the Norwalk Rotary Club.
The group also received a congressional update from U.S. Rep. Jim Himes.
When asked about tolls, Haskell told the small group gathered at the Norwalk Inn that incorporating gantries “is absolutely crucial to funding our infrastructure.”Haskell said the state has 335 structurally deficient bridges and Metro-North is slower today than it was in 1952. To fix the state’s ailing infrastructure, the legislator said there were three options.
“It’s raising taxes, which is enormously unpopular among Democrats and Republicans, I think, (or) taking on additional debt which is what Connecticut has done for decades, and I think that’s tremendously unfair for the next generation,” Haskell said. “And the third option is to choose a user fee on those folks who do travel through Connecticut.”

Haskell talked about congestion pricing, which would raise the price for trucks during peak hours, charging out-of-state prices and discounting drivers who pass under gantries more than 20 times a month. He added that part of the hold up on tolls has been a failure to court Republican votes, though he alluded to future developments.

“But I do think we’re going to see major transportation news in September,” he said, although he didn’t elaborate further.
Himes, meanwhile, told the group that congressional gridlock has not hindered progress in areas like combating the opioid epidemic or reforming the federal penal system.
“Even in these polarized times, there is progress being made,” Himes told a small group of Norwalk Rotary Club members at the Norwalk Inn. The congressman was joined by state Sen. Will Haskell, D-Westport, when he provided the group with a congressional update.
Opioids and incarceration were two of many topics Himes tackled at the short briefing, which included a question and answer session. Himes also addressed the cluttered field of Democratic candidates for the 2020 election, the impending threat of a recession, the crisis at the border and national security spending.
He listed lowering healthcare costs and investing in infrastructure among the things he’s working on day-to-day.

“The president understands building, he understands infrastructure, so my hope is that that’s not dead, that we could get a deal done where we actually do invest a couple trillion dollars on infrastructure,” Himes said. “We’re going to do it someday. We’ve got to do it sooner rather than later.”

Asked which two Democratic presidential candidates would battle for the party’s nomination, Himes narrowed it down to Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg. Biden is a “moderate” Democrat, as opposed to Sanders, who is “way out there,” Himes said.“Bernie, he seems to be like an ‘upset the apple cart’ kind of guy, whereas Warren, Warren will tell you this, ‘I’m a market capitalist, I just want the markets to be fair,’ ” Himes said.
Himes, who has been a vocal critic of President Donald J. Trump, was relatively complimentary of the president for his handling of the tensions with Iran and his views on American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“It’s no secret that I’m a critic, but I will also give him points for being pretty skeptical about our expenditures and our profile in places like Afghanistan and Iraq,” Himes said, crediting Trump for not getting baited into another Middle East war.

CT Construction Digest Thursday August 29, 2019

Bridgeport looks to new school improvements as it closes in on new Bassick site
Linda Conner Lambeck
BRIDGEPORT — City officials are getting close to a deal that would put a new Bassick High School on the former Harvey Hubbell property on State Street.
The 8-acre property, split in the middle by Bostwick Avenue, is reportedly big enough that sport fields can be built on one side of Bostwick, with a four story school on the other.
“As of today, there is more work to be done, but it looks like there is a clear path for a new location for a new Bassick High School which include on-site sport facilities,” Mayor Joseph Ganim said.
The announcement came Wednesday, as Ganim also laid the groundwork for what he said will be an Educational Task Force to create a new capital plan for the school district. It would be the first one in more than two decades.
The task force would include school and city officials and would spend months evaluating the needs of the district’s inventory of 37 properties. At least two schools in the district — Sheriden and Classical Studies — were built in the late 1800s. Several others are a century old.
Acting Schools Superintendent Michael Testani and School Board Chairman John Weldon attended the press conference. The rest of the school board was reportedly not informed of the plan until receiving an email Wednesday afternoon.
“I wish I, as a board member and a member of the school building committee, knew about this announcement before the day of,” said Joseph Sokolovic. “I would’ve liked to have attended. Too bad all these initiatives are popping up at the last minute. I hope they are still in place after the primary.”The announcement of the city/school task force comes less than two weeks before Ganim faces a Democratic primary battle for another term as mayor.
After the press conference, Ganim said his reelection was not his motivation in announcing the new building task force now. Instead, he credited a new partnership forged with Testani.
“No disrespect to his predecessor, but there just wasn’t the engagement there is now,” Ganim said. “You have to give him a lot of credit for that.”
Building Bridgeport’s Future
Ganim said a yet-to-be-formed task force will create a road map for improving the school district’s existing facilities by commissioning a study and then prioritizing what needs to be done.
The effort, he said, will be huge, involving not just city and school officials but the city’s legislative delegation as well since the lion’s share of capital dollars would come from the state.“It will be as sweeping and comprehensive as it needs to be,” Ganim said. “I can’t tell what it is going to involve or how many schools, but it will look at all of the schools (inside and out).”
Weldon called the district’s buildings a difficult portfolio to manage and prioritize.
“There are a lot of moving parts and we have to move together,” he said.
Ganim doesn’t see the effort running into a road block with Gov. Ned Lamont’s self-declared state debt diet.
“I don’t know how long debt diet will last,” Ganim said.
What he envisions is a multiple-year request. Ganim said the city contribution could amount to $100 million. City Finance Director Ken Flatto said he expects it to be much less.
“I make the argument that Bridgeport should not be included in the debt diet,” Ganim said. “It’s too important. Nothing should be a higher priority.”
A new Bassick
Testani said as excited as he is about the capital plan, he is more excited about the new Bassick, which has been years in the making.
The new $115 million project — $90 million of which will come from the state — was to be built on the current Fairfield Avenue property but issues arose with destroying the 1929 portion of the structure and where to put Bassick students during construction. Busing Bassick students across the city to the former Harding High School was an idea that was universally panned.
Using the Hubbell site will allow Bassick students to stay where they are until construction is complete.
City Council Member Marcus Brown, co-chair of the building committee, said he is more than excited that the new Bassick will have a regulation-size football and soccer field.“It looks like it is going to come to fruition,” Brown said.
Bassick is the last of the city’s high schools to be rebuilt.
Ganim said the property still needs a fair value appraisal. Whether the current Bassick site is part of the deal to build on the Hubbell site has not been determined.
The process could take a couple of months but Ganim deemed it to be in good shape — “Much more than a month ago,” he said.

Norwich takes first step to create Franklin Square roundabout
Claire Bessette
Norwich — The downtown traffic pattern could change dramatically by next summer, as the city took the first step in a project to create a roundabout at Franklin Square.
The city received six responses Tuesday from engineering firms interested in doing the design and engineering for the roundabout project, which would allow for traffic flow in all directions at Main and Franklin streets. The project also would include a design for the center island and a plan to widen sidewalks in spots to allow merchants to offer outdoor seating or vending.
The firms, all from Connecticut, will be reviewed by a committee that will select finalists to be interviewed before the city selects a consultant to design the project, Public Works Director Patrick McLaughlin said Tuesday. He hopes to have the finalist selected by Nov. 1. The city then would negotiate a contract with the firm to design the specifications to go out to bid for construction.
McLaughlin hopes construction can be done next spring and summer.
The city in December received a $400,000 state grant through the State Department of Transportation Community Connectivity Program. McLaughlin said the city anticipates the project could cost a bit more than that, and the city would have to pay for any costs in excess of the grant. The city also is paying for the design and engineering costs.
The project calls for eliminating the confusing current traffic arrangement in Franklin Square, which is really a triangle. Vehicles enter Franklin Street heading north from Main Street along two, one-way strips, one from the east and the other from the west. The city converted Franklin Street from one-way to two-way traffic in May 2017, but traffic heading south toward Main Street can’t get there directly. Vehicles turn right onto Bath Street and then left onto lower Broadway to Main Street.
With the planned roundabout, southbound Franklin Street traffic will be able to go directly to Main Street.

 

“It will be better traffic circulation,” McLaughlin said.
The six firms who submitted responses to the city’s request for qualifications for design firms are: Alfred Benesche & Co. of Glastonbury, AI Engineers Inc. of Middletown, Milone & MacBroom of Cheshire, Weston & Sampson of Rocky Hill, Fuss & O’Neill of Manchester and VHB of Wethersfield.
Mayor Peter Nystrom, a member of the City Council Public Works and Capital Improvements Committee, said he is especially eager to see proposed engineering designs that incorporate the wider sidewalks for outside use by businesses and to make the downtown center “more pedestrian user-friendly.”

With zoning changes, Groton officials hope to boost growth around sub base
Kimberly Drelich     
Groton — When the zoning district around the Naval Submarine Base was created 35 years ago, among its main purposes was to promote businesses serving tourists and the Navy.
But growth has not met expectations, a consultant said during a presentation Tuesday. Now the town is considering changing the zoning to better promote suitable development in the area, while still ensuring protections and compatibility with the base, Submarine Force Museum and Historic Ship Nautilus.
Jeff Davis, senior planner with the consulting firm Horsely Witten Group, outlined the proposal during an informational meeting on Tuesday evening that followed a site walk. Davis said that after hearing that the Planning and Zoning Commission and property owners are so far comfortable with the direction, he will formally draft a proposal of the discussed changes, which is expected to be presented to the commission for review at its next meeting.
Any proposed changes would have to go to a public hearing at a later date.
The zoning review is part of a larger Joint Land Use Study, through the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments and funded by the Department of Defense, that is analyzing economic conditions and zoning, as well as housing and transportation needs related to Electric Boat and the sub base, according to the presentation. 
With a net 5,000 new employees projected at Electric Boat over the next 30 years, Groton could see as many as 150 new households by 2025, he said. In addition, the projected growth in manufacturing means greater demand for retail, medical offices, and flexible industrial space and continued office demand.
The town's recently approved comprehensive zoning update includes two new mixed-use zones expected to absorb a lot of the demand for apartments and other types of housing, he said. A new mixed-use industrial district hopefully will absorb a lot of the economic demand for such uses.
With the expected growth and economic and housing changes being addressed in other parts of town, consultants and the town are taking a "step back" to determine how to meet the needs of the area around the sub base and people who own property there, he said.
Davis said the Navy is interested in mixed-use walkable development, particularly along the Route 12 corridor, that could help serve the employees of the base, while there's generally a preference to minimize development along Crystal Lake Road for security and traffic purposes.
He said the town's Plan of Conservation and Development also has identified the area in the vicinity of the sub base, designated as the Nautilus Memorial Design District, or NMDD, as needing to be re-evaluated.
For the most part, the district has seen little development, though a significant apartment complex being built by A.R. Building Co. on Pleasant Valley Road North is likely the largest development there in the past decade, Davis said. The first of three apartment buildings is open, and a second is under construction, said Jon Reiner, the town's director of planning and development.
The town is looking at rezoning most of the NMDD to a Commercial, Neighborhood, or CN, zone, which most closely matches the area's existing mix of housing, retail and services, according to Davis' presentation. An additional overlay zone would cover three parcels on the western end of Crystal Lake Road, closest to the naval base entrance, to restrict the area to uses more compatible with the base and provide additional dimensional standards for development.
A stretch of properties with single-family homes along Pleasant Valley Road North is proposed to be rezoned as residential, or RU-20, according to Davis' presentation.
The NMDD provides general guidelines but not much concrete guidance, and every proposed development in the zone requires a special permit. The proposed CN would allow similar uses as the NMDD but be more concrete, and fewer uses would require a special permit or conditions. Similarly, the proposed RU-20 zone also has clearly outlined permitted uses.     
"We hope that this will remove uncertainty, will reduce time and expense for property owners who want to develop or redevelop properties in the district," Davis said.

 

Representatives of the town, naval base, the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, Horsley Witten Group, and a property owner had walked the area Tuesday afternoon prior to the informational meeting attended by about four members of the public. The Planning and Zoning Commission then held a meeting in the evening.
Steve Woodruff, who owns property on Route 12, said during the informational meeting that he is pleased to see the zoning initiative. "I know this has been a point of contention with the businesses along there that it was so restrictive that it really hamstrung us, so I just want to say thank you and we’re pleased to see some positive developments here," he said.
Adam Wright, community planning and liaison officer with the Naval Submarine Base, said after the site walk and the informational meeting that he is happy the property owners in attendance seemed glad to see some changes.
"Certainly, our goal from the sub base is to be a good neighbor," he said, "and to the extent that good zoning changes can enhance compatible use for both the Navy and the townspeople, this is a very positive development."
Davis said the feedback so far has been positive, but one of the big question marks is the single-family home parcels being proposed to change from NMDD to RU-20. He said while they look like they are all being used for strictly residential uses, he wants to make sure the project "isn't stepping on anyone's toes."
Reiner said the town is seeking public feedback so it can incorporate it into the process as it looks at the zoning. There is no formal application yet.
"We want to make sure all property owners know what's happening and are involved, and none of this is set in stone yet," he said.
Assistant Planning Director Deb Jones said the town will let property owners known when an application has been filed and a public hearing on proposed zone changes will be held.
More information is available at bit.ly/GTzoning and bit.ly/SubBaseZoning. 

CT Construction Digest Tuesday August 27, 2019

CT offshore wind may face some rough seas
Jan Ellen Spiegel
s Connecticut races to get its first offshore wind projects on track for construction, a collision of factors appear to be working against them.
To start with, the timing couldn’t be worse.
The state and its offshore-wind-loving neighbors all face a year-end expiration of a federal tax credit that helps finance these projects – the first major attempts in the U.S. But in Connecticut some problems – including at least one self-inflicted one – could mean forgoing that money.
Most critical are two issues. The first is the controversy at the Connecticut Port Authority (CPA), which has placed the quasi-public agency under audit and so far sent three people to the exits. The CPA runs the state-owned Pier in New London – now angling to be the premier staging area for offshore wind construction in the state, if not the region.

But a contract between the state and the offshore wind partnership of the Danish powerhouse Orsted and Eversource to pour tens of millions of dollars into a $93-million infrastructure upgrade at the port is yet to be completed.

The second issue involves a potentially ominous signal to all offshore wind projects, as well as the states supporting them, sent from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM – pronounced bome) in the U.S. Department of Interior.
Earlier this month, BOEM delayed approval of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Massachusetts-backed 800-megawatt project by Vineyard Wind, slated to be the first major grid-based offshore wind project in the U.S.
The new environmental impact statement, which could take well into 2020 to complete, is supposed to look at the cumulative impact of the many offshore wind projects now being planned off the east coast – some of which involve Connecticut. But there are no details of the study beyond that and it’s unclear whether the study would be specific to the Vineyard Wind project or if it constitutes a change in the Trump administration’s previously stated commitment to offshore wind.
“How do we interpret this?” asked Francis Pullaro, executive director of RENEW Northeast, an advocacy group for the renewable energy industry and environmental community in New England and New York. “Is the Department of Interior using the process to foot drag and doing everything it can to be an impediment to the process? Or do we take them at their word? Can they easily make a case they have legitimate issues there? Or is there some other motivation unknown to the rest of us?”

There’s a lot a stake given the number and size of the offshore wind projects in development around the region, Pullaro said.

Caitlin Peale Sloan, senior attorney in the Boston office of the Conservation Law Foundation, the environmental legal advocacy group that worked with Vineyard Wind to ensure endangered right whales were protected, pointed out that a cumulative impact analysis was submitted – albeit before several other large offshore wind projects in New York and New Jersey were approved.
“I am concerned that the fact that BOEM didn’t include these big projects has given them an opening to slow down all projects,” she said. “The Vineyard Wind federal process is really a bellwether to see if the federal government will follow through on its promise for offshore wind.”
President Trump, himself, has had a fraught relationship with the wind turbines located near his Scottish resort, even falsely accusing such turbines of causing cancer. Although his first interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, supported offshore wind, it’s unclear where Zinke’s replacement – David Bernhardt, a former oil and coal lobbyist, stands.
Trump has also pushed for oil and gas drilling off the east coast, which is opposed by just about every state on the eastern seaboard. And many see a double standard potentially at work as the Trump administration cuts regulations governing fossil fuel extraction while coming down hard on offshore wind.

But some offshore wind advocates say the delay is understandable.

“It’s the first large-scale project in a brand new industry in the U.S. We’re going to see some bumps in the road,” said Nancy Sopko, co-director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind, an independent project at the University of Delaware. Sopko pointed out that while offshore wind has been operating in Europe for 20 years, it’s new to U.S. regulators and the agencies that have to permit the projects and consult on the applications.
“Cue the thunder,” she said. “I actually don’t see this as the doomsday prediction for the industry that some do.”
Neither does Laura Morton, senior director of policy and regulatory affairs for offshore wind at the American Wind Energy Association, where Sopko used to work. “The big question is regulatory certainty,” she said. “I do believe BOEM is trying to be justifiably balanced.”
One part of that balancing act involves the fishing industry, which seems to have driven the delay after the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a division of NOAA, refused to sign off on the Vineyard Wind environmental impact statement. Indeed, the fishing industry is among the few cheering the government’s protracted analysis of the plan.

“It sent a subtle shock wave through the whole industry,” said Ben Goetsch, fisheries liaison for Briarpatch Enterprises in Milford. Goetsch, a lawyer who represents fisheries with legislative advocacy, also operates his own shellfishing business.  “It’s a litmus test for the whole huge development for the eastern seaboard. We stand with NOAA on this.”

One of the issues Goetsch and others, including non-fishing interests, point to is the need for coordinated transit lanes for fishing vessels from wind area to wind area so fisherman don’t face unnecessarily long and disjointed trips. He also worries about the cabling from the turbines.
“Fishing gear certainly does not want to interact with these cables,” he said.
Connecticut believes it is already addressing issues like these and others that could affect fishermen. Just before the Vineyard Wind delay and the CPA matter began unspooling, the state fielded a commission to rapidly pull together environmental considerations for offshore wind, especially those related to the fishing industry. They were rushed to be included in an equally rushed request for proposals for a new round of offshore wind procurement by the state before the tax credit deadline.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection unveiled the RFP in mid-July for at least 400 megawatts of the 2,000-megawatt mandate for offshore wind approved by the legislature this past session.

Victoria Hackett, the new deputy commissioner for energy, said in email responses that the Commission on Environmental Standards had communicated with BOEM and the NMFS about federal processes during the commission’s deliberations, and those agencies’ input was reflected in the final commission report and recommendations.

“DEEP has not had direct communications with BOEM about this particular decision,” she said of the Vineyard Wind delay. “We take the decision at face value. The RFP includes provisions that will address some of the issues that have come to the fore on the Vineyard Wind MA project.”
Hackett pointed to a section that specifically says eligible bidders must submit an adaptive plan “to avoid, minimize, and mitigate risks to Stakeholders,” specifically mentioning “risk to commercial fisheries, risk to marine mammals and sea turtles with specific reference of underwater sound and collision, risk to birds and bats, and risk to other species.”
All of this, however, is complicated by the problems at the Connecticut Port Authority, which have the potential to threaten the state’s goal of long-term economic development related to the on-shore components of offshore wind, as well as its obvious benefits of transitioning to renewable power to limit the carbon emissions that are the biggest contributors to climate change worldwide.
While work on the New London port redevelopment plans is continuing, some privately concede that the port authority upheaval is an unnecessary distraction.

“It’s clear the Port Authority issues need to be resolved immediately, if not sooner so that we can get down to business at hand,” said Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, who is ranking member on the Energy and Technology Committee and whose district includes the port.

He said the authority was hastily crafted in 2015 and the vetting process on how it was going to operate was limited. “In fairness to everyone, I don’t know that anybody could have foreseen the enormity of what would have been on their plate.”
Formica is also well-aware of the danger that the current problems could chase away future investments like the kind committed by Orsted and Eversource. “We can’t let that happen,” he said. “We can’t let another opportunity slip through the cracks.”
For its part, Eversource said progress toward finalizing the redevelopment contract is on track.
“We haven’t seen any slowdowns in what we’re trying to accomplish,” said Michael Ausere, vice president of business development. “We’re very confident in the Lamont administration and leadership changes bringing this about. We have seen unwavering commitment.”

David Kooris, deputy commissioner at the Department of Economic and Community Development, is in charge of both that commitment and running the troubled port authority.

“A second full-time job for the time being,” he said. Kooris is a member of the CPA board and is now its acting chair. Lamont appointed him to handle an outside review of the agency to come up with plans for how to reform it.
While his review is still in its early stages, he offered a definitive “no,” when asked if he has uncovered anything that would be detrimental to the offshore wind effort.
“The most concerning thing that we’ve found are around bookkeeping and reporting,” he said, such as incomplete filings.
As for wholesale fraud? “I can’t say definitively because we’re pretty early in the review, but I don’t think that’s what we’re dealing with here.”

In the meantime, he has to move along parallel paths – being transparent about what’s discovered and instituting reforms while also moving ahead with port authority business – namely, offshore wind development.

“We’re trying to demonstrate confidence that it is able to move forward with the biggest project probably ever done,” he said. “I’ve been in nearly daily contact with Orsted and Eversource. The governor has spoken with them to convey how important this project is to the state and how committed we are to advancing it.”
Kooris has also been in regular conversations with Vineyard Wind – which has its eye on developing a base in Bridgeport. Discussions with the private entities that operate that port have been occurring for nearly a year – none of which is seen as taking anything from New London.
Rather, those efforts are widely viewed as a way to enhance the state’s commitment to offshore wind, potentially making it more desirable for the largest parts of any future supply chain.
“That’s the real home run,” Kooris said. “I think we’re a way off from a lot of the manufacturing shifting over to this side of the Atlantic, but if and when they do, they’re going to want to co-locate near the big players. That’s the big endgame.”

He expects the Orsted/Eversource contract to be done at about the same time as audit.

“We will be reassessing the wind deal and putting some new eyes on it internally to make sure there aren’t any issues there. But no, we will not have implemented all of the recommendations coming out of the review by the time we’re looking to advance the wind deal.”

CT DOT disputes report on highway spending
Christine Stuart
A Libertarian think tank said Connecticut spends more per mile on its highways than the average state and ranked it 44th in the nation for “overall cost-effectiveness and condition” of its highway system. Department of Transportation officials say the report is “flawed.”
The Reason Foundation, as part of its 24th annual report on federal and state highway conditions found that Connecticut spent $209,157 per lane mile of road, compared to an average of $71,117. The categories included in the total cost calculation include capital and bridge, maintenance, administrative disbursements, highway law enforcement and safety, interest, and bond retirement.
On spending, Connecticut ranks 46th in total spending per mile, 47th in capital and bridge costs per mile, and 50th in administrative cost per mile. The administrative cost per lane mile in Connecticut was $35,028 per mile, while the average is $4,501.

The administrative costs in Connecticut include the pension costs, which come out of the Special Transportation Fund and have increased over recent years because of the state’s unfunded pension liability.

It’s little consolation, but according to the report — which uses 2016 data — New York, Massachusetts, Florida, and New Jersey all spent more per mile than Connecticut.
In safety and performance categories, Connecticut ranks 11th lowest overall fatality rate, 24th in structurally deficient bridges (with 1st place being the state with the fewest structurally deficient bridges), and 30th in traffic congestion.
“To make larger advances in the rankings, Connecticut needs to reduce traffic congestion and get more out of its spending by improving pavement condition on rural highways and arterials or reduce its per-mile costs,” Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the report, said. “Connecticut has a small highway system, but ranks in the bottom five in three of the spending per mile categories (total spending per mile, capital and bridge costs per mile, and administrative costs per mile).”
The state Department of Transportation says the report does not take population density into account, which means many of the states with the highest rankings in the report are those with the least population. The average population density of the 10 states receiving the best rankings is 81 people per square mile. Connecticut has 738 people per square mile.

The methodology used by the Reason Foundation was recently changed to base the calculations on lane miles, versus road miles, however, DOT officials still say the data is flawed because it doesn’t account for how many bridges or tunnels there are, how much usage the road gets, and whether the road is an expressway or country road.

Why does it matter?
Population density means more traffic and greater wear and tear; more traffic means roads have to be built to a higher standard and that construction has to accommodate and work around traffic patterns, Department of Transportation officials wrote in a statement.
The study could rekindle the fight over electronic highway tolls.
Max Reiss, Gov. Ned Lamont’s communications director, said that even if the report is flawed it still suggests the need to improve Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure.“Governor Ned Lamont is committed to improving Connecticut’s infrastructure. That is why he is encouraging the General Assembly to approve a bond package that addresses this issue, which is critical to the state’s economic future,” Reiss said Friday. “Connecticut can’t get its economy moving if our workforce is stranded in traffic or sitting idly on a stuck train or a broken down bus. This most recent study is again further proof that Connecticut has to act now to make investments that will pay off in the future. Gov. Lamont’s administration is exploring the right ways to do that that minimize the impact on our residents.”
Organizers of No Tolls CT said the report is just more proof that Connecticut’s costs are out of control and there’s no need for tolls.
However, Feignbaum, who authored the report, told the Courant that it suggests Connecticut should add both tolls and lanes to I-95 and consider public-private partnerships for transportation.

Torrington Franklin Street redevelopment ready to launch
John Torsiello
While Sept. 3 may be a day like any other, for Torrington residents, it will be the start of something new and potentially big when it comes to the revitalization of the city’s struggling downtown business, dining and entertainment district.
It is the day when Franklin Street will be closed off to vehicular traffic from Main Street and tiny Volkman Lane to allow construction to begin on the “Franklin Plaza Project,” an ambitious $2 million effort that will change the physical appearance, as well as the social and financial future of downtown.
Mayor Elinor Carbone and several other city officials gathered in the Mayor’s Office Monday afternoon to announce the launching of the project. The project will create a “civic space” that is aiming to lure residents and others to the area and enhance the prospects of existing and potential future businesses in the immediate area and beyond.

“We do see this as a draw,” said Carbone,” to what has been a neglected area of the city and to downtown. It will be a meeting spot for the community that we hope will attract small events, such as pop up art exhibits, and bring in food trucks and vendors. There may even be a skating rink there during the winter months.”

 

DOT timetable takes Plainville trail project through 2024

BRIAN M. JOHNSON

PLAINVILLE - The state Department of Transportation, now in the surveying and design phase of extending the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail through Plainville, has provided a timetable for three phases of construction.

The town has been working with the DOT and a steering committee for several years to determine how best to create the bike path through town.
This will finish connecting it to the rest of the 81.2-mile trail, which goes through Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Recently, Town Manager Robert E. Lee said, officials from the DOT provided the Town Council a PowerPoint presentation that can be viewed at plainvillect.com. The presentation gave the council an update on the current status of the project and future plans.
“The Department of Transportation started on the design phase in January,” said Lee. “They have now split the project into three phases. The first goes from Norton Park to Southington, the second from Northwest Drive to the Pequabuck River area and the third is in between those two areas, around downtown. Right now, they are in the middle of survey work for phase one, which is expected to be completed in the Fall. Determining wetlands status will be going hand in hand with the design work. After they complete survey work for phase one they will move on to the other phases.”
The DOT told Lee and the Town Council that Phase 1 of construction is projected to begin in 2022, Phase 2 is planned for 2023 and Phase 3 is estimated to start in 2024.
“There will be public information sessions and meetings with the council as this continues to move forward,” said Lee. “The Department of Transportation wants to make sure that the council is happy with their planned designs and get feedback from them.”
Lee also said that the council is looking forward to seeing the specific designs when they are drawn up.
He said Jim Cassidy, of the Plainville Greenway Alliance, contacted many other bicycle enthusiasts to encourage them to attend the meeting.

Reid & Hughes developer facing water, ac problems with its new Killingly apartment project
Claire Bessette
Norwich -- The developer pursuing a $6 million renovation of the former Reid & Hughes building on Main Street in Norwich has spent the past six months attempting to correct persistent hot water and air conditioning deficiencies at a new affordable housing complex it built in Killingly.
The Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development built the Mill at Killingly, a 32-unit, $10.5 million state-financed apartment building on the site of the former Powdrell & Alexander Mill in Danielson. The facility, a new building -- designed to echo the features of the former mill while retaining the historic mill stair tower – opened in February with a grand opening celebration.
But as more tenants moved in, hot water problems started, tenants and the Women’s Institute said. At times, only “ice cold” water came from the hot water taps. Temporary repairs restored service, only to have the problem reoccur. Then, as the weather heated up, the building’s central air conditioning system failed to keep up with increased demand. Tenants were allowed to bring in window units in July when temperatures reached the 90s.
“We are aware of the issues with the hot water and HVAC,” a notice posted Aug. 20 said. “Various contractors were at the property last week working on the mechanicals, and some of the adjustments may have caused other mechanical systems to go off balance. Contractors have been contacted to return to the property and readjust the system. Your continued understanding and patience is appreciated.”
But tenants are losing patience.
“What patience,” someone wrote on the Aug. 20 letter posted on an elevator. “We don’t understand! Joke House!”
One tenant, who asked not to be identified because she has a protective order in place, said tenants are losing patience. The woman, who has lived there with her 3-year-old son since it opened, said her son screamed when she tried to give him a sponge bath last weekend, because the water was so cold. For a week in April, she said, no water at all came from the faucets.
“My only concern is that, are they going to do this with the next project they do?” the woman said.
Loni Willey, chief operating officer and acting executive director of the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development, said her agency is just as frustrated with the problems at the Mill at Killingly. The issues are with a hot water looping system and the HVAC system, both of which tested fine prior to the building’s opening in February.
“Unfortunately, as with operating systems, you don’t know how their working until there’s regular demand,” Willey said.
The building has a highly efficient hot water looping system with a single pump and tank system, Willey said. The Women’s Institute brought in an independent contractor to assess the problem and recommend permanent corrections. Corrections have been made and the hot water temperature “is back to what it should be,” Willey said. But the institute still is working on improvements, including installing a large hot water pump and an extra hot water tank.
The permanent improvements will take time, Willey said, and there is no cost estimate yet for the corrections. But the system is working now.
“It’s something we’re committed to doing,” Willey said. “It’s so disappointing, as you try to get families moved in and settled in their new homes. Both our construction team and our internal team are working on this.”
In Norwich, the Women’s Institute was selected by the city as the preferred developer for the long-vacant former Reid & Hughes building at 193-201 Main St., an agreement considered the last chance to save the decaying 19th-century building. The developer completed an initial $500,000 stabilization project to shore up the building while the Women’s Institute pursued financing for the $6 million renovation project.
Willey said the institute expects to announce an update on the status of Reid & Hughes project this fall. Applications for major financing have been submitted to financing entities and the institute is awaiting responses. The $6 million project calls for 20 affordable housing apartments, some reserved for formerly homeless veterans, and commercial storefront spaces on Main Street.
“The financing for a project like this is a marathon not a sprint,” Willey said of Reid & Hughes. “We have financing applications in. The frustrating part of this work is, it takes time. We should know better in the next month what the timeline looks like.”

CT Construction Digest Monday August 26, 2019

Berlin manufacturer eyes expansion, plans to build new HQ
Matt Pilon
A mid growing demand from its commercial customer base, a Berlin metal fabrication shop needs more space, but its planned move will be as convenient as it gets.
Complete Sheet Metal has been leasing 3,600 square feet at 500 Four Rod Road since Berlin native Jeff Michaud founded the business in 2017. It’s one of several industrial tenants in the approximately 100,000-square-foot building, which is owned by Cromwell-based realty developer William Coons III.
Now, Michaud has struck a deal with Coons’ LLC to subdivide and purchase an open 2.4-acre portion of the 22-acre property, where Michaud will construct a new 11,500-square foot building for his shop, effectively tripling his space.
The project could cost somewhere between $800,000 and $1 million, Michaud said in an interview.
That’s a sizable investment for a company with six full-time employees (up from three when it opened), but Michaud wants to buy new machines for folding metal into custom shapes and perhaps expand his product lines.
“It’ll hurt initially, sure,” he said of the investment. “But I knew putting up my own building was eventually going to pay off in the long run.”
Michaud, a Berlin native, said he wants to stay in town, where he has a five-minute commute and, more importantly, is close to a number of his key suppliers.
“In this business that’s key,” he said. “Everybody is last minute and they need it right away.”
The project received a key approval on Thursday night from Berlin’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
Michaud said he hopes to have the new facility built within the next 18 months.
Complete Sheet Metal operates solely in the commercial market. Core clients include roofers, window installers, masonry companies and exterior wall panel contractors.
Michaud is bullish on the commercial market in New England, and he said metal has become more popular among property developers in recent years, compared to plastic or vinyl.  “The commercial market is doing very well,” he said. “There aren’t many small fabricators that can supply customers with these custom shapes that they need to finish the exterior of these buildings.”

Ledyard celebrates completion of two major school projects
Amanda Hutchinson
Ledyard — Superintendent Jay Hartling can finally take the hard hat out of his trunk.
With ribbon cutting ceremonies last week, the renovation projects at Gallup Hill School and Ledyard Middle School — $28 million and $40 million, respectively — are finally complete, the result of eight years of work involving three superintendents and several town committees.
Following years of planning and a referendum in January 2015, groundbreaking ceremonies were held in April 2017. Both schools were "build as new" projects: the new wings were constructed first, and then everyone moved into them in September 2018 so the old wings could be renovated.
At the middle school for example, core classes are now in a new three-story academic wing on the field side of the school, and the existing wing where the 1970s cluster-style classrooms will now house the cafeteria, media center, auditorium and classrooms for band, chorus, art and technology education, among other spaces.
"The state reimburses at a higher rate for renovation as new, so it becomes a more economical approach for the town, not to mention that for a beautiful town like Ledyard, we like to preserve our open space," Hartling said. "When you look at both Gallup Hill and Ledyard Middle, they were schools that were built in the late '60s, early '70s, ... they were significantly antiquated and in dramatic need of repair and refurbishment."
The projects also paved the way for redistricting, with a final plan approved in March.  As part of the 2015 referendum, Ledyard Center School was closed at the end of the 2018-19 school year. About 200 students in grades K-5 were reassigned to Gallup Hill, about 50 reassigned to Gales Ferry and Juliet Long. All sixth-grade students in the district will now attend the middle school.
The middle school also gets a new principal, Ryan Earley, who started this week. He said he's looking forward to helping the district redefine the middle school experience for its students and supporting them during the transition.
Reactions
Hartling called the project completion a "collective sigh of relief" for the district, noting that faculty and staff kept their focus on delivering a quality education despite having to move classrooms multiple times. He also commended the Ledyard Center School faculty and staff for maintaining a positive environment for the kids even as the school prepared to close.
At both ribbon cuttings, he said the spirit of the old schools lives on in the new buildings.
Speaking at the ribbon cuttings, Town Council Chairwoman Linda Davis highlighted the amount of volunteer work that went into producing the two schools. She said that building committee chairman Steve Juskiewicz in particular dedicated countless hours and pored over every detail to make sure everything was just right. She added "every major project needs a Steve."
Heather and Adam Dalton brought their two younger daughters to the Gallup Hill ribbon cutting Monday. As a former Ledyard Center family, all three kids in the Dalton family were impacted by the redistricting process; Faith, going into sixth grade, is going to the middle school, while Tessa, going into third grade, and Natalie, going into first grade, will be at Gallup Hill.
Tessa Dalton said she was glad to be going back to school, with new things at the new school and a lot of her Ledyard Center classmates. She also made sure she left a little note on the desk of Ashlee Konow, her second-grade teacher at LCS who also made the move to Gallup Hill.
"Looking at this and comparing this to Ledyard Center School, it's so much greater," she said.
Adam Dalton, a Gallup Hill alumnus, compared the open house to "the first day of school on steroids" and said he enjoyed walking around and trying to figure out where his old classrooms would have been relative to the new layout. He liked that there was a lot of Ledyard Center in the new Gallup Hill building to help kids who may be nervous about going to a new school.
Heather Dalton said the new school is clean and beautiful and she feels comfortable sending her children there. As a teacher herself, she appreciated the amount of behind-the-scenes work done to get the school ready, especially the teachers who got their rooms set up early so families could visit during the open house.
First-grade teacher Kathy Colosi opened her classroom for the night for parents and students to check out. With more than 30 years teaching at Gallup Hill, she's happy to be back in her old classroom, thoughtfully redesigned with new furniture and technology. She said she's looking forward building a new community with the combined population of Gallup Hill and former Ledyard Center students and staff.
"I think it's going to be interesting going from a little small kind of neighborhood school to the largest elementary, and I think that's going to be a different shift, but I think it's exciting for the kids and the staff," she said.
Other projects

 

In addition to major overhauls at Gallup Hill and the middle school, Hartling said the Board of Education has been working with Town Council on smaller projects at the high school. Over the last few years, the bathrooms have been renovated and the art rooms updated.
The middle school project also didn't include a space for the growing cycling club, so a multipurpose building was added to house the club's bikes and school maintenance equipment.
Ledyard High School is the site for the next major project, a renovation of the track and football field. Hartling said he's been pushing for it for the last 10 months, but discussions have been in the works for at least 10 years with the project delayed due to lack of funding. He said the work is critically needed and will only get more expensive the longer it is delayed. For example, he said, drainage problems will eventually threaten the structural integrity of the new bleachers.
Plans call for addressing grading and drainage issues with the track and football field. The latter would be replaced with artificial turf with lines to accommodate soccer and lacrosse games and allow use of the field by town recreational programs.
Jim Buonocore, the high's school assistant principal and athletic director, said the new track and field would provide a safe and sustainable playing space and give the community something to be proud of.
Groundbreaking is Oct. 14, which will allow the varsity football team to play their Sept. 13 and 20 home games. He said opponents for their remaining home games have been willing to work with him to play at their fields; Fitch will host the Thanksgiving game this year, and Ledyard will host next year.
The home meets for the cross-country team, which uses the track as the start and finish line, are on Sept. 24 and Oct. 1. Gym classes will also be mostly inside by the time construction starts.
The impact on outdoor track, however, is harder to predict because the installation of track surface is more susceptible to weather-related delays. Buonocore said May was a reasonable estimate, and even if there are problems finishing up, he's happy to have the new facility.

New plan cuts more than $1B off New York rail tunnel cost
River that cuts nearly $1.5 billion off the previous cost estimate, as officials seek to break a funding impasse with the federal government that has stalled progress in recent years.
The plan announced Friday envisions design and construction savings that would reduce the new tunnel's estimated cost from just over $11 billion to $9.5 billion. Repairing the existing century-old tunnel that was damaged in 2012's Superstorm Sandy, and is a source of frequent delays due to crumbling infrastructure, would cost about $1.8 billion, or about $200 million more than previous estimates.
The net cost decrease means the states will seek $5.4 billion from a federal grant program instead of $6.8 billion, project officials said in an email Friday.
It isn't clear how that will affect the project's prospects. The U.S. Department of Transportation has given the tunnel and an associated rail bridge project in New Jersey low ratings that have disqualified them from the Capital Investment Grant program.
Department officials have said the low ratings are justified because of the total cost of the request — which dwarfs any other project around the country — and because the states plan to fund their share of the project, between $5 billion and $6 billion, with federal loans. Project officials have argued that the practice is in line with what other states have done.
More than 400 trains and roughly 200,000 passengers pass through the tunnel and over the Portal Bridge in New Jersey daily on trains operated by Amtrak or New Jersey Transit. An analysis commissioned by the two operators this spring found that passengers traveling between New Jersey and New York have experienced rail delays of two hours or more 85 times between 2014 and the end of 2018.

Norwich Public Utilities completes Hamilton Avenue gasline project
Norwich — Norwich Public Utilities has announced the completion of its largest natural gas construction project for the 2019 construction season.
During the project, 5,800 feet of natural gas main was replaced along Hamilton Avenue between East Main Street and Smith Avenue.
“We appreciate the patience of the public while our crews completed this important project,” NPU General Manager Chris LaRose said in a news release. “By modernizing another section of our natural gas system, our community is safer, and our infrastructure is stronger.”
NPU scheduled the $480,000 work with the state Department of Transportation, which is expected to begin paving on Route 165-Hamilton Avenue this fall. If NPU were responsible for paving along Hamilton Avenue, the project cost would have increased by an additional $125,000, NPU said in the release.
Work on the project, which was completed entirely by NPU employees, began in April and was completed Wednesday. In addition to installing more than a mile of natural gas pipe, crews installed or replace individual gas services at 42 locations, primarily residences.

CT Construction Digest Friday August 23, 2019

Blue Back Square-style development coming to Newington? Maybe
Greg Bordonaro
The Newington Planning and Zoning Commission has approved regulations  to allow for a Blue Back Square-type development near the site of a proposed train station on Cedar Street.
The commission Aug. 14 approved a zoning code for a Transit Village Design District that covers approximately 64 acres near the proposed train station at 565 Cedar St. The 70-plus page code would allow for a mixed-use development, including retail, offices, civic uses and apartments.

Any future developer would need to control development rights for one of two, or both, village district sites south and north of Cedar Street, which contain 44 acres and 20 acres, respectively.

The south and north zones would differ in character, with the south zone being primarily residential and the north zone, which would be adjacent to the rail station, being higher density to accommodate retail, offices, civic uses and apartments.
The code aims to create a walkable, bikeable, livable, community, so big box stores and larger office buildings wouldn’t be allowed, the plan said.
Newington Economic Development Director Andrew Brecher said any future development would be similar to Blue Back Square but much larger with more of a village feel.
“The regulations make it possible to build a transformative development creating new neighborhoods and while being totally distinct and still be compatible with what we all know and love about Newington,” Brecher told P&Z officials during a July 10 meeting. “It offers developers great flexibility and design, but in exchange for a massive amount of regulation. I believe that trade-off will be no problem because there is a lot of money to be made. I project that over the next 20 years you could achieve full build out of all of the 64 acres, and the value of that would approach half-a-billion-dollars.”

One of the challenges of any future project is that the developer would also have to gain full control of the land in either development zone, which would require, in some cases, buying out existing businesses there, or convincing those businesses to join the development, Belcher said. 

However, he noted there are only a handful of companies that would be impacted, including Sousa Corp. and Beacon Industries, which are currently located on Cedar St.
A developer would also have to demolish everything on-site.
Actual development of the area, however, would be years away as funding for new Hartford Line train stations in Newington and other towns remains uncertain.
Currently, the Hartford Line, which debuted last year connecting passengers from New Haven to Springfield, has nine stations but four more are still planned in Newington, North Haven, West Hartford and Enfield.

The issue is funding.  It would cost about $55 million to build a Newington station, Brecher said.

Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Nursick said DOT is programming $42 million in fiscal year 2023 for the construction of a new Hartford Line station in Newington.  However, the availability of those funds, along with funding for other planned enhancements to the Hartford Line, is dependent on the details and approval of a transportation bond package, which has not yet been finalized.
In addition to the rail station, DOT also needs to make additional improvements to the line including double tracking the line.
The Newington project would also depend on some federal funding, Brecher said.
The last passenger rail station in Newington closed in 1959.
TOD dreams

Establishing the new village district regulations is a key step for Newington to be eligible for future train station funding, if it does eventually become available.

Towns are interested in having their own station to leverage transit-oriented development.
Among the towns that have benefited from the presence of a train station is Berlin. A development team there is proposing to  redevelop a four-acre parcel near the Berlin train station fronting Farmington Avenue into an $18 million mixed-use village, with 76 apartments and 19,000 square feet of medical office and commercial space.

Investments in new mixed-use developments around existing or proposed Hartford Line rail stations totaled approximately $430 million as of April, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Study Ranks Every State’s Highway System, Finds Road Conditions Worsening In Important Categories
Baruch Feigenbaum, Spence Purnell and M. Gregory Fields

After decades of incremental progress in several key categories, Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report finds the nation’s highway conditions are deteriorating, especially in a group of problem-plagued states struggling to repair deficient bridges, maintain Interstate pavement and reduce urban traffic congestion.

“In looking at the nation’s highway system as a whole, there was a decades-long trend of incremental improvement in most key categories, but the overall condition of the highway system has worsened in recent years,” says Baruch Feigenbaum, lead author of the Annual Highway Report and assistant director of transportation at Reason Foundation. “This year we see some improvement on structurally deficient bridges, but pavement conditions on rural and urban highways are declining, the rise in traffic fatalities is worrying, and we aren’t making needed progress on traffic congestion in our major cities.”

The 24th Annual Highway Report, based on data that states submitted to the federal government, ranks each state’s highway system in 13 categories, including traffic fatalities, pavement condition, congestion, spending per mile, administrative costs and more. This edition of the Annual Highway Report uses state-submitted highway data from 2016, the most recent year with complete figures currently available, along with traffic congestion and bridge data from 2017.

North Dakota ranks first in the Annual Highway Report’s overall performance and cost-effectiveness rankings of state highway systems for the second year in a row. North Dakota’s rural and urban Interstate pavement conditions both rank in the top 10 and the state has kept its per-mile costs down.  Virginia jumps an impressive 25 spots in the rankings—from 27th overall in the previous report—into second-place in performance and cost-effectiveness.  Missouri, Maine and Kentucky round out the top five states.

The state highway systems in New Jersey (50th), Alaska (49th), Rhode Island (48th), Hawaii (47th), Massachusetts (46th) and New York (45th) rank at the bottom of the nation in overall performance and cost-effectiveness. Despite spending more money per mile than any other state, New Jersey has the worst urban traffic congestion and among the worst urban Interstate pavement conditions in the country. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

 

Connecticut’s first offshore wind bidding war applauded

Benjamin Kail

Hartford — Environmental and labor leaders, along with competing international and American energy companies, say they are excited for the state's first bidding war dedicated to offshore wind power.
Announced on Monday, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's request for proposals seeks offers of up to 2,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind farms and calls on developers to meet a host of benchmarks when it comes to planning, labor and minimizing potential impacts to wildlife and the commercial fishing industry.
The request for proposals comes as the state is already slated to receive 300 megawatts from Ørsted-Eversource's Revolution Wind farm in federal waters south of Martha's Vineyard by 2023, and after lawmakers and environmental groups successfully pushed this spring for a bigger offshore wind procurement by 2030. The bids are due on Sept. 30.
"It's terrific to have this out and have it up to 2,000 megawatts," said John Humphries, executive director of the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs. "It moves the industry forward here in Connecticut, and the fact that we've got strong labor and environmental provisions really sets a standard for the industry nationwide."
DEEP said Monday that it had received more than 50 comments on its mid-July draft request for proposals, followed by 100 comments and emails to DEEP's Commission on Environmental Standards, producing multiple changes enhancing the final requirements for bidders.
"Offshore wind has the potential to significantly reduce the electric grid's dependence on fossil fuels, improve grid reliability in the winter, and advance clean energy jobs ... all while helping Connecticut achieve critical climate goals," DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said in a statement.
Developers' bids must contain an "environmental and fisheries mitigation plan," including coordination with stakeholders, pre-construction and risk assessment plans, reporting schedules, mitigating risks to fisheries, marine mammals, sea turtles, and birds and bats.
Noise from construction equipment and shipping potentially could disturb whales and other species, making them go into deeper waters or change their movement patterns. But several scientists and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management say offshore wind has not harmed marine life, and note that projects' mitigation plans will include seasonal restrictions to protect marine life.
Charles Rothenberger, climate and energy attorney for Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound, called offshore wind, "if reasonably sited and operated," an "exciting new opportunity for Connecticut's energy future."
"On balance, the environmental and fisheries mitigation recommendations were well done and relatively comprehensive," he said. "However, we will be watching closely how DEEP utilizes and enforces those recommendations."
Rothenberger said it was disappointing the final request for proposals did not require developers to establish an "environmental mitigation fund" to offset potential environmental and commercial impacts. But it did mention it would consider such funds "a qualitative measure for assessing the relative strength of proposals ... we are hopeful that proposals will include this element in order to be more competitive in the selection process," he said.
The request for proposals says bidders must not pay less than the prevailing wage for laborers, workmen and mechanics, and must "engage in a good faith negotiation of a project labor agreement." It also requires bidders to follow decommission plans outlined by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
Bidders must submit at least one bid for 400 megawatts, but DEEP encouraged them "to provide multiple bids with sizing options greater than and less than 400 megawatts to provide the selection team" with greater options.
'Very necessary project'
In the comments leading up to the final request for proposals, multiple offshore wind developers argued DEEP's draft request for proposals and the Commission on Environmental Standards' recommendations were duplicative of federal permitting requirements and would add significant costs. The commercial fishing industry, meanwhile, suggested a host of plans and data collection, and urged developers to provide exact numbers and locations of proposed turbines, "a commitment to avoid locating turbines in areas near sensitive fish habitats" and plans to coordinate with the industry to minimize interference with fishing gear.
According to DEEP, the request for proposals also "aligns with a similar offshore wind solicitation run by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, enhancing competition and urgency as the Production Tax Credit that benefits wind production sunsets at the end of the year."
Offshore wind companies, including Ørsted-Eversource and Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables, expressed enthusiasm about Connecticut's push toward wind energy.
"The opportunities for offshore wind to transform Connecticut's energy economy are immense, and Ørsted and Eversource commend the state for its aggressive offshore procurement goals," Ørsted and Eversource said in a statement Thursday. "While we don't comment on active bids, we are excited to bring our Revolution Wind project to Connecticut, which will deliver significant economic development opportunities and help the state achieve its clean energy goals."
Ørsted and Eversource are negotiating with state officials and the Connecticut Port Authority to finalize a $93 million public-private investment into New London State Pier to assist with offshore wind development. Recent leadership shakeups at the port authority have not impacted negotiations, the companies and port officials said recently.
Erich Stephens, chief development officer of Vineyard Wind — which previously proposed to help establish an offshore wind hub in Bridgeport — said, "We're excited by the RFP and look forward to submitting a bid that positions Connecticut to be a real leader in offshore wind, an industry that has the potential to benefit ratepayers and create jobs for generations to come."
State Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, said the Commission on Environmental Standards helped pave the way for better protections for the maritime, commercial fishing and aquatic industries.
"The fishing industry is right to be concerned and we want to make sure we're doing the right thing to protect the grounds and mitigate impacts," Formica, whose family owns Flanders Fish Market in East Lyme, said Thursday.
Formica and other lawmakers long pushed for market changes designed to help keep Millstone Power Station operational while also calling on larger procurements of offshore wind.
"The first step was securing the base load to give us the opportunity to do more renewables," Formica said, calling offshore wind a "very necessary project in terms of energy generation and as we make it into the next decade, the economy and jobs, not only for New London but for all of Connecticut."
Offshore wind prices have dropped significantly since Deepwater Wind built the Block Island Wind Farm, which delivered power at 24 cents per kilowatt hour in its first year of operation with a 3.5 percent annual escalator built into the contract. Ørsted bought Deepwater Wind last year for about $500 million.
Vineyard Wind's 800-megawatt offshore project — recently hit with delays after the federal government called for further environmental review — will sell power to three Massachusetts utilities at a fixed rate of 8.4 cents per kilowatt hour, according to EcoRI News. In Rhode Island, which will receive 400 megawatts from Revolution Wind, National Grid will pay 9.84 cents per kilowatt hour for 20 years.
State-regulated utilities Eversource and United Illuminating will buy electricity produced at Revolution Wind and deliver it to Connecticut consumers, but the proposed price per kilowatt hour — which is fixed, unlike the Block Island Wind Farm — remains undisclosed while under review by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.

$14 million North Haven Police Department renovation complete
Clare Dignan

NORTH HAVEN — The Police Department has welcomed its members back home.

Construction on the building at 8 Linsley St. is finished and the department is fully operational in the renovated building.

The renovation of the building cost about $14 million and a new townwide communications project, which included a network built in to the school district, cost roughly $4 million.

A new building would have cost roughly $30 million, First Selectman Michael J. Freda said.

The original building opened in 1965 and, aside from routine repairs such as an addition built in 2002 for the Sally port and ramp up to the lobby, hadn’t seen any major construction upgrades since.

The building had aged so significantly that the communications system was outdated and available work space was shrinking.

“People may not realize how the old police department was in such poor condition,” Freda said. “The jail cells were antiquated. Some of the urinals were leaking over the IT department. There was remediation that needed to be done. We couldn’t have North Haven’s police officers in an environment like that.”

The old building didn’t meet current design standards and space needs for the department, according to an analysis in early 2016 by Capital Studio Architects LLC.

“We grew out of the old building,” Deputy Chief Kevin Glenn said.

The men’s and women’s locker rooms already were full and the officers’ workspaces were small. By 2030, Capital Studio Architects estimated the department would have even more officers and civilian employees.

The renovation will meet the department’s needs for the next 30 years, according to the architectural analysis.

The renovation included an 11,000-square-foot addition that has provided much-needed work space for officers and a holding facility it didn’t have before.

Every area of the department has been given more room, Glenn said. The area where officers write reports is double its previous size; and the evidence processing room is larger, which helps patrol officers do their jobs more efficiently, he said.

Along with the addition, the original footprint of the building is more efficient than before, Glenn said.

“The space we have is utilized so much better,” he said.

The public lobby has been redone to include a window for information and dispatch and another window for records, which used to be on the second floor without easy public access.

“It’s definitely been designed to give the public greater access and our employees a better work environment,” Glenn said.

Just past the lobby is a new interview room where officers can take someone reporting sensitive information so they don’t have to do it in the lobby, or anyone can meet with an officer, Glenn said.

Officers also have new locker spaces that can fit their patrol bags, and a lounge area to eat meals or rest in the event they work extra-long shifts responding to an emergency, Glenn said.

Former Police Chief James DiCarlo, who worked in the old building for 38 years, said he was in the old building during the blizzard in 1978 and Hurricane Gloria.

“When you work on events like that, you don’t go home for 12-16 hours so that place is your home,” he said. “To have a place like that, it’s just a great facility and it makes an employee feel better about your job.”

Upstairs, all the supervisors and patrol supervisors have their own workspace and the detective division is in a new office wing.

“The space is definitely appreciated,” Glenn said. “It’s a better environment for us.”

A new temporary holding area will allow officers the ability to can process information, interview suspects and take mugshots.

The building also has been made ADA compliant, including handicap-accessible cells.

The renovation has done a lot to improve the spirit of the department, too, Glenn said. During design and construction, architects worked on creating a pleasant atmosphere for employees and for anyone visiting the department to make a report, get fingerprinted, obtain records or anything else, he said.

Additionally, the department’s technology all has been brought up to date, Glenn said. “This is the state-of-the-art in the state when it comes to safety of the officers and civilians and technology,” he said.

As the department acquired new technology systems through the years, they were disjointed and sometimes in separate areas, such as the body camera server, which was in the Annex building across the street, Glenn said. The centralized location provides security and convenience for the technicians, he said.

The building “served the town very well during my tenure,” Freda said. “But they made the right decision to plan for the future.”

Report: Potholes linger in CT’s road upkeep
Gregory Seay
onnecticut made slight improvements in highway and bridge investments and road safety, barely ahead of New York and Massachusetts, but still ranks near bottom among states in per-capita allocations for roadway upkeep, a new ranking says.
The Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles libertarian think tank, Thursday released its 24th Annual Highway Report, ranking Connecticut 44th in highway performance and cost-effectiveness.
Connecticut ranked 46th overall in Reason’s 2018 highway report.
The foundation says its reports are based on data that states submit to the federal government. The latest report is largely based off data submitted in 2016.

The foundation ranks each state’s highway system in 13 categories, including traffic fatalities, pavement condition, congestion, spending per mile, and administrative costs.

In safety and performance categories, Connecticut ranks 11th in overall fatality rate, 24th in structurally deficient bridges, 30th in traffic congestion, 18th in urban Interstate pavement condition and 42nd in rural Interstate pavement condition, the Reason report stated.
On spending, Connecticut ranks 46th in total spending per mile ($209,157) and 47th in capital and bridge costs per mile ($96,956).
“To make larger advances in the rankings, Connecticut needs to reduce traffic congestion and get more out of its spending by improving pavement condition on rural highways and arterials or reduce its per-mile costs,’’ the report states.
Despite its relatively small highway system -- it is the nation’s 44th-largest -- Connecticut sits in the bottom five in three of Reason’s spending-per-mile categories (total spending per mile, capital and bridge costs per mile and administrative costs per mile)..
Connecticut’s overall highway performance was just ahead of New York (45th) and Massachusetts (46th) but worse than New Hampshire (24th), said Baruch Feigenbaum, Reason’s assistant transportation director and the highway report’s lead author.

Connecticut is also doing better, in Reason’s view, than comparable states such as New Jersey (50th) and Rhode Island (48th), Feigenbaum said.
Connecticut’s best rankings are rural fatality rate (4th) and overall fatality rate (11th). Connecticut’s worst rankings are in administrative disbursements per mile (50th) and capital and bridge disbursements per mile (47th).
North Dakota ranks first in the 2019 highway report in overall performance and cost-effectiveness rankings for the second year in a row. Virginia and Missouri, two of the 20 most populated states in the country, are second and third in overall performance and cost-effectiveness. Maine and Kentucky round out the top five states. The highway systems in New Jersey (50th), Alaska (49th), Rhode Island (48th), Hawaii and Massachusetts rank at the bottom of the nation in overall performance and cost-effectiveness.