Stonington — Stonington Point, an increasingly popular spot for people to spend time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, is closed to vehicles until the beginning of next week due to a paving project on the southern section of Water Street in the borough.
The $75,000 project to repave the street and make drainage improvements had been scheduled to take place between Trumbull and Omega streets but Warden Jeff Callahan said the project has now been extended to the parking lot at the Point.
Callahan said people can still walk, jog or bicycle to the Point. A banner advertising the closure has been hung on the side of the firehouse next to the viaduct and residents in the area had been alerted.
Over the past several weeks, more and more people have been driving down to the Point but staying in their cars as they follow social distancing guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Groton-New London Airport temporarily closed to air travel due to maintenance project
Kimberly Drelich
Groton — Groton-New London Airport temporarily is closed to air travel until Sunday morning due to pavement maintenance work on the intersection of the runways, airport officials said.
Tony Sheridan, chairman of the Connecticut Airport Authority board of directors, said the project is part of scheduled repair and maintenance at the Groton airport.
Ryan Tenny, public information officer for the Connecticut Airport Authority, said the closure started Tuesday morning and flight operations will resume at 8 a.m. Sunday, though the project may be completed ahead of schedule based on the current weather forecast. Terminal and airport businesses remain open during this period, he said. Sheridan said that while the airport was able to remain open for most of the pavement project, the intersection pavement required a closure.
As far as the impact of the pandemic on overall operations, Sheridan said that like other airports across the country, air travel at the typically busy airport — one of the state’s five general aviation airports — has decreased.
“COVID-19 has certainly impacted the entire industry and traffic at Groton-New London is generally down as people continue to shelter at home,” Tenny added.
Sheridan said he doesn’t anticipate that the decrease in flights during the pandemic will have a long-term impact on the airport. He said it will take some time but everything is expected to return to normal.
Hartford townhome redevelopment to debut 75 units this summer
Joe Cooper
evelopers are nearing completion on the first phase of a redevelopment project designed to transform one of Hartford's last remaining North End housing projects into a thriving mixed-use community.
Hartford’s housing authority (HACH), a quasi-public agency overseeing the redevelopment, and development partners Pennrose and The Cloud Co. on Tuesday said the initial phase of the Westbrook Village revitalization project is slated for completion this summer after about 14 months of construction.
Officials on Tuesday also revealed the 40-acre community bordering Albany Avenue will be named Village at Park River. The name pays homage to the development’s proximity to the waterway that flows on the western edge of the property. Leasing is expected to begin sometime this spring.
According to plans, phase one of the multi-phase project will include 75 attached one-, two-, and three-bedroom townhouse-style homes equipped with modern kitchens, appliances (including a dishwasher), washer and dryer, and central air conditioning. Amenities will include a community room and fitness center, among others.
“This new name celebrates that rebirth and new sense of place,” Sanderson said.
The second phase of construction has already begun, and will eventually include 60 units. Officials say 75% of those units will be earmarked for low-income residents.
It will cost more than $70 million to erect 200 units in the first three phases, a spokesperson for the developers told HBJ.
Once all redevelopment phases are complete, Village at Park River will comprise more than 400 living units of mixed-income homes, and 100,000 square feet of new office and retail space, bike baths, playground, community gardens and a central park.
The developers say they hope to attract several types of tenants to the 10-acre commercial space, including a pharmacy, restaurant, retail stores and academic space for the University of Hartford.
JDA Development also is partnering with Pennrose and Cloud Co. to develop the commercial-retail component. JDA is best known as the developer of West Hartford’s successful Blue Back Square residential-commercial complex in the heart of town.