Julia Bergman
The board of the Connecticut Port Authority picked an engineering firm to help oversee the $157 million redevelopment of State Pier into a wind turbine staging area, during a special meeting Tuesday.
At the meeting, which was held virtually, the board agreed to enter into a $4,191,572 contract with AECOM to act as its agent for the State Pier redevelopment, reviewing all aspects of the project. The contract, once signed by both parties, which is expected to happen in the coming days, will be effective until February 2023.
The board previously agreed to a contract with AECOM for permitting and predevelopment work at State Pier, which is ongoing and includes hazardous materials abatement, excavation, building demolition, test borings and other site preparation work. The port authority is expecting to have the major permits associated with the project in hand later this year or in early 2021, said David Kooris, interim chairman of the port authority’s board.
Tenants at State Pier, including two commercial fishing outfits and a salt distribution company, are being displaced to make way for the start of construction, and longshoremen who unloaded and loaded cargo from vessels docked at the pier were laid off. The eight longshoremen who were employed full time were offered work with Carpenters Local 326.
Under agreements with Gateway, the pier operator, the tenants have until July 31 to vacate the site. The agreement between Gateway and DRVN Enterprises, a major local road salt distributor, stipulated that the company had the ability to sell up to 20,000 tons of salt to Gateway before it departs the pier.
“I think the expectation was depending on DRVN’s relocation or subsequent business plan, they may have some salt at the end of the term that they may elect to get rid of,” Kooris said.
Instead of waiting until July, DRVN chose to sell the salt earlier this year, which Gateway purchased for $800,000, after the company determined it did not have room for a shipment of salt coming by a boat that was set to dock at the pier. The port authority reimbursed Gateway for the purchase.
The salt vessel was diverted to the port of New Haven, which Gateway also operates, and is being stored there until it is sold.
On Tuesday, the port authority's board agreed to various terms to allow Gateway to store and sell the salt incrementally over a period of several years. Gateway will not charge the port authority to store the salt but will document costs incurred and will recoup that in the sales price, Kooris said.
“The salt is not designed to be flooded in the market. It's not designed to be sold over a loss,” Kooris said. “It will be sold incrementally over time, enabling the $800,000 to be recouped.”
“Frankly we didn’t intend to own salt. We didn’t intend to be in this business over the coming years, but I think it was the right thing to do to support DRVN and provide them the revenue to enable the salt to be diverted because they couldn’t accommodate it in their area,” Kooris said.
Requests for comment from DRVN were not immediately returned.
Steve Farrelly, owner of DRVN, said at a June 17 meeting of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments that he still has 90,000 tons of inventory left at the State Pier. He said the port authority has offered “subpar” options but did not elaborate. Following the meeting, Mark Nickerson, first selectman of East Lyme and chairman of the council of governments, sent a letter to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, saying many local towns are concerned about how costly and difficult it will be to procure road salt if DRVN shuts down.
The $800,000 for the salt plus other “wind-down costs” associated with DRVN’s departure from State Pier are both factored into the $157 million cost of the redevelopment project. Under the agreement that governs the project, the port authority pays for all wind-down costs.
Revenue from the sale of salt will go back into the escrow account that funds the redevelopment project.
Separately, the port authority is seeking to find a new home for the soon-to-be-displaced commercial fishermen at State Pier.
Major new highway interchange in Stratford draws criticism from Milford
Tom Ebersold
If all goes as planned, direct access in both directions from Interstate 95 to Route 1 in Stratford, just south of Milford, will be done in time for the Independence Day weekend two years from now.
The highway lacks an entrance ramp to I-95 north or an exit ramp from I-95 south at Exit 33 in Stratford. The lack of ramps was intended as a way to keep motorists from using local roads to bypass the former toll plaza in Stratford, where seven people were killed in a crash on Jan. 19, 1983. The plaza was removed in 1985 as part of a general movement to eliminate tolls on Connecticut highways.
Work to construct a full interchange at Exit 33 off Interstate 95 is scheduled to be completed July 5, 2022.
Mixed Opinions
The project has been supported by Stratford mayors, both former Mayor John Harkins and the current mayor, Laura Hoydick. However, it has been opposed by small business owners in Devon and Stratford, and some residents of Stratford concerned about the environmental and economic impact of the project.
In a June 22 email, Michael P. Downes, chief of staff to Hoydick, wrote that the Exit 33 interchange has several benefits. Downes wrote that the project “is an essential component for economic development in Stratford,” by providing greater direct access to Stratford businesses from the highway. He indicated it also provides easier highway access to Metro-North commuters from Stratford platforms. Finally, he wrote that it provides more direct evacuation routes in the event of hurricanes or other disasters.
“Mayor Hoydick has been an advocate of attaining the full access to I-95 that Stratford was intended to have during the design of the interstate but has been denied for over fifty years. She has worked to move this project forward during her time in the state legislature, in her work as Executive Director of the Stratford Chamber of Commerce, and it has been a priority of hers as mayor,” wrote Downes.
When asked for a comment on the project, Milford Mayor Benjamin Blake responded in a June 22 email and made reference to Stratford and Milford residents who were concerned about how the project might affect “small and medium-sized businesses which rely upon through traffic customers to remain economically viable.”
Blake noted that former Speaker of the House James Amann, D-Milford, “was very involved with those efforts.”
Amann owns International Government Strategies, a lobbying firm in Hartford. In 2014, he represented a group of Stratford residents, including Charles Perez, who organized under the name of Stratford Action for the Environment that was opposed to the exit construction.
The group was concerned that the interchange would allow motorists to avoid Main Street in Stratford and Route 1 in Devon, thus hurting businesses in those areas. The group was also concerned about potential health effects of disturbing buried Raymark waste.
When contacted by phone on June 23, Amann reiterated his opposition to the project, saying, “It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money. There’s no need for it.” He said a traffic study showed that driving through Devon on Route 1 takes about five minutes.
When he was speaker of the house, Amann said he was part of the Devon Revitalization Committee, which had the goal of improving the Devon area. Amann has said over the years that a traffic diversion could be devastating to businesses in Devon. He said that Harkins supported the project when he was mayor and “he tried to push it when he was a state rep.”
Amann said that Michael Rell, son of former Gov. Jodi Rell, works for his firm, and has contacted the DOT numerous times to ask if any work is taking place on the ramps. Amann said the DOT told his firm that it has been working on environmental cleanup. He also said the DOT had a past public hearing in Stratford and had said there would be another public hearing, one Amann said never took place.
“They have told us every single time that nothing is going on,” said Amann, commenting that he was shocked that construction was taking place.
Speaking by phone on June 23, Perez said people were concerned about the large number of trucks needed to move the Raymark waste, and the fact that it was remaining in Stratford. He said the late state Sen. George “Doc” Gunther worked with them to fight the plan. Perez said stores in Devon “are going to lose a lot of business” with the shift in traffic flow. He pointed out that there are many empty storefronts on Route 1 in Milford east of Exit 34.
“There were a large number of issues that were swept under the table,” said Perez. “They pushed this thing through. When we asked Jim [Amann] about this, he said it wasn’t going to happen, but we knew it was going to happen. We could see them staging it.”
The work
When complete, the southbound exit ramp will end at Ferry Boulevard opposite Veterans Boulevard. Ramp construction includes installing a new overpass over the Barnum Avenue Cut-Off near where it connects to Ferry Boulevard.
The new northbound ramp from Ferry Boulevard starts at Barnum Avenue Cut-Off and merges with the highway at the Moses Wheeler Bridge, which crossed the Housatonic River into Milford. This ramp includes a new overpass over Route 1 near the Dock Shopping Center.
The state Department of Transportation awarded the contract on Sept. 4, 2019, to Empire Paving of a North Haven, a general contractor, which had the low bid of $28,857,928. According to DOT documents, six companies bid on the project. The next lowest bidder was Middlesex Corp. with a bid of $30,567,829. The highest bidder was O&G Industries with a bid of $43,526,048. The project is funded with 80 percent federal funding and 20 percent state funding.
DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick wrote in an email that the I-95 Exit 33 ramps would be opened as they are finished. The new I-95 south exit ramp is being constructed with a scheduled completion date of summer 2021.
The existing I-95 north exit ramp to Ferry Boulevard is being rebuilt as part of this project and has a completion date of fall 2021. The new I-95 north entrance ramp also has an expected completion date of fall 2021.
The work on the two ramps on the south side of the highway, which adjoins a residential area, includes installation of a sound barrier. The new barrier will start at the existing wall near the apartment building adjacent to I-95 and will extend to the merge of the entrance ramp with the highway.
Related roadwork on Veterans Boulevard has a completion date of spring 2021, while work on Barnum Avenue Cutoff has a spring 2022 completion date, Nursick said in the email. The only work being done on the Exit I-95 south ramp will be to repave it.
Traffic flow; business impact
Without those ramps, vehicles traveling from the east to the shopping plazas on Route 1 in Stratford must use Exit 34 in Milford, and then travel 1.3 miles along Route 1 in Milford to the junction with Route 110 in Stratford, and then reverse this route when headed in the other direction.
Along the 0.4-mile stretch of Route 1 from Naugatuck Avenue to Riverside Drive in Milford, the road narrows to one travel lane in each direction. The only turning lanes along this stretch of road are the left turn lanes for Naugatuck Avenue, and one for Riverside Drive. There are eight traffic lights along this stretch of road in Milford. Due to the narrowness of the road, at peak travel times, vehicles are bumper to bumper from the Washington Bridge to Naugatuck Avenue.
With regard to the effect on traffic flow along Route 1 in Devon, Nursick wrote that during the peak hours of 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m., there is an expected diversion of 20 to 30 percent of vehicles that would use the new Exit 33 ramps, instead of Exit 34.
According to Nursick, traffic counts were performed in 2013 for I-95 and the ramps at Exit 32, 33, 34. Additional counts were done on Route 1 (Bridgeport Avenue) in Milford in 2015. The DOT conducted an economic and business impact analysis for the Route 1 Devon area corridor in 2015.
“It focused on those businesses that operate ‘not by appointment’, i.e., gas stations, liquor stores, and restaurants,” wrote Nursick. “It was determined that these types of businesses would experience a less than 6 percent reduction of patrons due to the proposed improvements.”
He indicated no specific follow-up study is planned to measure the effects of the new ramps. Rather, the counts would be measured during the DOT’s normal traffic monitoring procedures for state roads.
“Depending on the type of roadway, the frequency of those counts vary from yearly to every three years,” he wrote.
The project is slightly affected by the discovery of 300 cubic yards of Raymark waste, which Nursick said was found only on the north side of I-95. Some was found within existing slope areas of the highway and some was found under Ferry Boulevard near the intersection of Barnum Avenue Cutoff. He said the waste will be placed in the federal Environmental Protection Agency landfill off Frog Pond Lane in Stratford, which is the location of the former Raybestos Memorial Ballfield.
Washington Bridge Plans
The project has additional significance because the DOT is working on plans to renovate the Washington Bridge, which would include lane closures and two weekend bridge closures. The Route 1 bridge work is anticipated to start in August 2021 with a completion date of June 2023. The estimated project cost is $13.5 million and would be funded 80 percent by the federal government and 20 percent by the DOT.
According to the presentation created by the DOT, the bridge was constructed in 1922 with rehabilitation work completed in 1934, 1968, 1985 and 2004. Construction plans include replacing the grid deck, sidewalks, and bridge railing, patching and repairing the bridge deck and substructure, installing new membrane waterproofing and pavement, repairing and spot painting the structural steel, replacing the motors and drive system, and replacing the water service.
Construction would maintain one lane of traffic in each direction, excepting two weekend bridge closures when the bridge would be closed for two days each time. At times the bridge deck will be raised for for mechanical and electrical repairs.
Jean Falbo-Sosnovich
ANSONIA — A $14 million mixed-used development of residential and retail received the green light Monday, which officials said will be a huge boost for downtown, breathing new life into several long-vacant buildings that could open as early as fall 2021.
At a virtual meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the project known as Bella Vista, which is to bring 92 market-rate apartments and more than 14,000 square-feet of retail/commercial space to the Palmer Building at 153 Main St., the Ansonia Technology Park at 497 E. Main St. and the former Wells Fargo Bank drive-up at 165 Main St.
“This project will have a hugely positive impact on Ansonia’s downtown and the entire city,” Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley said following the PZC’s approval. “This is a turning point for Ansonia and I am excited to be a part of it. Our downtown will see increased pedestrian activity, increased demand for retail and restaurants and ultimately a more vibrant and recharged community. I credit Mayor Cassetti’s forward thinking and development-friendly philosophy which has spurred this project on. Corporation Counsel John Marini has played a major role in paving the way for this development as well as our Board of Aldermen and Planning and Zoning Commission, and I thank them all for their support of this project.”
PZC Chairman Jared Heon said a project of this magnitude is exciting for Ansonia.
“This is a huge step for our downtown area,” Heon said. “We’re talking about, at least in my memory, some of the biggest changes we’ve seen downtown. A development of such magnitude, to these fallow buildings, and seeing what can be potentially developed in there, is the most exciting movement I’ve seen in my lifetime in the downtown area.”
Heon added the development will tie in nicely with the explosion of downtown dining establishments.
According to Mike Marcinek, an architect with Fletcher Thompson and representing Green U.S. Builders of Greenwich, the Palmer Building will feature 44 units, comprised of seven, two-bedroom units; 36 one-bedroom units and one studio apartment with laundry rooms on each floor.
There would also be some 9,500-square feet of retail/commercial space in the Palmer Building.
Slated for the ATP Building, which will be combined with the former Wells Fargo drive-up property are 48 one- and two bedroom, market-rate apartments and some studios, with some 5,000 square feet of first floor retail/commercial space. Marcinek said there will be some green space for tenants to enjoy the outdoors.
Marcinek expects remediation of asbestos inside the buildings to take 60 to 90 days, with construction likely taking between 12 and 18 months. He said occupancy to the buildings could begin in fall 2021.
There will also be some 10 handicapped parking spaces included, along with the city providing tenant parking in the East Main Street parking lot.
The Bella Vista project became reality when city officials last week signed over the properties to Shaw Growth Ventures of Berne, N.Y.
Mayor David Cassetti had said the city hasn’t collected taxes on the ATP and Palmer buildings in more than 40 years, yet have been paying $60,000 a year in utility and maintenance costs.
The buildings have been mired in delays and failed partnerships with two other developers dating back to 2013.
To help Shaw with cleaning up and redeveloping the former factories, the city is exempting the buildings from taxes for six years followed by five years of stable property taxes based on the current assessments.
Marini had said the project “is an example of the city working with a developer and offering incentives to keep them on track.”