CT Construction Digest Monday August 31, 2020

 Windsor Locks PZC OKs sports complex development

Windsor Locks' Planning and Zoning Commission members unanimously approved the All Sports Village development Wednesday during a special meeting dedicated only to the project and spanning about five hours.

The meeting held via Zoom teleconferencing resulted in numerous technical plan revision requirements and two procedural conditions. The commission passed the project on a 5-0 vote.

According to site plans submitted in mid-August to the Planning and Zoning Commission, the sports complex will offer 20 basketball courts, which can be converted to volleyball courts, in a 220,800-square-foot building. There also will be eight outdoor turf fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and flag football.

Plans show that the principal developer, Andrew Borgia of JABS Sports Management, also proposed an outdoor championship turf field seating 3,500 people, plus an indoor field and sports training facility.

Developers hope the complex will host national tournaments in multiple sports. Plans say tournaments will be for teams that qualify to enter a major event sponsored by national organizations, such as AAU, Zero Gravity, U.S. Soccer, and U.S. Lacrosse. An estimated eight to 10 teams per state will be represented in the national tournaments.

The proposed site of the development is the northeast corner of Old County Road and Route 20, as well as a portion of 327 S. Center St.

Planned amenities include a family entertainment center, a medical/physical therapy unit, retail areas, restaurants, and two 150-room hotels.

The commission’s approval of the site plan is the final step in the land-use approval process. The general plan of development already has been approved, and the project has received a wetlands permit.

Torrington school proposal gets a forum

Lance Reynolds  TORRINGTON – City residents will have the opportunity to learn more about the proposed $74.6 million Torrington Middle/High School building project in a public forum Tuesday at 6 p.m.

The Board of Education will present the proposed project and answer questions from residents. If residents would like to submit questions ahead of the meeting, they can do so by emailing buildingproject@torrington.org.

The public forum will be the first of three scheduled before the Nov. 3 referendum, in which city taxpayers will vote on the construction of the proposed $74.6 million building.

“Originally, we were anticipating that the Board of Ed, administration, and the architects would be conducting these public forums to provide information to the public,” said school board chairwoman Fiona Cappabianca. “However, the administration is not actually legally allowed to participate in any of these forums.”

Seventh- and eighth-graders from Torrington Middle School will be brought to the new school building at 50 Major Besse Drive, the current site of Torrington High School, if approved at referendum. Central offices, currently located at 355 Migeon Ave., would also be part of the new building.

The total project would cost $159.6 million. But with an $85 million state reimbursement, city taxpayers would face a $74.6 million cost.

If the referendum fails, maintenance updates at the current Torrington High School would cost $112.2 million. A $33.9 million state reimbursement would bring that cost down to $78.3 million. Cappabianca said project architects from Kaestle Boos Associates, a New Britain-based architectural firm that has worked with the school board on the project, will also be on hand Tuesday to answer questions from residents.

The public forum will be hosted over Zoom and can be accessed online via https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84409388879?pwd=MEFnMUhWd2RRTEl3UmdyZkZxUkwvUT09 and passcode: 904663. Residents can also dial +1 312-626-6799, using webinar id: 844 0938 8879.

CT Construction Digest Friday August 28, 2020

 Replacement of deteriorating Branford seawall set to begin

BRANFORD — A $5.8 million project to replace a deteriorating seawall on Route 146 is set to begin Sept. 8, the state Department of Transportation has announced.

Continuous wave action, storms and major ones like Sandy and Irene have made various repairs to the existing seawall ineffective. In October 2012, the intensity of Sandy’s winds and wave action dislodged concrete barriers on the seawall and pushed them across the road. Now, the existing seawall on Limewood Avenue will be removed in its entirety between Sybil Avenue and Crouch Road.

DOT officials said the work should be completed by the end of May 2021.

In 2014, DOT officials were contacted about poor conditions of the seawall that included dislodged rocks, unsightly Jersey barriers and roadway erosion. Highway Design investigated, and a project was initiated in 2015. A public hearing on the project was held in 2018.

The existing stone revetment (fortification) and concrete barrier will be removed and replaced with a 3-foot utility buffer adjacent to the roadway, followed by a 5-foot concrete sidewalk. A concrete retaining wall and a stone revetment will be constructed to dissipate wave energy.

A concrete staircase with a ramp also will be constructed within the footprint of the wall to provide access to the beach. The overhead utilities will need to be temporarily relocated during construction, and underground utilities may be impacted by the proposed new drainage structures as well as construction activities, DOT said.

The work will affect travel in the area for months.

Motorists can expect alternating one-way traffic through the use of temporary traffic signals to be in place for the duration of the project from about Sept. 10 to to May 1, 2021.

The southern leg of Wilford Road at Route 146 will be closed and traffic will be detoured during construction.

Bristol has 21st most confirmed coronavirus cases in state; updated case numbers for area

New Britain had another five residents confirmed as testing positive for coronavirus Thursday for a total that stands at 1,270, eighth most among cities and towns in Connecticut, according to data released by state health officials. The city has had 53 probable cases of the virus.

After having seven residents confirmed as having coronavirus Wednesday, Bristol added one more Thursday for a total of 658 cases, which is 21st highest in the state. The city’s 17 probable cases remained the same.

Southington had an increase of two in residents being confirmed as having tested positive for coronavirus. The town has had 362 confirmed and 14 probable cases since reporting began.

Newington, Berlin, Plainville and Plymouth all had no changes to their totals Thursday.

Newington has had 406 confirmed and 20 probable cases; Berlin has had 183 confirmed and nine probable cases; Plainville has had 178 confirmed and two probable cases; and Plymouth has had 74 confirmed and five probable cases.

Statewide, there were 15,452 coronavirus tests reported Thursday with 130 coming back as positive cases. There were two additional virus-associated deaths reported for a total of 4,465. There was one less patient hospitalized with coronavirus for a total that stands at 56.

CT maxes out budget reserve as coffers approach $3.1 billion 

Keith Phaneuf  The state’s rainy day fund has exceeded the legal limit for the first time in 19 years, approaching $3.1 billion and forcing Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration to release some of that bounty to pay down debt.

New numbers from the administration show the reserve is enough to cover a huge budget deficit for the fiscal year that began in July — and still leave nearly $1 billion in the bank next summer.

The projections, much rosier than the administration offered two months ago, sparked renewed calls Tuesday from key lawmakers for more state spending to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Lamont’s budget director, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Melissa McCaw, continued to urge caution, however.

“An unprecedented COVID pandemic and the impact on CT’s economy and budget will require continuous monitoring, adaptation and agility,” she said. “We will have to be spry on our fiscal feet.”

Back on May 1, McCaw and Lamont anticipated a much gloomier scenario. They warned then that Connecticut’s record-setting, $2.5 billion reserve was shrinking and would be exhausted by next June — and that the state might also face $500 million in operating debt by then.

But since then reserves have grown by nearly $600 million. Federal aid arriving earlier than anticipated helped the numbers. But the administration also saved hundreds of millions more than anticipated this fiscal year, and income tax receipts came in much stronger than expected this summer.

State law caps the reserve at 15% of General Fund spending, which currently pegs the limit at just over $3 billion. The fund currently holds $76 million too much, which must be transferred into Connecticut’s cash-starved pension programs for state employees and teachers. Connecticut, which amassed most of the current reserve over the past three fiscal years, spent most of the prior decade with a relatively modest rainy day fund as the state’s economy struggled to recover from The Great Recession.

The state last maxed out its reserve in 2001 under then-Gov. John G. Rowland. But that accomplishment was much easier to achieve given that the rainy day fund then was capped at just 5% of the General Fund, or a little less than $600 million.

But despite the latest numbers, McCaw cautioned Tuesday against too much optimism.

While state income tax receipts surged this summer, most involved earnings in 2019 before the pandemic struck, McCaw said.

And even though Connecticut now expects to have $942 million in its reserves entering next summer, the administrations anticipates a $3.5 billion hole in the 2021-22 fiscal year — with much of that gap driven by the coronavirus-induced recession.

A third wave of federal pandemic relief for states might help close that gap further, but Congress has yet to reach consensus on another package. Still, leaders of the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee noted that Connecticut has pressing needs now in social services, health care providers, municipalities and schools.

“I’m glad that our economic tables have turned drastically from what we thought was going to happen,” said Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, co-chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee. “It’s time that we take care of those that we have sort of pushed to the side.”And while stock markets have rebounded since the pandemic’s worst days in March and April, Walker noted, other aspects of the economy have not.

Connecticut had been paying weekly unemployment benefits to as many as 300,000 people early this summer, and about 250,000 continue to receive payments.

“It’s important that we balance this,” Walker said. “We’ve still got people on the edge of being evicted from their homes, either for rental or mortgage issues.”

State legislators, who met in special session in July to adopt police accountability and absentee ballot measures, have talked about possibly returning to the Capitol in September for another special session,

Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, the Appropriations Committee’s other co-chairwoman, said she would be open to legislators amending the current state budget at that time.

The swelling budget reserve “gives us an opportunity to address other issues that are apparent,” Osten said, calling for more aid for community-based nonprofits that provide the bulk of state-sponsored social services.

Nonprofits say the pandemic has been a double-whammy, costing them millions of dollars in lost revenue as some programs are curtailed or eliminated. And at the same time, expenses tied to protective gear, testing and other safety measures have skyrocketed.

CT Construction Digest Thursday August 27, 2020

 Stamford school board grills officials over mold discovery at Westover

Ignacio Laguarda  STAMFORD — Expressing disappointment and frustration, a contingent of Stamford Board of Education members grilled city officials and contractors Tuesday night over the discovery of mold in Westover Magnet Elementary School.

The school has been closed for two years due to a widespread mold infestation in the building. Over that time, the interior has been gutted and renovated as part of a $24 million project that includes new mechanical upgrades as well as new floors and ceiling tiles.

BOE members Jackie Pioli, Fritz Chery, and Mike Altamura expressed dismay over the mold discovery, only two weeks before the school is scheduled to reopen.“My problem ... is trying to build trust and confidence for the families, the students, the teachers, the staff at Westover School that went through so much in the past two years,” Altamura said.

He added, “We let our Westover community down.”

Westover, located at 412 Stillwater Ave., closed in October of 2018 following air quality tests that detected mold. Students were relocated to an office building on Elmcroft Road owned by Building and Land Technology.

Once repairs were underway, workers found more mold than was originally expected at the school building. In February of 2019, the district announced the school would be closed for the entire 2019-20 school year and reopen in fall 2020.

On Tuesday, City Engineer Lou Casolo said he was informed of the presence of mold the day after he gave a presentation to the school board’s operations committee last week. He said a plan was quickly put into place to fix the issue, and the last bit of mold was removed on Tuesday.

He agreed with those who said the discovery of mold was unacceptable. But he added, “What’s unacceptable to me is to be told of a problem and not address it.”

Construction officials told the board that the water system in the building was improperly balanced, which created conditions that led to mold.

There was a restricted amount of chilled water going to ventilators in the building, they said. Without the appropriate amount of cold water, spaces in the building could not stay cool and dry during hot and humid summer days.

Chery asked who was responsible for balancing the air.

Anthony Gaglio, president of Viking Construction, said a balancing company was used as subcontractor, but he ultimately said Viking was responsible.

The school is still under the care and custody of Viking Construction, the contractor charged with cleaning the mold and getting the school ready for reopening.

Jill Walsh, a mechanical engineer and principal with OLA Consulting Engineers, said the unbalanced system allowed moist air to enter the building, which caused condensation on cool surfaces.

That, paired with the fact that the unit ventilators were inappropriately running on a mode that allowed air to enter the building 24 hours a day, allowed condensation to build, and mold spores grew on surfaces such as ceiling tiles.

Gaglio said Viking was picking up the tab for the extra abatement effort.

The project hygienist, Meredith Febbraio, collected samples from ceiling tiles in rooms 120, 121, and 122 and pipe insulation last week. On Thursday, lab results confirmed that the samples contained mold.

Casolo said the growth was minor, however. He described it as “speckled,” as opposed to heavy.

He said a “post-monitoring plan” is in development and will include periodic checks from a hygienist.

Walsh added that temperature and humidity sensors would be installed above ceilings at the school — which is where the mold was newly discovered — to make sure such an occurrence doesn’t happen again.

Pioli questioned why such sensors weren’t part of the original plan, given the building’s history.

“If I had a house and it burned down from a fire, I might put in extra fire alarms,” Pioli said.

Walsh said that’s because such a measure is uncommon.

“I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years, and I’ve never come across a situation where we had to put humidity or temperature sensors above a hung ceiling,” she said.

Nonetheless, she said such sensors would be installed “because of heightened concern and the assurance that we want to get across to everyone that this will not happen again.”

The only board member who spoke in defense of Viking and the city’s efforts to clean the mold was Dan Dauplaise.

“Everything I’ve heard from the Viking representative and the city engineering office is that they remediated the problem, which seems to be minor, with all due speed and care,” he said.

He added, “In contrast to some of the other members who want to point fingers, I think both the city and Viking ... have done a very good job.”

Mayor David Martin also said Viking was “extremely responsive” to the issue.

“The problem is gone,” he said.

Martin said he believed it was “inappropriate” for board members to speculate about who is at fault unless the city conducts a full investigation.

He said Viking has the right to make claims for certain expenses, which will be adjudicated later.

“For us to speculate at this time does not help the city’s case,” he said.

Brownfield work to clear way for waterfront revitalization in Middletown

Casandra Day  MIDDLETOWN — Visitors to Harbor Park may have seen the start of construction there, addressing brownfields, erosion and other issues as the first steps of the decades-long effort to revitalize the city’s precious riverfront begins.

In 2016, Middletown won a $2.6 million Urban Act Grant from the state Department of Economic Development to begin the planning, assessment and remediation, according to Amy Vaillancourt of Middletown-based Tighe & Bond. She is an expert in brownfields remediation.

A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant, according to the EPA.

Extensive permitting was required for work to begin at Columbus Point and the boathouses because they fall within a floodplain, Vaillancourt said. Renovations were sorely needed for the “fatigued” area.

“In front of the boathouse was notorious. It’s not paved, there was always erosion. The riverfront is fill material — it was made over time. It used to be water,” she said.

These efforts will “set the foundation for being able to reclaim the waterfront as a community resource, gathering place and public asset,” according to John Hall, executive director of The Jonah Center. He said the Connecticut River waterfront was not always valued for its recreational and scenic purposes as much as it is today.

Pollution was rampant. “In years past, it was the primary means of transportation. In the industrial age, it became a waste disposal system,” for nearby industries beginning in the mid-19th century, Hall said.

Presently, grading, paving and the creation of an eight-foot-wide, handicap accessible walkway is taking place to better accommodate visitors.

“It’s all overgrown, you’ve got no good access to the water or views, but, yet, it’s got one of the nicest viewable spots in Middletown,” Vaillancourt said. Now, that the area is being cleared out, “it’s amazing,” she said of the transformation.

The river at Harbor Park, formerly an unsightly area, Hall said, is now used for fishing, and by bicyclists, walkers and other outdoor enthusiasts. “Our river quality has improved enormously in the past 30, 40 years.”

A report by the Project for Public Spaces was adopted by the Middletown Riverfront Redevelopment Committee into the city’s Plan of Conservation and Development about five years ago.

The New York-based agency, whose mission is creating and sustaining public places that build communities, according to its website, recommended the project begin with the boathouse land.

It is considered an “anchor” of the riverfront, Vaillancourt said. “The area has an industrial history and environmental challenges.”

Presently, bank stabilization is needed to fix erosion at Columbus Point. “It’s really bad,” she said.

In June, public works crews removed the Christopher Columbus statue into temporary storage ahead of the work. That happened to coincide with incidents across the nation at the time, during which statues of what some people perceive to be controversial were taken down.

Portions of the original bulkhead there, partially removed following the Flood of 1955, are still in place.

“We have a good base. All we have to do now, especially because it’s been so dry, is work the exposed portion of the bank. We’re using big revetment stones to build that up, and make it more able to take flooding, river action, and [withstand] the debris that sometimes floats down the river,” Vaillancourt said.

What’s now Harbor Park once had petroleum, gasoline and coal-storage facilities, as well as various mills, Hall said.

“Old timers would tell me, in the 20s, 30s and 40s, they would see dead animals floating down the river and all kinds of trash,” he said. That changed with the adoption of the Clean Water Act of 1972, when a national effort to clean up waterways was begun in earnest.

At one time, industrial businesses , dumped adhesives and petroleum-based cleaning solvents into the ground. Across the river in Portland, facilities that store oil and gas also tainted the water, Hall said.

Many factors led to the need for redress, Hall said. Tiny amounts of asphalt seep into the river, and vehicle oil drips from parking lots. Tires also leave minute amounts of rubber on the pavement.

“A lot is coming from the transportation sector these days,” Hall said.

All that washes into the water and is eaten by small organisms, such as shellfish, which are then consumed by larger fish and could pose a hazard to those fishing the area.

Nearby Sumner Brook contains petroleum-related contaminates, as well as arsenic, Hall said. There are also areas with broken-up concrete slabs that need to be removed.

There is a very steep slope at the brook, Vaillancourt said, requiring a need for permanent stabilization. Plans are for a little walkway to be built from the point, over the brook, and connecting to the Peterson Oil property around the corner on River Road.

The city Planning, Conservation and Development office will be taking bids for a consultant to create a master plan in the near future, including creation of maps and compilation of data, Hall said.

He expects public forums and charrettes to follow sometime next year. “We’ve got a ways to go.”

The city has become a blueprint for brownfield remediation throughout the state, Vaillancourt said. “Middletown has been the model for a lot of other municipalities for what it takes to plan and move forward.”

The city boasts several success stories, including the removal of contaminates at the old Remington Rand building off Johnson Street, she said.

Portion of Willis Street to be discontinued as public road to incorporate campus of Arts Magnet School

Susan Corica  BRISTOL – The City Council has voted to discontinue a portion of Willis Street as a public road to incorporate it into the campus of the planned Memorial Boulevard Intradistrict Arts Magnet School. The portion is between South Street and Memorial Boulevard, behind the school building.

The city and the Board of Education are collaborating on the project to transform the closed Memorial Boulevard School into an arts magnet school for grades six through 12. The opening date is projected to be August of 2022.

In April, the council approved a potential 50-year lease with The Barnes Group Inc. to provide additional parking for the arts magnet school. The lease is for 30 years, at $3,000 a year, with an option to renew for four five-year terms after that.

The parking lot is located on .622 acres at the western corner of Willis Street and Memorial Boulevard. It is part of the Associated Spring property, located at 18 Main St. Associated Spring is a subsidiary of The Barnes Group.

At the council’s August meeting, Councilman David Preleski reported that the planning and design stages for the arts magnet school construction project have been completed. “Right now the activity going full guns in the building, with haz-mat removal and demolition within the building,” said Preleski, who is a member of the arts magnet school building committee.

“Pre-bids for the next phase of the project, which includes site work, masonry, landscaping, roofing, windows, drywall, plumbing, mechanicals, have drawn interest from over 100 contractors,” Preleski said. “We’re very happy with the response.”

The total cost of the project is $63 million, of which 60% will be paid by the state.

Memorial Boulevard was the city’s high school when it opened in 1922. In 1967, it became a junior high school and then a middle school, until it closed at the end of the 2011-12 school year, as part of a major redistricting in which five aged schools were closed and two large new ones opened. 

DOT to hold virtual information session on Mystic Route 1 retaining wall repair project

Groton — The state Department of Transportation is planning a project to repair a nearly 100-year-old stone masonry wall on Route 1 (West Main Street), right before the intersection where the Baptist church is located in downtown Mystic, according to the DOT and the Town of Groton Facebook page.

DOT will hold a virtual information session at 7 p.m. Thursday.

DOT said the structure, built in 1924, is 232 feet long and is made of mortared stone blocks, a concrete cap and metal pipe rail. The project, expected to be state funded and cost about $1.2 million, entails repairing “the deficiencies associated with the existing metal pipe rail and retaining wall.”

“The proposed rehabilitation consists of replacing the deteriorated concrete cap and pipe rail with a cast-in-place concrete moment slab and crash tested (open) rail system,” a project description states. To meet current guiderail safety requirements for attachments and end treatments, about 6 feet of the wall will be removed to accommodate a roughly 45-foot-long return wall, or secondary wall perpendicular to the main one.

The northbound lane will be reconstructed along the wall length, according to DOT.

DOT said construction is slated to start in the fall of 2021. During the project, traffic on the northbound lane of Route 1 will be detoured through state routes.

Information on how to watch the virtual meeting, including links to the MS Teams Live Event and YouTube project channel, is available at portal.ct.gov/DOTGroton58-335. People can comment on the project through Sept. 10 by emailing DOTProject0058-0335@ct.gov or leaving a voicemail at (860) 944-1111. The MS Teams Live Event will have a chat function during the question and answer session following the presentation.

People with limited internet access can contact louis.bacho@ct.gov or (860) 594-3212 to request information by mail. They can listen to the meeting by calling (888) 282-0355 and using the participant code 5891744.

People with hearing and/or speech disabilities can dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services. The MS Teams Live Event offers closed captioning and translation options. A recording posted to YouTube after the event will offer closed captioning.

A recording will be posted later at portal.ct.gov/dot/general/CTDOT-VPIM-Library.

CT Construction Digest Wednesday August 26, 2020

 Anna Reynolds School planned renovation will hike up taxes for Newington taxpayers

Erica Drzewiecki Newington taxpayers will see their taxes increase by an average of $75 annually if the planned renovation of Anna Reynolds School moves forward. That net impact wouldn’t be seen until 2023, according to school officials, who have asked the town to consider the project in a referendum on Election Day Nov. 3. The project cost has been estimated at $35.5 million, but reimbursement from the state of Connecticut through a school building grant program is expected to bring the town’s projected cost to about $17.75 million.

 Town Council has scheduled a Public Hearing for this Thursday at 7 p.m. on Zoom to hear public comment on the project before setting the bond resolution and the referendum date. Information on how to attend will be posted on the town’s website, at newingtonct.gov/virtualmeetingschedule. 

“With Anna Reynolds being over 50 years old there are substantial needs to update the facility,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Maureen Brummett told the Herald and Newington Town Crier this summer as details of the project were finalized. The renovate-as-new plans call for an upgrade to the entire structure, rendering bathrooms and other facilities handicapped-accessible, replacing outdated plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems, and finally, installing a new roof, as the existing one has been a source of ongoing issues. 

“If you followed the news or social media this past year or have children who attend Anna Reynolds you are probably familiar with the problems with the roof,” Principal Jason Smith told residents in a video presentation about the project. 

Smith offered the public a virtual tour of the school before this week’s hearing, in lieu of being able to host an in-person tour for the public due to ongoing pandemic restrictions. Classroom ceilings, learning materials and internet access were all compromised by water coming in through the roof. Repairs made by the town in early spring will sustain it for a period of two to five years, Smith said. “That means a new roof is still a necessity,” he added. The existing building is 61, 644 sq. ft., exceeding space standards. 

The footprint would not increase in the renovation, except for the addition of a handicapped-accessible elevator. The Anna Reynolds Project Building Committee has continued its efforts, planning construction and working with firm Colliers International on the grant application, which was submitted to the State June 26. JCJ Architecture is conducting an independent review of the facility as well, to ensure it qualifies for maximum reimbursement as a renovate-as-new project. Pending approval by taxpayers in the referendum, the State Bond Commission is expected to make its award selections by the year’s end. 

Cross Sound Ferry proposes to reconfigure operations in New London

Greg Smith New London — Cross Sound Ferry has applied for a permit to conduct work along the city’s waterfront that includes a reconfiguration of its operations and construction of a new ferry slip to accommodate the future National Coast Guard Museum.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, received a permit for the proposed work and is soliciting comments from the public about it. The public notice with more detailed information is available at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website at bit.ly/csfpn.

Cross Sound Ferry is losing waterfront from an 11,000-square-foot area that plans show will be occupied by the museum on adjacent property behind the train station, New London Union Station at 27 Water St.

Cross Sound Ferry plans to relocate its high-speed ferry slip and floating loading platform and remove an existing ticketing building and restrooms to create room for a new high-speed ferry terminal.Part of the proposed work by Cross Sound involves relocation of existing dolphin pilings and installation of new pilings and construction of a new 800-square-foot ferry ramp and slip. The plans call for filling in 6,200 cubic yards over 10,000 square feet to allow for construction of a 460-foot bulkhead along the waterfront. The plan envisions dredging about 200 cubic yards of material from a 2,000-square-foot area to be used for fill behind the bulkhead. Dredging will be performed by a barge.

“The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact of the proposed activity on the public interest,” the Army Corps said in its public notice.

Comments received by the Army Corps are used in preparation of an environmental assessment and/or an environmental impact statement, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. Comments also are used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest in the proposed activity.

Public comments on this proposed work should be forwarded no later than Sept. 25. A representative from Cross Sound Ferry was not immediately available to comment on this report.

$50M apartment proposal at Showcase Cinemas site leads East Hartford development project trio

Greg Bordonaro or most development directors in Connecticut, having one major project in the pipeline is a big deal.

East Hartford Development Director Eileen Buckheit has three.

But don’t expect all of them to come online soon. That’s not the way economic development — especially in the Land of Steady Habits — works.

Buckheit, who has been in her current role for seven-and-a-half years, said getting major developments off the ground can take up to a decade or longer, and in the meantime it takes many small steps — from making changes to plans of conservation and development to gaining local approvals and funding sources — to get major projects off the ground.

And that’s precisely what she’s been working on in her time in East Hartford, which has three major developments in the works: potential redevelopment of the former Showcase Cinemas site into apartments; a new commercial building being erected by Goodwin University as part of a larger master plan; and the addition of a large potential apartment community at Founders Plaza.“My philosophy is to keep marching forward, keep pushing and taking the next step,” Buckheit said. “These are projects that we’ve been building for the last 7.5 years.”

Buckheit said the town faces a few obstacles to economic development. First, it doesn’t have a ton of open space so new projects tend to be redevelopments of already existing sites. Second, there is some pushback against new apartments, particularly at the site of the old Showcase Cinemas, where long-established residents think a big-box retailer should go.

“East Hartford is transitioning into something that is more urban, but it’s facing a lot of resistance,” she said. “But if all these projects happen, it’s a game changer for us.”

Here’s an update on the three major developments in East Hartford:

Former Showcase Cinemas site

After remaining a vacant eyesore for nearly 14 years, the town of East Hartford in early 2020 finally razed the former Showcase Cinemas building on Silver Lane in hopes of clearing the path for a potential mixed-use residential development.

The town recently completed a request for proposals and received one bid to potentially redevelop the site.

East Hartford Development Co. LLC — led by Domenic Carpionato, a principal at Rhode Island-based real estate development company Carpionato Group — responded to the RFP proposing a $50-million, mixed-use residential development, Buckheit said.

Phase one would include construction of 204 market-rate apartments (131 one-bedroom and 74 two-bedroom units) and 72,000 square feet of commercial space that could be ready for development next year.

A second phase would include an additional 108 apartments (76 one-bedroom and 32 two-bedroom units) on acreage that leads to Forbes Street.

Both phases would have access to modern amenities, including a clubhouse, pool, dog park, etc.

Buckheit said the land is most suitable for apartments, even though some town residents would prefer to see another theater or big-box retail.

“That logic is flawed,” she said. “Big box is not where the retail market has taken us.”

[Read more: HBJ examines developments in CT towns, cities]

Buckheit said the town hasn’t had new apartment construction since the 1970s putting it behind its neighboring communities — including Manchester, Glastonbury and Hartford — which have all built new residential projects that have attracted Millennials and empty-nesters.

The redevelopment of the site is critical to the revitalization of the Silver Lane neighborhood, Buckheit added.

She points to the success Hartford has had in building new apartments that have been leased up. She said East Hartford would differentiate itself by offering more of a suburban lifestyle.

The town bought the Showcase Cinemas property in early 2019 for $3.3 million. The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) is helping out on the project.

Goodwin University commercial building

Goodwin University recently secured Rebel Dog Coffee Co. as the second tenant for its $8-million, 25-000-square-foot commercial building meant to expand and revitalize the East Hartford school’s riverside campus.

Rebel Dog Coffee, which operates locations in Plainville and Farmington, signed a lease to occupy roughly 2,500 square feet of ground-level space at the three-floor commercial building.

The coffee shop will be located next to East Hartford-based American Eagle Financial Credit Union, which was the first tenant to commit to the mixed-use development.

Both companies are expected to begin operating when the building debuts sometime this fall, said Bryant Harrell, Goodwin’s vice president for physical facilities, IT and security. Up to four more tenants — including retailers, medical offices and other businesses — could occupy the remaining available space on the second and third floors.

According to plans, the commercial site on Main and Ensign streets will feature flexible space for the 4,000 daily student population and some 600 faculty/staff at Goodwin. It will also provide on-site parking and access to the CTtransit bus route.

While Goodwin is a not-for-profit college, the building is projected to add about $1.3 million to East Hartford’s tax rolls over an eight-year period and is part of the school’s larger 10-year master plan of development.

In 2018, Goodwin announced an ambitious redevelopment vision that included construction of a 60-slip marina and riverfront hotel and restaurants, and those projects are still in play, Harrell said, though the pandemic has slowed progress.

Still, developers are showing interest in the potential development and a new stormwater drainage system is being installed that will make it possible to build more and larger buildings along the Connecticut River.

That should help entice developers to the area, Buckheit said.

Goodwin owns the majority of the Connecticut River neighborhood it inhabits on and around Riverside Drive.

Founders Plaza

East Hartford’s most notable office building — the half-century-old Founders Plaza office tower on Pitkin Street — is being eyed for a mixed-use residential-retail center with up to 2,000 new apartment units.The town has partnered with building owner First Merchant Group (led by Larry Nirenberg), CRDA and Tecton Architects on a district master plan to create a new “live, work, play” urban destination, which the town currently lacks.

The plan estimates an initial buildout of 250 or so residential units, with a potential to develop up to 2,000 units in the future.

The 12.5-acre site is covered by parking lots suitable for infill development that could take advantage of being a stone throw’s away from downtown Hartford, Buckheit said.

“When Founders Plaza was built in the 1970s it was supposed to be higher-density development, but it never came to fruition,” she said. “It’s a very important gateway to us.”

Buckheit views the project — now called “East Bank” — as a public-private partnership that she would like to see happen sooner, rather than later, although the COVID-19 pandemic has likely delayed things a bit.

There is no official project timeline right now.

“We are trying to walk very carefully on this,” she said. “It’s an ambitious and important plan.”

CT gas utilities customer conversions continue to slip against targets

Matt Pilon narrow spread between the prices of natural gas and oil continues to suppress the number of customers natural gas utilities in Connecticut are adding each year.

Eversource and Avangrid converted 9,939 Connecticut customers to natural gas last year, which was the second year in a row their combined total fell below 10,000, according to the latest annual filings the utility operators submitted to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.

2019 was the sixth year of a natural gas expansion plan drafted by the Malloy administration in 2012, when oil prices were higher, making conversions to gas more financially attractive.

The plan, part of the state’s first ever Comprehensive Energy Strategy, called for 280,000 conversions by 2023, a multibillion-dollar investment.

But oil prices have been lower than expected since crashing in 2016, and it’s become almost certain that the gas utilities will not meet the targets. They’ve been revising annual targets downward for the past several years to reflect that reality.

From 2014 through 2019, the gas utilities converted a total of 81,611, according to the filings, which were submitted to PURA in mid-June. That’s 52% of the 156,633 conversions originally called for by the state’s plan.

Conversions in 2020 are expected to slip further against the targets. The filings project 9,300 total conversions this year, which would be just over 31% of the original goal for this year.

Office, retail development coming to South Windsor’s Evergreen Walk area

Joe Cooper acant land across from South Windsor’s Evergreen Walk shopping center will soon become home to a four-building complex with a mix of medical office and retail space.

Farmington’s Metro Realty Group is leading the project aiming to construct 50,400 square feet of medical office and 38,880 square feet of retail space on Buckland Road across the street from LA Fitness.

South Windsor’s planning and zoning commission recently granted key land-use approvals for the real estate developer, which acquired the vacant land for an undisclosed sum in Sept. 2019, and filed applications for the development months later.

Tenants have not yet been selected for the so-called Gateway Boulevard development, town records show. The mixed-use property is expected to join a new Chase Bank branch and Aldi grocery store as new additions to the corridor. Metro Realty is also leading those projects, officials say.

It’s not clear when construction will begin on the development, or how much it will cost to build. Metro Realty declined multiple requests for comment.

Town Planner Michele R. Lipe said Metro Realty, one of Connecticut’s largest medical office developers, still needs certain environmental approvals before it can break ground.According to plans filed with the town, the complex will house two retail buildings near the well-traveled Buckland Road corridor. A combination of restaurants, with outdoor seating, and clothing retail tenants would be ideally suited for the buildings, officials say.

Another two medical-office buildings are to be constructed at the rear of the property. A total of 486 parking spaces and several electric car charging stations are planned for the development, plans show. There will be more than 600 parking spaces if the Aldi and Chase buildings are included.

A map of the development on Metro Realty’s website shows the office buildings will comprise 25,700 square feet and 30,000 square feet. Forteen retail units in the other two buildings mostly range from 2,495 square feet to 4,050 square feet.

A second phase of development is currently being eyed on a small piece of land just north of the property also controlled by Metro Realty, town officials have said. Construction on the Chase branch has already begun, and work on the Aldi supermarket is expected to begin soon, town records show.

Metro Realty will also create a four-way intersection and crosswalks where Buckland Road, Cedar Avenue and the new Gateway Boulevard meet.

The office-retail development will compete with its neighbors across the street at The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk. The outdoor shopping center spans more than 374,979 square feet, and is home to many specialty retailers and restaurants including Anthropologie, Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Ted’s Montana Grill, Red Heat Tavern, Sakura Garden and Omaha Steaks, among other storefronts.

Headquartered at 6 Executive Dr. in Farmington, Metro Realty owns and operates more than 30 medical office, industrial and multifamily buildings around Connecticut, according to its website.

Last year, it sold a 29,000-square-foot medical office building on Middle Turnpike Road in Manchester for $11.3 million, and is looking to invest $2.4 million to construct a 16,200-square-foot, one-story medical building on Cromwell Avenue in Rocky Hill.

Demolition phase could be near for The Haven project in West Haven

Pam McLoughlin WEST HAVEN — The developers of the planned The Haven outdoor luxury mall await only a fire marshal’s signature before starting demolition for the project, city Corporation Counsel Lee Tiernan told the City Council Monday, but council Chairman Ron Quagliani wants more: another appearance by the developer, and another timeline.

Fire Marshal Keith Flood said Monday afternoon he had the paperwork in hand and was reviewing it, and that it should be signed in the coming days. It is routine, Flood said, for his office to sign off on the safety precautions regarding demolition.Quagliani Monday requested Tiernan get a representative of the developer to appear before the City Council to provide a “timeline” for the project, stalled for years now and leaving many city residents wondering whether it ever will come to fruition.

Quagliani made a similar request in April 2019 and a representative eventually showed up to address the council, after canceling once.

Tiernan told Quagliani that he believed he could get an appearance by the developer, but not likely at the next meeting.

Tiernan told the council in his update Monday that the site — which many residents claim has turned into a blighted area — will be ready for demolition when Flood signs off on the project.

After Tiernan said the sign-off would make the site ready for demolition, Quagliani said he then would be under the impression that demolition would begin within days or a week following that.

The project developer couldn’t be reached for comment.

The site plan application for the 265,000 square feet of retail and restaurant development has long had approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

At one time, a representative of the developer said the target date for The Haven to open was June 2020.

Tiernan said they should see demolition first along Elm and Water streets. Tiernan said landscapers known to city Commissioner of Development Fred A. Messore would help clean up in a “swift response” to blight.

There are 57 properties within the 24-acre project area, which is bounded by Main Street, First Avenue and Elm Street. The project includes Water Street, which will be eliminated as The Haven is built.

Mayor Nancy Rossi has said she is “very excited” about The Haven project, and at the time of approval called it a “game changer” for the cash-strapped city.

The plans include 80 stores and five full-service restaurants. The Haven spent years in the acquisition stage as the developers negotiated with the 57 property owners.

City officials and the developers have said The Haven would pay $2 million in annual property tax and create more than $15 million in incremental sales tax for the state, as well as 800 full-time and 400 part-time jobs, plus 800 construction jobs using all Connecticut-based contractors.

Rossi has said that since taking office in December 2017 her administration has done “everything possible to facilitate the Haven project and will continue in that respect until the project is complete.”

The project has seen many delays that Tiernan has said are no fault of the developer because it was waiting for agencies to act, including the state Department of Economic and Community Development regarding $5 million in financial assistance and a certificate from the Office of State Traffic Administration.

Both those matters have been settled.

The developer hired a security company to monitor boarded-up houses in the project area.

CT Construction Digest Monday August 24, 2020

 Amazon’s growing CT distribution footprint set to top 4 million square feet

Joe Cooper any Connecticut towns and cities, including Hartford and East Hartford, in recent years were among hundreds of applicants that tried to lure e-commerce giant Amazon to build its second headquarters in the state. But despite recruitment efforts from former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and predecessor Gov. Ned Lamont, the state was not named on a short list of cities the internet retailer was considering for its $2.5 billion headquarters before northern Virginia was named the victor in the Amazon “HQ2” sweepstakes. However, as Amazon continues its domination as the world’s largest retailer, the Seattle-based company has made major investments across the Northeast, including in Connecticut, where it launched several distribution sites this year. An analysis of the e-commerce juggernaut’s presence in Connecticut shows that it currently occupies more than 3 million square feet in Windsor, North Haven, Cromwell, Stratford, Wallingford, Bristol, Orange and at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. It also plans to occupy another 1.1 million square feet at facilities in Windsor, Wallingford and Danbury in the next year. Already employing thousands of workers in Connecticut, area real estate brokers say the company is eyeing additional locations in the eastern and western regions of the state as the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the e-commerce boom. Meanwhile, Amazon, which did not respond to requests for comment, is reportedly in talks with America’s largest mall owner to convert former or current J.C. Penney and Sears stores into distribution hubs to deliver packages. Brokers say the deal could make sense for both Amazon and mall operator Simon Property Group as the e-commerce landscape shifts and many brick-and-mortar stores close their doors for good. “I think to take over these malls is a great use of those buildings,” said Nicholas Morizio, Hartford president for property broker Colliers International. “That’s a great need.”Amazon, recently announcing the debut of its new 403,000-square-foot, large-item fulfillment center in Cromwell, said it’s invested more than $2.1 billion in Connecticut over the last decade in real estate, cloud infrastructure and compensation for 8,500 full- and part-time employees. The company also estimated that its investments have contributed at least $600 million to the state’s economy during that period.  Brick-and-mortar retail impact Connecticut has steadily become a major landing spot for several new Amazon fulfillment and delivery stations because it’s centrally located in New England and has significantly cheaper rent prices compared to the nearby New York and Boston markets, according to brokers and economic development officials. Amazon recently said its growing presence helps speed up delivery times for both customers and the more than 17,500 independent authors and small- and medium-size businesses in Connecticut that sell on the company’s website. But some have expressed concern that Amazon’s growing presence in the state, in addition to the continuing growth of online shopping, could stifle brick-and-mortar retail activity. Others, however, believe those fears are misguided. Timothy Phelan, president of the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association, said he welcomes Amazon’s growing presence in the state because it helps generate a significant amount of tax revenue and creates thousands of jobs with wages starting at $15 an hour. In 2013, Phelan urged state lawmakers to force Amazon to begin collecting Connecticut’s 6.35% sales tax with the hope of generating approximately $15 million a year in additional sales taxes. It’s not exactly clear how much Amazon generates in Connecticut tax revenue annually, but the state collected about $250 million in online retail sales tax revenue in fiscal 2020, according to the Department of Revenue Services. “We feel as long as the field is level, and everybody plays by the same set of rules, we just allow the market to dictate,” he said. “The fact that Amazon is growing in Connecticut just heightens the importance of every retailer having an e-commerce site themselves.” Amazon’s store at Norwalk’s SoNo Collection mall and its pursuit of other vacant mall space nationally, Phelan said, is encouraging because it shows the company believes consumers still value an in-person shopping experience. He added that increased competition from Amazon will also pressure local retailers to innovate their sales strategies. “I’m confident we have enough retailers in Connecticut that will give consumers enough choice to compete,” Phelan said. “Consumers have many choices, and that’s the kind of mix we want to see.” Recent growth Two of Amazon’s latest projects in Connecticut marked major milestones for the town’s of Cromwell and Windsor.Jim Burke, Windsor’s economic development director, said Amazon will become the town’s largest employer with about 2,700 employees after it debuts its second $230-million fulfillment center on former tobacco farmland on Kennedy Road in the fourth quarter of 2021. Amazon first broke into Connecticut in 2015 with the launch of its 1.2 million-square-foot fulfillment center on Old Iron Ore Road. Today, Burke said the site employs more than 1,700 full- and part-time workers. The town’s largest employers, he said, include The Hartford Financial Services Group and Voya Financial, which currently employ about 2,000 and 1,500 workers, respectively. In Cromwell, Amazon in recent weeks debuted what officials are calling the first large-scale development in the northern tier of the town.\ Town officials had been hoping a major tenant would occupy the 120 County Line Dr. facility that Indiana developer Scannell Properties — which is also constructing Amazon’s new Windsor facility — had been marketing for more than a year before Amazon committed to the property this past winter. The so-called “speculative’’ development is rarely seen these days in Greater Hartford’s commercial-industrial market since the 2008 financial crisis triggered the Great Recession. Stuart Popper, Cromwell’s director of planning and development, said he believes the 36-acre Amazon operation could attract additional industrial developments to the area. “Everyone was going, ‘this is either a brilliant move or a disaster,’ ” Popper said of Scannell building the facility without a tenant dedicated to the project. “It looks like a brilliant move now.”

Facing scrutiny over rate increases, power outages, Eversource quietly files $500M smart-meter plan

Matt Pillion tility giant Eversource has been in the hot seat this past month, first for issuing unexpectedly high electric bills in July, and soon after, for its slower-than-desired response to an 800,000-customer power outage caused by Tropical Storm Isaias. That would draw criticism, regulator probes and negative press in a normal year, but frustration levels seemed to boil over, as the events all took place against the backdrop of an economy battered by COVID-19, with an anxious population that’s spending far more time at home. Perhaps due to its sudden public relations emergency, Eversource hasn’t sought to draw much attention to an approximately $500-million plan it filed with state regulators on July 31 — days before Isaias struck the state — to install 1.2 million smart meters across Connecticut. The proposal, if approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), would further increase consumer and business electricity rates — by about $214 million over the first five years. But it would also have some potential consumer benefits, including improving Eversource’s response to future wide-scale power outages, enabling greater adoption of variable “time-of-use” electricity pricing, paving the way for growth of electric vehicles and renewable power sources like solar and wind, and reducing overall energy usage and peak demand. The plan’s awkward timing was pure happenstance. PURA, which is now investigating the reasons behind Eversource’s increased July rates and preparation for the recent storm, had requested months ago that the Boston/Hartford-based utility and United Illuminating submit the so-called “advanced metering infrastructure” (AMI) proposals by July 31, as part of its ongoing analysis of infrastructure investments that will be needed to create a more modern electric grid. PURA is slated to decide by year’s end on what sort of smart-meter investments — if any — to permit utilities to make. Eversource’s plan is by far the larger of the two proposals, as United Illuminating previously invested in smart meters and also has a smaller electric territory in the state. Utilities are permitted to earn a margin on such investments of just over 7%, which means Eversource could net tens of millions of dollars if its plan is approved.Marissa Gillett, PURA’s chairman, who has spearheaded the agency’s grid-modernization review since Gov. Ned Lamont hired her last year, said smart electricity meters located in homes and commercial buildings can be a foundational technology that ultimately benefits ratepayers, utilities and the environment. But Gillett said she’s cognizant of the timing of the Eversource proposal, which, even if PURA determines is worthwhile, would increase rates in a state already known for having some of the most expensive electricity prices in the country. “I would say at this point that we will definitely be paying a lot of attention to the price tag,” Gillett said. “Ratepayers are looking out at the system now and they know they’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars on grid hardening and they’re concerned they haven’t gotten the return on their investment for how the utility has deployed it.” To put the proposed smart-meter investment in context, Eversource has spent a nearly identical amount ($442.5 million) on storm response and cleanup over 28 major storms since 2012, according to data PURA provided to HBJ. Still, Gillett isn’t backing off of her push to explore the best pathways to a futuristic grid. If anything, the recent storm proved that efforts to modernize infrastructure must be accelerated, she argued. Eversource’s pitch Eversource’s 85-page proposal estimates the new smart meters would increase annual bills for the typical residential ratepayer in Connecticut by less than $2 in the first year, escalating from there, to about $137 per year in year five. Other rate classes, such as those that include small- and medium-sized businesses and manufacturers, would see varying impacts on their bills by the fifth year, ranging from an extra half-cent per kilowatt hour to just over one cent, depending on their rate category. Over the 20-year life of the meters, Eversource says the benefits produced would exceed the costs, albeit slightly, breaking even by the 17th year. In a statement, Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross said the high-tech meters “would allow for real-time information regarding customer energy use, as well as rate options where customers could shift their electric usage to off-peak times to help save money on their electric bill.”\ Eversource said that many of the potential benefits, such as reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, are difficult to quantify financially and are therefore not captured in its cost-benefit analysis. Helping with outages Smart electric meters could also improve Eversource’s ability to respond to future storms and outages by giving it the ability to automatically detect where the power is out — without needing customers to call — and more efficiently allocating trucks and repair crews to where they are needed most. Asked if smart meters would have led to fewer outages or a faster recovery from Isaias, Gross said extensive tree damage caused by the storm’s high winds were to blame for the situation. However, Eversource’s own proposal, as well as other smart-meter experts, claim the technology could provide real benefits, including more accurate planning for outages and restoring power more quickly and efficiently when infrastructure is damaged. Eversource’s analysis includes $83.5 million in benefits over a 20-year period related to outage restoration and customer reliability, including an improved ability to coordinate mutual aid storm response crews and automate the typically labor intensive process of identifying the remaining pockets of so-called “nested” outages in the final days of a storm-recovery effort. While each storm is unique, Eversource estimates that smart meters could reduce outage durations by about 12%. AMI has a mixed record PURA’s review of utilities’ smart-meter proposals will come following regulators rejecting large meter deployments in other states in recent years, including Massachusetts, Virginia, New Mexico and Kentucky. In those states, regulators determined that the investments wouldn’t produce sufficient benefits for ratepayers. For example, Massachusetts utility commissioners in 2018 rejected a proposed smart-meter rollout by three utilities, including Eversource, citing that many of the benefits of automated meter reading had already been realized in the state, as well as potential complications related to how third-party energy suppliers would play into the program, according to Greentech Media. And in Virginia, Dominion Energy (which owns Conncticut’s Millstone Power Station nuclear plant), has seen its meter plans stymied, as regulators there rejected three proposals in the past two years, according to The Virginia Mercury, which reported that officials there called the utility’s benefit projections “overoptimistic and flawed.” Indeed, while there were 98 million smart meters deployed across the country as of the end of last year, according to data published by the Edison Electric Institute, most utilities don’t use the meter technology to its fullest potential, researchers with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), concluded in a recent report. “This is due in part to organizational barriers including silos and workforce challenges, data access and sharing issues, and difficulties communicating the benefits and costs of AMI to key stakeholders,” the ACEEE report said.Jess Melanson, chief operating officer of Rhode Island-based Utilidata, which makes software that interacts with smart meters and counts leading meter manufacturers among its clientele, said he is hoping PURA learns from such mistakes and mandates clear directives up front for what Connecticut’s utilities must do with their smart meters. For example, he’d like to see clear targets and metrics related to transitioning away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. “If you’re going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on grid-edge computing in 2020, you need to ask it to do more,” Melanson said. Melanson hopes the recent storm and resulting anger at Eversource won’t dim Connecticut’s prospects for leveraging smart meters to their fullest potential over the next few decades. “I worry more that, in a rush to solve today’s problem, which is ‘I didn’t know whose power was out,’ that we’ll make a giant investment that doesn’t stand the test of time,” he said.

Wallingford business owner gets prison for IRS scheme

Michelle Tuccitto Sullo he owner of a Wallingford business was sentenced Wednesday to a year in prison for trying to fool IRS agents who were investigating his company’s finances. Donald Cariati Jr., 45, of Meriden, had entered a guilty plea in February to one count of obstructing or impeding the due administration of Internal Revenue laws. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea on Wednesday ordered Cariati to serve 12 months and one day of imprisonment, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Shea also ordered Cariati to pay a $95,000 fine, and make restitution of $1,077,049. Cariati has already paid $1 million toward his tax obligation. Cariati owns and operates Cariati Developers Inc. at 70 North Plains Industrial Rd., Wallingford. The company provides various services, such as snow removal, excavation, paving, and home construction. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, from 2013 to 2017, Cariati paid several employees with company checks, but mischaracterized them as independent contractors or subcontractors to avoid withholding or paying over taxes to the IRS. Prosecutors said Cariati and his company failed to issue 1099 forms to these “subcontractors,” and informed some people they were being paid off the books. Therefore, their pay wasn’t reported to the IRS. The IRS launched an audit of the company in 2015. Prosecutors claimed Cariati tried to cover his tracks, such as through fraudulent invoices which aimed to prove to investigators that the people who were paid were in fact subcontractors. Additionally, the company in 2014 paid for products for Cariati’s cigarette boat. During the audit,  Cariati caused his accountant to provide the IRS with a phony invoice aimed at making it appear that it was a business expense rather than a personal one, according to the government. Cariati’s defense attorney, Trent Alan LaLima of the firm Santos & LaLima in Hartford, had asked for his client to get a period of home confinement, citing the dangers of the coronavirus to the prison population, and his client’s acceptance of responsibility and lack of a criminal record.  “Mr. Cariati’s conduct is forcing his company to now overpay taxes, a deserved punishment,” LaLima wrote, in a pre-sentencing memorandum. “This Court should consider how his conduct has caused his company financial losses in considering the deterrent effect on him personally, and on other potential offenders in the future. He has taken responsibility for his actions (and) expressed his disappointment in himself.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Laraia had asked the judge to impose a sentence within the calculated guidelines of 24 to 30 months, citing the amount of loss to the IRS and Cariati’s “deceptive” conduct during the audit. Cariati is currently free on bond and must report to the federal Bureau of Prisons in 90 days.

$18 million: The price tag to revitalize Ansonia, mayor says

Michael P. Mayko  ANSONIA — Mayor David Cassetti and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal stood on the concrete bridge leading to the former Ansonia Copper and Brass site and looked at the sprawling 60-acre complex of vacant, rusted metal hulks that once churned out products 24/7.

“Once we get these buildings down, we’ll have a blank canvas,” Cassetti told the senator. “A developer can paint whatever picture he wants and submit it to the city for approval.” Cassetti has big plans for the site and sees the old plant’s destruction as the beginning of an upturn for Ansonia. But there’s an $18 million wall standing between the city and Cassetti’s vision of prosperity. It will cost an estimated $8 million to tear down the remaining structures. Another $1.1 million is needed for the U.S. Department of Transportation to design a 28-foot-wide, 1,500-foot-long road to run through a nearby wooded section behind North and South Westwood roads to empty onto Route 8 heading to Seymour. It would take another $9 million to pay for the road’s construction, replacement of the bridge over the Naugatuck River leading from the parking lot to the factory buildings and extension of the Riverwalk to Seymour. “Once we do that, trucks can avoid the city streets and are only minutes away from Waterbury and connecting to (Interstate) 84,” Cassetti said. “We will need to talk to Burns (Construction) about purchasing some land and we’ll require fill to build up the road,” the mayor said. “But I’m ready to go to Philadelphia (the regional office of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Administration) or Washington to make our case. This is critical not only to Ansonia but to the entire Naugatuck Valley.” During Cassetti’s Aug. 18 pitch, Blumenthal liked what he heard and vowed to enlist the rest of Connecticut’s congressional delegation in finding funding. “Our delegation will be four square, fully passionate and completely behind these efforts,” he said. “This is ground zero for restoring bipartisan cooperation on the local, state and federal level. ... We’re going to pummel any opponents to funding in Washington. We’re going to be a nuisance.” Both U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, who has visited the site in the past, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro said they are on board. Remediating brownfield sites — areas contaminated by industrial or commercial use — can be a way to give an economic boost to cities and towns, Murphy said. “Brownfield redevelopment is essential to unlocking untold community benefits for the Naugatuck River Valley and beyond,” the senator said. “Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases the local tax base, creates jobs and takes development pressures off undeveloped open space.” DeLauro said she helped secure $1 million for in 2015 to build what is now Farrel Boulevard and Ansonia’s grant application for this access road project is a similarly smart targeted investment. “They open up considerable amounts of develop-able land at a very low cost,” she said. DeLauro said she will support “any efforts to revitalize the site and restore its place as an economic driver in this community.” ‘An economic driver’ That’s exactly what the 60-acre complex was less than a half century ago. The area along Riverside Drive to Main Street and North Main Street was booming with more than 10,000 workers employed at Anaconda American Brass, the forerunner to Ansonia Copper and Brass; Farrel, which has moved to the Fountain Lake Commerce Park and Teledyne, whose buildings now house small businesses. Those factories ran almost 24/7 with up to three shifts a day and at least one on weekends and holidays. The workers who traveled daily to the jobs cashed their checks downtown, purchased food at Fulton Market and Glick’s Delicatessen and shopped at Spector Furniture, Lewis Jewelers, Seccombe’s Men’s Shop and B&L clothing. But trade deals, cheaper imports and soaring union wages eventually whittled away orders and jobs, historians said. Farrel consolidated its complex — which once stretched from Ansonia to Derby — into its new operation on Fountain Lake. Teledyne left and Ansonia Copper and Brass turned off its furnaces in 2013. Looking at the Naugatuck River during his visit, Blumenthal said he remembered a time when it was crusted green with algae and black with oil slicks. “We were told it could never be restored,” he said. “Now look at it.” He said he believes federal help could do the same for the former brass site. “Not only do the people of the Valley deserve our help, but all of Connecticut will benefit from the rejuvenation and recharging of this property,” Blumenthal said. “What I always loved about the Valley is its feeling of family. Here, town boundaries mean little.” State Department of Labor statistics show Ansonia as one of the most distressed municipalities in the state because of its loss of factory jobs over the years, said Sheila O’Malley, the city’s economic development director. The city’s 5.9 percent unemployment rate in March soared to just under 16 percent during the COVID-19 shutdowns. The median household income is $53,540 compared with the state’s $76,106 and nation’s $61,397. She said she believes the Ansonia Copper and Brass site could hold 500,000 square feet of workspace easily generating 1,800 full time jobs and at least 225 construction jobs during its developmental phase. Blumenthal said he believes the $10 million for the demolition and road design can be found on the federal level. “Infrastructure is going to be at the very top of priorities no matter who is elected president,” Blumenthal said. “It’s the key to rebuilding America and restoring jobs. One million (dollars) for the road and $8 million for the demolition seems perfectly feasible and doable.” Money, he said, might be available from the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Defense and from the Environmental Protection Agency. “We need to be creative,” he said. “We need to think big.” A start on funding Over the past several years, O’Malley has obtained millions in funding to prepare the site for demolition. The EPA provided $500,000 for brownfield abatement and demolition of 30,000 square feet and nearly $2 million for an emergency cleanup. Now O’Malley told Blumenthal there is no evidence of toxic chemicals migrating from the site. The state Department of Economic and Community Development provided another $200,000 to assess ground-level contamination on seven acres and another $200,000, most of which was used for a Municipal Development Plan. This year, Ansonia received $176,000 from the EPA/Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments for further remediation. Just last month, Gov. Ned Lamont and State Rep. Kara Rochelle, D-Ansonia, announced the state bonded $500,000 to demolish the adjacent defunct SHW Casting site which had two roof collapses in recent years. A Master Development Plan for the Copper and Brass site should be completed by early next month, O’Malley said. “That will give us a road map to what we can do,” she said, showing where all the utilities are, point out the deficiencies in the bridge, provide redevelopment scenarios, state plans and expected costs and include site plans for redevelopment. O’Malley is awaiting the U.S. Department of Transportation’s decision next month on the $1.1 million being sought to plan and design the road. Her application predicts that phase would take 15 months and construction would take 18 months with a hoped-for November 2024 completion. “No one has a parcel like that that is contiguously located in a central area and adjacent to the downtown restaurants,” O’Malley said.

CT Construction Digest Friday August 21, 2020

Most expensive project in Stonington history almost complete

Joe Wojtas Mystic — The $85 million Perkins Farm project, the most expensive development in Stonington’s history, is almost complete and developer David Lattizori acknowledges that there were many times when he didn’t think it would come to fruition. "There were so many hurdles that could have destroyed the whole project. (Not receiving) one approval could have stopped it. We had public hearings at every step but we got all unanimous approvals,” he said Wednesday. “It’s been quite a roller-coaster," he added. “I’ve had to learn at every twist and turn. It’s been difficult from the get-go. But the result is we have a project everyone loves.” The project is composed of Harbor Heights, a 121-unit luxury apartment complex with amenities including an outdoor pool with LED lights that change color at night, a high-end fitness club with Peloton and other interactive equipment, and a yoga studio. The apartments have 9-foot ceilings, open floor plans, wide plank style flooring, Shaker-style cabinetry, nickel hardware, light granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. It is a nationally recognized green energy building and will soon be solar powered. Rent for one-bedroom units starts at $1,600 a month and two bedrooms start around $2,000 per month. A private ribbon-cutting was held earlier this month. The project also contains a 50,000-square-foot Hartford Healthcare facility, which opened in January at the intersection of Coogan Boulevard and Jerry Browne Road, and an almost complete 50-unit townhouse condominium project situated around a village green. There is also a dog park and walking trails. There is space left on the site for a professional office building but at this time Lattizori said he has no plans for that development. Lattizori’s father had tried for more than 20 years to develop the site for a mix of commercial and residential use but those projects were successfully opposed by residents. In 2011, the commission approved a 36-lot subdivision of single-family homes for the site. Lattizori has said he was a week away from selling the site and its approval in 2015 when a retired doctor, who lived at StoneRidge retirement community across the street, suggested the idea of a project with a geriatric health component. Lattizori then began meeting with a committee of StoneRidge residents to discuss the project with them and gain their supportLattizori then put together plans for the current project, which were met with widespread support in part because it preserves more than half the site as open space. The extensive buffering and vegetation on the property make it virtually impossible to see the apartments and condominiums from Jerry Browne Road. Lattizori said Wednesday that the key to getting approval was to listen to and compromise with the community. “I spent a couple of years listening to what people thought,” said Lattizori, who received his final approvals in 2019. He said it helped that Mystic is his hometown. “I know this town. It’s where I grew up, I’m not an out-of-touch, out-of-town developer,” he said. “But I had to listen to what people had to say.” Lattizori said 95% of the apartments have been leased. He said the tenants are a mix of empty nesters wanting to downsize and young professionals, all of whom are looking to enjoy Mystic. He said there are no school-aged children living in the project. Lattizori said he lost some apartments leases at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic but was able to fill the complex because the amenities cannot be found in any other project in the area. He said 60% of the townhouses have been sold and he expects they will sell out by the end of the year. “It was a big risk but a big reward,” he said of the project.

New London finds city overspent by $3.1 million on Public Works projects

Greg Smith New London — Between 2009 and 2015, the city’s Public Works Department overspent its budget by $3.1 million on various projects. The recent discovery by the city's Finance Department has forced the city to borrow the funds in order to replenish its coffers and avoid a cash crunch during future projects. The City Council approved the bonding measure with a 6-1 vote on Monday. There is no immediate impact on the current budget. “How does this happen?” was the first of several questions from City Council President Pro Tempore Alma Nartatez, at a recent council meeting. Finance Director David McBride said the cost overruns were discovered not by an audit but rather by Finance Department personnel working to reconcile accounts as it transfers data into new financial software, known as Munis. The answer as to how it happened is not exactly clear, McBride said, though he suspects projects went over budget and the city had to pay contractors for work performed. “This is not occurring now nor has this occurred recently,” McBride said. “We have processes in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again.” He said procedures currently in place require purchase orders and approvals for all expenditures, a process that involves the city’s purchasing agent and City Council when approvals for added expenses are needed. The cost overruns took place in 2009, 2014 and 2015, when the city was run by former City Manager Martin Berliner and Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio, who served as mayor from 2011 to 2015. Public Works overspent by $418,000 on various parks and playground projects in 2009 and by $203,000 on paving and road improvement projects in 2015. In 2016, Public Works overspent $2,075,000 on street improvement projects, which included the municipal parking lot on Eugene O’Neill Drive, and another $434,000 on additional street projects relating back to a 2009 bond offering, information provided by the city shows. The projects predate the current administration and occurred under different public works and finance directors. John Satti, the lone dissenting vote on approval of the bonding measure, expressed skepticism over the lack of details presented to the council. “How can we have cost overruns in the millions?” he asked. “I’m not sure. None of us were around when these things took place,” McBride replied. “We have Public Works employees that overspent budgets by millions of dollars yet this council’s never heard anything about disciplinary action taking place against these employees. What’s going to stop the next employee ... from doing it again?” Satti said. Satti implied at one point that cost overruns are still occurring, referencing what he called the “debacle” at Greens Harbor Beach. Managed by the city’s Public Works Department, the estimated $1.9 million project, partially funded through grants, was completed in 2019 with a price tag of more than $5 million due to unexpected costs related to excavation, drainage and associated work under Pequot Avenue. At the time, councilor and mayoral candidate Martin Olsen argued the city skirted charter provisions by beginning the added work without prior council approval.The city had, in part, used previously approved funding sources to pay for cost overruns on that project. Extra funds to complete the project were approved by the council at the time. None of the money being bonded to cover the past cost overruns is being used for the Greens Harbor project, McBride said. Mayor Michael Passero said he took issue with Satti’s characterization of the Greens Harbor project. “Greens Harbor Beach was not a debacle by any stretch of the imagination,” Passero said. “The project got into trouble well after it was underway. There’s no comparison to what we inherited here. I take offense to that.” The missing $3.1 million was not immediately discovered because the city has a rolling capital improvements budget that is replenished each year for various projects. But, Passero said, “that $3 million is $3 million in cash that we don’t have that we should have.” Ultimately, Nartatez and others expressed confidence in the work of McBride and the Finance Department improving the system to ensure mistakes of that magnitude are not made again. McBride said the new Munis system, which at some point could be linked to the school district’s Finance Department, is providing a needed upgrade that will allow the city to track budgets and its hundreds of accounts in real time, as opposed to a system that dates back three decades. McBride said that in conjunction with the $3.1 million bond issuance, the city plans to refinance $8.2 million in bonds approved by the council in March. “The market after the Council approval fell out of favor due to the (COVID-19) pandemic and now the timing is good to refinance that debt again and use some of the savings from the refinancing to cover the next few years of debt service associated with this new offering,” McBride said in an email.

All’s not well with the new salt mountain at State Pier

David Collins When I asked state environmental regulators last week about alarm bells ringing around town over the potential risks of the big new mountain of road salt the Connecticut Port Authority has put on one of its piers in New London Harbor, they said they would get back to me. It's a good thing no storms packing wind and rain are in the forecast, since the salt looks precariously close to the water. A spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which actually has its own seat on the port authority board, said in an email Monday someone would be out this week to evaluate the new waterfront salt mountain and determine whether it complies with stormwater permits. Maybe those folks I've heard from, who have been wringing their hands, concerned that a lot of that salt may wash or blow into the river, have nothing to worry about. Maybe it would just be more salt into salt water. To me, the salt mountain is, more ominously, a striking new symbol of all that went wrong with agreements negotiated by the corrupt quasi-public agency, which operated so long without accounting controls and made so many insider deals with friends and the politically connected. The mountain also could be a warning sign for anti-trust allegations that could be raised in lawsuits against the port authority. Indeed, the owner of the salt, Steven Farrelly and his DRVN Enterprises, strikes me as a very prominent victim of the port authority's dealings, having been evicted from State Pier by Gateway Terminal, the new port operator put in place by the port authority. Gateway runs its own big salt business out of its competing port in New Haven. Eastern Connecticut towns began paying considerably less money for salt once DRVN started operating out of New London. Those towns can now expect to pay more again, with DRVN shut down by its competitor. Farrelly has hired a lawyer who specializes in anti-trust law, Robert Langer of Wiggin and Dana, who has identified himself in recent port authority board meetings as representing DRVN. Farrelly was originally evicted and ordered out earlier this summer, but he got a reprieve, now allowed to stay until the end of the year, since he hired the lawyer. The new mountain was created when the port authority ordered Farrelly to move the salt, which had been stored on higher ground, to the low-lying pier, so that soil testing on the higher ground could begin, to make way for the $157 million wind turbine assembly terminal Gov. Ned Lamont and the port authority have promised to Eversource and its partner, Danish wind giant Ørsted. I reached out to attorney Langer to ask him about his client's plans, now that Gateway has shut New London to traditional port traffic, with shipping diverted to the competing port it owns in New Haven.He declined to comment. I don't blame him for not wanting to share legal strategy, as the end-of-the-year eviction of his client looms. The New London port is closed, even though not a single one of the many state and federal permits needed to convert it for wind turbine assembly has been granted, and no construction is underway. Other victims of the port competition busting include the union New London longshoremen, who were fired by Gateway, which runs a non-union port in New Haven, and fishermen who have been given only limited extensions to their own evictions. Logistec, the Canadian company that operates some 34 North American ports, lost out to competition-killing Gateway, even though its bid, as requested in the bidding specifications, promised to operate New London as both a traditional port and a wind turbine assembly facility. But neither Scott Bates, the deputy secretary of the state who was then port authority chairman, nor the agency's executive director showed up for the interview with Logistic executives on the company's bid. They didn't get the courtesy of an interview, after running the port for 20 years. The fix was in, it seems, to give the port to a competitor who didn't even follow the bid rules for proposing a dual-use port. An anti-trust lawsuit might help illuminate how we got here, with a mountain of salt surrounded by water.

Renewed Interest in Energy Buoys Outlook

Lucy Perry As American Wind Week 2020 kicked off with a tribute to the wind industry workforce the week of Aug. 9, the outlook for the renewable energy sector as a whole is strong. A multitude of both wind and solar projects as well as retooling plans launched this summer across the country have buoyed the heavy machinery industry, creating both temporary and ongoing construction jobs. Total construction starts increased 6 percent in June, according to the Dodge Index, marking the second consecutive monthly gain in starts following the COVID-19-induced declines in March and April. In fact, utility/gas plants moved 108 percent higher in the month as more than $2 billion in renewable power projects were launched. New York State announced 21 large-scale renewable energy projects. Four utility-scale wind projects and 17 major solar projects have been selected. Two of the solar projects will include energy storage to integrate solar energy into the electric grid. With these projects, New York's will advance its goal to obtain 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2030. The projects translate into more than 2,000 short- and long-term jobs and increases in local tax payments. Once the projects are completed, New York's carbon emissions should equate to 300,000 fewer cars on the road. On the West Coast, the $600 million Golden Hills Wind Project in Sherman County, Ore., got off the ground, as did the $438 million Athos I solar facility in Desert Center, Calif. With jobs to fill, the renewables sector is attracting workers from other markets. Unpredictable ups and downs — and the fast crash this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic — have driven many career employees from the fossil fuel and oil and gas markets toward jobs in wind and solar. Jobs creation and an energized local economy are two of the points that sell renewable energy projects. In rural Colorado, more than 6,300 jobs have resulted from renewable energy ventures since the year 2000, generating almost $400 million a year in economic activity for the eastern part of the state. A study from Denver, Colo.-based environmental group The Western Way shows that 40 projects, including seven in development or under construction, are set for completion by 2024. By year's end, nearly 5,000 megawatts of power will have been generated, and another 1,100 megawatts will be added as projects are completed during the next four years. Let the Sun Shine The study noted that the economic impact of renewable energy project construction in the region totals nearly $6 billion. Plus, it's generated close to 13,000 jobs from both construction workers and the dollars they spend. New York State will be the site of a large-scale solar project in Chautauqua County, that will include a 20 megawatt battery energy component. Renewal Energy Developer ConnectGen predicts the South Ripley Solar Project will create about 600 jobs during peak construction and 220 full-time equivalent jobs. The project will contribute a meaningful amount of renewable energy toward the state's identified clean energy supply goal of 70 percent of electricity generated by 2030. It should supply enough electricity to power approximately 60,000 average homes in New York annually. Under a plan to install 30 million solar panels in Florida by the year 2030, five solar projects recently launched in the northeastern part of the state. Approximately 200 jobs are anticipated with the newest project, in St. Johns County, according to Florida Power & Light. Baker, Clay, Nassau and Union counties are home to other solar farms under construction, expected to add 500 permanent jobs to the area. Some 1,200 workers will be needed to fill jobs at the peak of construction. In Kentucky, a 50-megawatt solar park is to be constructed in the western region of the Bluegrass State. U.S. developer Community Energy reports it signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Henderson Municipal Power & Light. The park will generate 117 million kWh annually once it's completely online, in 2023. Community Energy announced in May a similar agreement with Big Rivers Electric Corporation for 100 megawatts of solar parks in the state. Minnesota Power is investing $40 million into three solar projects with a goal of tripling its solar portfolio through the addition of 20 megawatts of renewable energy. Daily Energy Insider reports that if the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission gives the project the nod, the three facilities will be located in the northern part of the state. Drawing from existing electrical infrastructure, they'll begin construction next year. "Planned solar projects will boost the tax base of local economies, add solar panels from regional manufacturers when possible, and support local construction jobs," said Bethany Owen, president and CEO of Duluth, Minn., energy company ALLETE. Blowing in the Wind The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that utility-scale solar generating units are predicted to grow by 17 percent in 2020. Wind generation is close behind, and should see a 14 percent growth spurt this year. Both on- and offshore wind farms are more visible than ever now. In the Montana Rail Link Yard in Laurel, Mont., the towers for PacificCorp's Pryor Mountain Wind project sit, waiting for delivery to the job site. Arriving by train, the towers will wind up in Bridger, Mont., on a large wind farm installation project there. Spencer Hall of PacifiCorp reported that four structures were being put up earlier this month. "I think there's going to be 10 in the next week or two," Hall said in an interview with the Billings Gazzette. "Folks in the area can expect see a lot of trucks going by."At its peak, the project will see 300 workers on the 114-turbine farm site. Some 240 megawatts of capacity is the goal for what will be the largest wind farm in Montana, providing renewable energy for out-of-state customers.\ Specialized flatcars were designed to transport the lengthy turbine blades and other components. "A single wind turbine blade runs over the length of two rail cars," said Ross Lane of the Montana Rail Link. Construction equipment is carried to the railyard by truck, and a crane will load the parts onto trucks for transport to Bridger. Mortenson Construction of Minneapolis is the project's general contractor. The company will oversee public road improvements and creation of access roads to each turbine site, as well as foundations, underground collection, substation, operations and maintenance building and towers. "We are delighted to be working with PacifiCorp to construct our fifth wind project in the Big Sky State, which will increase the state's wind energy portfolio by 30 percent," said Tim Maag, vice president and general manager of Mortenson's wind energy team. "Montana has great potential for wind energy and manufacturing, as it is known to be one of the U.S.'s windiest states." Once it's online, Pryor Mountain Wind will increase energy by 30 percent and generate enough power for 76,000 homes. Other Renewable Projects Clean energy storage is trending in the renewable energy construction sector. Electrical energy can be stored when electricity is plentiful and inexpensive or when demand is low. The energy can then be returned to the grid when demand and prices go up. Storage facilities are part of the current wave of renewable energy construction projects. The Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) tapped Catamount Solar of Randolph, Vt., and Northern Reliability of Waterbury, to construct the Pinnacle Ridge Solar and Storage Project at VELCO's headquarters in Rutland. Work includes a 500 kW solar array tied to a 1.2-megawatt energy storage system designed to reduce VELCO's energy use at times of high-cost, peak system demand and increase electric grid stability. As prime contractor, Catamount is responsible for site work and construction of the infrastructure, power distribution and utility connections. Northern Reliability will oversee the battery energy storage system, including design, component integration and containerization, on-site construction, installation and testing. The Pinnacle Ridge Solar and Storage project is slated for completion by the end of this calendar year. Robbie Hunter, president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, wants urgent action to create local jobs and fight climate change. His solution is long-duration clean energy storage construction to address California's "long-term needs, help us build a cleaner, more reliable electric grid, create and support thousands of good-paying jobs and provide new economic opportunity in long economically neglected communities." Writing for calmatters.org, he points to two shovel-ready storage projects, the Eagle Mountain pumped hydroelectric project in the Inland Empire and the San Vicente Pumped Storage Project in San Diego. "Together, these projects will support more than 20,000 good paying jobs, many in underserved areas with skyrocketing poverty and unemployment rates," said Hunter. The projects also will support industries ancillary to construction, such as building materials, heavy equipment and transportation. And, apprenticeships will be a part of these construction crews, he said. Another trend in the energy sector is renewable reformation, where fossil-fuel processing facilities are retooled to handle renewable energy in one form or another. In Cheyenne, Wyo., the last barrel of crude was being processed at the Cheyenne Refinery before the plant is repurposed to produce renewable diesel. "We ran the last barrel of crude on August 3 and expect to run the off final intermediates and products inventory in August," Tim Go, HollyFrontier's chief operating officer said during the company's second-quarter call to investors. "We will then begin the conversion of certain units for renewable diesel production and continue to anticipate the Cheyenne Refinery conversion to be completed in the first quarter of 2022," he added. The company also plans to build a pretreatment unit at its Artesia, N.M., refinery for feedstock flexibility for the renewable diesel unit being built at the plant. Hybrid ventures demand construction projects as well. In a tdworld.com article, Enel Green Power detailed its approach to construction of the Lily solar + storage project. The company's first hybrid project in North America marrying a renewable energy plant with utility-scale battery storage, Enel can store generated energy for delivery when needed. Enel has a goal of expanding its position in the national market. The company plans to install about 1 gigawatt of battery storage capacity across its new and existing wind and solar projects in the United States over the next two years. The Bottom Line As renewable resources become mainstream in the U.S. energy sector, the need for more and bigger production and storage facilities will grow. These mega projects are a boon to both local and state economies. For the construction sector, they spell demand for heavy equipment and full crews on the job site. The outlook is long-term, but the picture is a bright one. CEG