CT Construction Digest Thursday July 29, 2021

Opinion: Tweed Airport plan will create 1,000 jobs

Christopher Cozzi

In May, Tweed New Haven Airport announced plans to expand to allow for flights to more destinations, which would grow the economy of southern Connecticut. It’s significant that they were joined at the announcement by local and state officials, members of the business community, and working men and women like myself, all excited at the prospect of a more dynamic airport.

As the president of the New Haven Building and Construction Trades, I view this cross-section of support as impressive because I’ve watched for years as New Haven, East Haven and the rest of this region have struggled to build consensus around a common vision for the future of the airport. Finally, there is a plan for Tweed-New Haven Airport that makes sense for our economy, for our taxpayers and for working families. It’s critically important that we seize this moment and make this plan a reality.

Recently, the New Haven Board of Alders began their important role in this process. The alders are now considering a renewal of the existing airport lease as well as updates to local ordinances. Their approval will extend Tweed’s runway, update the West terminal and, in the long run, create a new, environmentally friendly East Terminal. Once a new lease is signed, the project will eliminate taxpayer subsidies for the airport, saving money and allowing scarce resources to go to other important areas of New Haven’s city budget.

We hear all the time that politicians are fighting to create jobs: The Board of Alders now has the chance to do it. This plan will create up to 1,000 direct jobs, many of which will be union jobs. Avelo Airlines, a new airline that is making Tweed Airport its East Coast base, will employ more than 100 crewmembers, including pilots, flight attendants and technicians. And beyond those direct jobs, the plan will increase economic activity — whether it’s local hotels playing host to visitors, local restaurants being patronized by travelers, or a local mechanic making sure that an airport employee is able to get to work.

The expansion of Tweed Airport will be built using a project labor agreement. The project labor agreement sets the terms and conditions for the project including fair wages, fringe benefits such as health insurance and other incentives for the community. This project will contain many benefits for the community such as local hiring and apprenticeship requirements. These provisions will create opportunities for those interested in not just a job, but a career in the construction trades. The PLA establishes a pathway for disadvantaged community members and veterans to get trained at no cost to them or to taxpayers through the training programs run by the organizations. Whether it’s interested high school graduates or our unemployed neighbors, this project has the potential to help people obtain a career while having the highest quality product built by our local tradesmen and women.

Using a PLA for the Tweed expansion is critically important to the employees I represent with New Haven Building Trades. We’re not just union members, we’re residents of New Haven and East Haven. We’re neighbors to Tweed Airport, and we are looking to work hard, help improve our community and make our slice of Connecticut a better, more affordable place to live and work. This is how major construction projects should operate — in a way that creates good-paying jobs for local community members at the same time they are benefiting the broader economy and region.

We have stood alongside our local elected officials as they ran for public office, and we are proud of their hard work and advocacy for organized labor and for a fairer economy. Now we are proud to stand alongside the New Haven Board of Alders as they work to realize the potential of this historic opportunity at Tweed New Haven Airport. Our union brothers and sisters are ready. Let’s get to work!

Chris Cozzi is the president of the New Haven Building and Construction Trades.

Borrowing to build: Tweed New Haven expansion deal comes with financial risk

Jim Haddadin Walter Smith-Randolph

It’s been a tough stretch for the travel industry, but Tweed New Haven Airport could be poised for a comeback.

A new budget airline will begin flights from New Haven this fall, and the company that manages Tweed, Avports, is offering to spend millions to expand the airport. But records obtained by Connecticut Public show the airport is also facing new financial risks.

With $100 million in private investment money on the table, tiny Tweed airport has a huge opportunity.

“I’m a big fan of small airports like Tweed. To me, small is the new big,” said analyst Henry Harteveldt. He adds that passengers today want convenience and shorter lines.

Tweed’s management company also sees untapped potential. Avports is proposing a major expansion, including a new terminal on the East Haven side. But there’s a long road ahead, and if the deal hits a snag, Tweed could be saddled with debt.

Documents obtained by Connecticut Public show the airport will borrow $4 million from the company to renovate the existing terminal. That’s according to agreements signed in May with Avports.

That means the publicly owned, privately operated airport has borrowed money from its long-time management company, the same company angling for a 43-year lease to run the airport.

Avports’ CEO, Jorge Roberts, told Connecticut Public he believes strongly in Tweed’s future. So much so, if officials accept the 43-year lease deal, Avports will forgive that $4 million loan.

“None of these things are easy,” said Sean Scanlon, executive director of the airport authority. But he believes the risk is worth it. “If we can finally get this airport to be self-sustainable, we no longer have to ask the taxpayers of New Haven and Connecticut to help us keep chugging along.”

If the deal falls through, payments on the $4 million loan to renovate the existing terminal will start in six months — although that’s only if the airport is generating revenue. Avports will charge 6% interest, plus 5% in management fees.

“When I saw that amount of money, I thought, ‘Wow, what’s this about?’ said Susan Campion, who lives near the airport.

She was surprised to learn about the loan.

The airport isn’t required to use subsidies for its monthly payments. But Campion worries taxpayers could still get stuck with the bill.

“The very people that are subsidizing this, it’s not a private corporation, it is a community of residents,” said Campion.

New Haven’s Board of Alders will consider the deal in early August.

Here's how the bipartisan infrastructure deal would invest $280 billion in transportation

Ian Duncan

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan infrastructure deal that advanced Wednesday in the Senate would invest about $280 billion into transportation over five years, a sum the White House said represents some of the largest spending on bridges, transit and other projects in the nation's history.

The money would be split between existing programs that fund highways, transit agencies and airports, and other initiatives designed to tackle goals such as repairing aging bridges and improving the accessibility of buses, according to a detailed summary of the deal circulated to senators and obtained by The Washington Post.

Transit spending, which proved to be one of the final obstacles to sealing a deal, was negotiated down $10 billion from the figure announced in a framework for the package that was unveiled in June. But in terms of overall spending, other transportation provisions appear to have emerged from five weeks of dealmaking mostly unscathed.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the deal "historic."

The funds in the bipartisan agreement would come on top of existing road and transit spending set to expire at the end of September. The deal allocates about half the new funding to those core programs.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association praised the agreement, saying in a letter to senators urging its support that ensuring long-term funding would lift the uncertainty the industry is facing.

"The bipartisan infrastructure framework between Senate negotiators and the Biden administration would facilitate long overdue repairs and improvements to our roads, bridges, public transit, airports and ports, and [create] good-paying jobs," wrote David Bauer, the group's chief executive.

But left-leaning groups and environmental activists said the deal would do too little to rein in carbon emissions from transportation. They favor a bill written by House Democrats that would put new conditions on widening highways and includes rules designed to hold states accountable for driving down emissions.

Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., played a key role in crafting many of the details in the bipartisan agreement in his role as the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. He issued a statement Wednesday saying the deal did not do enough to address climate change or promote environmental justice.

"I fought tirelessly for improvements in the bipartisan package to get us to this point, and not all of what I sought was realized," he wrote. "While there was progress on some fronts, sadly, important changes were not made on others."

- Roads, bridges and major projects: This is the biggest category of transportation spending in the package, and it would receive $110 billion in new funding. It includes $37 billion to fund the repair of bridges and $17.5 billion in funds to help cities and states tackle large projects by competing for grants. The deal builds on a bill the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously agreed to earlier this year - legislation that adds new environmental measures to federal road-building policy and aims to streamline the approval process for new projects.

- Transit: This sector is in line to get $39 billion in new funding, money that is designed to modernize bus and rail networks. A grant program that agencies can use to build light-rail lines, subways and bus rapid transit routes would get $8 billion, and a program to help them buy electric or low-emissions buses would receive $5.25 billion.

The final disputes over transit came down to whether it would receive 20% of long-term funding from the Highway Trust Fund. The deal appears to set the figure at about 19%. In all, the deal would boost transit spending by 83% compared to the last transportation bill passed in 2015, according to the summary senators received.

- Rail: The deal calls for $66 billion in new funding for rail, much of which would go to Amtrak to boost its core service between Washington and Boston. Of the total, $8 billion would be split between safety grant programs. Amtrak would get $16 billion to support its long-distance routes, and another $12 billion could be used to jump-start high-speed rail projects.

- Safety: Federal car, truck and safety agencies would get about $4.8 billion. A new $5 billion "safe streets for all" program would help fund Vision Zero projects that aim to eliminate crash deaths. The fund would put an emphasis on pedestrian and cyclist safety, according to the summary.

- Aviation: This sector would get $25 billion, with $20 billion allocated to airports and the rest going to upgrades to the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control facilities.

- Seaports, border crossings and inland waterways: These would receive $17 billion, split among the Army Corps of Engineers, the Transportation Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

- Other items: The White House says the deal also includes $7.5 billion to support a national network of electric-vehicle charging stations, aiming to make drivers more confident to take electric cars on long road trips. Another $5 billion would promote low-emission or no-emission school buses, the White House says, and $1 billion would be set aside to help reconnect communities divided by the construction of highways.

Incentives, efficiency power Stratford development project

Ethan Fry

STRATFORD — A 200-kilowatt solar array atop the new self-storage facility looming over I-95 on the east end of town will help the building produce as much energy as it consumes.

The renewable energy and its high efficiency design will save the equivalent emissions of 30 of those cars driving by on the highway every year.

“I have overseen many projects, but this building stands out,” said Hammad Chaudhry, senior manager at Avangrid, the parent company of United Illuminating.

Stephan Rapaglia, the chief operating officer at Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc., which built the development called “Knotts Landing,” says that’s not the only reason the location is a gem.

The area is already highly trafficked, and Rapaglia said the company is looking forward to the completion of the nearby Exit 33 interchange to bring even more people past the site.

In addition to the ExtraSpace Storage facility, Knotts Landing tenants also include new Chipotle and Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery locations, Rapaglia said.

And another big-time lessee could still be in the offing, he said.

The development was also expected to include a new Starbucks, which was put on hold due to issues with a cellular equipment tower atop what was once a billboard there.

Rapaglia said a new location for the coffee company could still be in the works, depending on the billboard structure’s owner.

“We’re waiting for them to get an approval to move the tower or relocate the tower or relocate the tower to our shopping center property,” he said. “If and when that happens, we still hope to put a Starbucks there.”

The $10 million development, which replaced several formerly blighted properties, has been in the works for years.

The solar power and the five-story storage building’s energy efficient design will save an estimated $40,350 in energy costs annually.

But the developer said those efficiencies may have not happened if not for nearly $400,000 in incentives offered through Energize CT, a public-private initiative to encourage energy efficiency financed by a charge on energy bills.

“If we had to spend the extra $400,000, I don’t know if we would have,” Rapaglia said.

But that’s the purpose of incentives, he said.

“The reason programs like this exist is to get people to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do,” Rapaglia said. “In this case, the available incentives made it an easy decision for us to make this building as energy efficient as possible.”

Chaudhry said the building is 37 percent more efficient than the state’s building code requires — and that the incentive program helps developers overcome the “first cost barrier” that would otherwise see projects without energy efficiencies included.

Rapaglia said the company worked with energy consultant Steve Hall to incorporate technologies like energy-efficient LED lighting, heat pumps, and HVAC systems to the 130,000-square-foot building, which anchors the open air shopping center.

Chaudhry said such projects, and the Energize CT program, have helped the state become a national leader in energy efficiency.

“We’re trying to make things easier for all of our customers,” he said. “We have programs and opportunities available for everyone.”

Bristol Board of Finance discuss ongoing development of downtown

Dean wright

BRISTOL – The Bristol Board of Finance discussed the ongoing development of downtown, where officials said they felt more than $50 million of private dollars had been invested in addition to coming grant funds.

The board approved a motion for an appropriation of $4.6 million to be utilized for capital improvements in the Centre Square redevelopment project, money coming from a recent state funding transfer. This will be brought before the joint meeting of the City Council and Board of Finance for a final decision. 

“This is a great tribute to what’s going to happen in this particular area,” said Board of Finance Chair John Smith.

Economic and Community Development Director Justin Malley said that this is “the culmination of boards and administration over the years and supporting the (Bristol Economic and Community Development Office) as we plot forward on Centre Square.”

“We actually applied for this funding years ago and admittedly it was too early and (there were other) challenges,” he continued. “One of the first meetings that the mayor and I had, we talked about going after this again now that we were in a better place from a development perspective and that’s what we did.”

Malley was asked by a board member if the private investment of the Centre Square project was around $50 million and he replied it would likely be well higher than that when completed.

“With what Bristol Health invested already and what may come in the future from the Carrier project and when we see what may come from Parcel 10 and then when you look at what Wheeler is looking to do as well, we’ll easily hit that number,” said Malley. 

The director said that with ongoing work, he felt the state was impressed with what was happening in Bristol.

Malley said a parking garage slated to be built behind the Bristol Police Department would take the “lion’s share” of the awarded $4.6 million. The rest would be reserved for a potential greenspace effort in Centre Square.

“We’re going on our best estimates,” said Malley of information received from engineering firms. He said that ideally building materials will come down before any further development is made.

“I do hope people appreciate the fact that across the street is going to come to fruition in the very near future and those of us that saw what was there a long time ago may live long enough to see something grow,” said Smith.

Board of Finance member Marie O’Brien expressed approval of the parking garage plan as spaces in Centre Square will be displaced due to coming construction.

Hartford could get $900,000 for riverfront park work from federal appropriations bill

Zachry Vasile

Plans to construct a park linking Hartford’s North End with the Connecticut River could get a boost in the form of nearly $1 million in federal funding.

In a statement released Monday, U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-Conn., said his request to steer $900,000 to the City of Hartford to support the park’s development has been included in a House transportation, housing and economic development appropriations bill.

“The I-84 and I-91 interchange has divided the City of Hartford and cut off its residents from the Connecticut River,” Larson said. “I have long been an advocate of efforts to recapture the riverfront and reconnect the city, so I’m proud to announce that funding to continue these efforts has been included in the [fiscal year] 2022 appropriations package.”

The public green space in northern Hartford expected to be known as Riverfront Park will include a trail linking the Hartford and Windsor riverwalks, as well as a new cove for swimming and recreation, according to Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin. Once completed, it would be the fifth riverside park established in the area, alongside Charter Oak Landing, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza and Riverside Park in Hartford and Great River Park in East Hartford.

Those parks are overseen by Riverfront Recapture, which was formed to revitalize what had been vacant or industrialized stretches of waterfront property in and around the capital city.

“We are so grateful for this funding, which will allow us to build a beautiful new park, expand access to the Connecticut River and reconnect Hartford’s North End neighborhood to the river, and ultimately, to the region,” said Riverfront Recapture President and CEO Michael Zaleski. “It’s time for transformation, and we are proud to be a part of it.”

Plans to overhaul Mixmaster underway

Andrew Lasron

WATERBURY — A consultant is studying options for replacing the Interstate 84 and Route 8 interchange, a four-story stacked network of bridges known as the Mixmaster that carries roughly 190,000 vehicles a day.

The project would improve the safety of the highway junction, which is prone to crashes, and upgrade the design to meet modern construction standards.

Built between 1962 and 1967, the Mixmaster was expected to accommodate a maximum volume of 100,000 vehicles a day. Today, it carries nearly twice that number, according to the state Department of Transportation.

While the stacked, compact design was innovative at the time, today the left-lane entrances and exits, abrupt merges and weaves make the stretch notoriously difficult to navigate. On top of that, the structures themselves are wearing out.

In 2018, the DOT began a rehabilitation of the Mixmaster, including full deck replacement of Route 8 in both directions, along with repairs to the decks of I-84, and steel repairs. The project, set to be finished in the fall of 2022, will extend the Mixmaster’s life for 25 years, until it can be replaced.

The DOT’s consultant, Rocky Hill-based HNTB, is soliciting feedback from a variety of stakeholders, which it will use to develop viable options for the design.

“Everything’s on the table, so we’re really taking a broad approach to looking at what can be done,” said David Schweitzer, a consultant with HNTB, during a virtual meeting of stakeholders Tuesday.

As part of the study, the consultant will consider assets such as Riverside Cemetery, which is in the National Register of Historic Places, and the planned Naugatuck River Greenway.

During the public comment portion of Tuesday’ meeting, Martin Begnal, president of Friends of Riverside Cemetery, said he’d support moving Route 8 to the east of the Naugatuck River, similar to the location of a temporary bypass for Route 8 northbound during the rehabilitation, which remains in effect.

Moving the highway would open space in front of the 36-acre cemetery, which features winding paths, diverse flora and fauna, two ponds and extravagant monuments for Waterbury’s captains of industry.

“Riverside has been in that spot since 1853,” said Begnal, who is the Republican-American’s assistant managing editor of local news. “We expect to be there long after the Mixmaster is gone.”

HNTB has created a 3,980-page “analysis, needs and deficiencies report” assessing the project. It states the project’s goals are to replace structurally and operationally deficient bridges; correct highway geometric deficiencies; address deficiencies with traffic operations and improve access to highways; improve safety and reduce the high crash rate; improve the local roadway network; encourage residents to use local roads for traversing the city; minimize construction impacts to the city and traveling public; provide for multimodal opportunities and support long-term economic opportunities by considering planned developments.

HNTB will assemble a Public Advisory Council and solicit feedback from neighborhood groups and other stakeholders. The consultant will evaluate the options, including how they align with the city’s “economic development and community goals” to shrink the possibilities down to a “reasonable range of solutions,” said Christopher Fagan, a project engineer at HNTB. The options will undergo an extensive environmental review process.

Early stages of the project may include improvements to local roads to help reduce the amount of local traffic using the highways to get from one part of the city to another, the consultant said. According to HNTB’s data, about 35% of traffic in the Mixmaster study area gets on and off in Waterbury.

CT Construction Digest July 28, 2021

Torrington road reconstruction projects continuing this week

TORRINGTON — City officials said this week that road construction activities are expanding into Phase 2 of the “City North Reconstruction” project. Phase 2 includes work in the following North End neighborhoods: Margerie Street; Benham Street from Margerie to Calhoun Street; Lorenzo Street from Margerie to Calhoun Street; Eastwood Road from Margerie to Alice Street; Alice Street; and Lois Street, sidewalk only.

The proposed improvements will include new asphalt paving, concrete curbing, asphalt sidewalks, driveway aprons, catch basins, tops, and associated work, according to city officials.

The public is to expect daily traffic delays due to one-way alternating traffic and daily road closures allowing local traffic only. Pass through traffic is advised to avoid these roads and use alternate routes.

Residents and guests of these neighborhoods are advised not to park any vehicles on these roads during construction. Vehicles in the way of construction will be towed at the owner’s expense.

For more information, contact the City of Torrington Engineering Department at 860-489-2234 or visit the Engineering Department website link for 2021 Road Construction Projects at torringtonct.org

The project includes Alice Street, Benham Street, Brightwood Avenue, Calhoun Street, Dawes Avenue (Sidewalk only), Eastwood Road, Lois Street (Sidewalk only), Lorenzo Street, Margerie Street, Northridge Avenue (Sidewalk Only), Pythian Avenue.

Vacant parcel in Downtown Stamford OKed for 8-story, 228-unit apartment building

Verónica Del Valle

STAMFORD — Some residents thought of it as a de facto park. Others, an empty lot.

But decades ago, the Downtown Special Services District and other city officials tagged the vacant parcel at Greyrock Place and Broad Street as a chance to flesh out the budding downtown.

As of Monday night, a developer will have the final say.

The Stamford Zoning Board unanimously authorized an eight-story, 228-unit apartment building with ground-flood amenity space nestled between the Broad Street parking garage and Greyrock Place. On top of the residences, luxury developer RMS Companies will move its offices into the building. Some 19 of the apartments will go for below market rate.

The decision was made after public input, including complaints that development on the site would be bad for the neighborhood.

Nearby residents, especially some from adjacent condominium building The Classic, had argued vehemently against losing trees that line the fenced-off site and against adding traffic to one of the busiest roads in Stamford. At least one member of the public floated turning the site into a public park, which could only happen if the city owned the land.

But business-minded leaders, like the DSSD and the Chamber of Commerce, touted the development as a win for walkability in Downtown.

Though an apartment building is the end goal for the approval, the initial application as approved also involved both a map change to rezone the existing properties and a text change to alter the city’s zoning regulations.

RMS Companies sought to reclassify one of three parcels it owns along Broad. Because of the change, now all of Broad Street from Washington Boulevard to Greyrock Place falls under the General Commercial, or C-G, zone. The board generally favors contiguous zoning along streets and building properties in single zones to encourage aesthetically consistent construction.

The text change added additional design standards to the C-G zone, which Land Use Bureau Chief Ralph Blessing called one of Stamford’s “orphan districts.”

“They exist in the appendix of the zoning regulations, but it isn’t well defined,” he told The Stamford Advocate. The new text change requires developers to set buildings back a certain amount from either the main road or other structures to meet the city’s light and air guidelines.

To compensate for trees lost because of construction, the developer agreed to plant 157 trees both on and off of the property, an effort spearheaded in part by board member Rosanne McManus. RMS must work with Land Use Bureau staff “to maximize the number of trees planted at the development site,” though some of the foliage will also be scattered throughout Downtown Stamford because of limited space, according to the agreement.

At the outset of the approval, McManus expressed optimism about the project and the compromises the board achieved.

“I’m happy that something is going in here,” she said, “and I know that the neighbors have enjoyed the green space for a long time, so I think we have done what we can do to mitigate that.”

Infrastructure talks leave Biden's entire agenda at risk

ALAN FRAM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's latest leap into the Senate's up-and-down efforts to clinch a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure deal comes with even more at stake than his coveted plans for boosting road, rail and other public works projects.

The outcome of the infrastructure bargaining, which for weeks has encountered one snag after another, will impact what could be the crown jewel of his legacy. That would be his hopes for a subsequent $3.5 trillion federal infusion for families’ education and health care costs, a Medicare expansion and efforts to curb climate change.

Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will need support from every Democratic moderate and progressive to push the $3.5 trillion bill through the 50-50 Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote. If the infrastructure talks implode, it may be harder for moderates — who rank its projects as their top priority — to back the follow-up $3.5 trillion plan, which is already making them wince because of its price tag and likely tax boosts on the wealthy and corporations.

“I would say that if the bipartisan infrastructure bill falls apart, everything falls apart,” West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, one of his chamber’s most conservative Democrats, warned reporters this week.

That could well prove an overstatement, since moderates like him will face enormous pressure from Biden, Schumer and others to back the $3.5 trillion package, whatever the bipartisan plan's fate. But it illustrates a balancing act between centrists and progressives that top Democrats must confront.

“If infrastructure collapses, which I hope it does not, you'd have the difficulty of holding some of the Democrats" to back the $3.5 trillion bill, No. 2 House leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Tuesday in a brief interview. Party leaders will be able to lose no more than three Democrats to prevail in the 435-member House.

Both sides in the talks were expressing renewed optimism Tuesday about prospects for a deal, a view they've expressed before without producing results. The uncertainty underscored that Democrats were at a promising yet precarious point for their agenda, with stakes that seem too big for them to fail yet failure still possible.

Biden met at the White House on Tuesday with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a leader of moderate Democrats who've been laboring to strike an infrastructure deal with GOP senators. The president also used several tweets to prod lawmakers, including one saying, “There are no Democratic roads or Republican bridges — infrastructure impacts us all and I believe we’ve got to come together to find solutions."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden and Sinema “are very much aligned on the path forward" and expressed optimism, but also said the president was “not setting new deadlines” for a deal. Several target dates for reaching an agreement have come and gone, though Schumer wants a Senate vote on a package before sending lawmakers home for an August recess.

Sinema is a centrist who's alienated some Democrats who consider her unpredictable.

Illustrating that, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., told House Democrats privately Tuesday that the infrastructure accord senators are trying to complete is “crap," according to two people who attended the session and described it on condition of anonymity. He also said the measure was being crafted by “three Republicans,” pointedly naming Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sinema, they said.

Moderate Democrats have long made an infrastructure deal their top priority. The bipartisanship such an accord would display plus the meat-and-potatoes spending it would bring back home have made that their goal over the separate $3.5 trillion measure for family and environmental programs.

If the infrastructure talks fail, it would deprive moderates of a victory that if reached might leave them more open to making concessions on the $3.5 trillion measure. A collapse could also trigger fresh internal Democratic fighting over how much of the infrastructure spending would be transferred to the huge domestic spending plan, and how that would affect its overall price tag.

Even Republicans are divided over the infrastructure measure and what a failure of the bipartisan talks would mean as both parties eye 2022 elections in which House and Senate control are fully in play.

Some Republicans worry that approval of a bipartisan infrastructure plan would help Democrats pass their $3.5 trillion measure by making moderate Democrats more prone to cooperate with their colleagues on that subsequent, costlier legislation.

They also say supporting the infrastructure measure would let Democrats rope the GOP into sharing the blame if inflation or other economic problems take hold amid massive federal spending programs.

But others say that since Republicans won't be able to stop Democrats from passing their $3.5 trillion bill, the GOP might as well back an infrastructure agreement. That would let Republicans haul a share of its $1 trillion in popular projects back to their home states.

Democrats plan to use special budget rules that would prevent Republicans from using a filibuster — a delay that takes 60 Senate votes to halt — to derail the $3.5 trillion measure.

These Republicans also say passage of the infrastructure measure would make it harder for Manchin and Sinema — and moderate Democrats facing reelection in swing states, like New Hampshire's Maggie Hassan and Arizona's Mark Kelly — to vote for an even larger $3.5 trillion plan.

“I think it puts their members more on the defensive and having to defend very, in my view, indefensible spending and taxing,” said No. 2 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota.

Winsted's Plan of Conservation and Development heads to public hearing; residents invited to learn more

WINSTED — What’s a POCD, and why should anyone care about it?

Planning and Zoning Commission members are trying to figure that out, ahead of a public hearing to approve the updated document. The Plan of Conservation and Development is updated every 10 years, and is used by towns and cities to monitor growth, update and amend zoning regulations, find funding for improvement projects, and provide an overall snapshot of the municipality and its assets. It inventories the town, reviews its regulations and makes changes as needed.

Not everyone may know what it does or how it helps their home town unless they are directly affected by it — such as a need to change zoning on their property or business. The Planning and Zoning Commission recently finished making some changes to it, and have scheduled an Aug. 23 public hearing to discuss it with residents.

In Winsted’s POCD, the commission set goals for itself, which are part of the update process, including promoting Smart Growth principles, maintaining long-term financial viability, providing a range of housing, and supporting open space preservation, protecting state assets and encouraging residents to further those goals in their own land management practices.

In developing the 2011 POCD, the commission took a natural resources inventory in 2009, and conducted a corridor study, a watershed protection study and a traffic study. PZC Chairman George Closson said the commission has spent many months reviewing each area of the plan during the last year, to determine if changes were needed.

“It’s pretty close to what we did a little more than 10 years ago, but there have been some changes,” said Closson. “The Board of Selectmen has all the information and the draft ... Mayor Candy Perez is sending it for discussion at the board’s next meeting in August.”

Selectmen likely will be asked to approve the draft in advance of the public hearing. That approval is advisory, Closson said. Changes to some zoning regulations are included in the latest iteration.

Closson recently asked the commission for input on what type of presentation they wanted to give to the public at that hearing.

“It’s up to the commission to get people energized about it,” he said. “The POCD is something we all ought to be thinking about; I think we’ve spent a tremendous amount of time on it. It’s a pretty solid document, and we need to get the word out. That’s the most important thing.”

Closson pointed out that funding for road repairs, renovating old buildings into usable office or retail spaces in Winsted’s old mill buildings, upgrades for safety and traffic and upgrading roadways, often supported by grants or other state or federal funding, are a result of the POCD. “It helps us get grants — it helps the town,” he said. “We can look at how we compare with other towns and what they’re doing.

“We’ve got a small city, and we’ve taken advantage of supporting it with this document,” the chairman said.

To prepare their presentation for Aug. 23, Closson and several other commission members walked Main Street Tuesday morning and photographed buildings and streets downtown.

The commission also is attending the Northwest Hills Council of Governments’ Fifth Thursday event, which gives members of boards and commissions a forum to discuss changes in land use, zoning and state regulations. This week the Fifth Thursday forums are likely to include a discussion on land use regulations involving the state, and the recently-passed law that makes marijuana legal in Connecticut. “All of those things come together in importance, in this planning document,” Closson said.

Even so, he admitted, “it’s pretty dry stuff.”

“We’re trying to make it interesting, to show how we use it and why we spend so much time on it,” he said.

Residents can find the updated POCD online at www.townofwinchester.org.

CT Construction Digest Tuesday July 27, 2021

Field remediation at Greenwich High 'moving forward' as soil cleanup stays on schedule

Justin Papp

GREENWICH — Remediation work on one of Greenwich High School’s athletic fields is progressing on schedule, according to town officials.

Phase II of the larger fields remediation project at Greenwich High began this summer and will continue into the fall in an effort to remove PCBs and other harmful materials that were first discovered at the site in 2011. The district is carrying out the project in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Environment and Energy and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

“We are continuing to make progress on the soil remediation project at the high school in partnership with the Town of Greenwich Department of Public Works,” Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones said. “The work happening this summer is currently on track as outlined in our community updates.”

A first phase of remediation was mostly completed in summer 2020 and involved the replacement of turf coverings on athletic fields 6 and 7 and the insertion of crushed rock on top of the soil beneath.

Phase II is larger in scope and could take three years to complete, according to the school district. It will focus primarily on fields 2, 3, 4 and 5, with the cleanup work conducted during the summer months and the restoration and construction of the fields during the fall.

The cleanup work currently underway has made fields 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 unavailable for use, according to the district, as crews work in the vicinity of field 4.

Plans for fall 2021 include the installation of a new impermeable cap beneath field 4 and the construction of new artificial turf atop the cap. Field 2, 5, 6 and 7 will be open to the public. A portion of field 3 will also be open to the public, though the length of the field will be limited by the work on field 4.

“Work is occurring Monday through Saturday, all to keep the project moving forward as quickly as possible,” First Selectman Fred Camillo wrote last week in his regular community email update.

As Phase II progresses, the school district continues to work with DEEP and the EPA to finalize plans and obtain approval for the remainder of the remediation project on the site.

The remediation project carries an estimated $25 million price tag.

 PCBs and other harmful materials were discovered under the high school’s western parking lot after work began on the Music Instructional Space and Auditorium in 2011. The contaminated soil had been moved to the site in the 1960s and 1970s to shore up wetlands so the school building could be constructed.

Phase II of the project includes removing hazardous materials, as deep as 10 feet below the ground in some areas, from Fields 3, 4 and 5, on the western side of campus. The aim of the project is to prevent direct contact with the harmful materials, as well as the contamination of groundwater via storm-water infiltration.

State Bond Commission steers nearly $5 million toward CT Shoreline projects

John Moritz

The State Bond Commission steered nearly $5 million toward projects along the Shoreline and Lower Connecticut River Valley Friday, with the money going to fund dam improvements, library renovations, and the building of a new sports facility in Killingworth, among other projects.

The 41-item, almost $1.1 billion borrowing agenda for Friday’s meeting was headlined by a pair of high-profile projects: runway repairs for Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport and an overhaul of the State Pier in New London.

Dozens of other projects were also greenlit or aided by the sale of state bonds. Those on the Shoreline and in the river valley included the following:

$2.7 million for the Department of Transportation to fund the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program developed by the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments

$770,000 to the town of Madison for the replacement of a bulkhead protecting Garvan Point

675,000 for renovations at the Brainerd Memorial Library in Haddam

$500,000 to the town of Killingworth to build a new sports facility

$132,000 to replace the roof of the Deep River Elementary School

$60,000 to repair the dam at Hurd State Park in East Hampton

All of the bond sales were approved with little opposition. As a result, millions of dollars were also earmarked for statewide road projects, new investments in state parks and trails, and energy efficiency improvements in state buildings. The DEEP, which oversees state parks, received a total of $36.8 million in bond funding Friday

“For many of these projects, the state is addressing a lot of delayed maintenance issues, particularly at state parks,” said RiverCOG Executive Director Sam Gold, adding that parks received renewed interest during the pandemic. “This is a good first step toward addressing that.”

Gov. Ned Lamont, who chaired the State Bonding Commission meeting, released a statement Friday hailing the investment in outdoor recreation.

“If Connecticut residents didn’t know before the pandemic how important our trails and conservation projects were before the COVID-19 pandemic, they do now,” Lamont said. “These projects will provide safer, cleaner, and more modern outdoor space for residents and visitors to participate in enjoyable, healthy activities.

“I’m also pleased that we’re moving forward with a number of clean energy projects to help our state become more sustainable, and plan for the future,” the governor added.

Killingworth First Selectwoman Katherine Iino said the town will use grant-in-aid from the state to build a full-sized baseball diamond at the Eric W. Auer Killingworth Recreational Park. The town has been without a full-sized diamond since 2013, when renovations were made to Sheldon Park, she said.

“We’ve had a long-term plan in place for a while” to build the field, Iino said.

In addition to the new funding that DEEP received Friday, the agency said it recently used state bond money to complete $980,000 in renovations at Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam and $800,000 for improvements at the agency’s Marine Headquarters in Old Lyme.

American Rescue Plan funding floods southeastern Connecticut

Sten Spinella

Southeastern Connecticut munipalities and venues are receiving millions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Among local towns and cities, Norwich received the most overall funding of nearly $30 million followed by New London with more than $26 million. Groton Town received about $8.5 million while Groton City got slightly more than $2.6 million. East Lyme, Montville, Stonington and Waterford each received more than $5 million.

Bozrah, Griswold, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lyme, North Stonington, Old Lyme, Preston, Salem, Groton Long Point Borough, Jewett City and Stonington Borough received more than $20 million combined.

Southeastern Connecticut towns and cities were allocated more than $110 million in direct support while U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney’s 2nd Congressional district will see more than $250 million.

The money will come in 2021 and 2022 in direct support for municipalities and through funding set aside for counties. Courtney, in a statement, used New London as an example, saying the city will receive $21 million in direct support for municipalities, and $5.2 million through county funding.

Municipal officials are busy drafting plans to spend the funds.

Stonington officials have begun creating a list of items that could be funded with the $5.2 million the town expects. The initial ideas range from paving and HVAC improvements to money for mental health services, local cultural organizations and help for homeowners to make improvements. Voters will approve the final list. 

In Norwich, some of the money is going to an affordable housing partnership. Another portion of the money, $300,000, will be used to support three police jobs once slated for elimination. In addition, funding for human services programs, plans to develop a heritage park at the historic Uncas Leap site, as well as arts funding, economic development and community policing are included in the first half of the city's anticipated nearly $30 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

The Montville Town Council has created a committee to manage its $1.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds and has held its first Ad Hoc COVID-19 Impact Study Committee meeting.

In March, Courtney convened a group of five municipal leaders who shared initial thoughts on American Rescue Plan money.

Montville Mayor Ron McDaniel said at the time the town could use the money to offset overtime expenses for custodians and hopefully move forward with ventilation projects at the senior center and town hall.

"Providing this financial assistance right now, in this moment, is exactly what we needed on every level of government," added New London Mayor Michael Passero.

Citing dramatic increases in calls about mental health, substance abuse and domestic violence, Stonington First Selectwoman Danielle Chesebrough said the town was talking about how human services can use some of the money.

Restaurants in Courtney’s congressional district are receiving more than $52 million from the American Rescue Plan’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund Program spread among 202 establishments. Courtney visited Hot Rod Cafe, Berry’s Ice Cream & Candy Bar, 2 Wives Pizza and other eateries in New London last week, all of which received funding from the program. Restaurants can spend the money on payroll, rent, principal or interest on a mortgage, maintenance, supplies, utilities, food and beverage expenses, paid sick leave and supplier costs, as well as anything else the Small Business Administration determines to be necessary.

Money from the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant program, which supports museums, theaters, cinemas and other entities that had to close for a period of time during the coronavirus pandemic, is going to the Mystic Aquarium (more than $6 million), Mystic Seaport Museum ($3.9 million), the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center (almost $1.2 million), the Submarine Force Library and Museum Association (almost $140,000), Niantic Cinemas (more than $280,000), the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam (more than $2 million) and the Garde Arts Center ($830,000), among other venues.

In New London County, 16 museums, nature centers, state parks, historical attractions and more were awarded funding through the American Rescue Plan for the “Connecticut Summer at the Museum” program, including Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic Aquarium, Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Fort Trumbull State Park, Florence Griswold Museum and Niantic Children’s Museum. The program makes it so children can attend museums and cultural attractions for free this summer.

Billions of dollars are still available nationwide for programs that have not yet launched applications or programs with applications pending review. American Rescue Plan funds extend to education, housing, child care, mental health, public health, airports, rail and other types of programs and grants. The Groton-New London Airport is receiving $59,000 in pandemic relief grant money while Amtrak is receiving $970 million for the Northeast Corridor. The United Community Services health center in Norwich is receiving $3.3 million.

Funding levels will continue to change as more programs are launched and as more rounds of funding are sent out.

Unprecedented surplus in new CT budget may be even larger than legislators thought

Keith M. Phaneuf

When lawmakers adopted a new, two-year state budget in early June, some observers blinked at the unprecedented, $2.3 billion surplus built into the package.

Now, just four weeks into the new budget, it looks as though this fiscal cushion might be fatter by hundreds of millions of dollars.

That’s because the revenue forecast used to craft the $46.4 billion biennial package relied heavily on state tax data available only through mid-May. Since then, nearly $500 million extra has poured into Connecticut’s coffers, according to reports from Lamont’s budget office.

“I don’t know if we should be more optimistic [right now] but I think it confirms things continue to go in the right direction,” said Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, House chairman of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.

Rep. Holly Cheeseman of East Lyme, ranking House Republican on the finance panel, also was cautious, noting that not all of Connecticut enjoys state government’s fiscal good fortune.

“We don’t know,” she added. “We are looking at an unpredictable economic climate.”

What legislators and Lamont do know is that General Fund revenues for the fiscal year that closed on June 30 are being pegged now at just over $20.3 billion — $274 million more than were anticipated in mid-May.

In addition, a special component of state finances captures a portion of income tax revenues tied to capital gains and dividends before they can be spent. Estimates for this savings program — dubbed the “volatility adjustment” because of the up-and-down nature of investment-related tax receipts — grew by $215 million between the new budget’s adoption and June 30.

All totaled, that’s almost $490 million in last-minute, extra money for the 2020-21 fiscal year.

But traditionally, at least a portion of that type of growth is projected to occur again in the next budget.

Melissa McCaw, Lamont’s budget director, was not available for comment late last week, but she wrote in a statement that “The revenue schedule adopted as part of the FY22 and 23 budget remains unchanged.”

Lamont’s budget office and the legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis must issue three consensus revenue reports annually, but their next update isn’t due until Nov. 10.

Cheeseman said it’s better that Connecticut remains cautious about its surplus projections.

The budget Lamont and lawmakers adopted for this fiscal year and next already has a projected, built-in cushion of about $2.3 billion.

If projections hold two years from now, most of those dollars would be deposited as supplemental payments into Connecticut’s pension systems for state employees and municipal teachers, which collectively have about $40 billion in long-term, unfunded obligations.

Normally any surplus would be deposited into the rainy day fund. But with close to $3.1 billion already held, the reserve is at its legal maximum, equal to 15% of the state’s annual operating expenses.

More importantly, Cheeseman said, the state’s economy hasn’t fully recovered from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Department of Labor, about 165,000 residents still receive weekly unemployment benefits.

And various federal programs that have enhanced state jobless benefits, including one that adds $300 from Washington to weekly state payments, expires on Sept. 4.

Cheeseman also noted that the state government’s coffers have benefited from a “crazy high stock market.” The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed last week at 35,061, about 30% higher than it was in early March, just before the pandemic struck Connecticut.

But Cheeseman said it also has been unstable of late.

The Dow suffered its worst single-day decline on Monday, July 19, falling 725 points. But by Friday of last week it had recovered all of its losses.

Scanlon, who tried this year to enact state income tax relief for Connecticut’s poor and middle class — but was blocked by Lamont — said the surging revenues should only boost momentum for a tax relief debate in 2022.

Because of the unstable economy, the administration argued Connecticut could not be certain it could afford a tax cut at this time.

Scanlon wanted a new child tax credit to give low- and middle-income households $600 per dependent — up to a maximum of $1,800 — off of their state income taxes. This would cost Connecticut about $300 million per year, according to analysts.

Scanlon argued the same economic woes cited by Lamont were the reason so many households need relief now.

Contractors mitigate high prices, supply chain delays with lean construction tactics

Robyn Griggs Lawrence

As a project executive at Chicago's largest general contractor, Joe Pecoraro is accustomed to wielding Skender's clout and financial resources to get his jobs done. When all else fails, money always talks. But right now, he needs a door package to complete a project, and the vendor can't promise it for another four or five months — at any price — because the doors do not exist.

"That's a scary thing as a contractor," Pecoraro said. "When you don't have a tool to fix a problem, and the answer is, 'You just have to wait,' that's a problem. You’re working without a net right now."

Contractors across the country are well aware of the situation, the result of what a recent Skender report calls "a unique combination of unrelated factors collectively wreaking havoc on the construction industry" that has been brutal for everyone and potentially lethal for companies caught unprepared. These include the Suez Canal blockage, a Texas ice storm, a COVID-19 manufacturing slowdown, labor shortages, a housing market surge and businesses fully reopening

"It's going to be a lot more obvious to people procuring work right now who the good contractors are," Pecoraro said. "You're not going to see their projects sitting vacant with no guys on them."

Ben Harrison, a 20-year construction industry veteran who is now vice president of product management for data-management company Preferred Strategies, believes the current crisis will push companies that haven't learned how to be efficient out of business. "Competition is keen," he said. "You either improve your processes, or you shrink."

Improved productivity

Despite the challenges, Skender is weathering these issues. The company is one of more than 200 designers, general contractors and trade partners that use lean construction, a collaborative project-management operating system that can dramatically improve scheduling and reduce waste. Lean improves productivity by reintegrating a siloed industry following six tenets:

Respect people.

Optimize the whole.

Generate value.

Eliminate waste. 

Focus on flow.

Continuous improvement. 

"At its core, lean is a change in mindset and a different culture and behavior you create within the team,” said Kristin Hill, education programs director for the nonprofit Lean Construction Institute. “We have collaborative ways of teams working, interacting, talking about ideas together and exploring them that just doesn't happen on traditional projects.”

Lean practitioners call this transparency "opening the kimono." Hill, who owned an architecture firm in Colorado before she joined the Institute, said it benefits not just the companies involved, but the entire industry. "When I first came into the lean realm, I was shocked and amazed at what people were sharing," she said. "The whole industry rises up together when competitors are helping each other, raising the bar up, up, up."

As an example, Hill cites lean's Integrated Project Delivery agreement, a relational contract signed by owners, contractors and designers before projects commence. "The IPD agreement is about how everyone is going to behave. It's not transactional," she said. "It's leading to teams being able to break barriers, innovate and improve productivity. Lean is about problem-solving collaboratively by bringing different perspectives and viewpoints together."

Harrison agreed and said companies are starting to make big strides in systems integration, which drives efficiency. "With that, we almost always have mobile access to information now with phones and tablets," he added. "Systems integration is tied to mobile access, and that's where companies are really getting a bang for their buck."

The power of technology

The iPhone pushed the Luddite-leaning construction industry into the 21st century, and construction technology has been facilitating leaps in efficiency ever since. Progress reporting on jobsites, for example, can now be done by drones using photogrammetry that provides precise 3D measurements, said Michael Mazur, CEO and co-founder of digital field construction tracking company AI Clearing. Mazur said the technology "allows for highly skilled staff to focus on more value-added tasks, especially in times where access to skilled labor is becoming more challenging."

"Most software is a tool that makes you into three, four people," said Troy Warr, senior software engineer for construction-management software company Computer Presentation Systems, which provides centralized portals for critical documentation, communication tools that eliminate time-consuming phone calls and messages and construction-scheduling templates that can be revised in real time.

Across the industry, companies are looking to technology — everything from 3D-printed building models to barcodes for managing materials — to help them stay afloat through this crunch. Washington, D.C.-based concrete contractor Miller & Long has stepped up its adherence to lean principles, including investing in alternative energy sources, prioritizing proper waste recycling and reducing water usage, said chairman and CEO Brett McMahon. But he believes that BIM — software used to plan, design, construct, operate and maintain buildings that has been around since the 1970s — has been just as crucial. 

"We feel very strongly that BIM will be the standard industry operating system, just like Windows, in the fairly near future," McMahon said. "Everything will flow in the virtual design environment, increasingly, in 3D, 4D and 5D scenarios. BIM models allow you to maximize use of materials in as efficient a way as possible."

While McMahon believes lean and BIM are "changing the industry fundamentally," he also pointed out that many of the core lean principles are simply a throwback to the days when contractors weren't constantly struggling just to keep up with demand. 

"No good contractor wastes, anyway," he said. "But now, tighter focus is critical."

Senators, White House in talks to finish infrastructure bill

Lisa Mascaro

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators and the White House are locked in intense negotiations to salvage a bipartisan infrastructure deal, with pressure mounting on all sides to wrap up talks and show progress on President Joe Biden’s top priority.

Despite weeks of closed-door discussions, senators from the bipartisan group blew past a Monday deadline set for agreement on the nearly $1 trillion package. Instead they hit serious roadblocks over how much would be spent on public transit and water infrastructure and whether the new spending on roads, bridges, broadband and other projects would be required to meet federal wage requirements for workers. They're also at odds over drawing on COVID-19 funds to help pay for it.

Republican negotiator Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who took the lead in key talks with a top White House aide, insisted the bipartisan group was “making progress.”

“This is heading in the right direction," Portman told reporters at the Capitol. "It’s a big, complicated bill.”

Biden struck a similarly upbeat tone, telling reporters at the White House he remained optimistic about reaching a compromise.

This is a crucial week after more than a monthlong slog of negotiations since Biden and the bipartisan group first celebrated the contours of the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan agreement in June, and senators were warned they could be kept in session this weekend to finish the work.

The White House wants a bipartisan agreement for this first phase, before Democrats go it alone to tackle broader priorities in a bigger $3.5 trillion budget plan that's on deck. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC found 8 in 10 Americans favor some increased infrastructure spending, and the current package could be a political win for all sides as lawmakers try to show voters that Washington can work. Securing the bipartisan bill is also important for some centrist Democrats before engaging in the broader undertaking.

But as talks drag on, anxious Democrats, who have slim control of the House and Senate, face a timeline to act on what would be some of the most substantial legislation in years. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants progress on both packages before the August recess, and he told senators to brace for a Saturday or Sunday session.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden himself “worked the phones all weekend,” and the administration was encouraged by the progress. But Psaki acknowledged “time is not endless.”

Adding to the mix, Donald Trump issued a statement Monday disparaging Senate Republicans for even dealing with the Democrats on infrastructure, though it's unclear what influence he has. The former president had failed at an infrastructure deal when he was in office.

“It’s time for everyone to get to ‘yes,’” Schumer said as he opened the Senate.

Schumer said Trump is “rooting for our entire political system to fail” while Democrats are “rooting for a deal.”

The bipartisan package includes about $600 billion in new spending on public works projects, with broad support from Republicans and Democrats for many of the proposed ideas.

Yet there was little to show Monday after a grinding weekend of talks, putting the deal at risk of stalling out.

The Democrats and the White House had sent what they called a “global” offer to Republicans on remaining issues late Sunday, according to a Democratic aide close to the talks and granted anonymity to discuss them.

But Republicans rebuffed the ideas, saying the new proposal attempted to reopen issues that had already been resolved, according to a GOP aide also granted anonymity to discuss the private talks.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said it’s time for Biden to become more involved. “I think it’s imperative that the president indicates strongly that he wants a bipartisan package,” she said.

A top Biden aide, Steve Ricchetti, was tapped for the direct talks as Portman fielded information to the other senators in the group, several senators said.

Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said, “There were too many cooks in the kitchen.”

While much of the disagreement has been over the size of spending on each category, labor issues have also emerged as a flashpoint.

Democrats are insisting on a prevailing-wage requirement, not just for existing public works programs but also for building new roads, bridges, broadband and other infrastructure, according to another Republican granted anonymity to discuss the private talks.

At the same time, transit funding has been a stubborn source of disagreement for the past several days.

Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, the top Republican on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which oversees public transit, raised questions about the size of the transit funding increase. He cited, in part, previous COVID-19 federal relief money that had already been allocated to public transit.

Democrats and public transit advocates don't want spending to go any lower than what's typically been a federal formula of about 80% for highways and 20% for transit. They see expanded public transit systems as key to easing traffic congestion and combating climate change.

Psaki has previously said transit funding "is obviously extremely important to the president — the ‘Amtrak President,’ as we may call him.”

The senators also appeared to still be debating money for public water works and removal of lead pipes after Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, raised questions about the amount.

Also unresolved is how to pay for the bipartisan package after Democrats rejected a plan to bring in funds by hiking the gas tax drivers pay at the pump and Republicans dashed a plan to boost the IRS to go after tax scofflaws.

Funding could come from repurposing COVID relief aid, reversing a Trump-era pharmaceutical rebate and other streams. It's possible the final deal could run into political trouble if it doesn't pass muster as fully paid for when the Congressional Budget Office assesses the details.

The final package would need the support of 60 senators in the evenly split 50-50 Senate to advance past a filibuster — meaning at least 10 Republicans along with every Democratic member. A test vote last week failed along party lines as Republicans sought more time to negotiate.

Meanwhile, Democrats are readying the broader $3.5 trillion package, which would go beyond public works to include child care centers, family tax breaks and other priorities. It is being considered under budget rules that allow passage with 51 senators in the split Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break a tie. That package would be paid for by increasing the corporate tax rate and the tax rate on Americans earning more than $400,000 a year.

CT Construction Digest Monday July 26, 2021

State Pier wind energy project gains momentum in New London

John Moritz

 

NEW LONDON — The renovation of the State Pier into a launching-pad for offshore wind energy projects is well-underway, state officials said last week, despite concerns from some lawmakers over the project's $235 million price tag and efforts by local opponents to halt the development.

Work crews began the process of remediation in February at the century-old pier, which is owned by the Connecticut Port Authority. Existing buildings on the site have been demolished, according to authority officials, while earth-moving equipment is in place to re-grade a portion of the property known as “the hill.”

The later stages of the project, meanwhile, still face permitting approvals from state and federal regulators even as the final round of state bonds were approved on Friday.

The not-yet-permitted work includes one of the project’s most significant undertakings: Filling in the central wharf and adding several acres of space to handle massive heavy-lift equipment involved in the assembly of wind turbines.

“Ultimately, what we are left with is a much more capable facility that will be able to handle in addition to wind-turbine components, a wide variety of general cargoes,” said John Henshaw, executive director of the Port Authority.

Henshaw said the authority expects the project to be completed “near the end” of 2022, at which point the 30-acre site will be turned over to a joint-venture by Eversource Energy and Ørsted, which signed a 10-year lease to use the pier as a staging area for three wind projects off the coast of Rhode Island and New York.

The three wind power projects are expected to employ more than 100 people at the pier, according to Justin Mays, a spokesman for the venture. One of the offshore sites, Revolution Wind, will supply 304 megawatts of energy to Connecticut and 400 to Rhode Island — enough to power 350,000 homes.

Construction over the next year is expected to add another 400 temporary jobs, officials said.

“I thought long and hard about the scale of this project, I think it’s transformative not just for New London and New London Harbor, I really think it’s transformative for the state and the region,” Gov. Ned Lamont told the state Bond Commission on Friday “It’s one of the most extraordinary deep water ports in the country, that’s why wind is going to be built out of there, what a difference that makes.”

Criticism of the project has focused on its soaring costs, which have risen by nearly 50 percent since the Port Authority reached a deal with the wind-energy developers last year at a total cost of $157 million.

Lamont conceded Friday that development of the project “did take a little longer and it was more expensive than we wanted.” Still, the bond commission, chaired by the governor, approved the final tranche of bonds for the project worth $50 million, bringing the state’s total investment to $160.5 million. Eversource and Ørsted have committed another $75 million to the project — for a total of $235 million.

The only opposing vote on the commission, state Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, questioned whether potential issues with older pilings on the site, or the expected dredging, could push the eventual cost even higher.

“I must admit, I’m very concerned with this project both in terms of the cost that may be borne by the taxpayers and a lack of transparency on the part of the Port Authority,” Cheeseman said.

Henshaw defended the cost of the project, saying earlier estimates were made during the “conceptual” phase, and grew as the details were hammered out. For example, he said, an installation berth had to be moved from one side of the site to the other, to prevent interference with the Cross Sound Ferry, adding “significant” costs to the project.

“At each of those steps, the price went higher, but it was driven in part by some external factors,” Henshaw said.

Kosta Diamantis, the deputy secretary for the office of policy and management, told the commission Friday that the latest cost estimates on the project are “rock solid,” and construction could wrap up under the current budget.

Opposition to the project has also arisen from the pier itself, which was historically used to handle shipments of salt, copper, steel and plywood.

The Port Authority’s application for an environmental permit from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection faces opposition by a road salt business that was forced off the pier as a result of the renovations, The Day reported.

An attorney for the business, DRVN Enterprises, was unable to comment last week.

DEEP spokesman Will Healey said Thursday that DRVN’s appeal of a draft license for the project that was recommended for approval by a hearing officer is being considered by the agency’s commissioner, Katie Dykes. A hearing before Dykes was held on Wednesday.

“Should the commissioner find that the facts of the hearing are correct, she will issue her final decision and the license would then be signed,” Healey said in an email.

Henshaw said the lease by the Eversource-Ørsted venture would not make the pier completely off-limits to other uses over the next decade. During “lulls,” their construction of offshore turbines, portions of the pier can be made available for other cargo, Henshaw said.

State Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, said the Port Authority, which was created less than a decade ago, appeared to be ill-equipped to handle the scope of the project.

“I’m a proponent of offshore wind,” said Formica, whose district includes New London. “I think we have to move forward with the project, I’m just concerned that the due diligence didn’t occur early enough, with enough specifics, to determine what the numbers might be.”

The chair of the legislature’s Energy Committee, state Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, said the cost-overruns associated with the project were “unfortunate,” but he remained focused on the long-term goal of building up the state’s clean-energy electric grid.

“This is a good thing overall,” Needleman said. “The details … that’s a little more murky.”

Greenwich Hospital tries to mend fences with neighbors to ease opposition to proposed cancer care unit

Robert Marchant

GREENWICH — Every year, 446 Greenwich residents are diagnosed with cancer, according to Diane Kelly, president of Greenwich Hospital.

And many of those local patients end up traveling to New York City, New Haven or Boston to get the latest treatments available, Kelly said.

To offer those patients a closer option, Greenwich Hospital has proposed the construction of a three-story building next to the Greenwich Hospital campus that would house a 54,865-square-foot cancer-care unit.

Many area residents would benefit from having a top-flight cancer facility located within the community, where they could access high-end treatments, and it would bolster overall medical care in town, Kelly said.

“If you would get half of those patients, you would be making a significant difference to the lives of those people,” she said. Overall, the hospital administration is emphasizing the value of getting treatment at a top-flight cancer center in the town — and not traveling an hour or more.

Cancer rates are going up around the region as the population ages, and long-drives for cancer care can be a serious burden to patients and their caregivers, said Kelly, who is also a nurse.

But the hospital’s proposal, which is currently pending in the Planning and Zoning Commission, has hit a wall of opposition from its neighbors. They are voicing a litany of complaints about disruptions they already face from the hospital and saying they don’t want to put up with more if the facility were built.

In an effort to mend fences with the neighbors, Kelly said she and other hospital administrators want to hold regular meetings and address the issues. They held a “town hall-style” meeting with about 50 residents last Thursday, where Kelly answered questions, took complaints and explained the role of the proposed cancer care unit.

She said she wanted to hold regular meetings in the future. “I look at this as beginning on an ongoing dialogue,” Kelly told the attendees. She said she wanted to initiate a “neighborhood advisory council” to facilitate communications with the residents who live near Greenwich Hospital, especially those who have voiced concerns about the size of the proposed building.

Kelly also told neighbors why the cancer care unit was proposed for Lake Avenue, near Greenwich Hospital. That proximity would allow for better levels of care, she said, explaining that it’s not uncommon for patients undergoing chemotherapy for the first time to require care in the emergency room following shock to the body. The equipment for radiation machines, and the lead-lined rooms that they are housed in, are not well-suited to leased office complexes, Kelly said. The hospital’s blood bank is also located in the main building on Perryridge Road.

The new Bendheim Cancer Center, as the project is called, would be built at Lafayette Place and Lake Street, and several medical offices there would be demolished to make way for it.

But residents who live near the hospital expressed their firm opposition.

Karen Fassuliotis, a central Greenwich resident, said during the teleconferenced meeting, “You’re trying to put a round peg in a square hole with this particular project. ... I don’t see it working in this neighborhood.”

Tonya Gojani, another local resident, said traffic is already bad in the area around Greenwich Hospital. “Why has it gotten to this point?” she said, asking why the hospital had not been working on the traffic problems earlier.

The hospital president said, “I regret that. ... When you know better, you do better.”

Chief Operating Officer Mark Kosak said the initial plans for the new cancer-care unit have been scaled down due to community input, cutting out one floor and reducing the square footage from 90,000 square feet. The design had also been changed to make the structure “more welcoming, more part of the neighborhood,” Kosak said.

The hospital has also changed its delivery schedule and procedures to reduce traffic problems that have been raised recently. “We’re hearing you, we’re listening,” Kosak told the residents. The hospital administration said it was working on plans to improve traffic flow in the area, and said the new facility would have its own free underground parking garage.

The hospital administrators said Greenwich police have also been cracking down on illegally parked vehicles in the area. Local residents said they were happy to see a greater police presence in the area — but wondered how much longer it would last.

The hospital administrators said they would look into the possibility of adding more traffic enforcement and security in the area in the future.

Lawrence Sterne, another neighbor, said traffic in the area near the hospital is a “recipe for disaster.”

The hospital administrators were questioned about billing rates, and whether the hospital could charge a higher rate for insurance reimbursements than an annex built in another part of town.

Kelly said, “If you have the level of services, because of the care that the patient needs, it is true you are reimbursed more than an [office]....Hospital departments are re-reimbursed more than if this were a standalone center, with no physicians and no radiation oncology.”

Still, many see the downside to putting a large medical facility in their neighborhood.

Mary Jenkins, who lives near Greenwich Hospital, said, “there is so much traffic now.” The possibility of even more traffic is a major concern, she said.

Danbury traffic is 'an absolute nightmare,' leaders say. A recent study said otherwise.

Rob Ryser

DANBURY - City leaders who are overseeing the creation of a master plan for the next 10 years settled in this week for a presentation from experts about the latest transportation data in the Hat City.

Some city leaders could hardly believe what they were hearing.

Traffic volume has been “trending downwards” since 2004, the experts from FHI Studio said, and travel on Interstate 84 has been “stable.”

“I really think we need to take a much better look at what (experts) did to get those figures,” said Fred Visconti, a city councilman and member of the master plan task force, during a Tuesday meeting on Zoom. “I have been here all my life and I have to say I haven’t seen any improvement in the amount of traffic that we have in this city right now. It’s really getting crazy.”

A fellow city leader agreed.

“(If) traffic on I-84 was somewhat stable in the last few years, I am wondering where the increase in cars has come from,” said Richard Jannelli a master plan task force member who serves on the city’s school board. “It is really becoming a nightmare. An absolute nightmare.”

Francisco Gomes, the manager of a team from FHI hired by Danbury to lead the task force through the two-year process of creating a new land use map said the data was reliable as far as it went.

“I do think the numbers are accurate but not representative of the entire city,” Gomes said towards the end of the 90-minute meeting. “What you tell us is as important as the numbers and if there is anything we can do with the (master) plan to describe your experience and identify the need to better manage that traffic - that will be a big question.”

Growth and associated concerns about congestion and overcrowded schools have been hot campaign topics as Danbury continues to be one of the fastest-developing cities in Connecticut.

An expert explained during the master plan presentation that traffic volume on 12 busy roads in Danbury could indeed be decreasing as state transportation data shows, while at the same time drivers avoiding those busy roads are putting more miles on side streets.

“Danbury is a big place, so traffic as a whole on all 250 miles of city roads is potentially stable, but where we are seeing issues might be a very small percentage of 10 percent or less of those roads,” said Parker Sorenson, senior transportation engineer at FHI. “If those state routes were saturated in 2004 and no capacity improvements were conducted at that time we wouldn’t expect much additional traffic on those routes, but it is not reflective of some of the busier neighborhood streets you mentioned that are being cut through.”

Danbury’s top planner came down in the middle of the debate.

“We look at the numbers and we are living something different,” said Sharon Calitro, the city’s planning director. “This is something we need to address,” she said.

One solution would be for the master plan to recommend a city-wide traffic management study to look at side street traffic volume that the state does not track, she said.

It is not the first time over the last nine months that the master plan task force has questioned the data.

In April, data showing a high percentage of people renting single-family homes in the city’s heavily residential neighborhoods south and west of downtown surprised leaders.

The next step is for the task force to begin overdue public outreach in the fall, assuming COVID infection rates remain low and face-to-face focus groups can be scheduled. The task force plans to send out a questionnaire before any public meetings are held.

The goal is to adopt a new master plan by late 2022.

Not all task force members were shocked this week to hear Danbury’s traffic characterized as “stable.”

“I have been working in Danbury for 35 years, first on Main Street and now on the west side, in a job that requires me to drive all around city streets…and in terms of having a terrible or awful time navigating city streets on a typical day - I haven’t seen it,” said Arnold Finaldi, the chairman of Danbury’s Planning Commission and a task force member. “Maybe it’s me or maybe I have tolerance, but I don’t see where it is that bad.”

$50M multi-warehouse project planned in Windsor

Greg Bordonaro

Scannell Properties, one of the most active developers of warehouse buildings in Greater Hartford, is eyeing its latest new development in familiar territory. 

The Indiana-based company has gained local approval to build two new warehouses in Windsor with a combined 487,200 square feet on 40.8 acres, at 1190 Kennedy and 451 Hayden Station roads.

The approximately $50-million project, known as the BDL Logistics Center, is still waiting for state approval before it breaks ground, potentially by Oct. 1, according to Daniel Madrigal, Scannell’s senior development manager.

Both buildings are being developed on spec, which means no tenants are currently lined up for the properties. Spec construction is rare in Connecticut, but Scannell has used that strategy in the past, including a facility it built in Cromwell a few years ago. 

Madrigal said the project is being spurred by continued hot demand in the warehouse and distribution space. Scannell typically targets Fortune 500 companies as tenants, he added.

The land for the project is currently owned by  O.J. Thrall Inc., the centuries-old farming company. Madrigal said Scannell plans to finalize a purchase of the land before it breaks ground later this year. 

One building will be 268,000 square feet and the other about 219,000 square feet. 

Scannell is not pursuing a tax break deal from the town, Madrigal said. 

Scannell is also the developer of the under-construction 823,000-square-foot distribution center that Amazon will occupy at 1201 Kennedy Road and 1 Joseph Lane. That facility is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, Madrigal said. 

Industrial properties have been the hottest segment of Connecticut’s commercial real estate market in recent years, and many have been built in north-central Connecticut, where large swaths of open land and easy access to major highways have made it attractive for companies — particularly e-commerce retailers — to set up distribution centers closer to their end customers.
Scannell has been an active developer in Greater Hartford, particularly in South Windsor, where, since 2017, it has developed about 1.5 million square feet of distribution space that has led to more than $100 million in investment and attracted top corporate tenants, including Home Depot.

Randy Salvatore

After years of delay and anticipation, construction on the mixed-use redevelopment near Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford is showing signs of progress.

Stamford-based developer RMS Cos. broke ground on the project’s first phase last October, and has already completed construction of the 330-space parking garage. RMS CEO and President Randy Salvatore said construction on the $50-million project’s first phase, which will include 270 apartment units, should be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

Meantime, RMS is in early discussions about the development’s next phase, which will include construction of 532 additional apartments and a 541-car garage.

When the development is completed the plan is for the newly named North Crossing project to have 1,000 total apartments.

The pandemic has dealt a setback to the city of Hartford, but Salvatore recently told HBJ he’s still optimistic about the city’s future, especially when it comes to demand for new rental units.

“I remain as bullish as ever about the long-term prospects for Hartford and this development,” Salvatore said in May.

Bond Commission approves $1.1 billion, Lamont hints at more

Susan Haigh

Funding for renovations to state parks, highway and bridge improvements, clean water projects and a memorial to the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School were among the $1.1 billion in projects approved by the Connecticut State Bond Commission on Friday.

It marked the first meeting of the new fiscal year, which began July 1, and only the second during 2021. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, who chairs the commission and has imposed a so-called “debt diet” for state borrowing, suggested he's easing up on that stance.

“I’d say it’s a pretty robust agenda for what could be a pretty robust year when it comes to bonding,” he said. “The reason being, I think this is a unique time to be making investments in the state right now.”

Lamont noted how interest rates are at historic lows, the state's bond rating has improved and Connecticut residents are still looking for work as the state continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. While it has improved, the state unemployment rate for June was 7.9%.

“This is a time to get people back to work, get people back to work with good-paying jobs, a lot of good-paying construction jobs, which is what we’re doing right now,” he said. “It’s all about jobs and opportunity.”

About $600 million of the borrowing approved Friday was earmarked for general obligation bonds - money that will be spent on a wide range of projects such as improvements to the State Pier in New London. The site is being redeveloped into an offshore wind hub.

Funding was also approved for infrastructure improvements at community health centers and mental health and substance abuse providers, grants for new walking trails and pedestrian walkways, state information technology upgrades, sound amplification in state courtrooms, asbestos removal in state buildings, and affordable housing and energy efficiency projects.

The panel approved an additional $20 million to continue helping homeowners in northeastern Connecticut replace their crumbling foundations, and $300 million in local school building projects.

Tucked into a list of funding for local projects, such as the construction of four playscapes in West Haven, was $2.5 million to defray much of the $3.7 million that voters in Newtown approved in April to construct a memorial to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. The project is nearing construction, with a groundbreaking ceremony planned next month at the site down the street from where the shooting occurred that killed 20 first-graders and six educators. Construction will be finished before the 10th anniversary next year, officials said.

Meanwhile, slightly more than $500 million of the projects approved on Friday are transportation-related, including state and local road, highway and bridge repair work. There's also funding for rail improvements, and bus and rail facilities.