Arborio Construction Rehabs Bridge Damaged By Hurricane Ida in Conn.
Hurricane Ida, which dropped more than 6 in. of rain in many
parts of Connecticut in early September 2021, caused massive flooding, highway
closures and water rescues. It also damaged roadways and a bridge on Route 9
Southbound in Cromwell, which is currently being rehabilitated.
Arborio Construction of Cromwell, Conn., is the
contractor. An Emergency Declaration project was signed by Connecticut
Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti on Sept. 7 in order
to stabilize and repair an existing 84-in. asphalt-coated corrugated metal
(ACCM) pipe that was found to be structurally compromised following the storm
event.
The excessive rainfall from Ida caused a large sinkhole to
develop above the 84-in. ACCM pipe that conveys an unnamed brook under the ramp
and across Route 372 in Cromwell, according to a CTDOT report. Further
investigation found the culvert to be compromised structurally due to the
erosion around the pipe.
"The work being done on Route 9 Southbound is an
emergency job that is progressing well," according to a CTDOT. "We
began the work because the road was settling due to an underground pipe failure
following Hurricane Ida. Rather than shutting down the entire road, we are pipe
jacking, which is pushing the pipe through the ground. So far, we've been
prepping the pipe jacking and working on the access roads to get to the pipes.
Next, we will excavate for the earth retaining systems on the inlet and outlet
sides, pour concrete and do the physical pipe jacking on the site. Then we will
move to a ground remediation plan, which is pressure grouting any voids under
the existing roadway."
The finalized scope of this project includes the full
replacement of the existing 260 linear ft. of the 84-in. ACCM pipe by jacking a
new 84-in. reinforced concrete pipe (RCP). New headwalls and compaction
grouting also will be installed.
Work began on the project in September and is on track for
completion by May 1, according to CTDOT.
The construction equipment being used by Arborio on the
project includes a Cat 330B excavator, a Volvo EW170 excavator, a Cat CS-431B
vibratory smooth drum roller, an Ingersoll Rand 180, air compressor, a Vermeer
E2983 Navigator S3 drilling rig and a Wacker Neuson compactor plate.
President Biden granted a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Connecticut, releasing federal funds to help residents recover from Hurricane Ida on Oct. 31, 2021. State funds of $4,297,171 will pay for the job, according to CTDOT. The money comes fr.om the Fix it First bridge program that was authorized by the State Bond Commission. CEG
Omnibus Appropriations Act Covers Transportation Under Funding Umbrella
LUCY PERRY
Signing the $1.5 trillion 2022 omnibus spending bill into
law in mid-March, President Joe Biden released the full benefits of last fall's
bipartisan infrastructure and jobs act. Not only does highway work move
forward with the spending bill's signing, but energy, maritime, transit, water
and airport construction projects launch as well.
Praised by the transportation construction industry for its
broad infusion into the U.S. economy for years to come, IIJA couldn't become
reality until the omnibus bill was signed.
H.R. 2471, the "Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2022" provides full-year funding through Sept. 30, 2022, for projects and
activities of the federal government. Division N of the bill provides
supplemental appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2022 for Ukraine activities.
"Remaining divisions provide authorizations and
extensions on a wide variety of government programs and activities,"
according to a statement from the White House announcing the president's
signing.
The Act provides funding for U.S. government operations
through September 2022.
This covers all executive branch departments — Agriculture,
Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland
Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation,
Treasury and Veterans Affairs.
The FY 2022 funding bill passed the House and Senate before
arriving at the president's desk. Meanwhile, the House also passed a short-term
spending measure as a Plan B in case a continuing resolution, funding the government,
expired March 11.
Ending the Stop-Gap
Federal spending programs have operated under a series of
stop-gap measures since Oct. 1, 2021.
Passage of the legislation came after delays and three
temporary continuing resolutions designed to keep the government afloat until
legislators could agree on a final product.
Congress was up against a midnight March 11 deadline before
a government shutdown was set to occur.
The short-term measure guaranteed funds remained through
mid-March, just in case the Senate did not have enough time to vote on the bill
and get it to the president for his signature in the time remaining.
The first installment of the IIJA will not only meet the
landmark federal infrastructure law's transportation investments, but will add
$4.3 billion to its record levels, according to ARTBA's Newsline.
"It's go time," said Dennis D. Truax, president of
the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). "Passage of this bill
releases vital funding for states and localities to implement much-needed programs
to improve our nation's infrastructure."
The bill prevents the need for another Continuing Resolution
this year and allows all funds from the infrastructure bill to be spent rather
than being limited to last year's levels, added Truax.
Opening the Piggy Bank
A $1.2 trillion investment in the nation's infrastructure
over the next five years, IIJA provides $550 billion in new transportation
revenue.
"This comprehensive legislation provides a major boost
for improving our surface transportation network, the energy grid, drinking
water and wastewater systems, ports and inland waterways, broadband expansion
and more," noted ASCE. "The bill also includes the largest-ever
investment in the resilience of our built environment, dedicating $50 billion
to weatherize and harden these systems, along with creating programs to protect
communities from droughts, floods and wildfires."
ARTBA detailed how transportation programs benefit from the
omnibus bill's passage:
Highway investment increases from $48.4 billion in FY 2021
to $66.9 billion and provides an additional $2.5 billion.
Of that $2.5 billion, $847 million would be reserved for
congressionally designated earmarks. The cumulative one-year highway investment
increase is $21 billion, or 43 percent.
The boost to public transportation programs includes an
additional $504 million above IIJA amounts.
The Capital Investment Grant Program, which supports transit
construction activities, will grow from $2.1 billion last year to $3.9 billion,
or 86 percent.
The FY 2022 funding provides $554 million in supplemental
Airport Improvement Program, noise abatement and earmark funds.
As a result, the measure will provide $8.9 billion for
airport capital improvements — a 137 percent increase. The bill would add $775
million to the $3.8 billion directed by the IIJA for multi-modal transportation
grants, compared with $1 billion in FY 2021.
According to ASCE, the signed omnibus allows the IIJA's
influx of revenue and launches new programs, including:
The DOT's Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative,
Efficient and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) program. It funds
improvements to make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters.
DOT's Corridor Identification and Development Program, to
facilitate development of intercity passenger rail corridors.
The EPA's Clean Water Resiliency and Sustainability Program,
authorizing $25 million annually for five years and awarding grants to increase
the resiliency of publicly owned treatment plants from natural hazards or
cybersecurity attacks.
EPA's Rural and Low-Income Water Assistance Pilot Program
awarding grants to develop and implement programs to assist households in need
maintain access to drinking water and wastewater.
A $5 billion FAA discretionary grant program for airport
terminal development and connections. For terminal development projects with a
special focus on replacing aging infrastructure, it also aims to increase or
improve capacity and passenger access, ADA compliance, airport access for
historically disadvantaged populations and achieving Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation.
A DOE program to upgrade the electric grid and ensure
reliability and resiliency. Authorized at $5 billion over five years, the
program provides grants for projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to
transmission, storage and distribution infrastructure.
"IIJA revenue over the next five years has the
opportunity to jumpstart the economy, provide jobs and protect Americans from
unsafe infrastructure conditions and increasingly severe weather events,"
said Truax.
Transportation Sector Smiling
AGC and the Transportation Construction Coalition had urged
members of both houses to put FY 2022 funding in place. Stephen Sandherr, CEO
of the AGC, wanted Congress to "rapidly appropriate the funding it
promised to deliver when it passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill."
These new investments are a key reason that contractors are
so optimistic about the demand for infrastructure, he said. "Yet Congress
failed to include these new funds when it passed a temporary spending measure
at the end of last year."
The trucking industry is happy that the president signed the
omnibus bill because of funding for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMSCA) among other programs.
The bill provides $360 million for FMSCA safety operations
and programs and almost $500 million for the agency's safety grants division.
"Specific to trucking, the legislation prohibits
funding the enforcement of electronic logging device rules for commercial motor
vehicles that transport livestock or insects," reported Transport Topics.
The bill includes $57.4 billion for highway programs; $774.3
million for highway traffic safety grants; $234.3 million for a port
infrastructure development program; $182.6 million for pipeline safety
operations; and $103.1 million for the DOT Office of Inspector General.
The omnibus bill includes funds for congressionally directed
spending projects, or earmarks. The bill's sponsors touted myriad
infrastructure and economic provisions tucked in the measure, according to
Transport Topics.
"We are encouraged to see the House honor the promise
of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by providing the
guaranteed public transit funding of the IIJA for Fiscal Year 2022," said
Paul Skoutelas, president of the American Public Transportation Association
(APTA).
He called it "a transformational investment in public
transportation infrastructure that our country so desperately needs."
These investments will enable communities to provide access
to opportunities and create family-wage jobs, advance equity, tackle climate
change and meet growing and evolving mobility demands, said Skoutelas.
Among the agencies and programs funded by the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2022 are:
$775 million earmarked for National Infrastructure
Investments where at least $20 million is awarded to assist areas of persistent
poverty and historically disadvantaged communities; and an additional $25
million has been included for USDOT's Thriving Communities initiative.
Federal Railroad Administration funding of $3.3 billion,
including $625 million for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety
Improvements grants; at least $150 million for new intercity passenger rail
routes; $25 million to counties with the most pedestrian trespasser casualties
and $120.9 million for community project funding/congressionally directed
spending.
FRA funding also includes $100 million for intercity
passenger rail grants; $2.3 billion for Amtrak, consisting of $874.5 million
for the Northeast Corridor and $1.45 billion for the National Network.
The Federal Transit Administration receives $16.3 billion,
including $13.4 billion for transit formula grants; $2.25 billion for Capital
Investment Grants Program; $504.3 million for Transit Infrastructure Grants and
projects; $175 million for Buses and Bus Facilities grants; and $75 million for
Low or No Emission grants.
Also included in the FTA funding is $6.5 million for Ferry
Boat grants with at least $3.25 million awarded for low or zero-emission
ferries; $12.97 million for ferry service for rural communities; and $200.8
million for community project funding/congressionally directed spending. CEG
CT contracting watchdog clears key hurdle to add investigative staff
Keith M. Phaneuf
The state’s contracting watchdog panel moved one step closer
Monday to getting the investigative staff it has sought since its inception 13
years ago.
The Government Administration and Elections Committee voted
16-0 to approve a bill mandating that the five investigative posts sought by
the State Contracting Standards Board be filled before the first quarter of the
next fiscal year ends, in late September.
Senate Bill 473 also would expand the contracting board’s
authority to probe quasi-public agencies and would shield it from any emergency
budget reductions once the fiscal year is underway. The latter provision would
match protection the legislature has long provided to other major watchdog
groups such as the Freedom of Information and Elections Enforcement commissions
and the Office of State Ethics.
“I was thrilled it was bipartisan and unanimous, and I hope
that means there’s a real shot at having a fully functioning, fully independent
contracting standards board in the state of Connecticut after 15 years,” Sen.
Mae Flexer, D-Windham, co-chairwoman of the committee, said after the meeting.
Pressure from legislators to strengthen the contracting
watchdog has intensified since early February following reports that the FBI is
investigating school construction work and other projects once overseen by Gov.
Ned Lamont’s former deputy budget director, Konstantinos Diamantis.
A federal grand jury issued a subpoena for all emails, text
messages and attachments involving Diamantis and a broad range of construction
projects on Oct. 20, eight days before the governor’s office removed Diamantis
from his budget post and suspended him without pay from his other role as
director of the school construction program.
Contracting board Chairman Lawrence Fox called Monday’s vote
“a good sign. … I think we can help to steer the culture of competitive bidding
and transparency in the state” government.
But it remained unclear Monday whether Lamont would support
the measure.
Prior to the Diamantis scandal, Lamont had said the
contracting standards board was performing watchdog functions already performed
by other agencies, something that Fox and other advocates for the board have
rejected.
The board was the linchpin of the “Clean Contracting” system
created in 2007 by the Democrat-controlled legislature and Republican Gov. M.
Jodi Rell, Connecticut’s response to the contracting scandals that drove
Republican Gov. John G. Rowland from office amid an impeachment inquiry in July
2004. Rowland later served 10 months in federal prison after admitting he
accepted about $100,000 in gifts from state contractors and his staff.
The board was empowered to review Executive Branch agencies’
contracting processes to ensure they were transparent, cost-efficient and in
compliance with the law. It also would have authority to suspend any
procurement effort deemed improper.
But not long after its creation the state would fall into
the Great Recession, state government finances would slip into the red, and
legislators and Rell would siphon away nearly all resources, leaving the
volunteer standards board with no staff.
An executive director would be hired in 2011, but no
additional staff was added as the Democratic governors’ that succeeded Rell —
Dannel P. Malloy and Lamont — both questioned the need for the watchdog group.
The contracting board sought permission last spring to begin
probing a Connecticut Port Authority contract for renovations to the state pier
in New London. The pier is a key staging point to help development of a major
offshore wind-to-energy project.
Lawmakers expanded the board’s authority to review this
quasi-public agency and included $450,000 to increase staffing. But, in a
last-minute concession to Lamont, the legislature then effectively took the
funding away.
This year, though, Lamont softened his position somewhat.
His new budget proposal in February did not include new funding directly for
the contracting board, but the governor did recommend empowering the group to
make referrals to the state auditors’ office — which has no enforcement power.
Lamont also recommended adding three positions to the auditors’ staff to
accommodate any referrals from the contracting board.
Max Reiss, the governor’s communications director, said
Monday that “Governor Lamont has been on the record stating his support for the
contracting standards board having the tools it needs to be effective.”
But if by “tools” Lamont means access to the auditors’
office but no additional staff, Fox said, the contracting board can’t be
effective.
When asked to clarify whether the governor now would fund
five investigative posts within the contracting standards board office to work
with its executive director, Reiss said, “That’s a legitimate proposal. We will
take a look at it.”
Besides mandating that the full investigative staff sought
by the contracting board be hired, the bill approved in committee on Monday
also would expand the watchdog’s authority to probe all quasi-public agencies
created by the legislature, not just the Connecticut Port Authority.
But even if the full legislature and Lamont agree on this
measure, it wouldn’t be effective unless — this time — they also fund the new
positions.
Fox said Monday that “I’m hopeful” this will happen. “But
after last year, I wouldn’t say I’m confident.”
STAMFORD — A week after Mayor Caroline Simmons first
announced that city-hired engineers would expand their investigation into
Harbor Point developer Building and Land Technology, her administration laid
out a sharper focus for its inquiry.
Engineers hired by the city will examine eight additional
Harbor Point properties built by the South End’s biggest developer as part of
the city’s growing efforts to understand a partial terrace collapse at a BLT
high-rise in February, she said.
A 15 by 20 portion of an outdoor terrace at Allure, one of
developer Building and Land Technology’s South End high rises, collapsed on
Feb. 1. City officials immediately promised an investigation and hired
independent engineers from Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates to examine the
structural failure. BLT did the same.
Simmons on March 18 announced in a letter to BLT
Co-President Ted Ferrarone the city and its engineers would expand their
investigation into properties built by the developer. Though engineers had
spent weeks eyeing structural deficiencies at Allure, the mayor pointed out “an
additional specific complaint shared by a resident regarding retrofits made at
the Escape property.”
The letter did not provide specific examples about any
concerns from city officials associated with Escape, which is adjacent to
Allure. However, concerns leveled by some residents at the building were
brought up in past public hearings before the city Board of Representatives.
Residents especially aired anxieties over an uncovered pool at Escape filled
with frozen water at a Public Safety subcommittee meeting.
In the March 18 letter, Stamford officials said they planned
to expand their investigation to other properties built by BLT. Simmons
specifically called out “constructed or in-progress buildings designed or built
with post-tension slabs designed by Henderson and Rogers” — BLT’s structural
engineer — “built in whole or in part by Baker Concrete” — a high-profile
concrete construction company that has built projects across the country — “or
using the same post tension sub-contractors ... used at the Allure and Escape
properties.”
Though Simmons did not further list the properties under
scrutiny in that letter, in a March 25 letter to Ferrarone, Simmons asked for
access to eight addresses where engineers could examine any potential public
safety concerns: 301 Commons Park South, 201 Commons Park South, 101 Washington
Blvd., 100 Commons Park North, 800 Pacific St., 900 Pacific St., 850 Pacific
St. and 2 Harbor Point South.
When asked why the city planned to inspect those properties,
Simmons said Monday in a statement that “the city’s engineering department, in
conjunction with WJE ... identified the eight locations.”
Public Safety Director Ted Jankowski previously noted at a
Board of Representatives meeting that 880 and 900 Pacific St. are constructed
similarly to Allure.
Stamford Operations Director Matt Quinones clarified on
Monday engineers from WJE would instead inspect 880 Pacific St. — BLT’s Escape
building — instead of 800 Pacific St.
Simmons also stipulated that BLT must provide the city’s
notice of an expanded investigation to residents within 24 hours of its
receipt.
The buildings under review span much of BLT’s long history
in the South End. The 101 Park Place building at 101 Washington Blvd. and now
owned by AJH Management, was built just one year after the developer took over
the Harbor
Point project in 2008. Apartment buildings Infinity and Postmark —
which are no longer owned by BLT — went up in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Allure, Opus and Escape represent some of the company’s newest offerings in the
neighborhood and were built within the past five years.
Representatives from BLT did not immediately respond to The
Stamford Advocate’s request for comment.
The Board of Representatives will discuss the ongoing
investigation of BLT’s Stamford properties at its upcoming March 31 meeting.
Residents can attend the meeting via Zoom or by telephone. Further information
is available
on the board’s website.
$60M redevelopment of former Ames HQ could give Rocky Hill a long-sought town center
The former Ames headquarters in Rocky Hill went from a
bustling office building with hundreds of workers to a sad, abandoned hulk over
two decades.
Now, after years of planning and negotiation, officials
voted in February to approve a mixed-use development proposed by Hamden
developer Michael Belfonti for the 12.1-acre property.
The plan is to knock down the roughly 225,000-square-foot
building and replace it with 213 apartments in 11 buildings, 11,067 square feet
of office space and 9,959 square feet of retail.
Town leaders say the Ames redevelopment could be the start
of building a true downtown center for Rocky Hill, a central-Connecticut
bedroom community of about 21,000 that has been the fastest-growing
municipality in Hartford County over the past decade, according to U.S. Census
figures.
“It’s a super-important redevelopment project because there
are a number of significant benefits to the town,” said Mayor Lisa J.
Marotta. “It will grow the grand list. It will add support for businesses along
Route 99. But perhaps the most important thing is it’s a gateway to something
we have lacked for a long time – a downtown area.”
The Ames property sits at the end of a commercial stretch of
Silas Deane Highway populated by small to midsize shopping plazas and
freestanding stores. Visitors drive in on a 40-miles-per-hour road to visit individual
businesses.
Town officials hope, over time, to create a more
traditional, walkable New England-style town center.
They also want to connect this downtown to amenities along
the Connecticut River about a half-mile away, including a town park, the historic
Rocky Hill-Glastonbury ferry and a seasonable restaurant – possibly with more
riverside development to come.
Belfonti’s plans will help by creating additional
street-facing retail, along with public spaces including a parklet on one
corner of the property and a public gazebo on another. Belfonti’s plans include
sidewalks, trees and lighting along the front of the property, which borders
Main Street and Dividend Road. These improvements will mirror $2.5 million in
streetscape work recently completed in the area, officials say.
“Rocky Hill doesn’t have a downtown,” said Raymond
Carpentino, the town’s economic development director. “That’s what we are
trying to build. We are trying to build a community center where people can
walk around, maybe do some shopping. The Ames property is the beginning of
that.”
The town is on the hunt for grant funding to extend
sidewalks and pedestrian lighting down nearby Glastonbury Avenue to its
riverside park, Marotta said. Rocky Hill is also considering traffic-calming measures
to slow motorists in the area, making it more pedestrian friendly.
The hope is that it will promote mixed-use infill
development, Marotta said.
Marotta said she also plans to consult residents about the
potential to abandon a short stretch of Dividend Road between the Ames property
and town green. That would enable expansion of the central park, making it a
better host for community activities.
A long wait for redevelopment
Marotta said the Ames property has sat fallow for 20 years
partly due to a “healthy resistance” to development in Rocky Hill.
The mayor said she’s worked to counter a misconception that
apartment development will mean a tax burden through new schoolchildren. That
helped get the development across the finish line.
So has some state funding.
The state Bond Commission, last spring, approved $500,000 to
help demolish the Ames building. The town is close to securing a $990,000 state
brownfield grant to help with the cost of clearing hazardous building materials
from the Ames property and a small patch of subsurface pollution, Carpentino
said.
Carpentino has seen other proposals floated for the site
over the past 15 years, including a self-storage facility and other purely
residential developments. This is the first one to offer retail and public
spaces as well, he said.
The Ames property is currently owned by Mr. Rocky LLC, a
company headed by Robert Danial, of Miami Beach, Fla., state records show.
Danial bought it in 2014 for $1.8 million.
Jeff Dow, president of Dow Realty Co. of New Haven,
represented the seller in that 2014 deal. Dow said it was a challenge to find a
redevelopment proposal acceptable to the town. Potential buyers had something
other than a mix of residential and retail in mind.
“We had a lot of users who would have bought or leased it,
but the zoning wouldn’t allow them to move in,” Dow said. “The vision of the
town was to have a town center there. You couldn’t do warehousing with trucks.
You couldn’t do self storage. There was a lot of that stuff we could not do.”
Dow said a big difference this time was that town leaders
and Belfonti collaborated to achieve an acceptable reuse. He also
credited State Rep. Kerry Wood (D-Rocky Hill) with securing state
backing to make a project financially feasible.
“I’ve known Michael Belfonti for a long time,” Dow said. “He
gets projects like this done. He has a history of it.”
Attracted to the area
Belfonti, who is the CEO of Belfonti Cos. LLC, said he was
pursuing local approvals for a $50-million, 160-unit apartment development in
Cromwell about three years ago when he began looking for another area property
to develop.
He said he liked Rocky Hill’s demographics and the fact the
project could provide housing to commuters heading to either Hartford or New
Haven. He drove by the Ames site and saw the sign for Dow, a company he knew.
“You had a big, huge building that was empty; that was a big
white elephant in a great part of town at the end of the Silas Deane Highway,”
Belfonti said. “It had great potential.”
Belfonti’s first redevelopment plan was rejected by the
town’s Planning and Zoning Commission in January, only to be approved a month
later after he agreed to buy a half-acre property with a 1,620-square-foot
office building at the southeast corner of the lot.
Belfonti plans to knock down the small office building at 1
Dividend Road, and replace it with a mixed-use property containing 5,000 square
feet of first-floor retail and apartments above. The purchase allows him to
shift the building away from houses adjacent to the Ames property.
Pending action
Belfonti said the project still requires approval from the
Connecticut State Traffic Commission. He hopes to secure that permission, then
close in June on the Ames property at 2418 Main St., and the adjacent Dividend
Road office building. Belfonti puts acquisition costs at approximately $2
million. Demolition would begin this year with construction launching in 2023
and lasting about 18 months, he said.
Belfonti estimates $60 million in overall development costs,
including more than $2 million for demolition and soil abatement.
State grants could cover $1.5 million. Belfonti expects to
invest about $20 million in equity, with the remainder coming from conventional
loans.
The final development would include amenities such as a play
area for children, fitness center, coworking space, pool, clubhouse, dog
washing station and dog park. Belfonti said 10% of apartments will be
affordable. The rest will be market rate, with monthly rents currently
estimated at about $1,500 to $2,500.
Eager to erase eyesore
While there has been debate about the value of adding
apartments, few tears will be shed for the long-empty Ames building.
Carl J. Tavarozzi owns T&T Structural, the company that
is selling its Dividend Road office property to Belfonti. He said he has
watched the neighboring building sink from a busy office complex to wreck
slowly over two decades.
“It would be great to see something happen here,” Tavarozzi
said. “Anything is better than this.”
Dawn Satagaj, a Realtor with William Raveis and a board
member with the Rocky Hill Chamber of Commerce, said anticipation has been
building over many years. She moved to town in 2002, the same year Ames closed
its headquarters. Her husband’s family has been in town for generations.
Satagaj agrees with many of the arguments in favor of the
redevelopment, that it will help foster a downtown, benefit nearby businesses
and eliminate an eyesore. She also likes that the privately-developed property
will have publicly-available green spaces.
“I think anytime someone is willing to invest this amount of
money in your town it’s worth giving them the opportunity to do so,” Satagaj
said.