Safety Hunter Keeps Eye On The Rising Tiers
PAUL BASS
Nobody tripped over the edge of a rising parking garage
and broke his leg or worse Tuesday morning. Jared Hunter was making sure
of that.
Hard-hatted Hunter was on the construction site of the
George-and-Orchard Street portion of the
$838 million Yale New Haven neurosciences center rising in West River.
While workers from Turner Construction worked on the first tiers of the garage,
Hunter monitored their safety.
That’s his job as Turner’s project safety superintendent,
a job he said he enjoys.
The work day began at 7:30, when Hunter met with the crew to
review safety documents. “They let us know what activities they’re going
to do. They let us know what hazards are involved. They let us know what
they’re going to do to prevent anything from happening to them,” Turner said
during a conversation on the “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz
LoveTalk” program.
On Tuesday that included erecting cement walls around tiers
of the rising garage, he said.
“First they put up guard rails. I’m making sure they put up
the guard rails so nobody falls to their deaths or get seriously hurt.
“Once they finish with this level and nobody’s in danger of
falling, they’ll put the guard rails again” for the next tier.
Hunter has had the job with Turner for two years. He was
previously working in security at Conde Nast in New York, where he met people
who suggested he pursue certification as a fire safety inspector. He did,
then hooked up with Turner and advanced to a work-site superintendent
position. Last year he was assigned to a site where White Plains (N.Y.)
Hospital was building a new campus; “I was a superintendent
there doing punch-list items.” Turner has had him doing the safety
superintendent work at Yale New Haven since June. He is responsible for
checking in on a half dozen sites, mostly the West River project, but also
on York Street.
“Nobody likes the safety guy,” he said. The workers “do
appreciate” what he does, but will also sometimes say, “I’ve been doing
this for 30 years; I know what I’m doing.”
“All it takes is for that one minute for something to
happen,” Hunter said. “We have a lot of [potential] fall hazards.
Sometimes they get up there, they forget to tie off. They’re about to fall.
I say, ‘Hey you’ve got to tie off!’ They have a harness on and
they have a lanyard that’s connected to the steel erection. They tie the
clip on their arm,” and have protection in case they slip.
“I’m making sure that safety is done right so everybody
comes home at the end of the day to their family,” Hunter said.
When work ends at 3:30, Hunter, who’s 45, planned to go home
to his family, in Hamden, where he and his wife are raising four kids aged
12 – 18. If all is OK, he may head to Planet Fitness to work out.
He shifts into Family Safety Superintendent mode at home. He
reminds his kids: “Don’t talk to strangers, don’t get in a strange
car. If somebody bothers you, make sure you tell me about it.”
Hunter said he has seen no slips, no falls, no major
injuries during his months stationed at Yale New Haven. Two hours into the job
Tuesday morning, that was holding true: “So far, so good. I haven’t
seen any safety issues. Let’s see what happens the rest of the day.”
Plainfield warehouse to be five times bigger than Amazon, but no tenant yet. What we know.
PLAINFIELD ― A private real estate company has
received conditional approval to build a 1 million-square-foot warehouse in
Plainfield that is expected to net the town a tidy sum in permitting and tax
revenue.
The Planning
& Zoning Commission on June 29 granted site plan approval to
Scannell Properties for construction of a warehouse on the combined parcels at
91-105, 107, 113 and 143-151 Plainfield Pike currently owned by the Plainfield
Materials company.
In addition to the enormous warehouse, the project,
which First
Selectman Kevin Cunningham estimated will cost up to $100 million to
complete, calls for creating 975 parking and 182 trailer storage spaces, along
with 200 docking doors on the total 137-acre space, according to site plans.
During the June meeting, BL Companies civil engineer Matt
Burton said there were as yet no tenants contracted to use the planned
structure.
“But I was told there is interest already by some companies
to move in,” Cunningham said.
Assistant Planner and Zoning Enforcement Officer Ryan Brais
said it’s not unusual for a real estate company to buy an attractive property
and then move to lock down tenants before beginning construction.
“The warehouse they’re looking to build would ideally house
one tenant, though there will be room for more, if need be,” he said.
The Indiana-based Scannell company touts itself as a real
estate and investment firm that focuses on “build-to-suit and speculative
development projects throughout the United States, Canada and Europe,"
according to its website.
Cunningham said the Plainfield Pike property was formerly an
apple orchard business before Plainfield Materials moved its material
processing operation onto a portion of the land, which is zoned for industrial
use, several years ago.
As part of the site plan approval, Scannell must still make
adjustments to its initial proposal by adding more fire hydrants, modifying
property lines and gaining final traffic pattern approval from state agencies.
The company, which received project approval from the town’s
Inland, Wetlands & Watercourse Commission in April, also agreed to pay for
upgrades to the nearby sewage main and related pump stations.
“There’s no direct tie-in to our sewer system from the
property right now,” Cunningham said. “They would have to connect to one of our
existing pump stations, which were slated for upgrades anyway.”
The project comes as Amazon continues constructing a
202,044-square-foot “last-mile” distribution warehouse on Lathrop Road.
Based on the fees the town garnered for that much more modest project,
Cunningham said the town could take in roughly $1 million in permitting fees
for the Scannell job.
“And there’s the tax revenue we expect to be generated by
the people that move in,” he said.
Cunningham said he’s already talked to project principals
about hosting job fairs for the anticipated construction and operational jobs.
“Besides jobs and revenues, having a large company or
companies move in is good for the community,” he said. “They typically look to
invest in the town by sponsoring community events and organizations, like
Little League.”
Brais said there is no timeline for construction to start
and the company has up to five years to begin work before being required to
file a permit extension.
Deidre Montague
East Hartford — East Hartford’s 86-year-old Town Hall will
be receiving a much-needed renovation to replace mechanical systems
— think heating, air conditioning and more — that have “exceeded their life
expectancy,” according to town officials.
The work, however, means departments have to move out of the
building for about a year and will be relocated to other town facilities. The
Town Hall building will be closed for the renovations beginning Jan. 5, 2023,
town officials said.
The goal now is to completely vacate the Town Hall facility so that the entire building can be renovated at once, versus renovating in phases, which could have increased the cost and the time it takes to complete the project, officials said.
However, town departments will be moving in two phases. The
first phase will be departments moving from Thursday, Dec. 15 at 4:30 p.m.
through noon Monday, Dec. 19 at noon, and will include the offices of the town
clerk, tax collector, assessor, finance, purchasing, town council, health
department, and registrar of voters.
The second phase of departments moving will take place from
4:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5 through noon Monday, Jan 9, and will include the
offices of engineering, building, development, grants, mayor, human resources,
corporation counsel, probate court, and social services.
For both phases, the respective departments will be closed
to the public and will reopen the following Monday at noon at their new
location at the Community Cultural Center, 50 Chapman Place.
The only department that is not moving to the Cultural
Center is the Town Clerk’s Office. That office will be working out of a
business trailer located outside of Town Hall.
Town Chief of Staff Connor Martin said that “these
renovations have been a long time coming and we are grateful to the East
Hartford Town Council for approving this major project. The goal of these
renovations is to provide Town Hall visitors and personnel a safe, revitalized,
and sustainable environment to conduct the business of the Town.”
The $21.6 million project is expected to be completed in
about a year.
Cultural Center Director Ted Fravel said that they are happy
to accommodate Town Hall departments during the transition period.
“The move of all town departments is a huge undertaking but
we are ready to accept our colleagues from Town Hall to ensure they can
continue to provide critical services to the public with minimal
interruptions,” he said.
Town officials said that they have been actively working
with the Community Cultural Center to identify temporary work spaces for Town
Hall departments for the duration of the renovations, to cut some of the cost
of the project by relocating to another town facility versus leasing or renting
external space.
Town officials also said the changes will include replacing
the heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC systems, modernizing of
the elevator, new lighting, plumbing and electrical infrastructure, a new roof,
replacement of water-damaged ceilings and walls, reduction of hazardous
materials, and renovation of public bathrooms.
Additional improvements with environmental benefits include
a new natural gas heating system to replace the existing and inefficient
oil-burning boilers.
Town departments unaffected by the renovations project
include police, fire, public works, library, youth services, WIC and parks and
recreation.
Preparing for the imminent surge in infrastructure projects
Infrastructure is what keeps business—and life—moving. The
strength of the nation’s public roads and utility distribution systems impacts
everything from employment to healthcare. According to the American Society
of Civil Engineers (ASCE), however, 43% of the public roadways in the
United States remain in poor or mediocre condition, with almost 231,000 bridges
needing repair—nearly 8% of them structurally deficient. These systems need
major repair, replacement, or preservation work and soon.
The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA),
signed into law in November 2021, is a historic, $550 billion investment to
address deteriorating infrastructure, including projects to improve public
transportation, roadways and water and energy distribution systems.
While this forthcoming modernization is much needed, it also
leads to an important question: Who has the skills to manage these critical
infrastructure projects?
Construction project managers need a different set of skills
In today’s tight labor market, where vacant jobs are
plentiful, available workers are scarce and many retirements loom, project
management skills are already in short supply. In fact, the global economy
needs to recruit and hire 25 million additional project management
professionals by 2030 just to keep up, according to the 2021
Talent Gap report from the Project Management Institute (PMI). The
report predicts that, in construction alone, more than 61 million project
managers will be needed in the next decade.
“Organizations turn to project management to deliver
consistent results, reduce costs, increase efficiencies and improve customer
and stakeholder satisfaction,” explains Brantlee Underhill, Managing Director,
North America, for PMI. “As of this past April, there were roughly 440,000 job
openings in the construction industry in the U.S. alone—and McKinsey estimates that the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law will cause that number to increase by hundreds of thousands. Now is the
time for all construction professionals to upskill and embrace new technology
being used to bring projects to life. Organizations can also help to offset
this growing labor shortage by offering their employees the skills they need to
successfully execute projects on time, within scope and on budget.”
In taxpayer-funded projects, the government has a
responsibility to be an effective steward of costs and schedules. In
government projects, however, nearly one-third of initiatives fail to meet
original goals and only half stay within budget. This data spurred the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act (PMIAA) of
2016, which is legislation designed to improve project and program management
within the U.S. federal government to help reduce wasteful spending.
Wasted time and money won’t be an option for massive and
vital infrastructure projects and skilled project managers will be needed to
help government agencies comply with PMIAA.
PMI: A resource for construction training and upskilling
According to PMI’s Pulse of the Profession research, construction
companies waste an average of $127 million for every $1 billion spent on
projects and programs. The cause of this overspending? Poor project
planning and management. It will take training and education to help project
managers bring this number down.
As the world’s leading project, program and portfolio
management association, PMI was built to help companies respond to challenges
like these. The training it provides can help the construction industry close
the talent gap and upskill and certify project professionals, so their teams
are prepared to bring IIJA projects to life.
Companies that invest in training now will see major payoffs
later as infrastructure projects get under way. Local and state government
agencies will be looking for construction partners that can execute large- and
mega-scale infrastructure projects on time and within budget. Organizations who
staff certified project professionals are more likely to be
identified—quickly—as a valuable partner who can be trusted to consistently
deliver results.
Government agencies can take advantage of PMI’s other
resources like their professional and local chapter community memberships. PMI
members can tap into a wealth of knowledge through live and virtual events,
training, networking, tools and templates and industry insights. Pain points
related to the uptick in the need to properly manage infrastructure projects
are unique—connecting with the vast PMI community provides a global platform to
exchange ideas and prepare for the largest federal investment in infrastructure
in decades.
Comparing PMP and PMI-CP certification
Through PMI training and certifications, project managers
will not only build and hone the right skills, but also understand how to do
more work in less time to boost efficiency and productivity.
Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification
Designed by project leaders for project leaders, PMP® certification holders learn not only how to lead
projects effectively, but also how to help teams spearhead tangible change,
navigate uncertainty and work smarter to reduce wasted time and resources.
Certifying all project managers can improve efficiency across organizations by scaling
processes accordingly.
Every construction project is different and the PMP® certification
program prepares professionals for whatever methodology is used: predictive,
agile, or a hybrid approach.
Construction Professional in Built Environment Projects
(PMI-CP™) Certification
Designed by construction industry experts specifically for
project professionals in construction, this program defines the standard for
quality construction management. It helps project managers sharpen existing
skills, including communication and collaborative leadership skills, as well as
develop new capabilities and expertise in digitalization and automation so
they’re prepared to lead industry transformation.
Professionals can pick and choose whichever PMI-CP™ courses they prefer, or they can complete all
seven – including three micro-credentials and take the exam to earn the full
PMI-CP™ certification.
Whichever professional training option you choose, investing
in education and certification for your project managers will make sure your
team is prepared for the work ahead and ensure that your company can finish
projects on time and on budget to help lead the charge in revitalizing
America’s infrastructure.
Fine Fettle proposes cannabis grow facility in Bloomfield
Fine Fettle is hoping to build a new cannabis grow facility
on a more than 10-acre property in Bloomfield, according to town records.
FFD 149, Fine Fettle’s social equity cultivator business in
partnership with Hartford resident Kennard Ray, has submitted a special permit
and subdivision applications with the town to construct a cannabis cultivation
facility at 10 Mosey Drive.
A public hearing for the proposal is set for Dec. 15.
The proposed new building would take up 45,600 square feet
of the 10.41-acre property. Fine Fettle COO Ben Zachs said that between 18,000
to 20,000 square feet would be reserved for grow space in the facility.
According to renderings of the facility, Fine Fettle plans
to have nine rooms for flowering, three for vegetation, three for drying, one
for curing, one for trimming, and one for packaging. The facility will also
include a large room for cannabis extraction.
Pending public approval, Zachs said the facility will take
about 18 months to build out. He said the cultivation business will have
between 60 to 100 employees when fully up and running.
Fine Fettle’s social equity cultivator license is for
businesses planning to open large-scale operations of more than 15,000 square
feet of grow space, differing from micro-cultivator licenses that go to
establishments with between 2,000 square feet and 10,000 square feet of grow
space.
Ansonia gets $6.5 million for Copper and Brass bridge repair
Eddy Martinez
ANSONIA — A single lane access bridge at the former Ansonia
Copper and Brass site could be the city's literal link to economic progress,
according to Corporation Counsel John Marini.
"To enable the revitalization to occur, you have to
imagine that there's going to be the need for all sorts of heavy vehicles and
equipment to the site in order to proceed with the demolition and remediation
of 60 acres," Marini said.
And the state is spending $6.5 million to make it happen.
Local and state officials announced last week that the site
would get state money — approved by the State Bond Commission — from the
Community Investment Fund 2030 to repair an access bridge to the plant, at 75
Liberty St., that would allow greater access on site for cleanup efforts.
Marini said repairs are expected by 2023. The site is now
empty and has fallen into a state of disrepair, with
sections of the former plant having collapsed.
Economic Development Director Sheila O'Malley said the
bridge is the only viable path for trucks.
"The importance of the bridge is that that's the only
safe route for truck access. And then, along with that, we're looking to put a
road in that would run off Riverside Drive, on Route 8," O'Malley said.
Marini and O'Malley's comments echo previous statements from
local and state officials over the years who said the former plant is integral
to the economic future of the region.
The Ansonia Copper and Brass site closed
down completely by 2013, the victim of fierce competition with foreign
manufacturers able to undercut the site on steel, copper and brass costs.
Officials have since then advocated for funding to transform an empty foundry
into something that could lead to jobs for residents.
Ansonia
suffers the highest poverty rates in the lower Naugatuck Valley.
State Rep. Kara Rochelle previously
said the cleanup of the site would lead to jobs. The approval of the
funds last week would help the city bounce back economically, she said.
"I am particularly proud of the $6.5 million given
through CIF. This was done to open doors to economic prosperity," Rochelle
said.
The site has gotten millions over the years to help with cleanup and redevelopment. But the pace of state and federal aid has picked up over the last few. The $6.5 million comes just months after the site got $2.9 million in federal funds to demolish and remediate the former SHW Casting plant on Main Street, removing hazardous materials.
The city had previously received $1 million from the state
in 2021 to help demolish the Farrel Foundry which is part of the 60 acres in
total that is made up of SHW, Farrel Foundry and Ansonia Copper and Brass.
Marini said the reasons for the delay on the SHW demolition
are varied, from talks with state officials over the historical significance of
several standalone buildings on the site to simply making sure the power was
disconnected.
Marini said since the site is adjacent to the train tracks,
United Illuminating had to install new electrical poles nearby to disconnect
power cables, which took a month to engineer. The site is also expected to face
environmental studies, Marini said.
There's also another reason why local officials are keen on
redeveloping the site. O'Malley previously said in late November the site is
all that's left.
"We definitely lack space in Ansonia. We are down to
the Ansonia Copper and Brass piece and SHW. That is why we fought so hard to
and continue to work towards owning the 60-plus acres," O'Malley said.
Expansion sought at Scinto Forest Parkway location in Shelton
SHELTON — Plans to expand a commercial building off Forest
Parkway are one step closer to reality.
The Inland Wetlands Commission, at its meeting Thursday,
approved R.D. Scinto, Inc.’s plans to construct a 43,000-square-foot addition
to the already existing commercial flex space at 15 Forest Parkway.
The proposed work also includes expansion and improvement of
the parking lot. On the site currently is an existing one-story commercial
warehouse building and asphalt parking area.
According to the plans filed with the Inland Wetlands
Commission, the building addition and new parking areas will replace some
existing paved and wooded areas on site. The existing driveway entrance into
the parking lot will be maintained.
The project site area will encompass approximately 3 acres
of the lot. Generally, the site slopes from east to west towards an existing
wetlands area located in the southern portion of the lot.
According to the plans, the proposed project seeks to
develop a portion of the existing wetlands area and will create new wetlands
areas to compensate for this.