Don’t call it a speed trap: Speed-cam ‘enforcement’ debuts in Westport
John Schwing
WESTPORT — Local drivers, ready for your closeup?
As
previously reported, a pilot program using cameras to monitor — and ticket
— speeders will be deployed Monday, April 10, at three sites around the state
by the Department of Transportation.
It’s now been revealed that one of the “speed safety camera”
installations will be in Westport, along the stretch of Interstate 95 being
reconstructed between Westport and Norwalk.
The project is designed to cut down on the rising number of
accidents in highway construction zones — one
of which occurred in Westport just last week. A Bridgeport man, who State
Police said was driving drunk, faces multiple charges after striking two
vehicles in the construction zone April 4 and then fleeing the scene.
The new cameras, which run continuously, will issue tickets
to drivers exceeding posted speed limits by 15 mph.
The DOT program, called “Know the Zone,” also
is being rolled out Monday in the Route 8 corridor through the lower Naugatuck
Valley and along Route 2 in the Hartford area.
Highway speed-limit campaign tightly controlled
The speed enforcement campaign, as approved by the General
Assembly, is to be tightly controlled through its duration.
No more than three of the DOT’s enforcement vehicles
equipped with cameras will be deployed throughout the state at one time. The
zones are currently restricted to limited-access highways, and signs will be
posted to alert drivers that they are entering a zone with active speed
cameras. Full details of the Know the Zone
regulations are posted on the DOT website.
Ticketing penalties will be: a written warning but no fine
for the first offense; a $75 fine for the second offense, and a $150 fine for
the third and subsequent offenses.
“This is not that complicated. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t
tweet and drive. Stop speeding,” Gov. Ned Lamont said at a recent press
conference launching the campaign.
State officials, however, seem wary of drivers’ reaction —
particularly, privacy concerns over the cameras — to stepped-up enforcement of
speed limits.
Asked at the same press conference about the relative lack
of traditional “speed traps” set up by state troopers, a State Police
representative responded, “We don’t call them speed traps … We do motor vehicle
enforcement.”
Initiative may expand “automated enforcement” to local
streets
Although the Know the Zone campaign currently is restricted
to limited-access highways, a broader effort to deploy “automated enforcement”
by cameras focused on speeding and red-light violations on local roads is up
for consideration in this year’s General Assembly session.
Bill No. 5917, which to date has received a favorable report
from the legislature’s Transportation Committee, calls for implementation of
road safety recommendations by the “Vision
Zero Council.” The group is described on its website as “an
interagency work group tasked with developing statewide policy to eliminate
transportation-related fatalities and severe injuries involving pedestrians,
bicyclists, transit users, motorists and passengers.”
If the legislation is approved, it would grant
municipalities the authority to install cameras that, by recording a driver’s
license plate number, could issue penalties for exceeding the speed limit by 10
miles an hour or for running a red light.
An advocate for the proposed legislation, noting Connecticut’s traffic deaths rose
to more than 380 last year, makes a full argument for the proposal in an
opinion piece posted last week on the CTMirror
website.
John Schwing, the Westport Journal consulting editor, has
held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media
outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.
In West Hartford, sprawling convent campus gets even bigger in apartment conversion
The steady, stately presence of the convent in West Hartford’s Park Road neighborhood spans more
than a century, its campus growing in a series of additions over the decades.
But the latest expansion by the new owners of property is
dwarfing, by far, anything that came before, part of a $70 million conversion
into 292 apartments that is now nearing completion. The project includes a new
wing that will more than triple the size of the existing structure.
In a recent tour of the site, developer Martin J. Kenny
remembers well sitting on a nearby hillside overlooking the convent on a
Saturday morning just before purchasing the property in 2021, contemplating the
scope of the redevelopment.
“I just looked at this as this Big Mama wave coming at us,”
said Kenny, a developer with decades of experience in the Hartford area, often
tackling difficult apartment conversions. “It’s just that big.”
Two years later, the first apartments in what is now known
as “One Park” — after
its address at the corner of Park Road and Prospect Street — have now come up
for lease with occupancy expected next month. The initial 92 units are in
converted convent space, which retains its historic, Colonial Revival-style
architecture outside but completely reworked inside into upscale rentals.
The 200 rentals in the new wing are expected to be ready by
late July.
Kenny, chief executive of Lexington
Partners, joined with Alan Lazowski, founder of the LAZ Parking empire, on the project.
Lexington and Lazowski’s LAZ Investment, both based in Hartford, have partnered
on multiple projects in downtown Hartford, including the Sage-Allen Apartments — a recent
redevelopment of former student housing on the site of the old department
store.
The rentals at One Park are hitting the market at a time
when there are plans for hundreds of new units of housing, most of them
apartments, in West Hartford. Those projects — now breaking ground or seeking
approvals — are in and around the town center in West Hartford and elsewhere,
including the
former University of Connecticut regional campus near Bishops Corner.
“Let’s face it, right now, there’s a lot on the drawing
boards for multifamily residential in West Hartford but not many being
delivered,” Kenny said. “We’re one of the first, and we like that. And we like
this location.”
The eclectic Park Road district stretches for a mile to the
west blending long-established names such as Hall’s Market, Quaker Diner, Park Road Playhouse and A.C. Petersen Farms with
relative newcomers J.Rene’s coffee
house, Zaytoon’s Bistro and Taqueria La Grande.
To the east, a little over a half-mile away, is Parkville in
Hartford, which is working to establish itself as a center of arts and
innovation. The successful Parkville
Market, which is now expanding, has emerged as a prime attraction.
Kenny said One Park isn’t trying to be another Blue Back Square in the town
center.
“I think this neighborhood will be attractive to people
because it’s a little more cutting edge,” Kenny said. “It’s generally a younger
crowd, and they are not looking for suburbia.”
Competing on amenities
The leasing push for tenants at One Park began less than a
month ago. So far, 15 leases have been signed and another half dozen are in
discussion.
While younger renters are expected to be key tenants, the
complex also could be balanced by empty nesters seeking to downsize in West
Hartford but still want to remain in the community and near family and friends,
the developers say.
More than half of the units will be studios and
one-bedrooms, with one- and two-bedrooms, some with spiral staircases leading
to a loft, and three-bedroom apartments making up the rest. Kitchens will be
outfitted with stainless steel appliances and porcelain countertops, and baths
with walk-in showers equipped with rain shower heads.
In the converted convent, apartment size will range from 436
square feet for a studio to 1,361 square feet for two bedrooms. The
corresponding rents range from $1,590 to $3,315. The unit sizes and rent ranges
will be similar, but with larger windows, some balconies and closer to
amenities off the lobby.
Of the units, 10% have been set aside as affordable or
income restricted for the next 20 years, an agreement essential to winning a
rare tax break from the town. The development came as West Hartford seeks to
create more affordable housing options within its borders.
Among the fees are $400 for amenities that covers the term
of a lease; $90 a month for highspeed internet; a $50 monthly pet fee and $175
month for an assigned space in one of two parking garages. Utilities are not
included in the monthly rent.
Amenities, which have emerged in recent years as crucial to
competing for tenants in new apartment projects, include an outdoor pool,
rooftop lounge and game room, plus both indoor and outdoor fitness space. A
former chapel is becoming a community recreation space for sports like
pickleball or basketball, and in the future could be used for a brewery or live
performance venue.
Chris P. Reilly, president of Lexington, said he is
optimistic about demand coming into the spring. He expects to lease 30-45 units
a month between April and October, capitalizing on close access to I-84 for
tenants who work downtown, There also is budding interest from employees at
the UConn Health in
Farmington and Hartford
HealthCare, the parent of Hartford Hospital, in downtown Hartford.
Reilly also points to recent statistics from the U.S. Census
that are in One Park’s favor. Based on an
analysis by the Wall Street Journal, five-year Census estimates show the
number of renter households earning $150,000 or more a year rose by 87% between
2016 and 2021 to more than 3 million across the country.
The apartments also are coming onto the market at a time
when generally rising interest rates are making purchasing a home less
affordable. At the same time, the selection of single-family houses in the
Hartford area remains thin and the properties that do sell often are fetching
above asking price.
“You can’t avoid the interest rates and what that’s doing to
the affordability of the single-family home,” Reilly said.
A nod to history
The conversion of the 111,000-square-foot convent and
provincial house on 22 acres was launched after the developers purchased the
property from the Sisters of St.
Joseph of Chambéry for $5.3 million An addition of 230,000
square feet is being constructed on the Prospect Street side of the property,
connecting to the existing structure. The main entrance will be relocated to
Prospect from Park Road.
The smallest wing of the existing building is still owned
and occupied by the nuns. It is not part of the redevelopment but could be in
the future, if the size of the Sisters of St. Joseph continues to shrink.
The order’s declining numbers and an increasingly precarious
financial situation led to a decision in 2012 to sell the property. But it took
eight years, two proposals from different developers, failed attempts to win
historic tax credits and securing the tax break from the town to make project
economically feasible.
At the convent’s peak, there were 200 nuns living on the
campus. Today, there are just 23 on the campus and a total of 56, most living
in houses scattered throughout the surrounding communities. The size of order
has declined from 77 in just two years, with the median age being 84, according
to Sister Sally Hodgdon, the order’s leader.
Hodgdon said the decision to sell the property was not an
easy one, considering its 140-year history with the Sisters of St. Joseph.
“Well, I’m sure people naturally would continue to want to
see the land they saw before, but it just wasn’t realistic,” Hodgdon said. “Just
as with families, you get to a certain age and we downsize. Same with our
sisters, and I’m thrilled that we can be where we are.”
Kenny said there will be nods to the convent’s long history
in the new development. The logo for One Park incorporates a sketch of the
chapel’s rose window. The converted convent will be known as Chambéry, after
the town in France where the order originated, while the new addition will be
known as Savoy, the larger surrounding French region. A cemetery on the
property where generations of the order’s nuns are interred will remain with
the sisters.
Hodgdon said the sisters are relieved that the bulk of the
heavy construction and the disruptions it caused are now over. The order hopes
the new apartments will be a success, and that the sisters will become part of
the larger, new community, Hodgdon said.
“We’re hoping that we will have a good relationship with the
new tenants,” Hodgdon said. “Not that we will know many of them, but that we
will certainly be friendly and accommodating. That’s part of our charisma.”
Delayed East End Bridgeport retail/office center could open by fall with help from state aid
Brian Lockhart
BRIDGEPORT — After caterer Nate Smith's Southern and Caribbean eatery, Uncle Joe's, opened four years ago in the Hollow neighborhood, developer Anthony Stewart became a regular customer.
So when Stewart was wooing various tenants, including a restaurant operator for his Honey Locust Square retail/office project in the East End, he approached Smith, who agreed to come aboard.
Smith has been working on the menu — "barbecue-infused, more on the tapas side, like a pulled-pork slider, stuff like that" — and is aiming to make the spot a dining destination in an area that has seen better days, economically.
He just needs the building to finally be completed. Honey Locust has experienced delays and financial issues over the past few years.
"It has been a little bit frustrating," Smith acknowledged. "Hopefully we'll get to open this fall."
That became more of a possibility Thursday when Connecticut's bond commission, an arm of Gov. Ned Lamont's budget office, awarded the city $3.5 million to complete Stewart's development.
"It's a big, big thing for me," Stewart said of the aid, which is being provided through the new Community Investment Fund that state lawmakers established in 2021. "If you listen to my voice, you see I'm in a much better mood. I don't feel as much pressure as I did."
That pot of money — $875 million total, spread out through 2030 — was set up to funnel financial support to projects/initiatives that will benefit underserved and marginalized communities; people who live in rural areas; and people otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.
"This (Honey Locust Square) fits almost perfectly what we envisioned this fund to be — critical investment in areas that have needed it for decades," said state Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport.
Felipe has a seat on the nearly dozen-member board of legislators and other state officials that oversees the CIF and had initially rejected Bridgeport's application for Honey Locust last fall. The city successfully reapplied over the winter and the project was part of the latest recommended round of CIF recipients announced in mid-March.
The bond commission, which votes on state borrowing for various projects around Connecticut, then played its role in the CIF process Thursday.
Stewart is an East End native whom Mayor Joe Ganim's administration selected in late 2018 to revitalize the dilapidated commercial block on Stratford Avenue between Newfield and Central avenues. But, following delays attributed to the global COVID-19 pandemic that struck in early 2020, as of last summer he had run out of money, a situation Stewart also blamed on the health crisis' impact on the supply chain and prices.
Stewart said the $3.5 million from the state, combined with a nearly $1 million bailout he received from the Ganim administration and City Council in early January, could have Honey Locust on track to open in "Octoberish."
"The big issue is the lead time on things," Stewart said, arguing some of the key equipment he needs has been ordered, but it will be several months before it arrives for installation.
Smith's new restaurant — he said he sold Uncle Joe's during the pandemic — has been intended as one of the major anchor tenants, feeding not only locals but out-of-towners. He said he turned down other business opportunities because he is committed to the project's success.
Smith said his establishment will have a section for casual and one for finer dining, plus an events space.
"We're trying to get a rooftop lounge," he added.
Another key tenant is Gala Foods, which already has two other grocery store locations in Bridgeport. East End community leaders have long complained about the lack of a nearby supermarket. And when Lamont's office Thursday announced the bond commission's approval of the $3.5 million, the release specifically referred to the neighborhood as a "food desert."
Alex Pena's family runs Gala Foods. He said that despite the delays — the Penas were announced as a tenant in 2018 — they too are still looking forward to opening up in Honey Locust, "Hopefully before Thanksgiving."
"We're anxious of going in and making it work. It's just a waiting game now, I guess," Pena said. "It's been a long project."
Pena said the operation, which is in addition to Gala's other Bridgeport addresses, will be "an all-shop destination" and "full, blown-out store with everything in it."
Stewart said some of the equipment needed for the supermarket is taking the longest to order and arrive. For example, he said, a special rooftop unit that recycles cold air from the coolers "is almost five months out."
"I wanted to try to pay for that back in September, October or November but I didn't have the money," he said. "So the grocery store can't open without it. That's the one critical piece."
Stewart said his tenant roster is rounded out with Optimus Health Care, a Medical Arts pharmacy, a salon and a woman's clothing store. He was working on getting a bakery shop "but because it took me so long to open, she opened up another place."
"I have another I'm in talks to get," Stewart said.
And he is still trying to lure a bank. As previously reported, Ganim and other city elected officials have been urging M&T Bank, the new owner of Bridgeport-headquartered People's United, to open an East End branch at Honey Locust.
M&T Chief Executive Officer Rene Jones last month wrote Ganim, "I want to assure you that the importance of the East End is a priority that we share" and the company has been holding "listening sessions" with the community "to make sure that we're showing up in the most impactful way possible."
An M&T spokesperson declined to comment when asked for an update.
Getting Honey Locust completed and opened has even political rivals like Ganim and state Sen. Marilyn Moore, who is again challenging her fellow Democrat's re-election after losing their close 2019 mayoral primary, working on the same side.
Ganim and his aides stepped in when the initial CIF grant application was denied last fall and Stewart's lenders stopped the cash flow to offer Stewart $588,000 in city dollars and $400,000 of Bridgeport's $110 million share of federal pandemic relief.
“The East End is one of the many communities we’ve been working to revitalize," Ganim said in a statement last month after the CIF board approved the $3.5 million. "The residents of that neighborhood deserve to have a local grocery store nearby, along with other essential services."
Moore with Felipe also sits on the CIF board. She said she prioritized getting the $3.5 million approved because Stewart "was doing everything he could to get that project done and he just needed a little lift."
"All of us were rooting for that," Moore said. "That community deserves to have that project finished"
"To a certain extent we are taking a chance," Smith acknowledged of opening his new restaurant in the East End. "The goal is to make Honey Locust Square a destination within the city. And we can only do that by taking chances. It's not just gonna happen."
Monroe 196-unit apartment plan draws safety concerns and backlash
Andy Tsubasa Field
MONROE — Planning and zoning officials are questioning
a proposal
to build a combined 196 units, echoing some safety and traffic concerns
residents have raised for the possible complex near the Trumbull line.
The proposal — known as the Pond View Development — would
build seven apartment buildings, each with 28 units, at 127 Main St. There will
also be parking a maintenance building, a clubhouse with a pool, cabanas and
space for outdoor activities.
During the recent meeting, Kevin Solli of Solli Engineering,
a firm representing the applicant Pond View LLC, reiterated how the project
would include solar panels at the clubhouse and low-flush toilets, using less
water than traditional ones. Faucets and showerheads would pour a “limited”
number of gallons per minute, Solli said. The project would also feature bike
racks and electric vehicle charging stations, he said.
Developers are “really trying to reduce that overall impact
and really kind of focus on the sustainability aspect of what we’ve trying to
bring to the community,” Solli said.
The applicant has also tweaked the plan to include a ridge,
or berm, on the east side of the property, with a six-foot fence. They also
plan to grow plants north of the proposed development.
“We feel what we proposed is a robust buffer to be cognizant
of what our surrounding environment is,” Solli said.
Still, a few residents living nearby who already oppose the
plan pushed back against the proposed change.
Monroe Economic Development Commissioner Rick Smith, who
lives in the area, suggested children would climb on the ridge.
"You don't think the kids are going to try to climb on
that?" Smith said. "Come on now."
Residents living in the area have criticized the proposal’s
traffic study, which estimates the project would generate 73 new trips during
peak morning hours and 77 trips during peak afternoon hours. At a
hearing last month, they said it doesn’t adequately account for the number
of residents who would live there and some have called traffic in the area
dangerous.
As part of the project, engineers are proposing to widen the
road at a Route 25 intersection near Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.
“That just adds some additional capacity to ensure that it
can operate effectively and efficiently,” Solli said.
Last month, some residents expressed concern the proposed
apartment project would contribute to overcrowding in schools, especially
coming not long after planning officials
approved another project near Trumbull.
Engineers estimate the Pond View Development would house
about 18 school-aged kids, who Sollis told commissioners “wouldn’t all
necessarily be new students to the school system.”
Proponents estimate the money the apartment project would
bring to the town will offset any additional expenses the schools might have
for the students who live there.
During the most recent meeting, Lupo and Alicia Garfield, a
resident living nearby, said the estimates of schoolchildren were too low for a
196-unit apartment project.
“I’d love for the community to grow, responsibly, but I just
think that there’s too many apartments here,” Garfield said.
Some planning and zoning commissioners were wary about
residents having to drive their children to a nearby bus stop on Route
25.
“It doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you have 17 kids, they
could be all in elementary school, waiting to get on the bus, getting out of
the car, you’re going to back up 25,” Lupo said.
Although the proposal includes a bus
stop near its clubhouse to accommodate public transportation, the stop
wouldn’t be included in any school bus routes. Engineers have agreed to work
with the local school board to identify a stop within the proposed complex or
at a nearby area.
Connecticut will join six other northeastern states in
competing for over $1 billion in federal funding to create a regional “hub” for
clean hydrogen fuel, Gov. Ned Lamont announced last week.
The announcement came at the deadline to submit official
bids to the Department of Energy for a piece of the $8
billion made available to develop hydrogen projects under the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which President Joe Biden signed in 2021. The
northeast is one of several state coalitions, or hubs, that are vying to
coalesce support and funding for hydrogen projects, according to the Associated
Press.
The other states participating in the Northeast Regional
Clean Hydrogen Hub are New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine
and Vermont.
Together, the states are seeking $1.25 billion in federal
funding for more than a dozen projects. Combined with other funding, the
total cost of the proposal is $3.62 billion.
“The public-private partners in our hydrogen ecosystem are
worldwide leaders in business innovation, and climate leadership,” Lamont said
in a statement Friday. “I thank them for the collective effort getting us to
this point, and I look forward to a favorable decision from the Department of
Energy and the good-paying, local jobs and many other community benefits that
will result."
Hydrogen, a chemical element, can be used to produce energy
through specialized fuel cells, producing only water as a byproduct. Hydrogen
fuel has been adopted to power cars, heat homes and supply electricity, according
to the Energy Department.
Despite being the most abundant element in the universe,
however, pure hydrogen is hard to come by on Earth. The most common method of
producing hydrogen requires heating water into steam using natural gas, which
releases carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
For that reason, many environmental advocates have expressed
skepticism about turning toward hydrogen as a way of combating climate change
and lowering traditional emissions.
“Hydrogen has a very discreet use to help with
decarbonization that could easily be taken way further than it should,” said
Samantha Dynowski, the director of the Connecticut Chapter of the Sierra Club.
Straying beyond a limited use on hard-to-electrify sectors
such as heavy industry, aviation and maritime transportation, Dynowski added,
“would be both costly economically and costly to our greenhouse gas reductions
targets.”
The Northeast Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub will focus its
efforts on other, cleaner methods of producing hydrogen fuel, such as water
electrolysis that can be powered by solar and wind turbines, according
to Will Healey, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection.
Last year, state lawmakers voted to establish a task force
to study hydrogen power, and DEEP
has also expressed an openness to hydrogen playing a role in the
state’s plan to decarbonize its power grid by 2040. One of the world’s largest
manufacturers of hydrogen fuel cells, FuelCell Energy Inc., is
headquartered in Danbury.
Healey said that the states involved in the hub application
are not disclosing the identity of specific projects included within the
proposal at this time, due to the ongoing competitive bid process.
The DOE is expected to announce the winning bids for its
regional hydrogen hub program this fall, according to a release from New York
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
Unit 2 at Millstone goes offline for routine refueling and maintenance
Kevin Arnold
Waterford ― Unit 2 at Millstone Power Station is currently
undergoing its 28th refueling outage, a planned outage that occurs about every
18 months.
Unit 3 continues to operate at 100% power.
Scott Miller, manager of nuclear fleet communications with
Dominion Energy, the company which owns the power station, said the outage will
allow approximately one-third of the uranium fuel in the reactor core to be
removed, placed into storage and replaced by new fuel. Planned maintenance
operations, which cannot happen while the unit is fully operational, will also
be conducted during this time.
Miller said operators removed the main generators from Unit
2 from the power grid on April 6 at 9 pm.
Miller said Dominion does not provide information about the
outage’s duration as that is considered proprietary, which is a practice
enforced by the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission.
First Selectman Rob Brule posted
on Facebook when the generators went offline and said Dominion will
follow up with him when it starts the reactor up and synchronizes the main
generators back onto the electrical grid. He said Dean Rowe, the manager of
nuclear emergency preparedness and station licensing at Millstone, was
providing him with updates on the situation.
Miller said residents won’t see a drop off in service during
this period, with the only by-product of the shutdown being a non-radioactive
steam that is released as the unit cools.
Miller said during the outage, staff and contracted workers
will perform maintenance work and equipment evaluations that can only be
performed while the unit is offline.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Sr. Public Affairs Officer
Diane Screnci said the commission will use the time to conduct inspections of
the power plant, with a focus on the maintenance work conducted while the unit
is offline, to make sure proper procedures and precautions are followed.
Screnci said inspectors are assigned to the plant year long
and specifically during the planned outage. She said specialists, such as
security and radiation specialists, make sure adequate measures to protect
workers and the public are being taken.
Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Receive $12M Grant for HVAC Systems
Emilia Otte
LYME/OLD LYME — The school district has received about $12
million in grants for HVAC upgrades for three schools — funds that can
potentially be used to reimburse part of the cost of the $57.5 million school
building project that voters approved in
November.
Region 18 was one of 19 districts recently awarded funding
through the first round of a state
grant program for schools upgrading their heating, ventilation and
air-conditioning systems. The program, funded through a combination of state
bond money and federal coronavirus relief funding, sets aside $150 million for
HVAC projects across the state. On Wednesday, the state announced the first
round of the project, which grants a total of $56 million to a variety of
districts.
Region 18’s grant includes $6.24 million for HVAC
improvements at the middle school, $3 million for Lyme Consolidated School and
$2.7 million for Center School.
Superintendent of Schools Ian Neviaser said the funds will
significantly decrease the cost of the building projectfor the towns, lowering
a project expected to cost $47 million after state reimbursement to $35
million.
“I’m so excited. That’s just such great news,” he
said.
According to the grant guidelines, municipalities are
required to pay an amount that matches the grant they received. Neviaser said
the district still has to calculate how much it needs to bond
to receive the full reimbursement.
Neviaser said the district did not apply for a grant for
Mile Creek Elementary School because it had already applied for
reimbursement from the state through a “renovate as new” designation. The
district expects to receive about $9.8 million in reimbursements for the
school, according to Neviaser.
With the exception of Waterbury, Region 18 received the
largest grant award of the 19 districts. The overall cost of Region 18’s
project is also one of the highest.
The school building project includes code upgrades, boiler
replacements and HVAC upgrades at Center School, Lyme Consolidated School,
Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School and Mile Creek Elementary. It will also add
classrooms at Mile Creek..
Neviaser said he believed the grant funds have to be
expended by 2024. He added that the architects are aware of the date, but
that it was always the district’s plan to get the project done within that time
frame. But he said it’s possible the date may also be adjusted.
“Obviously our goal is to try to get it done in that time
period to get the full investment,” he said.
Aldermen OK $8.2 million for work at Hamilton Park
LIVI STANFORD
WATERBURY – The Board of Aldermen unanimously approved an
$8.2 million contract Monday to construct a new pool, a 3,200-square-foot pool
house, and a promenade adjacent to Seven Angels Theatre at Hamilton Park.
Hamilton Park’s pool, bathhouse, “Bubble” building, and
athletic center are scheduled to be demolished, signifying the beginning of
Phase 1 of a massive renovation project at the 92-acre park that has been three
years in the making.
On March 20, the Board of Aldermen unanimously approved
allocating $700,000 from American Rescue Plan funds toward Phase 1
improvements.
Board of Aldermen President Paul Pernerewski said the
project was part of a push to upgrade the parks in the city.
“In the not-too-distant future that park is going to be in
great shape,” Pernerewski said.
Thomas Hyde, interim president of the Waterbury Development
Corporation, said Mayor Neil O’Leary’s administration has “made improving
public parks a huge priority” in the city.
Aldermen Minority Leader George Noujaim said he was pleased
with the project.
“I am very happy to start seeing money go toward Hamilton
Park,” he said. “It is one of our largest parks in Waterbury. It is highly
utilized by the public and multiple organizations.”
The board approved the contract between the city and
Montagno Construction Inc., which the project will be funded from American
Rescue Plan funds.
In a memo to the Board of Aldermen, Hyde said there were
five responses to the RFP for the project including Montagno Construction.
Other firms that responded to the RFP included Viking Construction Inc,
Milestone Construction Services, LLC Giordano Construction Co., Inc., and JA
Rosa LLC.
“All five proposers were interviewed, and the committee
thoroughly evaluated each response,” Hyde said in the memo.
Construction on the pool, pool house, and promenade is
expected to be completed by April 30, 2024.
These projects are all part of Phase 1 of Hamilton Park.
Mayor O’Leary has described the project as a “quality of
life issue” that is long overdue.
O’Leary said work on the master plan for Hamilton Park began
three years ago, with neighborhood community meetings and the hiring of the
Chesire-based design firm SLR Consulting, which helped with the design of the
park.
The firm included 25 recommendations, of which SLR landscape
architect Suzanne Schore has cited the conversion of Hamilton Park Road into a
pedestrian walkway and multiuse trail with amenity space and lighting as one of
the most significant. All 25 recommendations are part of the master plan.
City officials say the goal is to do every single item on
the master plan contingent on funding and grants.
“There are thousands of grants at the state and federal
level,” said Hyde. “That doesn’t mean that all of them are going to fit this
project. It is something we continuously look at.”