THE SUZIO STORY 125 YEARS OF FAMILY ENTERPRISE PHILANTHROPY AND SERVICE
The Meriden Historical Society is hosting an exhibit entitled "The Suzio Story - 125 Years of Enterprise, Family, Philanthropy, and Service" at its Museum and History Center, at 41 West Main Street in Meriden every Sunday in October from 11:00 to 3:00
Featuring memorabilia and photographs from Suzio headquarters on Westfield Road as well as videos of interviews with past and present employees
Capturing the remarkable story of a 21 year old Italian immigrant, Leonardo Suzio, who grew Suzio York Hill into one of the most successful and enduring family-owned businesses in Connecticut history starting in 1898
Including the role of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation Suzio members and Henry Altobello in the evolution and growth of the business from building (1910's) to road construction (1930's) to building materials (1955 - today)
Highlighting Suzio loyalty to its origin city Meriden, its employees, its vendors, and its community.
Friday October 6th Bond Commission Agenda CLICK HERE
State Bond Commission to consider $41 million for New Haven projects, including Union Station
Mark Zaretsky
NEW HAVEN — More than $41 million for physical improvements in transportation, housing, parks and facilities appear headed the city's way in the latest pool of bond projects coming through the State Bond Commission.
The proposed grant awards are included on the agenda for Friday's State Bond Commission meeting in Hartford. Projects more often than not get approved once they make it to the commission's agenda.
Among them are:
$15 million for renovation of Union Station.
$7 million to support components of projects for the Whalley Avenue corridor, "transforming Whalley Ave from a car-oriented avenue into a walkable, bikeable and livable mixed-use community. A portion of the funds would be passed through to the Glendower Group and St. Luke’s Development Corp. to complete the St. Luke’s affordable housing development project.
$4.9 million for improvements to the Shubert Theatre on College Street, including upgrades to the theatrical systems, HVAC and elevator. Among other things, the project will support the creation of new performance space within the existing facility to provide a stage for local artists and community activity.
$4.6 million for downtown traffic improvements along Temple and College streets.
$3.1 million for improvements to Celentano Field on the campus of Albertus Magnus College on Prospect Street, including turf, ADA compliant bleachers and sidewalks, bike racks and public restrooms, as well as an expansion at the city-owned Ralph Walker Skating Rink, which also is used by Albertus.
$3 million to demolish the former Gateway Community College building on Sargent Drive, as well as to fund other "pre-development activities."
$2.3 million to expand and improve the Shoreline Greenway Trail in New Haven, and,
$250,000 for advance community-based planning leading to the redevelopment of the New Haven Armory on Goffe Street.
"These investments are remarkable, and I think it's really important to thank our state delegation and the governor for investing in the future or our city," said Mayor Justin Elicker. "We're very fortunate to have these investments."
The latest list of state investment are "on top of additional investments that we have had over the years to improve the infrastructure," Elicker said.
"I think everything on there is there for a reason and has a particular significance," said state Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven.
Funding for the Shubert "is critically important at this time when all nonprofit performing arts organization really have taken a hit" in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Looney said.
Elicker said the latest proposed Union Station grant would help fund platform repair and improvements, but it's in addition to a previous $17 million bond authorization that would fund internal station improvements that are part of a much broader effort to redevelop the railroad station.
They follow the inking of a 35-year deal between the city, state Department of Transportation and New Haven Parking Authority to operate and improve Union Station, first laid out in September of 2020 after years of squabbling between the city and the state over who would control the station’s future, and what it might be.
It will eventually result in the construction of a new 600-space garage with a “front-facing” component and renovate the station’s first floor, second floor and basement to create a new retail environment, officials have said.
It will enlist the New Haven Parking Authority, which has run the station since it reopened to the public after being renovated in the 1980s, to continue to run the station and garage and ensure that “the money that’s made at Union Station, stays at Union Station,” Piscitelli said.
Union Station was completed and opened in 1920. It was designed by renowned architect Cass Gilbert, whose other works included the Woolworth Building in New York City — the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930 — and the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. It was closed and in disrepair for many years before being renovated and reopening in the 1980s.
On the Gateway demolition, which is a key part of the city's future plans to redevelop the Long Wharf area, the city had worked closely with the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system to convey the state property that includes the old Gateway building to the city, Elicker said.
"Now we need to work both on demolishing the building and on the future of what this site will look like," Elicker said. The city has engaged in conversations with the Regional Water Authority, the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities and the APT Foundation as part of that, he said.
Possibilities include moving the Gateway Automotive Technology Center and a new headquarters and methadone clinic for the APT Foundation to the site, Elicker said.
With regard to the Whalley Avenue corridor project, "the majority of funding will go toward affordable housing, the St. Lukes project," Elicker said. "This funding will allow us to activate that project."
About $1 million of the total $7 million for the Whalley Avenue corridor work would go toward traffic improvements," Elicker said.
"This project is very important to the city" and "will make it safer for all," he said.
Looney called Whalley Avenue St. Luke's project "a significant affordable housing initiative in the city."
Fairfield residents pressure UI to refile transmission line project at town hall meeting
Jarrod Wardwell
FAIRFIELD — Town residents turned up the pressure on United Illuminating to withdraw and refile its application for a proposed project that could hang transmission lines as high as 145 feet high over homes and businesses.
The electric utility company, which services the Bridgeport and New Haven areas, applied in March to rebuild its transmission lines with monopoles that would stand between 95 and 145 feet tall along the railroad tracks between Fairfield and Bridgeport and spill into nearly 20 miles of private property through easements.
The company asserts the structures would help ensure electrical reliability. But local residents, businesses and town officials have intervened in the company's state application process, voicing concern over permanent changes to the physical landscape coupled with safety, economic and environmental risks.
"Where does a multi-billion dollar gorilla step?" Rev. Paul Whitmore, the senior minister at Southport Congregational Church, asked in rhetorical fashion before a panel of UI officials at a town hall about the transmission line rebuild Wednesday. "And the answer is right on top of your home, on top of your business, on top of your church."
The Southport church is one example of a railroad-adjacent property that could lose some of its land to an easement, a right permitting UI to use the space for the monopole construction, according to a map for the project.
"This plan is so flawed, and I just think we need to push the reset button here in a collaborative way and work with the community and UI to come up with a plan that doesn't do this kind of damage to the community," First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said at the town hall.
Public hearings before the Connecticut Siting Council, which considers UI's application and allows intervening parties to testify and cross-examine "witnesses" representing UI, will end next month before a final decision in March.
For a total reset, UI would need to withdraw and refile its application, restarting the timeline for affected property owners to research the project and prepare for the legal battle many hope will drive the transmission lines underground. Neighbors have pushed for the company to bury the lines. Company officials said they are exploring the undergound transmission option with the Siting Council.
Jim Cole — the vice president of projects for Avangrid, UI's parent company — said he is unaware of the utility company withdrawing and refiling applications in the past, and such a move would need review from "the highest levels" with approval coming from the company's boards.
"We have what we feel is our most cost-effective, compliant project that we're able to design and potentially construct," UI unit manager Shawn Crosbie said.
Company officials stressed they would not be seizing property via eminent domain and highlighted benefits like reduced electromagnetic field radiation and collaboration with the State Historic Preservation Office.
Cole said UI would be willing to continue holding public information meetings "as long as we think is reasonable."
Milford regulation change could clear way for 750 apartments at mall
Nick Sambides
MILFORD — The city's top taxpayer could be transformed into a major residential center under a change to Milford's zoning codes approved this week.
The Planning and Zoning Board cleared the way on Tuesday for Centennial Real Estate to apply for a permit to transform the Connecticut Post Mall into a 21st Century mix of retail and housing.
With Vice Chairman Robert Satti abstaining, the board voted 7-0 to approve city zoning codes altered to allow the mall owner to replace the former Sears store and substantially alter the mall with greenspace and with as many as 750 dwellings, including up to 75 affordable-housing units, over the next decade. The approval allows the company to build mixed residential-retail or commercial buildings and means that Centennial will drop a lawsuit appealing a 2021 rejection of an earlier zoning-change proposal, said attorney John Knuff, who represents Centennial.
Centennial plans to apply "as soon as possible" to the board for approval of a finished mall redesign, said Michael Platt, senior vice president of development with Austin, Texas-based Centennial. The 750 dwellings — 250 each across three phases of construction — are merely an upper limit and not necessarily the number the plan will feature, he said.
No price tag has been stated for Centennial's latest effort to rebuild the mall, but $70 million was the figure the company named in 2021.
Much of Milford's economic prosperity is tied to the mall. A recent economic development study, the city's Plan of Conservation and Development and affordable-housing advocates have called for the mall to become a mix of housing and retail.
Centennial is an eager partner with Milford in changing the mall, Knuff told the board during Centennial's presentation.
"This is a concrete example of our desire to work with the city," Knuff said. "We want to do our part to make this the most visible sight in the city. When was the last time people got excited to go to the mall? It’s a fortress that was built in the 1970s. None of us are doing that anymore. Our families are different. The world is changing dramatically."
Board member John Mortimer pushed Centennial to expand the mall's affordable-housing allowance beyond the company's proposed 10 percent allotment, and Knuff pushed back.
"There is a lot to like here. I think that this is an opportunity to get more than 10 percent," Mortimer said. "If we can increase the affordable housing, this would be much more attractive."
"We can do 10 percent but we literally cannot do more," Knuff said before listing several architectural issues that would make an increase unfeasible. "I know your (request) comes from a good place, but there are constraints."
"I am just speaking out here," Mortimer responded.
Board member Etan Hirsch spoke up in favor of Centennial.
"They have shown a willingness to work with us and they listen to us. That mutual trust is very important. I think you have done a great job," Hirsch said.
Mortimer clarified that he was not opposed to the proposal.
"I have been in favor of this project since day one," Mortimer said.
The regulation changes Centennial proposed for the mall, which is so unique to Milford that it is in its own zone, the "Shopping Center Design District," establish "the development of multi-family dwelling units in three phases of no more than 250 units per phase." They outline a number of uses allowed in the zone, everything from manufacturing to daycare, and limit the size of the retail-housing buildings.
The former regulations permitted housing but only as large townhouse-style buildings that are waning in popularity, Knuff said.
The changes provide design objectives that Centennial hopes to achieve with its next proposal, Platt said.
According to the new regulation, the overall development should feature high quality design that creates a pedestrian, resident, and customer-friendly atmosphere throughout the SCDD.
"Buildings shall have a significant level of transparency along the ground floor fronting on any sidewalk or street," according to the regulation change. "In general, 50 percent or more of the ground floor facade should be comprised of windows, doors, or other transparent elements that are subdivided appropriately, where practical. Architecture must be designed in a manner that visually enlivens the area it faces and enhances the pedestrian flow around the building."
Affordable-housing advocates and Mayor Richard Smith urged the board to approve the language change. The advocates, who have said that Milford needs close to 2,000 apartments for people making $50,000 to eliminate its affordable-housing shortage, said that the mall would be helpful. Smith said hopes that some big business would come into the mall and revitalize it ignore that Centennial is the big business the city needs to work with to spare tax increases for homeowners.
"A knight in shining armor did gallop in, but it’s not Amazon," Smith said.
"We need political courage now to stop with tax cuts and recognize that we need to step up with our balance sheet and be responsible," Smith said. "We need to raise revenue here in Milford and we may have to go to residential tax increases. We need to partner with the Centennials of the world, to put them back online so that we can realize the tax benefits."
Affordable housing, in Milford's case, mostly means working-class individuals making $50,000 or more, not the indigent, the advocates said.
"Lots of lifelong Milford residents have had to leave because they have been priced out," said Joseph Alling of Milford, president of Milford Land Trust and a candidate for the zoning board in the November election. "We need to confront the fact that one out of every two renters is cost burdened here. To me, this is a great opportunity to create some affordable home opportunities for people who sorely need it."
Centennial hopes to break ground in the spring, if its next step, the submission of building plans for board review, meets with approval, officials said.
CT Construction Digest Thursday October 5, 2023
State to join neighbors in seeking offshore wind power contracts
Greg Smith
New London ― Two days after losing a contract for power from the state’s largest planned offshore wind farm, the state is seeking to boost its goal of capturing affordable offshore wind power by partnering with neighboring states.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday that Connecticut has signed an agreement with officials in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to collectively solicit new offshore wind project proposals in a multi-state approach designed to leverage buying power.
State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes joined Lamont for the announcement of a first-of-its kind memorandum of understanding Wednesday during a news conference at State Pier in New London, which is being used for a staging and assembly hub for the South Fork Wind project under construction off the coast of Long Island.
On Monday, Avangrid, developer of the 800-megawatt Park City Wind project, announced it was terminating a 2019 agreement with Connecticut utility companies to buy power because costs have become prohibitive. Avangrid agreed to pay $16 million in penalties to terminate the contract. Other offshore wind companies have sought to renegotiate power purchase contracts as they cope with higher costs of building the projects due to inflation, supply chain issues and high interest rates.
But Dykes and Lamont, joined by a state legislators and representatives from the offshore wind industry, said they remain optimistic about bringing renewable energy to the state despite the challenges.
Dykes said this new memorandum could help the states coordinate the selection of “multi-state” offshore wind proposals, reducing costs by developing larger projects that deliver power to more than one state at a time.
The three states are collectively seeking up to 6,000 megawatts of offshore wind power in 2024. Any two or three states could agree to select a multi-state proposal and split the power from the projects.
“It’s something we’ve talked about for a long time. All of our states share strong commitments to offshore wind. We know how important is to meeting our clean energy targets. We also increasingly know how important it’s going to be, and is, for maintaining the reliability of our grid,” Dykes said.
In a joint statement with the governors of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Lamont said with the agreement there is potential for the state to “procure clean energy from offshore wind together at more competitive and affordable rates.”
“The climate crisis requires us to act in new an innovative ways,“ Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said. ”By working together, we can amplify the many benefits of offshore wind for all three states, including regional economic development opportunities, healthier communities, lower energy bills, and advantages to environmental justice populations and low-income ratepayers.“
The multi-state agreement is between the DEEP, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources. DEEP is currently developing a final request for proposals for the next bid offering for offshore wind and is expected to release that in the coming weeks, Dykes said.
Lamont also announced Wednesday the publication of the state’s first strategic road map for economic development in the the offshore wind industry, to be supported by a new nonprofit group known as the Connecticut Wind Collaborative.
Connecticut has an existing contract for 304 megawatts of power from Revolution Wind, a project being developed by Danish wind company Ørsted and Eversource and also staged in New London. Ørsted has signaled that some of its planned projects could be delayed or scrapped altogether without help from the federal government.
On Wednesday, Ørsted’s head of government affairs and market strategy for the northeast, David Ortiz, said Ørsted plans to start offshore construction on its ongoing projects in the new year but could not offer a guarantee on the development of Revolution Wind.
“We continue to believe the future of this industry in the U.S. is bright and in the short term have to pull together to address these challenges,” Ortiz said.
Hartford's $12.5M plan to redevelop vacant lot on Albany Avenue may break ground after over a decade
HARTFORD — For more than a decade, a lot at the corner of Albany Avenue and Woodland Street has sat vacant and fenced in, waiting for some redevelopment to take place.
That time may have finally come, as the gateway to Hartford from the north has an approved and funded plan in place.
That plan includes a 31,700-square-foot, multistory building that would provide more than 16,000 square feet of space to house most of the city's health department offices, a Liberty Bank with a drive-thru and ATM, space for more commercial operations, and a restaurant with rooftop dining. It would also include 100 public parking spaces.
The cost of the project is expected to be $12.5 million, which would be covered by a $5.5 million loan and a $7 million grant from the Connecticut Regional Development Authority.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said that transforming the corner has been a community aspiration for decades and one of his biggest priorities before he leaves office in November.
"It’s a critical piece of the bigger puzzle on Albany Avenue, where we’ve committed significant investments and have a number of other projects underway," Bronin said.
According to the agreement, the city would pay $270,000 a year in rent to offset debt service on the CRDA loan.
Erin Howard, Hartford's director of economic development, said the city has been speaking with Stamford-based La Perle about occupying the restaurant space.
Daniel Matos, executive vice president and general counsel for Liberty Bank, said that the bank has worked with the city and other stakeholders to make homeownership possibilities available to Hartford residents.
"As a result, Liberty Bank has now become one of the largest providers of home mortgages in the city," Matos said. "It is only natural for us to want to expand our footprint in Hartford to continue our investments and this branch is a great opportunity to do just that."
Howard said that the city acquired several properties between 2006 and 2010 that make up the current plot of land. Howard said that the city had a potential developer in 2019-20 but that it fell through.
In 2022, the city nominated the National Development Council to oversee the project. The NDL formed a nonprofit called Community Development Properties Woodland Inc. to see the project through.
Crosskey Architects has been chosen for design work. BGT Environmental has been chosen for environmental cleanup of the site. PAC Group LLC has been chosen as construction manager, according to the agreement. The site plan has not been approved yet.
Construction is expected to begin in January 2024 and be completed early in 2025.
Hartford City Council President Maly Rosado called the Upper Albany neighborhood a beautiful area that deserves "top-class resources."
"With this development, Albany Avenue will turn a vacant lot into somewhere the community can eat, drink, gather, and shop," Rosado said. "The city council is proud to have supported this development and we look forward to seeing shovels in the ground soon."
Key Bridgeport East End development delayed again
BRIDGEPORT — In the spring state lawmakers came to then-cash-strapped developer Anthony Stewart's rescue, providing $3.5 million to help fund the completion of his Honey Locust Square project that is intended to help revitalize the East End with a supermarket, restaurant and more.
Six months later and Stewart is still waiting on the release of those funds. As a result, he said Wednesday, work at the site only just resumed after a two-and-a-half month stop, pushing his already delayed estimated completion date from this fall to January.
"It messes up my timeline," the developer, owner of the Ashlar firm, acknowledged. "I am trying, but money makes a big difference. It makes a big difference."
He said a recent loan from a Wallingford-based organization allowed him to re-start construction.
Further complicating his situation, one of his suppliers, L&W of North Haven, according to state superior court records, in late September filed a lawsuit against Stewart's business seeking $17,574 still owed for $30,756 worth of materials purchased between November, 2022 and last January.
"They did nothing wrong," Stewart said, confirming the overdue bill is related to Honey Locust Square. "They waited as long as they could. ... I'm going to pay them. They're good people. They don't deserve anything other than being paid."
He said he intends to clear up that debt by next week.
The state's $3.5 million was actually awarded the city for Honey Locust Square in April from the Community Investment Fund that Connecticut lawmakers established in 2021. That pot of money — $875 million total, spread out through 2030 — was set up to funnel financial support to projects/initiatives like Stewart's that will benefit underserved and marginalized communities and people adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.
Honey Locust Square will include a supermarket, something East End community leaders have for years demanded, plus a restaurant and other services and amenities. Most recently M&T Bank in late August announced it would be a tenant there too.
Jim Watson is spokesman for the state's Department of Economic and Community Development, which administers the CIF dollars.
“DECD and the city have been actively working on the grant assistance agreement terms and details over the last several weeks," Watson said in a statement late Wednesday. "It is a complicated project, but we are confident that we’ll be finalizing the agreement shortly."
The CIF board of state officials includes two lawmakers from Bridgeport, Sen. Marilyn Moore and Rep. Antonio Felipe. In separate interviews earlier Wednesday both blamed the delay in getting Stewart the $3.5 million on the internal process at the DECD.
"Within 30 days, without having any problems, he should have his money," Moore said of Stewart, adding, "The problem is at the state level. ... It's really internal lack of staff up there and getting the work done. It was nothing to do with the city. It was nothing to do with Anthony Stewart."
Felipe said with the new CIF-related responsibilities, state economic development employees have been "juggling so many balls at the same time."
"Unfortunately I feel like this (Honey Locust Square) is a project that needed to be prioritized," he said.
Stewart is an East End native whose Ashlar company was selected in late 2018 by Mayor Joe Ganim's administration to revitalize the dilapidated commercial block on Stratford Avenue between Newfield and Central avenues into Honey Locust Square. But, following delays and cost hikes he attributed to the global COVID-19 pandemic that struck in early 2020, as of summer 2022 Stewart had run out of money.
Stewart had previously also experienced financial troubles building the new Newfield branch library next door that opened in 2022. He went over his initial $6.2 million budget by $1.9 million, something Stewart similarly blamed on the pandemic. The city's library board reluctantly paid him $1.4 million more. Then early last year the board and city agreed to pay about a third of the $500,000 balance.
Ganim's administration tried and failed to obtain CIF dollars for Honey Locust Square last fall. It was then successful last spring. And in January the city also gave Stewart a nearly $1 million bailout — $588,000 that required a vote of the City Council plus $400,000 out of the $110 million Bridgeport received in federal American Rescue Plan COVID relief.
Stewart on Wednesday said he needs the $3.5 million from the DECD to complete the interior of the supermarket and installation of the necessary underground utilities to the development. He said a new loan from the Capital For Change organization in Wallingford helped him resume construction after he had to shut down for much of the summer.
A spokesperson with Capital For Change did not return a request for comment Wednesday.
Moore said while it has taken "longer than I would hope" to get the developer his CIF aid, "I'd rather have a long process doing it right than later find out we've given money to a project that should not have gotten it."
"I'm pretty excited," Stewart said. "If I can just get this money, this is going to be a great plaza."
Old Greenwich School upgrades get unanimous planning OK; now back to finance board for $42M
GREENWICH — The Planning & Zoning Commission gave unanimous approval to expand and renovate the Old Greenwich School, though issues about funding the multi-million dollar project remain.
The commission authorized a municipal improvement for the planned construction work at the 121-year-old school and gave site-plan approval.
Now the project needs to be funded by the Board of Estimate and Taxation, where Republican members of the finance board have previously turned down appropriations in split votes.
James Waters, chairman of the Old Greenwich School Building Committee, said the planning approvals were an important step forward.
"The Old Greenwich School Building Committee would like to thank P&Z for their unanimous support and thoughtful feedback last night. We were also overwhelmed at the support expressed by the community," he said after the Tuesday vote. "Receiving municipal improvement status is a huge milestone and enables us, once again, to seek construction funding from the BET.
"Hopefully, the third time will be a charm as we have now answered all process-oriented objections, including new ones implemented in the past four weeks. If the BET and Representative Town Meeting approve, our state delegation will seek special legislation in the near term so that we can commence construction in summer 2024," he said.
Waters opened his remarks to the commission Tuesday night by stating, "People want this project done, and they want it done now."
The current building is not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible and has a number of maintenance problems. The renovation would add a four-kindergarten-classroom addition, a new elevator, entry plaza and upgraded security, among other construction projects, at an estimated cost of roughly $42 million.
A number of community residents spoke in favor of the renovation plan at a teleconferenced hearing.
Michelle Waugh, a local resident and OG School parent, said, "It is a must have." She emphasized the addition of a sprinkler system to the building as part of the upgrades was an important safety improvement.
The commission reviewed drainage, flooding and design issues before giving approvals, asking the building committee to fine-tune design issues with the Architectural Review Committee. The commission also asked the building committee to prioritize flood mitigation and address flooding complaints from property-owners in the area.
Stamford sells two city-owned land parcels in South End near I-95, Metro-North overpasses
STAMFORD — The Board of Representatives on Monday night approved the sale of two small city-owned properties, just south of Atlantic Street’s Interstate 95 and Metro North overpasses.
The narrow parcels at 560 Atlantic St. and 13 Manhattan St. will now be owned by SMTG LLC, a holding company owned by developer Frank Steinegger of Darien. The board approved the item on its consent agenda, though six representatives abstained from voting.
The sales received the recommendation of the board's Legislative & Rules Committee at a meeting on Thursday night.
“The city made it a commitment a while back when the mayor got into office to take lands — that the city wasn’t using, and paying to maintain — and selling them and putting them back on the tax (books) so we can gain revenue. And I think that this is a perfect opportunity.” Rep. Terry Adams, D-3, told the committee. Adams’ South End district includes the properties.
Steinegger's company was the only bidder for both properties. The Manhattan Street parcel, which is about 2,200 square feet, sold for $137,500 and the Atlantic Street parcel, which is roughly 3,400 square feet, went for $207,500.
Steinegger could not be reached for comment, so it is unclear what his plans are for the properties.
The developer and his family's estate own a handful of Stamford properties, city records show. In 2021, he withdrew a rezoning proposal to build a commercial village on the city's West Side, after community members rallied against it. He has since sold the 226 West Main St. parcel.
City officials originally acquired the two South End parcels for the construction of the Stamford Urban Transitway, a commuter road that connects the Stamford Transportation Center to U.S. Route 1 on the East Side. The two properties were part of the project’s first phase between Atlantic and Elm streets, completed in 2012.
Officials used eminent domain to take parts of dozens of properties in the roadway’s path. At the time, some landowners said they were satisfied with the compensation they received, while others said that the pay was insufficient.
“These are the leftover (remains) of what the road couldn’t use,” Adams said.
The city purchased the properties using money from the Federal Transit Authority. As a result, to sell them they had to have the property appraisals approved by federal officials.
According to the appraisals, neither parcel is large enough to be developed on its own without being combined with neighboring lots.
Still, at last week's committee meeting, two public speakers said they were concerned the sale was a “giveaway” to developers. Assistant corporation counsel Chris Dellaselva asserted that city officials followed the rules.
Last October, a similar transaction passed Stamford boards with little attention. The city approved the sale of two vacant lots on Elm Street, which were also acquired for the urban transitway project.
“We’re not giving away property,” Dellaselva said. “We bidded out through our purchasing department. We put out public notices in newspapers and wherever else we customarily put them, whatever it is we’re required to do.”
Properties in the block are owned by multiple landowners, city records show. Neighboring parcels at 11 Garden St. and 31-39 Manhattan St. are owned by Czescik Family Properties LLC.
Though some properties in the once-industrial South End still contain toxic dirt, the federal appraisals did not require an environmental study. Appraisers recommended that an outside environmental expert be employed to determine if there are any hazardous materials.
If the properties are safe, Rep. Sean Boeger, D-15, said the area could be suitable for residential and commercial development.
“They’re going to have to do all the remediation and they’re going to have to comply with the zoning regulations as attorney Dellaselva already said. And, actually, this is a good, appropriate area to have higher density housing and perhaps commercial property,” Boeger said.
Adams said it would serve the city well to spruce up the Manhattan Street area.
“It’s a dumping ground as it is right now,” Adams said. “People just go over there with a load of construction material and just unload their truck because there’s no eyes in that part of the city and it’s not well patrolled … it’s abandoned.”
DOT project to close Route 9 access road in Middletown's North End set to go to bid
MIDDLETOWN – A two-car collision on Route 9 south in Middletown on Sept. 28 that sent two people to the hospital in serious condition has spotlighted the risks motorists can face when trying to enter the highway from the Miller Street neighborhood.
The Miller and Bridge streets access road in the city’s North End, located some 600 feet from Exit 24 at St. Johns Square, has been designated by the state Department of Transportation as a dangerous area.
There were a total of 50 crashes at Route 9 and Miller Street from 2018 to Oct. 2, 2023, according to data supplied by the DOT on the CT Crash Data Repository. None resulted in fatalities, figures show.
The most collisions occurred in 2018 (12) and 2022 (11), the information indicates.
“That is a dangerous turn to take because you’re crossing over a freeway,” DOT's strategic communications manager, Shannon Burnham, said last week.
The DOT has completed the design phase of a longtime project to close the access road from Route 9 leading to Bridge and Miller streets, both of which are dead-end roads. It will involve converting the Bridge Street railroad crossing to allow daily through traffic, according to the DOT website.
Presently, the neighborhood is effectively isolated from the rest of the city.
The proposed work includes closing the Miller Street access to Route 9, including the median crossover, and opening the railway crossing at Bridge Street to provide access from St. Johns Street.
Widening and full-depth reconstruction will occur on the east side of Bridge Street to incorporate an additional through lane, the DOT said.
Sidewalks will be extended from Portland Street to connect to the existing ones along Bridge Street. On-street parking will be maintained in front of residences along Bridge Street, the DOT website said.
Eighty percent of the cost of construction will be paid for through federal funds, and 20 percent will come from the state, according to the DOT website.
The construction project is expected to go out to bid in early October, and work is slated to begin in 2024, Burnham said.
The collision between a Toyota Corolla and Nissan Rogue near the Miller Street access road Sept. 28 forced a front-seat passenger in the Corolla through the windshield, according to a police report.
The operator of the Rogue, which burst into flames following the crash, had non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.
Two of the victims remain hospitalized in serious condition, Police Chief Erik Costa said Wednesday morning.
“There’s really no rhyme or reason to when there are accidents,” Middletown Fire Chief Jay Woron said of the Miller Street access road. “There are more accidents when there is less traffic. In the rush hours, the traffic is so congested that nobody can go fast.”
The Sept. 28 accident took place at 5 a.m. “With less traffic, people can move faster through the area,” Woron said.
There are other issues getting to and from the Miller Street neighborhood.
Motorists can drive to the end of nearby Portland Street, where the railroad gate is open. However, operators must navigate through a narrow entrance at very low speeds, over bumpy railway tracks and under the Arrigoni Bridge.
The Miller Street access “project required a legislation modification to legally open the at-grade railroad crossing for daily use by all users,” the DOT website said.
The entrance is now unlocked so emergency vehicles can get through, the fire chief said. “It’s such a tight street. If there’s a fire, it’s hard to get our ladder trucks in there,” he acknowledged.
For information on project 0082-0322, including how to provide feedback, visit bit.ly/3ZIluoK.
Norwalk athletes to be bused to other fields when new high school, P-Tech project begins in 2024
NORWALK — The city’s school board has approved final plans for the new Norwalk High School and P-TECH combined campus, built on an existing athletic field.
The $239 million building replace the current NHS campus and include the two schools, according to the district’s construction information website. The state has promised to reimburse the city for 80 percent of the cost. School board members gave their final approvals during their Sept. 26 meeting.
Emily Morgan, media relations specialist for the district, said the new school will be ready for students in the fall of 2027.
“As of Sept. 11, construction is to begin in early 2024, currently targeted for February,” she said. “With completion and occupancy in time for the 2027-2028 school year.”
The new school will be constructed where the Testa Field Complex is currently located. A new athletic facility will be built in place of the existing school, which will be demolished, according to the project website.
“As a result, many athletic programs will be displaced during construction from 2024 through 2027,” the project website states.
To allow for students to participate in athletics without disruption, the district will bus students to spaces at Nathan Hale Middle School, West Rocks Middle School, Cranbury Elementary School, Brien McMahon High School and Oak Hills Park.
“By distributing NHS athletics to alternate facilities within the community, some recreational sports will also be displaced,” the website said. “City of Norwalk Recreation and Parks has reviewed these impacts and is confident that they can coordinate a suitable alternate location or time to accommodate these sports."
While many athletic teams’ programming will be affected by the construction, Andrews Field will remain and programming for the marching band will continue.
The district anticipates that the new P-TECH and NHS campus can accommodate over 2,000 students in a 332,628-square-foot space.
NHS will have 56 classrooms, eight less than the current school. P-TECH will have 19 classrooms, one more than the current school, though the district’s website states that there are other expansions of educational spaces in the plans.
“Please note, the new NHS campus includes an additional two computer science labs, eight small group/seminar rooms, four project areas and six breakout spaces which are not included in the general classroom count,” the website said.
The classroom quantity is designed to accommodate 85 percent of the potential student body, though NHS and P-TECH’s student population is 65 percent of capacity.
The new school will also be equipped with solar panels.
Sherman to vote on $47M plan to save the town's only school: 'Nothing is not an option'
SHERMAN — Residents will vote this Saturday on a $47 million plan to renovate the only public school in Sherman.
The project would reduce the K-8 school's size by replacing a wing that's no longer used and address various deficiencies in a 86-year-old building that is in such poor shape that local officials weighed whether to close it as enrollment declines. Problems in the school include a lack of potable water and outdated building systems.
Pending voter approval, the town would pursue a state grant to be reimbursed for $11 million of the project.
“We are hopeful that the Sherman community will approve the renovation projects to allow Sherman School students to be educated in a school that is ready for the 21st century,” Sherman School Superintendent Pat Cosentino said. “This project will right size the building and also repair all of the needed failures that are currently problematic in the building.”
Should the referendum pass, construction would begin no later than April 2024 and progress in phases, without the use of portable classrooms, toward an anticipated completion in August 2025, according to a statement from the town. Portions of the building can be worked on while students are in the rest of the building, the school board chairman said.
If the project were to fail at the referendum, “we’ll probably go back to the drawing board and see if there’s another plan, possibly put a plan out there to build a new building, which will be more expensive,"Cosentino said, "but something has to be done. So many of the these systems are past their life expectancy and we really need to do something. Nothing is not an option."
Matt Vogt, Sherman’s Board of Education chairman, said that when developing a renovation plan, the School Building Committee and the Board of Education have worked hard "and really dug in deep into the details to get a real understanding of what the needs of the building are."
He continued: "We looked at a lot of different ways to try to deal with those problems and this is absolutely the best way to fix the school and have the facility that the town needs for the next 30 years."
Considering different options
The Sherman School, located at 2 Route 37 East, opened in 1937 and has since expanded with five additions over the last 86 years. The school, which has students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, has needed repair for many years. The Board of Education's initial attempt at a renovation was in 2020, following a 2019 facility committee study, called the Friar Report, that highlighted the major issues in the school, Vogt said.
At a 90-minute school board meeting in April, school leaders considered whether to close the building and send the students to neighboring districts. Many impassioned community members spoke against closing the school.
The school has seen a steady decline in enrollment, dropping from about 440 students in 2009 to 250 students this school year. It is the only school in the town, and if it were to close, Sherman would be the only town in the state without a school, according to a state Department of Education spokesperson. Students would be sent to nearby districts.
When looking at renovation possibilities, a 10-member School Building Committee was formed last May to oversee repairs and improvements to the facility, considered seven options. The options were developed by architects based on requests made by the building committee, said Vogt, who is a member of the committee.
The plans ranged from maintaining the current size of the building at 77,000 square feet to building a new facility on an alternate site, according to a statement sent from the town on Sunday.
The recommended option is to reduce the building's size to about 65,000 square feet, and replace the K-wing, which is the original school building that was constructed in 1937. It had an antiquated heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and issues with well water. The K-wing closed in 2016 and has since been used only for storage space.
The local share of this cost, an amount not to exceed $36 million, would be borrowed, pending taxpayer approval, through town-issued bonds likely for a period of 22 years with bonds issued sequentially in fiscal years 2024 to 2026, the statement said.
Taxes would increase by about $960 annually — or $80 per month — over 22 years for the current median market home value in Sherman of $468,200, according to the statement from the town.
Vogt said the recommended plan is the cheapest and was unanimously recommended by both the school’s building committee and the Board of Education.
“The costs are associated directly with the square footage of the building," he said.
Replacing the K-wing shrinks some square footage and that helps maintain control of the cost, he said.
This option would also limit new construction “by more creatively reutilizing the large spaces that we have, which was important in trying to keep the costs down as much as possible, and not to just build extra that we don’t need," Vogt said.
The building is "bigger than the use of the school now, so we don’t need all that square footage," he said.
The spring of 2024 start date is “a pretty aggressive schedule,” Vogt said, although inflation and building and supply shortages might play a factor in the completion date of the project.
“The idea is that it really needs to pass this referendum now to allow for the time needed to get all the construction documents together, to go out and find the contractors for the work to get started, and order materials in the spring,” he said.
The referendum will be Oct. 7 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Charter Hall located within Sherman’s Emergency Services Facility (Firehouse), 1 Route 39.
Union workers, Waterford residents debate plan for data center
Daniel Drainville
Waterford ― At Monday night’s Representative Town Meeting, residents and unionized construction workers disagreed over a proposal by NE Edge LLC to build a data center on the Millstone Power Station property.
While residents reiterated their concerns about noise and the impact on the environment, union workers applauded the jobs it would create.
William McCoy, attorney for NE Edge, also provided a status update on the project.
First Selectman Rob Brule signed an agreement in March that calls for NE Edge to pay the town $231 million over 30 years to construct two two-story data center buildings, supplied with energy from Millstone, that would provide 1.5 million square feet of storage for cloud and data centers.
Keith Brothers, who heads the Connecticut State Building Trades Council, told the RTM on Monday that his union has signed an agreement with NE Edge in which it has agreed to use local union workers and contractors.
“This project is going to generate over a million man hours for the construction industry,” added Joseph Toner, the union’s executive director. “One out of every four construction workers on this project is going to be from Waterford.”
Toner said noise concerns about the project are disingenuous because “every project is completely different.”
“Let’s do the due diligence on the studies, and then everyone will go and look at that,” he said.
While residents acknowledged the importance of construction jobs, they were not convinced.
“This is not, and I repeat not, about temporary union jobs. This is about the health and safety of the residents of Waterford,” resident Lynn MacMorrow said.
“If you go forward with this, you need to understand that it’s going to impact the hearing of everyone around us,” said Judith Leary.
She claimed that data center noise would radiate 2.5 miles from the facility.
McCoy refuted Leary’s claims, cited misinformation over the project.
“Concerns matter, but concerns unsupported by fact are just concerns,” he said.
McCoy would not deny that there are noisy data centers, but claimed they are a result of poor design.
“You spend enough money, you can make that building quiet. And ultimately that’s what we’re committed to doing because that’s the standard we have. We can’t build a building that puts out 95 decibels. It’s not proper under the host fee agreement,” he said.
McCoy said he is committed to having further discussions with residents but pointed out that it will be the town’s land use boards that will decide on the design of the buildings.
The town’s ability to oversee the project still hinges on a decision currently before the Connecticut Siting Council that would allow Millstone owner Dominion Energy nuclear Connecticut, Inc., to make room for the data center.
McCoy said he is prepared to come back to the RTM in December with a “reasonably solid plan.”