DEEP Looking to Public For How to Spend Billions in Federal Money
The Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
(DEEP) is requesting public comments from Connecticut residents by midnight
Friday, Jan.12, regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
Climate Pollution Reduction Program, which was established under the 2022
federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Under this program, Connecticut received $3 million from the
EPA to research emission and pollution reduction programs. The federal agency
has $4.6 billion (though the table below accounts for only $4.3 billion)
available for state and local governments to compete for by submitting
Implementation Grant proposals due April 1, 2024. The EPA notes that it will
prioritize projects in “disadvantaged communities” as designated by this IRA map.
DEEP is considering 14 total measures in its proposal the
EPA, in 4 categories:
Transportation:
School Bus Electrification: replace Connecticut’s 2000
diesel school buses in “environmental justice areas” with zero emitting
electric buses.
Transit Bus Electrification: replace diesel transit buses
with electric transit buses.
Establish electric Vehicle Incentives: expand the existing
CHEAPR program, which offers rebates for fully electric and plug-in hybrid
vehicles.
Deploy Electric Vehicle Chargers statewide: install electric
vehicle chargers for cars, SUVs, small and medium pick-up trucks, delivery
vans, and other medium sized vehicles.
Install “idle reduction systems” in Connecticut Dept. of
Transportation Crash Unit trucks, which protect road construction crews from
traffic.
Expand Shared Ride Program: increase access to on-demand and
accessible shared-ride services by expanding the Microtransit program (small
buses), focusing on rural areas.
Buildings:
Support Adoption of Residential and Commercial Heat Pumps to
replace gas and fuel oil heating systems.
Expand Funding for Residential Energy Preparation Services
(REPS), weatherization of buildings.
Expand Energy Efficiency Programs to help homes and
businesses save energy and money with rebates, financing, and other
services for energy efficiency and clean energy improvements.
Networked Geothermal Heating Systems to replace gas and fuel
oil heating systems.
Electric power:
Energy Storage with batteries and Demand Response, in which
residences/businesses can reduce electricity usage and receive a rebate
Hydrogen For Port Operations and Storage: replace diesel
trucks with zero emission hydrogen fueled trucks at ports.
Miscellaneous:
Food Scrap Diversion: fund cities and towns to implement
food scrap diversion programs.
Plant trees in urban areas to reduce pollution, increase
shade, and store carbon.
Since I joined Yankee Institute back in
April, DEEP has been something of an enigma to me, creating news headlines
with the frequency to suggest that they were almost a fourth branch of state
government by themselves (albeit one far more insulated from public sentiment
and pesky elections). This interest peaked a few months ago when DEEP brazenly
insisted that there was broad public support for a ban on gas and car truck
bans, despite all evidence to the contrary. So when I heard about this
survey, I was intrigued.
I began filling out the survey, which laid out what the 14
benefits could achieve. When asked to “tell us about how important these
emissions reductions are to you” I prioritized “affording a reliable vehicle,”
and “access to a good paying job” which to me are both more important than a
“lack of trees that provide shade,” among other options. Of all of the
“benefits,” I am most skeptical of the potential for this program to “reduce
greenhouse gas emissions to warm the planet,” since Connecticut contributes a pittance to
global emissions.
Despite these very leading questions about the benefits of
such proposals, DEEP did surprise me at two points toward the end of the
survey.
“Tell us what you think are the NEGATIVE IMPACTS
(disbenefits) of these measures are.” Ah yes, “disbenefits.” Or as we plebians
call them “costs.” Still, this was more than I was expecting from DEEP.
Perhaps the overwhelming negative response to the gas car ban
made them a little more self-reflective.
I selected “Transit Bus Electrification” and wrote the following:
“Lithium ion battery fires place passengers and drivers at
risk, as was seen in the Hamden electric bus fire of 2022. More research is
necessary to weigh the costs and benefits of adopting electric vehicles, most
especially electric buses.”
I then selected “increased adoption of heat pumps statewide”
to write:
Heat pump technology is not at a point where it can replace
standard heating options, like heating oil and natural gas. Forcing
disadvantaged communities to rely on this technology risks the health (and
perhaps even the very lives) of low-income individuals if they rely entirely on
electricity to heat their homes (especially in the event of electric blackouts,
which could become more frequent).
Finally, the survey asked about potential barriers to these
14 policies, which was another surprise.
Was it worth my time? That remains to
be determined. These types of surveys tend to be flooded by climate
zealots eager to let their voice be heard. But perhaps a few voices of reason
will let money flow to the most beneficial proposals and less to the more
ill-conceived ones.
You can fill out the survey here yourself
until 11:59 pm on Friday, Jan.12. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CT_CPRG
Footbridge bridge at Merritt 7 train station opens to public: 'Much-needed pedestrian connection'
NORWALK — Train riders getting off at Norwalk’s
Merritt 7 station are now steps away from Main Avenue and the Merritt 7 office complex, thanks to the
opening of a new
pedestrian bridge.
After months of delays
due to supply chain issues, the pedestrian bridge opened on Wednesday,
according to Connecticut’s Department of Transportation spokesperson, Josh
Morgan.
“Sustainable Streets Norwalk is excited to see the bridge
completed,” said Tanner Thompson, Sustainable
Streets Norwalk organizer and member. “Not only will it make it
substantially more convenient for employees at Merritt 7 to take the train to
work, but it also gives the entire Glover Ave neighborhood a much-needed
pedestrian connection to the businesses along Main Ave.”
Prior to the bridge’s opening, Merritt 7 riders took a
shuttle to Main Avenue and the offices. The business complex includes Hearst
Connecticut Media's offices.
“This is the first of many steps we look forward to along
the way to making the entire area a walkable, transit-oriented neighborhood
where Norwalkers can live car-light or car-free,” Thompson said.
To celebrate the bridge’s opening, Sustainable Street
Norwalk is hosting a car-free dinner excursion on Friday. Community
members, activists, and local leaders plan to meet at the South Norwalk train
station to take the 6:15 p.m. train north to Merritt 7, and then head over to
Brasitas on Maine Avenue for dinner.
“Sustainable Streets Norwalk is a group of Norwalk residents
who believe in making Norwalk more environmentally, societally, and fiscally
sustainable by reducing our reliance on automobiles,” Thompson said. “We do
that by promoting walkability, bicycle transportation, public transit, urban
and transit-oriented development, and urban greenery.”
Along with the pedestrian bridge, a new 500-foot, heated
platform at Merritt 7 opened in June 2023.
The glass enclosed bridge’s opening was stalled because
of missing glass panels that enclose the bridge and equipment for the elevators
that connect people to the bridge and platform. Construction on the bridge
wrapped up in December, but CDOT was waiting on official sign-offs before
opening access to the public.
Supply
chain issues slowed progress throughout the entire project since the
groundbreaking in 2020. Originally slated to be complete by fall 2022, both the
material for the platform and bridge were tied up in supply issues. Underground
utilities and drainage system issues also stalled the projects.
The new platform and footbridge provide a key connection for
the Merritt 7 village, according to a statement from Mayor
Harry Rilling in 2021.
On one side of the track are several apartment buildings.
Stamford’s Harbor Point Developers, BLT plan to add another 1,300
units along Glover Avenue in the next few years.
Merritt 7 office complex is sandwiched between the train
tracks and Main Avenue. The bridge will better connect employees who commute by
train to Merritt 7 offices, which is the biggest office complex in Fairfield
County, according to the complex’s
website.
Crews begin installing barrier at damaged Bozrah dam
John Penney
Bozrah ― Crews on Thursday morning began installing a
temporary barrier at the Fitchville Pond Dam to allow for the inspection of
the damaged structure ahead of Saturday’s incoming storm.
Contractors and heavy equipment were staged across from
Stockhouse Road where they expected to spend the next two days constructing a
cofferdam, a waterproof enclosure made of industrial-sized sandbags that will
safely allow inspectors to view a section of dam that failed Wednesday.
Charles Lee, assistant director of dam safety for the state
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the cofferdam’s
placement will also relieve water pressure being exerted on the approximately
180-year-old dam.
“Trees will be cleared today to allow a crane to get in
there and hoist the sandbags into place in the water,” Lee said on Thursday.
“We hope to have that cofferdam in place by Friday.”
Leaks discovered in the left abutment of the Yantic River
dam led officials to issue evacuation orders to about a dozen area businesses
on Wednesday.
Under state order, the dam’s owner, Seymour’s Sand and Stone
of Bozrah, laid a pile of support stones as a stop-gap measure next to the
damaged section of the dam and Bozrah firefighters monitored the dam overnight.
Bozrah First Selectman Glenn Pianka on Thursday said the
river water had receded and there were no further reports of dam leakage.
State officials said the dam owners have a history of not
complying with state regulations to inspect the dam every two years and have
not filed a recent required emergency action plan.
Pianka said he expected certain “pressure would be exerted”
on the dam’s owner to address the barrier’s condition, which is listed as a
“high hazard potential” structure, the worst of five categories that indicate
the potential for a dam failure, after the DEEP inspection concludes.
Seymour Adelman, owner of Seymour’s Sand and Stone, could
not be reached to comment on Thursday.
As the cofferdam work progressed, town and state officials
were tracking another round of heavy rain expected to hit the area on Saturday
morning.
“The only thing in our favor about that storm is we don’t
expect it to be as heavy as there’s no more snowmelt,” Pianka said.
The National Weather Service is calling for up to 2 inches
of rain on Friday night for the Norwich area with an additional chance of
showers Saturday morning.
Assessing flood damage in Norwich
A few miles away in Norwich, sandbags were still piled up in
front of stores located in the flood-prone Norwichtown area.
At the Details Hair Studio off New London Turnpike, owners
Heidi and Parris Duff were assessing the damage their store sustained after the
Yantic River crested its banks and flowed into the Norwichtown Commons plaza on
Wednesday.
On an exterior wall of the salon, Parris Duff had etched a
“high water” mark about 5 feet from the silty ground and marked it with
Wednesday’s date.
Inside, Heidi Duff took inventory of the water-blighted
space. She pointed to a portable “door dam” barrier she bought in 2021 but kept
boxed until this week.
“By Wednesday morning, the waters were crashing over the
barrier, through the door and coming up to my thighs,” she said.
The Duffs moved into the storefront in 2009 and recently
completed a basement renovation. The couple planned to wash and rinse the
floors on Thursday ahead their landlord conducting a more thorough clean-up job
after the Saturday storm.
“Then we’ll get a dumpster and start pitching equipment and
going through the rental equipment we got for our hairdressing classes,” Heidi
Duff said.
The Yantic River levels hit 14.2 feet in Norwich on
Wednesday, approaching the all-time record of 14.9 feet, as parking lots began
to resemble swimming pools.
On Thursday, the standing water was gone, replaced by a
thick slurry of mud and leaves. A trio of ducks placidly paddled in a section
of river fronting the Stop & Shop Supermarket off Town Street.
Mayor Peter Nystrom said the river levels were expected to
continue dropping Thursday night.
“Which is important as we’re expected to get more rain over
the weekend,” he said. “And we’re grateful we’ve got a couple of days before
that happens – and there’s no more snowmelt. There were towns upstream that had
up to 6 inches of snow to contend with.”
Fire Chief Tracy Montoya, the city’s emergency management
director, said the river level was at 6.4 feet as of 10:45 a.m. on Thursday and
expected to decline over the next 24 to 30 hours.
“Then it’s predicted to pick-up again Friday night and
Saturday morning and peak at 7.5 feet, which is well-below the action stage,”
he said, noting 11 feet marks the “major flood stage” for the river.
Flooding concerns prompted the evacuation of roughly 500
residents and businesses on Wednesday from the Yantic River flood zone. That
order was lifted Wednesday afternoon. Nystrom said the city employs a
reverse-911 system to automatically alert residents to such emergencies.
“That same system let people know when it was safe to go
back home,” Nystrom said.
He said the city is “keenly aware” of the damage suffered by
local business owners, including those in a West Town Street plaza that houses
the popular Dixie Donuts shop.
“The first step is for businesses to contact their insurance
companies, but I plan to go out myself and gauge the damage,” he said, adding
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, is expected to tour the damage on Friday.
Nystrom said Norwich officials are keeping a close eye on
the cofferdam construction and praised Pianka’s response to the emergency.
“Our towns did the right thing yesterday,” he said
Bridgeport lawmakers seek state money for soccer stadium, but Lamont isn't convinced
ALEX PUTTERMAN, BRIAN LOCKHART, KEN DIXON
A Connecticut businessman wants state money to fund a new waterfront professional soccer stadium in Bridgeport, and local lawmakers say they're firmly behind the project.
At least one important decision-maker, however, isn't quite convinced — Gov. Ned Lamont.
Asked Thursday about the prospect of public funding for the new stadium, which would host a team in MLS Next Pro, a feeder minor league associated with Major League Soccer, Lamont sounded skeptical.
"I am pretty cautious about that," Lamont said. "But look, if the (private investors) really think that this is an amazing thing, and they’ve got the rights to professional soccer, they want to do that in Bridgeport, that’s wonderful, and go for it."
The governor is a Democrat, as are the members of Bridgeport's legislative delegation and the city's mayor, Joe Ganim.
On Tuesday, tech entrepreneur Andre Swanston announced he'd been awarded an MLS Next Pro franchise, as part of a long-term plan to bring high-level professional soccer to Bridgeport first announced in October. The team, called Connecticut United Football Club, would play in a new stadium Swanston hopes to build on the lower East Side along along the Pequonnock River, currently home to the vacant Winners Shoreline Star off-track betting facility.
Swanston says the stadium will be mostly privately financed, but that the project "absolutely needs" state support as well. In an interview earlier this week with Hearst Connecticut Media Group he wouldn't say how much funding he was seeking, but noted the state has helped finance similar projects, including stadium renovations for Hartford Athletic, another minor-league soccer team.
In announcing the new team, Swanston cited an estimate from the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at the University of Connecticut that the proposed stadium would generate over $4 billion in economic impact over the next 25 years, creating more than 2,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs.
"What I can say confidently is that this project would be a higher percentage of private funding than any other recent kind of sports or entertainment project in the state and based on UConn's analysis would have the highest economic impact," Swanston said.
In a statement Tuesday for Swanston's announcement, Lamont said the new team would "invigorate our economy, inspire our youth, and unite our diverse soccer-loving population" but did not commit to state funding for a stadium.
Economic research has often cast doubt on the wisdom of public money for sports stadiums, which have been found to cost cities and states more than they generate in revenue, while creating few full-time jobs and driving far less economic activity than is typically promised. In many cases, economists argue, money spent on tickets and concessions is money that would otherwise be spent elsewhere in the economy, making a stadium's economic impact largely illusory.
Supporters of new stadiums counter that sports teams generate civic pride and improve a city's image, while providing entertainment for local residents.
In an interview Thursday, Sen. Herron Gaston, a Democrat representing Stratford and Bridgeport, said a new soccer team would "help revitalize Bridgeport, and it's going to put Bridgeport on the map, not just regionally, but I think globally." The subject of public funding for the project could come up during a legislative session set to begin next month.
"I am just incredibly enthusiastic and geeked about this unique opportunity that's going to be housed right here at Bridgeport," Gaston said.
Ganim has vocally supported the stadium project, appearing with Swanston Tuesday and calling the proposal "a great thing for Bridgeport."
John Gomes, a former supporter and ex-employee of the mayor’s who will face Ganim again in a primary rematch later this month, said Thursday he also welcomes the idea but still wants to hear more details.
"There’s a lot of things that need to be put in place," Gomes said, noting Bridgeport, particularly under Ganim, has a history of trumpeting new projects that eventually fall through. "You have to bring some meat to the project for it to be treated [as] viable and not just a stunt."
While a new concert amphitheater has been built since Ganim's 2015 election to office, major proposals he touted during reelection campaigns, including private developers renovating a pair of shuttered downtown theaters and a downtown ice skating complex, quietly died.
State Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport, said the city's legislative delegation was "dedicated to help as much as possible" with the effort to bring soccer to Bridgeport. Felipe said he knows how much money Swanston would likely seek from the state, but declined to share specific figures without the developer's authorization.
"It all depends on where we’re going from here," he said. "If we’re talking MLS Next Pro it wouldn’t be that huge a number. But once we commit at some point to a larger venture of a Major League Soccer team, then we’re asking for some really big dollars. But I think the transformational impact of what those dollars will bring is well, well worth it."
Felipe, whose district includes the proposed stadium site, said funding could come from state bonding or the state's Community Investment Fund, depending on the preference of legislative leaders. The CIF is an $875 million pot of money established by Connecticut lawmakers in 2021 to funnel aid to projects that benefit underserved and marginalized communities. Felipe, who sits on the CIF board, said his preference would be for Swanston to look elsewhere.
State funding for the new stadium will likely face pushback from lawmakers who either don't support public money for sports venues or who believe Bridgeport has already received enough state support in recent years. Felipe acknowledged Bridgeport has in the past year seen significant state investment to help plug a sizeable municipal budget hole, renovate the indoor entertainment/sports arena, and demolish the shuttered coal-fired power plant. Plus amphitheater developer Howard Saffan late last year said he wants state aid to build a new, smaller Bridgeport music venue.
"I know the governor has been very gracious in giving us good amounts of money for a lot of big projects," Felipe said. But, he continued, that shouldn't stop the city from seeking further resources.
"Bridgeport should definitely ask for everything we deserve," Felipe said. "We need to form this new identity as the entertainment capital of Connecticut, and I think we’re on track to do that, but we need the state to recognize that."
Bridgeport sets aside prime site for proposed soccer stadium park
BRIDGEPORT — A prime but contaminated piece of East Side
municipal property where a city-based developer has been hoping
to erect housing and a restaurant would instead be re-purposed
as a park in a new plan for a possible soccer stadium.
In 2021 the city's economic development department issued
requests for proposals for the former AGI rubber factory site at 141 Stratford
Ave., prominently situated on the edge of downtown along the Pequonnock
River and just over Interstate 95 from the Steelpointe harborfront
redevelopment. Abandoned for years the AGI building became well known for
catching fire.
Partners Anthony Stewart, an East End developer, and Zulfi
Jafri of Darien responded with a vision for a 10-story building with 200 units
of market-rate and affordably priced apartments, plus retail, including an
International House of Pancakes or IHOP restaurant.
“It’s a beautiful project,” Stewart had said in an interview
two years ago.
But on Wednesday Economic Development Director Thomas Gill
confirmed that effort is dead. He said his office is now focused on
incorporating the 141 Stratford Ave. parcel into
a proposed professional soccer stadium next door that was announced in October
by a different developer, Andre Swanston.
Gill said it would be used as a "community green
area" and also provide easier and more direct pedestrian access to the
sports complex from Stratford Avenue and the downtown train and bus stations.
The stadium would go on privately owned land behind AGI along Kossuth
Street where the former Winners Shoreline Star off-track betting facility
operated before closing in September 2021.
"That's the direction we're moving in now," Gill
said. He said Stewart had previously been apprised of the decision.
But as of Tuesday Stewart said in an interview that he
understood the soccer project to be "hypothetical" and thought his
proposal remained in play. That was the same day Swanston held a press
conference announcing he had been awarded a minor league team to call
Bridgeport home should the stadium, which he wants to eventually be associated
with Major League Soccer, get built. Stewart said he was not aware of or
invited to that announcement.
Then in a subsequent interview Wednesday Stewart said he had
been contacted earlier that day by economic development and given the news that
the city would not be partnering with him.
"I'm happy that they're trying to bring the stadium in
because I think that's for the greater good for all of us here in
Bridgeport," Stewart said, while admitting his disappointment.
"I'm a businessman. I wanted to build a building. I
wanted to do the deal," he said.
"We did try to work on that project," Gill said.
"It just wasn't coming together and we advised him."
While Stewart said he just this week learned that the AGI
land was included in the soccer stadium proposal, documents filed last fall
with the zoning department indicated as such. On Nov. 27 the zoning commission
approved the redevelopment plan for the sports complex submitted
by Swanston, a tech entrepreneur.
Swanston's zoning application specifically notes the
incorporation of 141 Stratford Ave. Swanston, who still needs to purchase the
necessary Kossuth Street land, would also need to acquire AGI from the
city.
"There's various options," Gill said Wednesday
about that possible arrangement. "It could be a lease with an option to
buy. It could be an outright purchase."
He said whatever the decision, it will require a vote of the
City Council.
“We've been working with the economic development department
in the city for a couple of years now, in terms of figuring out how to
incorporate that, and that's the part that we would turn into a community
green," Swanston said in an interview this week on AGI. "So we
would have a mini pitch (sports field) where neighborhood kids could play
soccer as well as open green space."
He continued, "And what that does is it more connects
that neighborhood with downtown and cuts the walk to the train station. So even
just forgetting the stadium and the project and the convenience that would
bring for fans, it is also just a big benefit to the neighborhood as well.”
As for Stewart's alternative apartment building
and IHOP, Gill said, "We had numerous meetings on it and things just
did not materialize relative to it." He noted negotiations were never
finalized to the point where there was any sort of contract prepared for the
City Council to review and approve.
Gill also insisted that turning the AGI acreage into a
park is not a missed development opportunity for the city
because Swanston is also proposing eventually erecting housing,
restaurants and a hotel adjacent to the stadium.
"It really makes sense to develop this as a whole ...
as opposed to having a smaller parcel in front with a totally different
architectural aspect to it and so forth," Gill said.
Either way, there is still the matter of preparing the
contaminated former rubber factory land for any type of improvement, even just
open space.
In late 2022 the city was denied
a request for $8.1 million in state funds to prepare the AGI land for
construction by: completing the environmental cleanup there; raising the land
so it will not flood when the Pequonnock overflows; building a seawall; and
constructing a public accessway along the water.
Gill on Wednesday said even if the property is now going to
be a park, "You still have to do all those things to bring the site clean
of contamination, bring it up to standards. ... We certainly would continue to
try to get funding to do this and, depending on the amount, it could also be
part of negotiations with the soccer people."
Stewart admitted Wednesday he "wouldn't be too
surprised" if some issues he has had with another high-profile project may
have also impacted his effort to strike a deal with the economic development
office for AGI.
He was tapped by the city in 2018 to revitalize a portion of
Stratford Avenue in the East End between Newfield and Central Avenues into a
mix of residential and retail, including a supermarket. That project, dubbed
Honey Locust Square, has faced significant delays and cost overruns, the latter
of which the state provided $3.5 million last spring to
rectify. Stewart has blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and
is now aiming for an "April-ish, May-ish" completion date.
"But by the same token, when I deliver (Honey Locust
Square) I put all that concern to rest," Stewart said. "Now you
become really strong in the eyes of the city because you did a really hard
thing."
In contrast, he said, redeveloping AGI for him would have
been easier because "it's a good location." And, he added, having a
soccer stadium next door "makes my plans even more realistic, more
plausible.”
But, he concluded, he will remain focused on his work
in the East End and getting Honey Locust Square finished and open.
"I'm not stopping," Stewart said.
West Haven officials approve 150-unit mixed-use project for Boston Post Road
WEST HAVEN — The city's Planning and Zoning Commission
Tuesday approved
a mixed-use development project on Boston Post Road that would include 150
residential units and ground-level retail space.
A similar proposal was rejected in summer 2021, when commissioners
declined to allow for an Incentive Housing Zone that would have made the
project easier to fund for the developer. Commissioners and Allingtown
neighborhood residents said they felt adding housing was inappropriate on the
retail corridor and would not comply with the city's Plan of Conservation and
Development.
The proposal approved Tuesday did not request any incentive
housing and will add 150 units of market-rate housing in addition to retail
space closer to the Boston Post Road. Currently, a liquor store and a vacant
former nightclub sit near the street on either end of the lot while Universal
Hotel Liquidators sits at the back of the lot, far from the road and with a
large parking lot in front. Under the plans approved Tuesday, the rear building
would remain operational, but two L-shaped buildings, connected above a double
driveway, with residential and retail units would be built closer to the road
over some of the vacant and abandoned lot space.
Engineer Robert Wheway told commissioners that the
development would take place on about one-third of the site.
Yisroel Teitelbaum, a member of developer 855 Orange
Avenue LLC, said the housing would be a benefit to residents seeking
different housing options, such as downsizing retired couples. However, he said
the development is intended to be especially attractive to retail
clients. Teitelbaum said he would be "flexible" on commercial
clients and is working to find tenants.
“The city has to be attractable” for commercial clients, he
said. "I think this will provide an opportunity."
Although Commissioner John Biancur noted that the city's
POCD does not call for housing density on the Boston Post Road, some
commissioners said they felt the proposed development would meet the city's
development needs.
Commissioner Greg Milano said that, although the POCD does
not specifically call for or encourage residential development, the plans
nevertheless support the city's vision of commercial development and promote
all of the city's goals.
"It fits in with the character of the area as far as
I'm concerned," said Commissioner Michael Todd Taylor. "I think it
can bring enhanced development."
Commissioner Gene Sullivan said he believed the project, as
proposed, would "enhance the Boston Post Road" and visually ties in
well with the University of New Haven.
Brian Miller, the city's planning consultant, said retail
development is on the wane for various reasons, and mixed-use development has
been an attractive and effective solution in many other cities.
Sullivan inquired how soon after an approval construction
might begin; architect Sam Gardner said there is at minimum six months of
planning that would need to take place before construction could begin.
The proposal passed by majority, with Biancur
abstaining.
Canton approves development of 54 new multifamily residential units on Dowd Avenue
CANTON — Canton is moving forward with a development that
includes 54 new multifamily residential units and will be located on the north
side of Dowd Avenue.
After an hours-long public hearing on Jan. 10, the Planning
and Zoning Commission approved two separate site plans for the 3.1-acre site at
38 Dowd Ave. and 42 Dowd Ave.
The first plan, which was submitted in October, is solely
residential, with 30 one-bedroom units and 24 two-bedroom units.
The second plan contains an option for 6,000 square feet of
commercial space on the first floor of the frontage buildings, and is in line
with zoning regulations that prohibits residential uses on the ground floor in
any Canton Village building that fronts a state route. The plan includes 2,400
square feet of retail space and 3,600 for office space. This mixed-use option
also includes a total of 54 apartment units, with 40 one-bedroom units and 14
two-bedroom units.
But in November, the original plan was modified to include a
zoning text amendment that would limit the prohibition of ground floor
residential uses to Route 44 properties, and therefore allow the
residential-only site plan on Dowd Avenue to be in line with regulations.
The amendment was approved at the meeting, and because of
the November modify date, the purely residential development would be subject
to the town's affordability
requirement, commission member Michael Vogel said at the meeting. The
requirement went into effect on Oct. 10 and requires 15 percent of units in new
residential developments to be income restricted.
The mixed-use development is not subject
to the affordability requirement, according to Town Planner Neil Pade.
“The application is providing the P&Z the option of
approving a mixed-use development, within the residential portion of Dowd
Avenue, or approving a pure residential development within the primary
residential area," according to the application.
And because both plans comply with regulations, either could
be built, according to the town planner.
The property is owned by Canton resident Frank Zacchera, who
also owns and lives on the abutting land to the north.
He indicated that the project will be up for sale so there
is no timeline or schedule for construction at this time, according to the town
planner, and it will be up to the developer to decide which one to build.
The development will comprise three buildings, two facing
Dowd Avenue and one interior building behind the front buildings.
The properties that would be affected by this proposal are
located in Canton Village (Canton Village Design Village District), and
identified as “Mixed Use Opportunity Areas” and “Potential Opportunity
Locations," according to town documents.
The site, which is unoccupied and undeveloped land, is
bounded on the east by the Canton Village Condominiums, on the south by
Dowd Avenue and on the west and north by single family homes.
“The multifamily housing use will act as a transition to
single family homes further west," according to the application, "and
the commercial will, per the zoning requirement, extend the use westward on
Dowd Avenue."
At Wednesday's public hearing and over the past few months
since the project was proposed, multiple residents have expressed concerns with
the proposed development, citing issues like traffic, overdevelopment and
stormwater drainage.
“It seems that all of a sudden we are building a very large
amount of apartment complexes in a very short amount of time,” wrote Gregory
Evans in an email to the town on Oct. 21.
Some residents said at the public hearing that Dowd Avenue
was at risk of becoming more congested and unsafe.
“Once a nice quiet residential street, it is now a traffic
laden thruway to and from Collinsville to Route 44, to Canton Village and to
Commerce Drive,” wrote Patricia Gorecki on Dec. 12.
Vogel said during the meeting that the traffic concerns
brought up mainly had to do with the existing situation, and that it didn’t
seem like the development would materially add to that.
He also talked about compliance with the town's plan of
conservation and development, and that this project was exactly the sort of
development that was contemplated in this area.
"Canton Village is an important economic center of the
town," according to town documents regarding the application. "Infill
and redevelopment have been encouraged in this area to support its buildout as
a Village Center under the CVDVD."
Dominion seeks to extend licenses to operate Millstone power plant until 2055-65
Lee Howard
Waterford ― More than a decade before its licenses are set
to expire for the two Millstone nuclear stations it owns locally, Dominion
Energy has filed a notice with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it
intends to seek approval to run the plants for many years to come.
In a letter to the NRC dated Dec. 20, Dominion’s vice
president of nuclear engineering and fleet support, James E. Holloway, stated
that the company, along with partners Green Mountain Power Corp. and
Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co., plans to apply for a license
extension of 20 years for both Millstone 2 and Millstone 3.
The older Millstone 2 plant’s license currently runs through
July 31, 2035, while the newer Millstone 3’s license will not expire until Nov.
25, 2045. The plants currently account for about a third of the town’s tax
revenue, or about $36 million a year, according to Dominion calculations.
Michael O’Connor, site vice president of Millstone Power
Station, said in an email that Dominion’s notification to the NRC does not
necessarily commit it to running the power stations through the licensure
periods, which would extend to 2055 for Millstone 2 and 2065 for Millstone 3.
“Although we have no plans to do so at this time, the plants
can be removed from service permanently any time during this period,” he said.
“Currently, we have no plans to close the plant as long as it is economically
feasible to operate it. It is critical for both the New England region and our
company.”
O’Connor went on to explain that the license-renewal process
will include assessments of the plants’ key safety systems to ensure the
“ongoing viability” of the nuclear plants, which are regularly overhauled and
maintained.
“Components needed to safely and reliably generate
electricity are in a life cycle management process,” he said. “As equipment
ages or becomes obsolete it is replaced with new components."
According to the NRC’s website, license renewal applications
must address a wide range of potential issues, including environmental effects
and safety compliance.
“An applicant must address the technical aspects of plant
aging and describe how those effects will be managed,” the website said. “The
NRC will renew a license only if it determines that a currently operating plant
will continue to maintain the required level of safety.”
O’Connor said the notice to the NRC came early to allow the
agency sufficient time to review all the materials about the plant that have to
be provided by Dominion in the license-renewal process. No formal license
renewal application will be submitted until 2025 at the earliest, he added, and
a decision could come as late as 2035.
“The applications are a significant effort for the station
because the internal review and documentation that will be supplied to the NRC
with the application is extensive,” he said.
Dominion said in its letter to the NRC that it will inform
the agency of any changes in the expected license renewal filing. O’Connor said
the public will have multiple opportunities to weigh in on the license renewal.
First Selectman Rob Brule could not be reached to comment
about a possible Millstone license renewal.
“Shortly after the NRC receives a renewal application, a
public meeting is held near the plant,” the NRC’s website said. “Additional
public meetings are held by the NRC during the review of the renewal
application. NRC evaluations, findings and recommendations are published and
posted on the NRC’s website when completed.”
Also, the public may petition the NRC to take into
consideration factors other than aging as the renewal process is still going
on. More information about the process can be found at NRC.gov.
Dam at Middletown's Pameacha Pond breaks during storm, officials say
MIDDLETOWN — A section of the Pameacha Pond dam broke open
Tuesday night during
a storm that battered the state with heavy rain and wind, officials
said Wednesday.
City Public Works Director Chris Holden said a 4- to
6-foot section of the wall broke along the approximately 80-foot dam. He said
they were getting equipment together to patch it up Thursday, including
concrete road barriers they would use to replace the missing section.
Holden said the state Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection was notified of the break.
Notably, the
storm Tuesday night also caused the dam
holding Fitchville Pond on the Yantic River in Bozrah to fail, causing
evacuation orders downstream in Norwich, as well as school closures.
As for the partial break in the Pameacha Pond dam,
"I don’t believe there’s going to be any substantial flooding,"
Holden said.
Howard Weissberg, the city's deputy director of public
works, noted the city already had approved
the replacement or restoration of the 150-year-old dam earlier this year.
He said they are requesting $5 million for the construction component of that
work, and design will cost more.
Weissberg said the city has sought federal and state funding
for the project, but it has not been approved thus far.
The brownstone dam was privately built for the former
Wilcox, Crittenden & Co. factory, city officials said, adding a 1980 report by the Army
Corps of Engineers estimated the structure was built in 1870. At the
time, the dam was the factory's primary source of water power.
“Repair would be the ideal,” Mayor Ben Florsheim said in
April, “but it’s not likely that that’s going to be feasible. This is a dam
that is far gone and needs to be fully replaced,” referring to advice from the
state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which issued the city a consent order to do the dam
work in 2018.
Residents have voiced support for replacing the dam in order to bring the water line up to their historical levels in order to make it a more viable public park.
Construction’s biggest staffing struggles for 2024
Construction’s labor struggles will continue in 2024, and
it’s not just due to the number of new jobs set to break ground. The reasons
for a lack of skilled applicants this year are many.
For instance, even as the industry’s workforce ages, it
fails to draw in new workers to train. Hard-to-reach jobsites create challenges
for workers in need of transportation or childcare, and some craftworkers fail
drug tests, making them ineligible for work.
Here are some of the top hurdles to staffing in construction in 2024, and what experts say to do about them.
A lack of experience
One of the top issues facing hiring managers is that many
candidates do not have the right skills or experience to work in the
construction industry, according to a survey
conducted by Associated General Contractors of America last year.
In addition, many of the industry’s experienced, trained
workers will soon age out. The median
age of construction workers has risen, and nearly half of construction
workers are older than 45, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Contractors cannot find qualified workers to deliver
projects
Percentage of AGC respondents who said why they are having a
hard time filling available positions.
To mitigate that in the long term, industry leaders have
turned to advocating for construction as a career alternative to college for
young students.
“We need to get construction as a very good career
opportunity into the minds of elementary age children, junior high, high
school,” said George Pfeffer, CEO of Redwood City, California-based DPR
Construction. Pfeffer said DPR has begun visiting third-grade classrooms, as
studies indicate 9- and 10-year-olds make decisions on their future that
early.
But in the meantime, getting workers up to speed may mean
shortening training windows and focusing on technology.
“I see some changes too in the speed to training. That’s
where I see the shift happening,” said Jacob Snyder, chief operating officer of
Cincinnati-based industrial contractor Enerfab. “It takes time, but we’ll
develop that workforce. It’s being able to do it where we might have had a
four-year apprenticeship before figuring out how to do it in two years.”
A way to get there, Snyder believes, is relying on digital
tools for training, easier-to-read 3D models and advanced tools that can curb
human error.
Transportation challenges
Over a quarter of respondents to the AGC survey said
potential employees reported difficulty acquiring transportation to and from
work. With the nature of construction work requiring physical presence on the
job to deliver the final product, that poses a real problem.
Snyder said large infrastructure and manufacturing projects
bolster the industry, but the location of them poses a great challenge.
“Those jobs require lots and lots of people and we’re
finding that local markets typically can’t support that alone. We’re having to
bring people from other places, and that’s not as easy as it used to be to get
people that are willing to be away from home,” he said.
Some employers have tried incentivizing carpooling or
providing shuttles, but even then, a long commute can be a roadblock to
retaining workers — especially when jobsites change from project to project.
In the Bay Area, it’s not uncommon for workers to commute
two hours each way, Pfeffer said. Nonetheless, DPR has offered fuel incentives
and less stringent scheduling as a means of alleviating the pressure of getting
to work.
Childcare woes
Another major factor that limits workers is the need for
flexible, quality childcare. Available services don’t always meet the needs of
construction workers, who may need to arrive early or stay late. One in four
respondents to the AGC survey reported workers needed flexibility with work
schedules to help them with childcare or care of another family member.
Danielle Harshman, executive director of the Iron Worker
Employers Association of Western Pennsylvania, said she had heard examples of
major projects implementing onsite childcare, but they were often a one-off and
not a one-size-fits-all solution.
For office workers, hybrid or remote options have grown more
prevalent since the COVID-19 pandemic — some employees see the option to
work from home as more valuable than an 8% raise — but for tradesworkers, it
simply isn’t an option.
Drug use
As the industry continues to deal with the opioid epidemic
and construction in particular faces a mental health crisis where workers often
turn to both legal and illegal substances, finding workers that can pass drug
tests can pose a challenge, too.
“Drug testing can be a hurdle sometimes,” Harshman said.
“It’s a real thing.”
In fact, one-third of respondents to the AGC survey said
their potential workers often can’t pass drug tests.
Regulations legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use have
put employers in a tricky position, Harshman said. Owners or contractors may
mandate drug tests if they choose, but they are not required to do so. Even
though federal government contractors performing work for $100,000 or
more must
have a drug-free workplace policy, that doesn’t require drug testing.
And drug testing isn’t about monitoring workers’ activity in
their free time, but rather maintaining workplace safety. Until there’s a solid
measure of current impairment — how high a person is at a given moment — a drug
test is the only metric, so it can be a deal breaker, Harshman said.
She said it’s a safety issue.
“It’s just no different than you can’t be drunk on a jobsite
or using other opiates and things like that,” Harshman said. “So it’s hard when
people say, ‘Well, I picked this over working.’ I’m not sure sometimes how that
mindset goes, but it is a hurdle.”
Contractors can’t change the location of jobsites, can’t
control what workers do in their private time and can’t instantly train new
employees to bring them up to speed. So, in 2024, what can employers do?
The short answer is higher pay and attractive culture, said
Aaron Faulk, construction practice leader at Seattle-based accounting firm Moss
Adams.
“The baseline is you got to have a competitive fee pay
structure,” Faulk said. “First and foremost, if you’re hiring in this market,
you say, ‘Look, I gotta be competitive on just the overall benefits package.
And I have to be able to educate people as to what my package looks like in
comparison to the rest of the industry.’”
From there, Faulk said, employers need to articulate the
culture of the organization and opportunities for advancement. Every industry
will have challenges to overcome when it comes to hiring, so building an
organization that workers can believe in and will make an impact will make a
big difference.
Pfeffer said DPR carried out a major cultural shift
recently. After COVID-19 had altered so many aspects of its business, Pfeffer
said he spent nearly four full months in 2022 on the road talking to office and
craftworkers employed by DPR to better understand their needs, and beginning
this year, the company revamped its benefits package.
“On [Jan. 1] we revamped our entire benefits program and
gave paid PTO, paid holiday time, bereavement leave, so our benefits are
extremely similar, whether you’re admin or craft, or no matter where you are in
the country,” Pfeffer said.
Asked if the shift had worked, Pfeffer said, “I’m just
embarrassed we didn’t do it earlier.”