Tweed gets $2.5 million for new terminal at New Haven Regional Airport
NEW HAVEN — The Federal
Aviation Administration has awarded Tweed
New Haven Regional Airport a $2.5 million grant toward the cost of
building a
new 75,000-square-foot terminal on the East Haven side of the airport,
airport officials announced Thursday.
The money will
be used for the design of the terminal, an airport spokesman said. The terminal
is part of a controversial broader expansion plan.
The project, currently estimated at $165 million, also
includes lengthening the airport's runway, adding additional parking and
building a new entrance off Proto Drive in East Haven.
The new terminal will include six gates, a security
screening area, new baggage handling systems and holding room areas designed to
accommodate current and future aircraft that might use the airport, officials
said in a release.
The grant was announced the day after East
Haven and the Save The Sound environmental organization appealed the
FAA's "finding
of no significant impact," or FONSI, and acceptance of
Tweed's environmental assessment for the expansion project.
An airport spokesman said the grant was contingent on the
FAA issuing the no significant impact findings but the appeal doesn't halt
the project within the FAA.
"It's literally a parallel track within the
process," said the spokesman, Andrew King. "The project moves
forward as the appeal moves forward."
Save the Sound Senior Legal Director Roger Reynolds said
that the FAA's "failure to study the true impacts on the community is an
environmental injustice to the surrounding neighborhoods."
East Haven Mayor Joe Carfora, in his letter announcing
East Haven's appeal of the FAA's FONSI, strongly suggested that more discussion
of the issues associated with expansion and an environmental impact statement
are needed.
"Nothing that was presented by this decision is fair,
safe or equitable," Carfora said. "It in no way addresses the host of
issues that a project of this magnitude presents to our community."
The grant was enabled by passage of the 2021 federal
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which included $5 billion in funding for
competitive grants to improve the aging infrastructure of airports across the
nation. Several officials thanked U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro for her work
getting the money.
"These grants are intended to support the development
of airport terminal projects that prioritize safety, sustainability, and
accessibility," the airport said in the release.
The expansion plan and the FAA's investment makes "an
important step forward" for Tweed which currently has an outdated,
undersized terminal that is subject to flooding, the release states.
"The new terminal will address these issues, providing
a much-needed upgrade to facilities and ensuring the airport continues to serve
as a vital hub for transportation and economic development in southern
Connecticut," it said.
"We are incredibly grateful for this federal support of
Tweed, and all of Southern Connecticut," said Matt Hoey, chairman of
the New Haven Airport Authority, in the release.
The authority leases Tweed from the city of New Haven, which
owns it. The airport straddles the New Haven-East Haven border, with much of it
located within the town's boundaries.
"The FAA approved the project plan in December, and
this grant shows their continued support for a modern airport that can fully
serve the needs of passengers," said Hoey, also first selectman of
Guilford. "A carbon-neutral terminal will significantly enhance the
overall passenger experience, reduce impact on our neighbors and allow us to
follow the science into a sustainable future at Tweed New Haven Airport."
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker called the grant an
"important and meaningful" step for Tweed's development.
"New Haven is a growing city and this new terminal will
help improve the travel experience for the thousands of residents and visitors
who are utilizing the airport every day to fly to the Elm City and to visit
over 21 different destinations,” Elicker said.
Jorge Roberts, CEO of Avports LLC, the
Goldman-Sachs-owned company that manages the city-owned airport under a 43-year
sublease agreement, said they were honored to be part of Tweed's
transformation.
"We have just begun to invest over $100 million in
Southern Connecticut and appreciate this support of a sustainable future
at HVN," Roberts said in the release. "This project is about
creating a better travel experience for our passengers, fostering job growth in
the community, and following science into the future."
"We're ready to turn this vision into reality and usher
in a new era of sustainable airports,” he added.
Siting Council Approves Transmission Lines to Run North of the Metro-North Line
Sophia Muce
State officials significantly modified a $225 million United
Illuminating transmission line project in Bridgeport and Fairfield on Thursday,
upsetting local opponents and considerably delaying the company’s plan.
While UI’s proposal called for the removal of aged
transmission lines along the Northeast Corridor and to construct new monopoles
primarily south of the Metro-North railroad line, the Connecticut Siting
Council voted to require the company to instead build its new infrastructure
north of the rail line.
Two members of the Siting Council suggested the plan as a
way to lessen impacts on the surrounding houses, businesses and environment,
while also strengthening the company’s infrastructure. Dubbed the
Hannon-Morissette alternative, it passed with four council members in favor,
one opposed and two abstaining.
Members of the local and federal delegations including Sen.
Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Jim Himes, Fairfield First Selectman Bill Gerber,
Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim and a number of state legislators were largely opposed to
the original proposal, which called for 19.25 acres of easements, about 7 acres
of tree clearing and 102 new monopoles from Southport to downtown
Bridgeport.
The council estimated that the new plan would significantly
reduce the amount required clearing, easements, and impacts to historic
properties south of the railroad including the Southport Historic
District and Mary and Eliza Freeman Houses in Bridgeport, but opponents say
they are still not satisfied with the compromise.
In a Thursday news release, Gerber acknowledged the new
alternative is less impactful than the company’s original plan, but he said
he’s still concerned by the lack of details provided by the council and United
Illuminating.
“Since UI has not yet designed this alternative route,
property owners to the north have not been provided any notice of potential
impacts on their properties, let alone a right to participate in the Siting
Council hearing. Property owners could be facing significant impacts on their
properties without any due process rights,” Gerber said.
While UI submitted hundreds of pages of maps, designs and
analyses of its south-side plan, the company has yet to design the new
alternative, meaning the height and location of the monopoles are unknown.
Earlier this week, Siting Council Executive Director Melanie
Bachman declined to comment on the Hannon-Morissette alternative when asked for
the details of the plan by CT Examiner.
Gerber maintained that there should be no easements across
“sensitive areas” north of the tracks and the monopoles should stay at their
current height of 85 feet rather than UI’s proposed 100- to 135-foot poles. But
the best option, he said, would be to move the lines underground.
Gerber, the city of Bridgeport, and the Sasco Creek
Neighbors Environmental Trust have asked the utility to bury the lines. UI
officials say that the underground option is too costly and is not supported by
the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
Cost estimates for the underground option differed
dramatically between the applicant and opponents. UI estimated it would cost
about $1 billion to install the project underground, but the town estimated
$200 million for an underground double-circuit configuration. SCNET estimated
$182 million.
The sole council member who opposed the project altogether,
Quat Nguyen, said earlier
this month that he could not, in good conscience, approve the plan
without a sufficient cost analysis.
Also in the Thursday news release, SCNET co-founder Andrea
Ozyck said she shares the same concerns as the town, and questioned whether the
decision was in line with the council’s charge.
“The Siting Council’s responsibility is to balance the need
for reliable and cost-effective utility services with the environmental and
ecological impacts,” Ozyck said. “Yet there’s no way for the council to know
what the impact is, because there is no engineered plan. So they’re approving a
plan without knowing the impacts.”
According to UI officials, the council decision will delay
their initial estimated service date of May 2028.
Company officials told CT Examiner on Thursday that they
will now reenter the design process for the council’s plan, which could take
between nine months to one year to complete. They said the process will be
followed by surveying, geotechnical engineering, permitting and community
outreach phases, so they cannot yet commit to a new timeline.
But UI Vice President of Projects Jim Cole said the company
is committed to following through on the new plan.
“Significant work lies ahead to design and implement the
selected alternative, and UI is committed to keeping municipalities, commercial
and residential customers informed every step of the way while working
individually with abutting homeowners and impacted businesses,” he said.
While many opponents have questioned the motivation for the
project altogether, Cole backed the need to replace the more than 60-year-old
equipment and meet projected electrification demands for New England customers,
which they expect to double by 2050.
The Ganim administration did not respond to a request for
comment.
CT company makes plea for state contract after claiming wrongful termination
A West Haven company is making a plea to be considered for
hazardous waste-cleanup work after it claims being wrongfully terminated a few
years ago during a state investigation into contract steering that has not
implicated the firm.
AAIS Corp. charges that
it is now barred from other state and local work and has become ancillary
damage in a wide-ranging state and federal investigation into contracts. The
company was ordered off the property of the old Cedarcrest Hospital, a former
psychiatric hospital in Newington, leaving hazardous material scattered around
the property.
"Since AAIS was removed from the state contract
nearly two years ago, our company has been prevented from getting hazardous
material abatement projects that employed hundreds of skilled workers and
sustained the company for decades," Glen Mulrenan, VP of Spectrum
Environmental, LLC, of which AAIS is a division, said on Friday.
The state Department of Administrative Services confirmed
that AAIS was fired from the Newington job site, where it had been
responsible for asbestos removal and has been paid a total of $1,992,511 for
their work. Although the company left the hospital property in January of 2023,
the last payment to AAIS was made in September for $373,307, the company said
on Thursday, adding that some payments were delayed for as long as two years
during DAS audits.
Leigh Appleby, communications director for the DAS, said
Friday night that AAIS was terminated from the contract "for
convenience" but is free to bid on state work and other contracts.
"For example, they can still do work as a prime
contractor or as a subcontractor," Appleby said. "They were only
removed from one state procurement contract. AAIS can compete for the
hazmat contract when DAS next advertises for a new version of that contract.
The current contract is set to expire July 30, 2026. I would also add
that there is nothing barring any political subdivision from going through a
competitive procurement process with vendors outside of state contracts."
The hospital project is one
of several that DAS and federal authorities investigated for possible
contract steering, including
school construction projects supervised by Konstantinos
Diamantis, a former
member of the state House of Representatives who has since
retired and
whose employee grievance was dismissed.
An attorney for AAIS said this week that the cleanup of the
hospital property was about halfway finished and that it would cost the state
another $550,000 and that the DAS is "scapegoating" the company.
The hospital closed in 2010.
"The simple facts are that AAIS was unfairly terminated
from the contract, and that each purchase order that DAS awards without its
participation in the bidding process is an exercise in mismanagement,"
wrote Michael J. Donnelly of the Hartford firm of Murtha Cullina, in a letter
to Michelle Gilman, commissioner of the DAS, dated Feb. 1. "It is
important to note that throughout our interactions with DAS, AAIS has
never been informed of any allegations that it acted improperly in connection
with the award or performance of any of the jobs in question."
The letter says AAIS understood Gilman's position as a new
commissioner, appointed in February 2022. "However, DAS, under
your charge has had sufficient time to wrap its arms around the situation, and
it is time that DAS stops scapegoating a Connecticut business and wasting
Connecticut taxpayer’s money."
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Donnelly said that "multiple" audits by both the
DAS and the state Comptroller's office cleared AAIS of wrongdoing, and the fact
that the September payments eventually went to the company is testament to its
successful work remediating asbestos.
Groton’s Former Landfill Eyed for $4M Solar Project
Cate Hewitt
GROTON — The former town landfill is slated for a 5 megawatt
solar array which could help generate both energy and income for Groton.
If approved, the $4 million project by West Hartford-based
solar developer Verogy that was presented to the Town Council on Tuesday would
provide Groton with about $200,000 in lease payments or payments in lieu of
taxes each year for 20 years and earn Eversource electrical credits through
virtual metering to town buildings.
The landfill, located on a 166-acre parcel at 685 Flanders
Road, was closed in 1995 and capped in 1998, according to public works documents.
The first step in the project, scheduled for discussion in a
special meeting on Feb. 27, involves securing council approval of an option
agreement with Verogy, which would allow bids to be submitted to the Non-Residential
Solar Renewable Energy Solutions program and the Statewide
Shared Clean Energy Facility program. The deadlines for these submissions
are March 4 and March 14, respectively.
Town consultants Robert Klee, of Klee Sustainability
Advisors LLC, and Sam Dziekan, of CSW Energy LLC, will serve as managers on all
project phases until it goes live.
“It’s a blind bid competing with projects all across
Eversource territory, based pretty much solely on price,” Klee told the
council.
According to Klee, the NRES program had 25 bids and 11
winners last year, while SCEF had 22 bids and 11 winners.
“The takeaway is the only half or less of the bids won,” he
said.
In the event that Groton does not win any bids, Klee said
the project can’t proceed this year and the town would have to try again next
year.
“These projects do not go forward without the incentive. The
incentive helps fund and finance the solar arrays,” Klee said.
Should the town can secure a SCEF bid, Klee said the project
could move forward with a 20-year lease on the property and substantial
benefits to the town. Meanwhile, the NRES program, which provides Eversource
credits, can be extended by an additional year if the town opts to rebid.
Councilors questioned how the town and taxpayers would be
protected if Verogy were to withdraw, declare bankruptcy, engage in criminal
activity, or sell to a buyer unwilling to agree to previous stipulations.
Public Works Director Greg Hanover told the council that the
town attorney was reviewing the option agreement for protections. If Verogy
wins its bids, he said, then there will be an additional long-term agreement
with the town.
Klee said it was common for companies in the solar industry
to perform various roles.
“[Some] companies originate projects, some construct them,
and hold them … for roughly seven years and then often sell them to long-term
operations and maintenance entities in the solar world. Some hold for the
entire 20 years. That would be contemplated as part of the long-term agreement
on how those transfers would happen,” Klee said.
Of the seven proposals received, Hanover said, Verogy
offered the best value and protections for Groton, as well as the most
competitive bids for the NRES and SCEF incentive programs.
Verogy’s proposal also included the highest allowances for
interconnection costs to the Eversource grid and a “reasonable and realistic”
project schedule of three years for design, permitting and construction,
according to Klee.
Dziekan said Verogy was chosen in part because it’s
considered a reputable company with experience in building similar
projects.
“The executive team has successfully installed over 350
commercial and industrial solar projects,” Dziekan said. “They currently have
110 megawatts in various stages of development, and their pipeline for earlier
stages of development is another 200 megawatts of solar. And additionally in
2022 and 2023, Verogy was named the number one solar contractor in the state of
Connecticut by Solar Power World.”
If the town enters into the option agreement with Verogy and
the company is successful with winning bids, Klee said, then the town will
enter into a long term, 20-plus-year contract for the construction of solar at
the landfill and for allocating electricity to town building accounts.
The contract will be subject to all necessary town approvals
and include removing the solar array at the end of its 20-year life, he
added.
After further discussion, the council voted unanimously to
recommend that Town Manager John Burt sign the option agreement at the Feb. 27
meeting.
Foxwoods turns 32, announces what’s in store for 2024
Brian HaMashantucket ― Foxwoods Resort Casino this year
plans to upgrade its high-limit table games room, open a new 30-seat slots bar
and launch renovations of The Fox Tower hotel rooms, the casino’s president and
chief executive officer announced Thursday while celebrating Foxwoods’ 32nd
anniversary.
Two new food and beverage options also are on tap, one aimed
at the sweet tooth and the other a supper club with a Boston flavor.
Jason Guyot, facing hundreds of onlookers gathered outside
the Rainmaker Expo Center, said Foxwoods was continuing a transformation begun
some 18 months ago, including the openings last summer of Gordon Ramsay’s
Hell’s Kitchen, a Wahlburgers restaurant and the Pequot Woodlands Casino, a
50,000-square-foot gaming area off the Grand Pequot Concourse.
Guyot said the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe was investing more
than $20 million in the upcoming improvements outlined Thursday. They include:
Makeovers of a high-limit table games room, as well as
construction of a new bar and renovations of a table games area in the Grand
Pequot Tower. The 30-seat bar, accompanied by 25 slot machines, “will be the
grandest bar we have ever built at Foxwoods,” Guyot said.
Renovations of The Fox Tower’s 823 hotel rooms, a multi-year
project set to begin this summer. The work is to encompass “a sleek,
contemporary design with gold accents,” according to a Foxwoods’ news release.
The opening in April of celebrity pastry chef Zac Young’s
Sprinkletown Donuts & Ice Cream. Young, who attended Thursday’s event, is
known for his appearances on Food Network and Bravo. He opened Sprinkletown
Bakeshop at Foxwoods in 2021.
The opening in May of Grace by Nia, “a modern day supper
club and live music lounge,” whose first incarnation debuted last summer in
Boston’s Seaport neighborhood. Founder and namesake Nia Grace, a community
leader in Boston, also appeared at Thursday’s event. Her club will be located
adjacent to Foxwoods’ High Rollers bowling alley and lounge.
Rodney Butler, the Mashantucket tribal chairman, also spoke
at Thursday’s celebration, noting that Foxwoods’ evolution actually began 37
years ago with the opening of a high-stakes bingo hall that became Foxwoods
Resort Casino in 1992.
Butler said nearly 200 tribal members are employed at
Foxwoods, which he said continues to serve as an economic engine for the region
and the state.
While Foxwoods changes inside, the largest private
construction project currently underway in the state continues to rise outside
on land adjacent to the casino: the Great Wolf Lodge at Mashantucket, a $300
million indoor water park resort.
Guyot said that project is on track to open in 2025.
3 reasons why contractors need craft training to stay competitive
By NCCER
The impacts of industry-wide challenges like the
construction workforce shortage are experienced daily by contractors.
Developing craft training is one way to alleviate that pressure, and while this
may seem like an indirect solution, there is increasing evidence that these
programs pay off in competitiveness and profitability.
The following are just a few of the reasons why 41% of firms are boosting their spending on training
and professional development programs.
Recruitment and Retention
Despite being particularly adept at overcoming daily
challenges, contractors often find attracting skilled craft professionals to be
a daunting task. Navigating material delays, budget limitations and rapid
project deadlines is familiar territory but recruiting and retention isn’t
always a top priority.
One often overlooked method of fostering employee engagement
is through skills development and recognition. Craft training and
credentials are a source of pride for their recipients. A report that explored the return on investment of
manufacturing credentials states the following reasons why employees
value them:
They receive knowledge and training used in their current
job.
It leads to being hired, receiving promotions and
facilitating career growth.
It impacts their ability to do their jobs.
Competitiveness often depends on having a skilled team at
the ready, so employee satisfaction and retention are critical during a
workforce shortage. Craft training and credentials make companies more
appealing to new entrants and existing craft professionals.
Productivity and Profitability
Every company, regardless of sector, can benefit from
increased efficiency and quality of work. These factors directly affect revenue
by decreasing project costs and improving client satisfaction. The immediate
results of craft training have been thoroughly documented in reports such
as Construction Industry Craft Training in The United States and
Canada and include: decreased turnover, decreased absenteeism and
improved safety. The longer-term effects are increased productivity and
decreased rework. The well-known RT 231-11 report by CII estimates such
benefits as follows:
Estimated effects of investing 1% of the total project
budget for wages/labor into craft training:
|
Productivity Improvement |
10.6% |
|
Turnover Decrease |
13.9% |
|
Absenteeism Decrease |
14.5% |
|
Injury Decrease |
25.5% |
|
Rework Decrease |
23.2% |
These outcomes correlate with a better-trained and more
efficient workforce. Projects that stay on-time, within budget and are
well-executed lead to satisfied clients and repeat business.
Competitive Advantage
Many owners have requirements in their requests for
proposals that ensure the companies have workforce development in
place. Craft training, along with credentials and certifications, provides
an additional level of confidence and is used as proof of a qualified
workforce. To bid on some projects, contractors must have a plan in place that
demonstrates how they will fulfill those requirements.
A perfect example of project requirements comes from the
recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act. It ties several apprenticeship
requirements to a significant tax incentive for many energy-related projects.
As a result, many owners are now mandating contractors meet those requirements
to be considered for those contracts.
With benefits to the contractor, the employee and,
ultimately, the client, the value of training the construction workforce is
very apparent. Craft training and upskilling should be part of every
contractor’s workforce development toolkit. Furthermore, a standardized
credentialing program supported by industry reduces the resources required to
implement craft training programs. Contractors who use the same standard
contribute to the overall growth of the talent pool and improve the skills of
the workforce overall.
To explore more about the ROI on craft training and
credentialing, see our recent white paper: Future-Proofing the Construction Workforce: The Value of
Training and Credentials.