Bond Commission Approves $1.4 Billion In New Borrowing At Special Meeting
HARTFORD, CT – Housing, schools, and roads were the top
priorities during a special meeting of the state Bond Commission on Tuesday at
the Legislative Office Building.
Gov. Ned Lamont laid out his spending priorities for the
Bond Commission at the top of the meeting.
“In this bonding session, we have $1.4 billion, including a
big commitment yet again to housing, including supportive housing, including
the Time to Own initiative, which is really key to our economic growth as well
as fairness,” Lamont said. “We have $250 million for schools. We had some
catching up coming out of COVID and we’re doing that. Transportation – that’s
probably by far the biggest piece of what we’re doing right now, making sure
that we put up our share of all the federal money coming our way to fix and
speed things up.”
The commission’s agenda included
43 items that provided funding for everything from hazardous waste mitigation
for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to a study for
developing a site in Rocky Hill to house the new State Archives.
Overall, the big winner of the day was the Department of
Transportation, which will receive over $650 million for various projects
around the state. The Department of Administrative Services will receive $250
million to finance the state’s share of the cost of current payments for the
construction of local school building projects and technical high schools.
There was also funding for several state agencies to complete renovations and
repairs to state facilities.
The one item for which the vote was not unanimous was a $40
million bond allocation for the state’s Time
to Own program, which provides forgivable down payment assistance for
first-time homebuyers. State Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol, expressed concerns
that the program does not address the affordability crisis in the state.
“Regarding this program, I have my reservations regarding it
in particular,” Martin said. “It is a program that helps people own their
homes. However, I don’t see how it helps us in making Connecticut affordable.
We have a lack of supply in the state of Connecticut and obviously we have more
buyers out there than we have homes on the market. We have a pent-up demand
that goes back to 2008. It’s going to take us a while – a long time – to
catch up to the demand. I see this program as a contributing factor to that
demand in particular.”
Martin also said that he fears that the program will lead to
the kind of moral hazard that contributed to the housing crash and Great
Recession in 2008, because homeowners aren’t putting in their own earned money
to purchase the homes.
State Comptroller Sean Scanlon disagreed with the senator,
and read from a letter he received from a state resident who was hoping the
program would be funded.
“‘I’m a 25 year old first-time home buyer living in Windsor
with my spouse, and our six-month old son,’” the letter said. “‘In early
August, we found a charming house in Windsor that fell within a high
opportunity zone qualifying for this program. This loan made homeownership
financially feasible, comparable to the steadily rising rent in our area which,
like many, has been affected by inflation and stagnant wages.’”
Scanlon also discussed Martin’s point about homeowners not
putting in their own money, referencing the young family in the letter.
“I won’t disclose how much he said, but they were putting a
lot of money into this, and I think a lot of individuals that benefit from this
amazing program are in that category where this is the final leg that gets them
over the hurdle that they have been facing that made homeownership not possible
for them.”
The bonding measure passed, with Martin registering the only
“no” vote. So far, the program has been used to purchase 4,800 homes across 140
towns and cities in the state, according to Housing Commissioner Seila
Mosquera-Bruno. Half of those who have purchased homes are minorities.
Asked who would be happy with the bond funding passed today
in a news conference after the meeting, Lamont said he hoped the whole state
would be pleased.
“Honestly, what you see in terms of us putting up our share
of transportation, what that’s gonna mean in terms of safety, what that’s gonna
mean in terms of speeding up here to be at home, what that’s gonna mean in
terms of getting some cars off the road, what that’s gonna mean in terms of
fixing up those flooded areas like the Waterbury rail line,” he said. “You
know, I care deeply about housing and housing affordability and providing
affordable housing funding for thousands of new additional units that are more
affordable for people. Workforce housing to bring our cities back to life.”
State Bond Commission approves funding for Gold Star Bridge, local projects
Kimberly Drelich
The State Bond Commission on Tuesday approved funding for
the rehabilitation of the northbound span of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge,
planning for upgraded senior housing and a new substance abuse recovery center
in New London among other local projects, state legislators announced.
Gold Star Bridge
The Bond Commission approved nearly $36 million for the
northbound Gold Star Bridge renovation, which represents the state’s matching
funds for the current phase of the work, which includes testing, replacing,
repairing and reinforcing steel under the bridge, said state Rep. Christine
Conley, D-Groton. As each step of the construction proceeds, the state will
appropriate the matching funds.
The state Department of Transportation said this spring that
the $591 million construction project, which includes steel and concrete
repairs, the replacement of the bridge deck and bearings, painting, new lights,
railing and fencing, will be undertaken with 90% federal funds and 10% state
matching funds.
State Rep. Aundré Bumgardner, D-Groton, said in a statement
that the funding will be used to “strengthen the Gold Star Bridge and ensure it
remains safe for the thousands of motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians that
rely on it every day.”
Conley in a statement that the bridge, which sees more than
60,000 vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians cross daily, “is an essential part
of our community, and this support will provide everyone the assurance that the
bridge is safer and stronger.”
New London projects
The commission awarded New London $250,000 for planning
related to the redevelopment of the Gordon Court senior housing units overseen
by the city’s Housing Authority.
The authority is planning a $65 million project that calls for demolishing the
three 60-year-old state-overseen housing complexes it operates – Gordon Court,
the George Washington Carver Apartments on Colman Street and Riozzi Court – and
replacing them with single buildings.
The Gordon Court phase of the project would replace 38
existing units, most divided into four-apartment buildings, with a single,
three-story structure containing 74 apartments and a community room.
The New London-based Southeastern Council on Alcoholism
& Drug Dependence was awarded $250,000 for the planning of a new recovery center on Coit and Reed streets.
“By supporting our most vulnerable through funding for
senior housing and services for those recovering from addiction, all residents
of New London will see major benefits that will uplift our community,” state
Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, said in a statement.
Just over $1.2 million will go to the Day Devco LLC, a
subsidiary of the Maine-based High Tide Capital development company, to help
refurbish The Day building at 47 Eugene O’Neill Drive.
High Tide purchased the 117-year-old newspaper building in
January for $1.875 million. The state money will help pay for façade and window
repairs, energy system upgrades and roof replacement work ahead of the
building’s proposed transformation into a residential and commercial complex.
Mystic Aquarium
The commission also approved $500,000 to replace a chiller
at Mystic Aquarium. Bumgardner said in a statement that the chiller is
“essential for the care of marine animals like the iconic beluga whales,” and
ensures the aquarium “can continue its vital work in conservation and marine
education while supporting the local economy.”
Norwich
For Norwich, the bond commission approved the Community
Investment Fund grants awarded to the city in September, $7.8 million to clean
up the dilapidated former Capehart Mill in Greeneville and $4.5 million to
continue waterfront improvements at the Howard T. Brown Memorial Park and the
marina property.
Mayor Peter Nystrom thanked the city government and the
Norwich Community Development Corp. staff who worked on the city’s successful
application for the CIF program and local state legislators for supporting the
applications. This past summer the city purchased the long-vacant, blighted
Marina Towers office building at the marina entrance. Part of the waterfront
grant will cover an engineering assessment and partial demolition of the Marina
Towers.
“Marina Towers. We took possession of that a couple months
ago, and we already have the money to deal with it,” Nystrom said Tuesday.
“That doesn’t happen if it wasn’t for the CIF program and the people in the
city working hard on the application. We all worked as one team.”
Waterford and Montville projects
State Sen. Martha Marx, D-New London, announced that the
commission approved $7 million toward an improvement project at Seaside State
Park in Waterford, which initially was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Marx said in a statement that the funds approved by the
commission “will support important local projects, ranging from improved public
safety in Waterford and important downtown redevelopment in New London, as well
as updated work in Seaside State Park and final approval of several key local
projects.”
She said the commission also approved $500,000 for an
upgraded public safety radio system in Waterford and $250,000 to plan upgrades
for Route 32 in Montville.
State Rep. Kathleen McCarty, R-Waterford, said in a
statement that the Waterford project will allow the town to join the State of
Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network. She said that will align Waterford’s
“emergency services communications equipment with surrounding towns and
departments to create an even wider safety net for our community and the
residents of the Southeastern part of the state.”
Saugatuck River bridge rehabilitation in Westport planned for summer 2025
WESTPORT — More maintenance work is expected to start next
summer on the Saugatuck
River Railroad Bridge, with construction mainly planned for overnight.
The project's goals are to replace the access ladders,
platforms and guy wires on two catenary high towers at the Saugatuck River
Railroad Bridge, which carries the Metro North railroad over
the river.
The state Department of Transportation is in charge of
the project, since the state owns the bridge. This bridge runs parallel to
another one, which carries Interstate 95 over the river.
The project aims to replace four access ladders — with one
on each leg of the towers — a mid-level platform, an upper-level platform and
an upper truss platform; restore safe access to wires and cables on the high
towers by replacing ladders and adding grating to mid-level platforms and
the upper truss; increase safety for workers by adding a fall protection system
to the latter and railings around the mid-level platforms and upper truss; and
improve stability of the towers by adding guy wires and replacing the existing,
frayed wires that span the river.
The railings and grating will be constructed of
fiberglass-reinforced plastic, which weighs less than steel and is
corrosion-resistant, project manager Everett Milam said at a virtual
meeting about the bridge on Monday.
Other track construction and the close proximity to
high-voltage lines adds to the project time, Milam said. It is also north of
the Norwalk Walk Bridge project, which could change the schedule.
The Saugatuck bridge project is expected to start summer
2025, lasting about 12 months and costing between $5 million and $7.5 million,
with all of that being state funded.
The towers are about 750 feet apart, and 234 feet tall, and
were constructed in 1912, and an overbuilt was added in 1994 to support
Eversource wires.
The ladders, which are the only safe ways to climb the
bridge towers, are rusted and warped.
"In its current condition, the ladder is absolutely not
safe to climb," said structural engineer Charles Wilson.
One spot on the ladder is so deteriorated that there is a
section missing, he added.
New steel ladders will be added with a cable system to catch
climbers in case of a fall, Wilson said. Connections to each tower leg will
also be repaired or replaced.
The mid-level platform is used to give climbers a resting
spot halfway up the tower. However, the original wood planking is deteriorated
or non-existent and not safe to stand on. It also lacks a railing, Wilson said,
which doesn't comply with today's safety standards, and needs new
supports.
The platform will be restored, with repaired or replaced
supporting structures, new rivets and bolts, fiberglass-reinforced plastic
grating instead of the original wood deck and an fiberglass railing
added.
The upper-level platform — the main access point to get to
the truss where the wires are supported — also has original wood and needs new
supports, which are deteriorating or missing, without a railing, and is not
safe to stand on.
Supporting structures will also be repaired or replaced
here, with new rivets and bolts, new grating and an addition of a
railing.
The upper-truss platform, which crosses the tracks at the
top of the tower, has the same issues with original wood, lacks a railing and
needs new supports. Access is required here for catenary wire repairs.
The same work as the upper-level platform will be performed
for the upper-truss platform.
The existing guy wires, which span the river, will be
replaced. New guy wires will be added to the land side of the towers to improve
stability, alleviate overturning movements and improve the safety factor
against overturning.
There are not any expected environmental impacts within this
project, Milam said.
For safety purposes, scaffolding will be placed overtop a
walkway that accesses the train station during construction, Milam added. Much
of the work will be overnight, so the DOT doesn't expect an adverse effect to
the community.
Another project for the bridge is planned for fall 2025,
which aims to rehabilitate its mechanical and electrical systems.
$6M state grant to clear New Britain DPW yard for mixed-use, transit-oriented development
New Britain officials are trumpeting a newly approved $6
million state grant that will be used to demolish buildings at its former
Department of Public Works yard on Harvard Street and prepare the 3.1-acre site
for redevelopment.
Officials hope to see the former DPW yard at 55 and 70
Harvard St., which sits near a CTfastrak bus stop, become a mix of multifamily
housing and other uses that will take advantage of this mass-transit option.
“I am thrilled that we could secure funding for the critical
first phase of a long-needed project that will completely transform the area
surrounding our East Main Street CTfastrak station,” New Britain Mayor Erin
Stewart said in a statement released Tuesday. “The residents on the East Side
of New Britain deserve this, and I am grateful that we could secure creative
funding sources in order to avoid increasing the financial burden on our local
taxpayers.”
The state Bond Commission on Tuesday signed off on the $6
million grant. The request was initially endorsed by the state’s Community
Investment Fund board in September.
The Bond
Commission also signed off on a larger $1.3 billion package of general
obligation and revenue bonds supporting dozens of projects across the state, from
$17.4 million to fund Department of Economic and Community Development programs
to $2 million to support affordable housing development in West Hartford.
New Britain officials have tentatively picked The Day
Brothers to pursue a mixed-use development on the former DPW site. The plan is
modeled after a project the Massachusetts-based development group is pursuing
in Westbrook, Maine.
There, the firm is working on a transformation of a
city-owned lot into a 400-space parking garage, 50 affordable apartments and a
roughly 52,000-square-foot, seven-story hydroponic farm. The parking garage was
recently finished, and the “vertical farm” is expected to be completed early
next year.
The roughly $55 million greenhouse construction in the Maine
project is being funded and managed by Vertical Harvest Farms, a partner
recruited for the development. The apartment portion of the project has
not yet launched.
The Westbrook indoor farm is expected to produce about 2
million pounds of produce annually, according to Carla Tracy, a spokesperson
for Vertical Harvest Farms. Tracy said Vertical Harvest has not been recruited
for the New Britain project.
The Day Brothers did not respond to requests for comment.
Jack Benjamin, New Britain’s director of planning and
development, said the city has spoken with The Day Brothers about a potential
project somewhere in the city for more than a year. While the Massachusetts
company has been selected as the “preferred developer” for the Harvard Street
sites, the city has the option to move forward with another partner, Benjamin
said.
For now, Benjamin said, officials are focused on arranging a
cleanup of the former DPW site and preparing it for redevelopment. The yard
currently hosts a 1,392-square-foot car wash building and fuel island;
11,342-square-foot service building; and a 15,311-square-foot office and garage
building.
New Britain’s effort to prepare the site for redevelopment
will also involve a realignment of East Main Street.
Benjamin said the city will likely seek additional state and
federal grant dollars to help cover the realignment cost and provide gap
financing for the redevelopment.
“I expect that we’ll be able to execute a great
transit-oriented project on that site,” Benjamin said.
CT to give millions to Torrington-area projects to renovate theaters, build affordable housing, more
Four local agencies are set to receive money from the State
Bond Commission, which met Tuesday to approve a lengthy list of requests
ranging from a designs for a new library, to supporting ongoing renovations and
restoration of the Thomaston
Opera House and renovations to the Warner Theatre.
Funding allocations and bond authorizations were approved
Oct. 22, according to a statement from the commission.
From the Department of Economic and Community Development's
Community Investment Fund, Torrington's Warner
Theatre is receiving $1.5 million for renovations and improvements to
the Art Deco building on Main Street. The money will be used to improve
the stage-level dressing rooms and the back of the house, to make it more
appealing to national acts, according to theater administrators.
The plan is to renovate the Warner's historic building,
lobby, and stage, including the HVAC and electrical systems, and to fix
accessibility issues, according to theater co-executive director Stephanie
Fried said. The theater will also modernize its sound, lighting, lighting
control, security and smoke alarm systems.
The Thomason Opera House is receiving $2 million from the
Community Investment Fund to support its continuing renovation and restoration
of the historic building. The phased
renovation project began in early 2024, and is a collaboration between
the town, Thomaston Opera House Commission, Friends of the Thomaston Opera
House and Landmark Community Theatre.
According to the theater's executive director, Jeff Dunn,
the project includes a new freight elevator, sized and positioned to allow
larger scenery for productions, and handicap access to the stage, as well as
renovated dressing rooms, a wardrobe room, green room areas, and bathrooms with
showers. Structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing improvements as well
as fire protection and compliance are also part of the first phase. It will
also include "the appropriate repairs and restoration of all the historic
finishes in the auditorium," Dunn said. In September, restoration
experts were removing layers of paint from the theater's ceiling, revealing the
original painted designs.
The Winsted Health Center is receiving $1.6
million to repurpose portions of the Spencer Street building to
include affordable housing and a job service center for veterans, as well as an
"advanced makerspace project," according to a statement from the bond
commission.
According to executive director Kris Griffin, the center's
existing infrastructure will be changed into an affordable housing and
workforce development hub that will provide vocational training in high demand
manufacturing job skills and support for entrepreneurial endeavors. The center
will also aim to provide underserved community members — especially
veterans, transitioning active-duty personnel and reservists — with
industry-relevant manufacturing and entrepreneurial skills by offering customized
in-class workshops and hands-on training in manufacturing in Connecticut’s
aerospace, defense, medical, and automation industries, Griffin said.
The project is also expected to receive a $1 million federal
grant, according to U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal's office.
From the Connecticut State Library's board's grants-in-aid
fund to public libraries for construction, renovations, expansions, energy
conservation and handicapped accessibility, the Kent Memorial Library is
receiving $5 million to build and expand the agency's existing building on Main
Street into an adjacent, abandoned firehouse.
Middletown officials urge voters to understand $59 million bond questions before Election Day
MIDDLETOWN — Middletown officials are stressing the
importance of being an informed citizen when considering who they want to see
in office as well as their
opinion on three referendum questions on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Voters will consider whether Connecticut should amend its
constitution to permit anyone to vote by absentee ballot, whether to renovate
and expand
100-year-old Macdonough Elementary School, and whether
to construct a new emergency operations center.
The North End school is in “significant” need of upgrades,
Mayor Ben Florsheim has said.
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Some 68 percent of the cost would be reimbursable by the
state, which is important to note, Common Council President Gene Nocera
has said.
Building a state-of-the-art facility has been a
“longstanding priority” for the city and school district, he also said.
Central Communications is the 911 service provider for
Middletown and Portland. The anticipated project is a rebuild of the one-room
public safety office at the Cross Street firehouse.
If approved, the center would move to the emergency
operations facility at 499 Mile Lane and co-located with the old U.S. Army
Reserve Center.
With continual advancements in technology, which require a
great deal of space, and the volume of emergency calls on the rise, Director
Wayne Bartolotta has said the city requires a larger, dedicated space to
operate effectively.
Three questions will be on the ballot:
Shall the $10 million appropriation and bond authorization
for the planning, design, construction, and equipping of a new public safety
911 center be approved?
Shall the $48.9 million appropriation and bond authorization
for the renovation and extension of the Macdonough Elementary School be
approved?
Shall the Constitution of the state be amended to permit the
General Assembly to allow each voter to vote by absentee ballot?
"There are questions that people need to understand
that are going to have an impact on the long-term prosperity and future of our
community,” Florsheim said during a news conference Friday at City Hall.
Common Council President Gene Nocera spoke about the
timing of the bond requests.
"The council was very concerned about bringing this
forward at this time because of the economics we face in Connecticut,” he
explained. “We also realized these are extremely important, and to put them off
any further really wouldn't be a prudent thing to do.”
Nocera stressed the importance of casting an informed
vote. Many people are "misinformed about the purpose, the goals, and
the necessity. It's important to seek out information," the council
president added.
The mayor has had several conversations with voters on the
topic, he said.
"One of the challenges with, especially these questions
in past elections, if people don't know (who is) on the ballot, they'll
walk into the polling place, see it for the first time when they're standing in
front of these booths, feel like they've got to fill out their ballot and move
on — either not vote on it or make an uninformed decision that later they
second guess," Florsheim said.
Early
voting is a chance for people to examine the ballot and take their
time deciding whom to vote for as well as if they approve or disapprove of the
referendum questions, the mayor said.
Because early voting runs through Nov. 3, people have the
opportunity to return another day after doing their research, Florsheim said.
Also Friday, the mayor and others watched the annual
naturalization ceremony at the Middletown Elks Club, during which 50
individuals became U.S. citizens. The registrars were at the event providing an
opportunity for any of them to register to vote, he said.
"Last
year, we had 68 new citizens and every single one of them left having
registered to vote," Florsheim said.
Every one, he said, understood the importance of voting that
"natural-born citizens, like myself, don't necessarily have for the
responsibility that comes with the privilege of being a citizen."
“Voting is not the only part of civic engagement, but it is
the fundamental basis for our democracy,” the mayor added.
Explanatory text can be found in the town clerk's office at
City Hall during early voting or by emailing Town Clerk Ashley Flynn-Natale at
ashley.flynn-natale@middletownct.gov. It will also be at all the polling places
on Election Day.
To view a Middletown sample ballot, visit bit.ly/3UhJq0B. Local election
information can be found at middletownct.gov.