Construction of $150M Coast Guard museum set to begin next month as donations rise
John Penney
New London — Just before the U.S. Coast Guard Academy
graduation ceremony began on an overcast and chilly morning last month, the
hundreds of guests waiting on bleachers were entertained with photos and videos
displayed on a giant screen facing Cadet Memorial Field.
One of those recordings was a slickly produced clip
featuring a host of local, state and federal officials enthusing over the
prospect of a new National Coast Guard Museum opening next year in downtown New
London.
And appearances to the contrary, that timeline is correct,
Wes Pulver, president of the museum association overseeing the $150 million
project, said Tuesday as he walked the site of the future 89,000-square-foot,
six-story building.
“We’ve had some delays, but I’m not stressed about it,”
Pulver said walking past an excavator that minutes before was scraping mounds
of stone from property between Union Station and the Thames River. “It’s our
obligation to not cut corners.”
"Steel in the ground"
Pulver, a retired Coast Guard captain, said crews this week
will begin laying down rebar steel ahead of adding concrete construction pads
that will serve as the museum’s foundation.
“We’ll be done with that in June and then steel goes into
the ground in July,” he said.
That anticipated framing, expected to last for several
months, was delayed after prep work that began earlier this year found a host
of underground issues that didn’t show up on easement maps and other survey
documents.
Those issues included utility pipes, sewage lines and
electrical components that needed shifting, and the decision to install
underground “vaults” at various locations to allow for safer cable and pipe
access. Pulver said project construction manager, the North Stonington-based AZ
Corp, worked with city officials and representatives of Eversource, Amtrak,
Cross Sound Ferry and other stakeholders to identify work-arounds.
“Adding the vaults, which we consider a long-term
investment, will cost more, but doing most of the other work was just a matter
of re-sequencing the order of the work that was going to happen anyway,” Pulver
said. He said ensuring an on-site pedestrian walkway that doubles as an
emergency vehicle road was also a priority.
The Coast Guard Museum Association’s Board of Directors a
year ago approved allotting $40 million for the installation of concrete mats,
consisting of rods drilled into the bedrock 10 feet deep, to provide the
stability needed to support the building. A portion of City Pier was
dismantled, and a bulkhead wall added to create land where there was once
water, essentially ensuring the museum had enough property to rest on.
Construction bid events held last year attracted dozens of
prospective contractors hoping to be awarded jobs related to the concrete
foundation, skeletal steel and flooring, as well as the exterior metal panels,
glass curtain wall and roofing. Bids were also awarded for elevators — pits are
already dug for the conveyances, both freight and passenger — fireproofing,
plumbing and electrical work.
The Coast Guard remains the only branch of the armed
services without a national museum and several of the facility's completed
floors, or “decks,” each will be dedicated to a specific Coast Guard theme,
including safety, security and stewardship.
A Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk, the helicopter used by the Coast
Guard for search and rescue operations, will be displayed in the museum’s
atrium, while a top-level deck will feature a memorial terrace, simulation
center and event space. The Eagle, a training vessel for cadets at the Coast
Guard Academy, is expected to be a main feature of the museum and will be
docked at nearby City Pier when the ship is in New London.
Federal funding, donations and lenders
Those kinds of bells and whistles come with a steep price
tag, but it's one Pulver said his group is well on its way to covering.
The project’s estimated $150 million cost ― about 70% of
which will go to construction costs ― will be paid for through a private/public
partnership that includes $50 million in federal funding. Another $52 million —
$2 million more than initially hoped for — was raised by private donors with
about 6,500 people chipping in, said Patti Fazio, the association's director of
marketing and communications.
"In our Alexander Hamilton Circle of donors, which is
$2.5 million and above, we have two: the J.D. Power Family and the Coast Guard
Foundation," Fazio said Thursday.
“But we need more," Pulver said.
Pulver said the association has identified a “trusted
lender” willing to close a funding gap that could range as high as $48 million.
“We’re going to continue fundraising and hope to raise
between $10 million and $15 million more,” he said. "The more we raise,
the less we'd need to borrow."
Pulver said he's looking to wait until the framing work
begins before entering into a formal lending agreement. If money is borrowed,
the association expects to enter a lease agreement with the Coast Guard instead
of immediately gifting the museum to the branch as initially planned.
Revenue from the museum — and lease payments — would
be used to pay off any loan before keys are formally handed over to the Coast
Guard.
Another major portion of the work includes the construction
of a pedestrian bridge planned to run from the third level of the five-story
Water Street parking garage, crossing over Water Street to allow access to the
ferry terminal, the museum and train platforms.
The state has pledged $20 million for construction of the
400-foot pedestrian bridge, which is not part of the $150 million main museum
project cost. Bridge construction bids are due June 30. The garage is also
expected to undergo an expansion that will add 400 spaces to the 910-space
structure's upper three levels.
“For years, everyone’s been hearing the building will be
built next year,” Pulver said. “I’m confident we’ll be turning a museum over to
the Coast Guard next year, whether that’s through a lease or handing them the
keys.”
The museum's opening has been a hotly-anticipated goal for
city officials, tourism boosters and local businesses hoping to capitalize on
the hundreds of thousands of visitors — and their disposable
income — predicted to pass through the building's glass doors. As
recently as the City Council's June 2 meeting, the topic of the museum was
raised as part of a larger downtown parking discussion.
Mayor Michael Passero, who frequently touts the museum as
one piece of a larger downtown renaissance, said his administration is making a
concerted push to fill vacant downtown buildings ahead of the facility's grand
opening — and the crowds of visitors expected to flock to the city.
"If anything, there's now a feeling things are
imminent," Passero said.
Stamford's Westhill, Roxbury school projects get extra funding from CT after costs ballooned
STAMFORD — The projects to rebuild both Westhill
High School and Roxbury
Elementary School cleared a major obstacle last week after the state
General Assembly reauthorized both with larger budgets.
The authorization, which was included in the state bond act
that passed on Wednesday, sets the the maximum state grant reimbursement at
$356.8 million for Westhill and $78 million for Roxbury, according to a
press release from the office of Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons. The
new Westhill will replace the current high school — the largest in the
city — while the Roxbury project will transform the elementary school into a
building that serves students from kindergarten to eighth grade.
“This critical state funding is a transformational
investment in our ongoing commitment to ensuring all Stamford students,
teachers, and staff can learn, work, and thrive in modern, safe facilities,”
Simmons said, in the release.
The mayor credited state Sen. Patricia Billie Miller,
D-Stamford, for advocating for the extra funding.
"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to
reimagine and rebuild our school infrastructure in a way that meets the needs
of today’s students and the Stamford school community for decades to come, and
we are excited to continue to move these important projects forward,"
Simmons said.
The plan to rebuild the city's largest high school had
previously received
state approval in 2022 for an 80% reimbursement rate for eligible
costs, meaning the city would be on the hook for the rest. The estimated budget
at the time, however, was $301 million.
That amount ballooned to $461 million by 2024, mostly due to
inflation.
The most recent estimate for the work — which would tear
down the 1971 building and construct a brand new building — is
$446 million. The budget was decreased by $15 million due to the size of
the project being reduced by roughly 10,000 gross square feet, among other
adjustments.
Because of the increased budget, local officials needed to
go back to the state for it to be re-approved at the 80%
reimbursement rate.
The same was true of the Roxbury project, which
was granted a 60% reimbursement rate.
That project was seemingly at
risk of not moving forward in late 2024, when the Board of Finance
voted against the approval of an owner's representative and an architect for
the work due to concerns about approving more school building money with the
Westhill budget ballooning.
However, the city's director of legal affairs wrote at the
time that city leaders did not need the approval of either the Board of Finance
or the Board of Representatives to enter into an agreement with either an
owner's representative or an architect to complete a schematic design for the
project.
The next step for each project will be seeking approval from
local boards for the reauthorized amounts.
If Westhill's budget is approved, it would go out to
bid — likely between November and January of 2026 — at which point the
city will receive a "guaranteed maximum price," which will need to be
approved by both the Board of Finance and Board of Representatives.
Matt Quinones, Stamford's director of operations, said
the two projects are slated to begin in 2026. Westhill will be first, likely
kicking off in the spring, with the Roxbury project getting underway in the
summer.
Branford Main Street construction delayed; events moved off the green will stay in new venues
BRANFORD — Merchants and residents who dreaded the major
road construction on Main Street set for this summer will get a temporary
reprieve, say town officials.
The town is holding off digging
up Main Street and the town green until the fall, due to a glitch in
the bidding process, officials said. The new timeline would mean that the
disruption could continue through the summer of 2026.
All the events, which were moved off the green in
anticipation of the work, won’t be able to reclaim the town green this season.
Instead, they will remain at the new assigned venues.
The change of venue won’t hurt the Parks
& Recreation Department’s music concert series and events, said Dale
Izzo, head of the department.
These have been moved to the grassy area in back of town
hall, where there is a “natural amphitheater.” The town’s “showmobile” a
portable stage has been moved there for live performances.
Parks and Recreation officials say the new locations might
end up being a boon for some events.
The planned $13 million downtown and $1 million town green
revitalization projects are delayed due to some bidders not responding to the
town’s addendums to the plan, said First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove.
“In consultation with our town attorney, we may feel it's
best to re-bid, but we're waiting for that,” he said, noting that it will keep
the process “cleaner.”
This sends the project back to the town, state Department of
Transportation and South Central Regional Council of Governments for new
approvals. The town will start the bidding process from scratch, Cosgrove
said.
Even if that process is completed sometime during the summer
months, Cosgrove said he doesn’t want the work to disrupt two summers downtown.
“So, we may start in the fall, and then this would only
impact one summer. We don't want to start mid-summer and then go into the
following summer,” he said.
On the town side, Cosgrove said he doesn’t expect it to be a
very lengthy process, but he didn’t want to predict how long it would take to
get new approvals from SCROG and the state Department of Transportation.
The town sent five questions regarding material costs per
unit and disposal of materials, among other issues. The lowest bidder did not
respond, Cosgrove said.
This makes the process messy as every contractor must be
able to see the same information, he said. So, if a contractor asks the town
engineer a question, the official must send the answer or clarification to all
bidders and they must all show they received the information, Cosgrove
explained.
The roadwork and green project are very necessary, said
Cosgrove. The last rebuild of Main Street was done more than 30 years ago and
the road has been chewed up by utility work in the last couple of years, in
addition to flooding and wear and tear.
Cosgrove also noted that layers of the roadway were built
over the old trolley tracks, which are poking up through asphalt in
places.
The TGIF concerts have successfully taken place there in
May, when events weren’t rained out, Izzo noted.
Izzo said she thinks patrons will enjoy listening to the
jazz concerts on that part of the green.
“It just kind of gets people to explore more parts of the
green,” she said.
The Parks & Rec department got try out the new location
when they held the first TGIF concert in May, which was well attended, Izzo
said.
Popular music series, such as The Branford Jazz Concert Series on the Green,
will be held nine Thursdays starting in August. Musical Mondays starts in July,
featuring live bands.
Way Back Wednesdays, when visitors park their classic and
vintage cars for others to view, while a D.J. plays oldies, will be held at
Parker Memorial Park at Branford Point during July.
“And the commission was excited to host it there to kind of
showcase that park and kind of spread it around,” Izzo said about using
Branford Point.
The Branford
Fest will take place Father’s Day weekend, June 13-15, at Hammer Field
at 30 Church St.
Deteriorating Route 8 bridge connecting Derby and Shelton in Connecticut is receiving repairs
Alyshia Hercules
A section of Route 8 in Connecticut is
currently under repair.
Crews are making improvements to the the Commodore Hull
Bridge, which connects Shelton and Derby over the Housatonic River.
State inspectors say they found that some parts of the
bridge are beginning to deteriorate.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation's Director of
Communications Josh Morgan said Wednesday that inspectors were looking at the
bridge, in preparation for a future project, when they noticed concerning
issues with its structure.
Morgan noted that the deterioration was observed on the
gusset plates under the bridge.
“Pieces of plate material that are holding some of the
support structure together, which is overall a component of the bridge, which
is supporting the weight of the bridge, plus all the vehicles, which are
traveling in the bridge,” said
Morgan.
He thinks the construction could cause long lines on the bridge.
“Summer is when most people have their travel plans, so on top of just the typical work commute and what not, there going to be a lot more people on the road. Especially with holiday weekends, Fourth of July, so, hopefully, they wrap it up quick,” said Witkowski.
Morgan said the construction project officially began on
Tuesday.
Chris Masulli says while traffic will be difficult to manage, he’s thankful CTDOT is being proactive with the repair project.
“People are going to be mad about the extended commute, but at the same time, it’s good that they’re keeping up with things and keeping things maintained properly," said Masulli.
Morgan said it’s too soon to give a timeframe as to when the
work will be finished, but CTDOT officials expect construction to continue at
least through this month.