Old Lyme Sewer Projects Faces Uncertainty as Miami Beach Bids Come in Higher Than Expected
Francisco Uranga
OLD LYME — The Miami Beach Association opened bids on
Tuesday for a sewer system, but higher-than-expected costs have cast doubts on
the project’s future.
The minimum bid for internal work was $13.6 million — 62%
more expensive than the $8.4 million estimated by the consulting firm Fuss
& O’Neill, according to data
shared by Steve Cinami, chair of the Old Lyme Water and Pollution
Control Authority.
These bids do not include alternatives like a helical pile
support system and different paving options.
The Miami Beach bid opening was eagerly awaited by Old
Lyme officials and residents of the affected area because it was
considered key to determining the viability of the project, which includes the
Sound View and Area B neighborhoods, as well as two other beach associations —
Old Colony and Old Lyme Shores.
Miami Beach had put the project out to bid
earlier this year but received no responses then.
The project is the result of a request from the state
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to replace septic systems in
the area, which it considers an environmental problem. Some area residents
oppose it due to the cost they would have to bear, and because they believe
DEEP relies on outdated pollution data and alternative solutions were not
sufficiently explored.
According to Fuss & O’Neill’s calculations shared by
Cinami, the cost per equivalent dwelling unit in Miami Beach was about $51,580,
about $20,000 higher than the estimated cost for Sound View and Area B
residents. With this week’s bids, these costs would be even higher.
The Board of Selectmen debated in early August the
possibility of calling a second referendum to increase the sewer budget in
Sound View and Area B from $9.5 million to $17.1 million, but the decision was
put on hold pending the Miami Beach bid results.
The Old Lyme WPCA chair told the selectmen that if any of
the four parties opted out, the project could not be carried out with the
proposed budget.
The bids were opened at the offices of Fuss & O’Neill in
Hartford at 1 p.m., with bidders, vendors and DEEP staff present, but without
members of the Miami Beach Association or other private associations. Cinami
also wasn’t present. Dennis Melluzzo and Mary Daley, members of the Old Lyme
WPCA and Sound View residents who oppose the project, attended the meeting.
Fuss & O’Neill staff will now review the bids received
to determine if there are any mathematical errors and recommend the most
suitable option. Balzac Contractors submitted the lowest bid, followed by
Colonna Concrete and Asphalt Paving, Genovese Construction and C.J. Fucci
Construction.
Scott Boulanger, Miami Beach Association WPCA chairman, did
not respond to requests for comment.
Cinami said he did not know whether the bids were above or
below the amount authorized by Miami Beach for the project, but clarified that
this would not affect Sound View or Area B residents.
“My numbers don’t change one bit if they don’t go ahead with
the project, which I don’t know why they wouldn’t,” Cinami said. “I know that
they were higher than last time, that’s based on inflation.”
Cinami has repeatedly defended the project on several
occasions, arguing that the town must address it or risk DEEP imposing a
consent order, which would require sewers to be built in a less flexible manner
than under the current administrative order.
If it is not completed, he warned, the town could lose
DEEP’s financial support. Currently, DEEP has committed to paying
50% of the project’s cost with a grant and a forgivable loan through
the Clean Water Fund.
DEEP spokesman James Fowler said it was premature to comment
on the specifics of the Miami Beach bids, potential affordability impacts or
next steps.
“The bids include multiple components that are still being
reviewed and tabulated and the community will need to evaluate its options once
that analysis is complete,” Fowler wrote to CT Examiner. “Until that work is
done, we cannot provide further comment.”
The sewer project still faces potential setbacks, even if
the Miami Beach Association decides to move forward. The bidding process for
Old Lyme Shores must finish before Oct. 15 to avoid bids for Sound View and
Area B expiring — a delay that could drive costs even higher.
Meanwhile, Old Lyme residents may vote on a budget increase
for Sound View and Area B on Sept. 9, with the Board of Selectmen and the Board
of Finance expected to approve the referendum by the end of August.
An informational session for residents is scheduled for
Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School auditorium.
Controversial Stonington viaduct plan 'off the table'
Carie Czerwinski
Stonington — After meeting Tuesday with the state Department
of Transportation, town and borough officials said the most recent plan for the
Alpha Avenue viaduct is off the table, though future property impacts are yet
to be determined.
“I would say we had a brief but productive call,” said First
Selectman Danielle Chesebrough on Tuesday after the remote meeting.
The meeting came after a public
outcry over the DOT's plan to take private property in order to replace the
only vehicular access to the borough.
The $48 million plan, which called for shifting the location
of the 85-year-old bridge 12 feet to the west of its current location, blindsided
town leaders and residents last month when potentially impacted property
owners received notice that the DOT's plans had changed and their properties
were now at risk of being taken through eminent domain.
Those properties include a parking lot owned by Dodson’s
Boatyard and historically used for boat storage; JM Electric and Castle Hill
Audio Visual, both of which are housed at the former Zack’s Bar and Grille at
201 N. Main St.; the Stonington Community Center (the COMO) Thrift Store, which
would be demolished; and a piece of residential property at 203 N. Main St.,
including a garage.
“I think everyone is genuinely trying to learn from the
experience and try and do what's going to be best for the community, both in
the short term and the long term,” Chesebrough said, adding that DOT
representatives expressed that they understood the plan to move the bridge was
not “conducive to the community.”
She said that in addition to the in-person comments the DOT
received last month, representatives said they also received 54 written
comments on the plan.
“They felt the gist was people really wanted them to focus
on a repair option,” she said.
Chesebrough explained that the high-level discussion on
Tuesday was intended to keep municipal leaders aware of where the DOT is in its
process, and a mid-October meeting will include alternative options, though
property impacts will likely take longer to understand.
In an Aug. 12 email, the town requested the DOT provide
initial costs, life cycle costs, anticipated life spans, traffic and private
property impacts and construction timelines for both a replacement option and a
repair option.
On Tuesday, Borough Warden Michael Schefers said he and
Chesebrough reinforced the importance of ongoing communication with the public
and noted that the DOT said it would be holding another public engagement
session in the future.
Meetings set on emergency access
In a related issue, Shefers said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney,
D-2nd District, had helped set up a September meeting between, municipal
leaders and representatives, the DOT and Amtrak to begin discussions about
gaining emergency
access to an at-grade crossing on North Water Street.
Stonington Borough Fire Chief Jeff Hoadley had previously
said that restoring emergency access at the crossing would be the best
scenario.
The fire department had access to a key that unlocked a gate
at the crossing until Amtrak installed a heavy-duty iron fence across it
approximately eight years ago, leaving the viaduct as the only means of
vehicular access to and from the borough.
In previous meetings with Amtrak representatives over the
last eight years, Amtrak has refused to consider allowing emergency personnel
to have access to the crossing.
Hoadley had previously said that it was possible to ensure
public safety with one-lane alternating traffic on the viaduct during
construction, but having a second means of egress would be ideal.
“We want our public safety protected. We want that second
means of egress if there’s a hurricane or there is a traffic event on the
bridge. We want to get out,” Schefers said.
Chesebrough said the September meeting was likely just the
first of multiple meetings on the issue.