Metropolitan District Commission committing $32 million to West Hartford sewer project
WEST HARTFORD — The Metropolitan
District Commission has laid out its plans to invest $32 million
toward rehabilitating and improving aging and failing sewer lines throughout
town.
The project, which aims to reduce and eliminate sanitary
sewer overflow as well as reduce sewage and nitrogen released into the
Connecticut River, will get started later this month and will take over two
years to complete.
Jason Waterbury, a project engineer with MDC, outlined the
plans at Tuesday's Community Planning and Economic Development committee
meeting.
"We’re lining over 100,000 feet of pipe, but we’re also
going to be inspecting and then rehabilitating up to 2,400 private
properties," Waterbury said about the scope of the project.
In West Hartford, aging sewer pipes on private
properties remain in place, with Waterbury saying some that were installed
in the 1930s still exist. These clay pipes can cause problems with their
own sewer network when they fail.
"Not only is the customer going to see us doing work on
the mainline sewer, but then depending on the condition of the lateral (pipe)
... they will have the opportunity to have their connection from the house to
the main line too," Waterbury said. "And that’s at no cost to
the customer. In most cases it’s a win-win for everyone. We get water out of
our system and the homeowner gets a brand-new (pipe)."
Waterbury said that MDC will be communicating to all
residents whose private property will be surveyed for potential sewer linings
or replacements as they work through sections of the town. MDC will need
permission from property owners to work on anything that isn't in the right of
way.
"We’re going to be impacting such a large portion of
the town and for an extended duration," Waterbury said. "It also
represents a very large investment the district is making ... with
construction costs over $30 million. It’s one of our larger sewer lining
projects that we’ve had in recent years."
The expected end date for the complete project is February
2027.
Former West Haven site of Giordano Bros. Monuments to become Yale parking lot
WEST HAVEN — For years, engraved gravestones dotted a city
parcel on Derby Avenue across from the Saint Lawrence Cemetery.
The West Haven Planning and Zoning Commission recently
approved a Yale University application to develop the former Giordano Bros.
Monuments location on 275 Derby Avenue into a 72-space parking lot for
the surrounding
university athletic facilities.
Giordano Bros. Monuments has since relocated to Forbes
Avenue in New Haven and renamed itself Spartan Stone and Monuments.
The company
provided the initial engraving of West Haven's Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
2003.
Yale's application, which covers 275 and 279 Derby Ave., is
intended to provide parking for use of the surrounding Yale athletic facility
complex, which includes the Yale Bowl.
Overflow traffic from the facility in recent years has
parked along the street on Central Avenue in New Haven. Yale planner Jeromy
Powers said the university would not use the parcel to bring additional
activities or athletic uses.
Yale purchased the lot in August 2022 according to public
land records. Powers said the university has used the parcel as a temporary
construction staging area up until this point.
The commission approved a zone change at 275 Derby Ave. in
August, as the former monument business parcel was zoned differently from the
surrounding athletic facility parcels.
Engineer Tim Onderko said the parking lot construction would
include improvements to storm water drainage and retention, as water would
drain across the property and sidewalk under the prior use as a monument shop.
Attorney Joseph Hammer told the commission that the
university has yet to determine whether the parking lot will include electric
vehicle chargers.
Commissioner John Biancur warned the applicants that the
commission approved new regulations around electric vehicle charging stations,
some of which may impact the application.
State Transportation Officials Revisit Plans for Stamford Train Station Parcel
STAMFORD – The old train station garage, which started
falling down almost as soon as it went up 40 years ago, is gone.
Demolition is just about complete, and the site on Station
Place should be clear by Thanksgiving, a state Department of Transportation
spokesman said Tuesday.
The department replaced the long-crumbling garage in
February with a new one that opened a block away on Washington Boulevard.
Now state transportation officials are moving quickly to
fill the state-owned lot on Station Place with something new. The plan sounds a
lot like the one from 10 years ago, when the agency first sought to demolish
the Station Place garage and replace it with something else.
DOT at the time partnered with a private developer to build
a $500 million, 1 million-square-foot complex of residential, retail, office
and hotel space. The project, which DOT officials said would spur development
in Stamford and generate revenue for the agency, never got off the ground.
But DOT is again seeking a partner “to transform a key
transportation hub and foster a … development that supports the continued
revitalization” of downtown, according to a Request for Expressions of Interest
that the DOT issued to developers, spokesman Joe Cooper said. Responses
to the request are due Oct. 4, he said.
Next will come a DOT Request for Qualifications to
interested developers, Cooper said. That will be due by the end of the year.
Finally, the department will issue to developers a Request
for Proposals, which will be due in early spring. DOT will choose a developer
by the end of spring, Cooper said.
Repair and ‘revitalize’
One goal, “to transform a key transportation hub,” includes
multiple projects that would total $182 million to $214 million.
Improve and expand the station
Extend the tunnel level to Station Place
Add a tunnel
Reconstruct Station Place and add a civic plaza
Improve Washington Boulevard and Atlantic, North State and
South State streets to better handle traffic
Improve the bus and shuttle area under Interstate-95
Improve signs and design elements that direct train riders
The other goal, to “foster a development that supports the
continued revitalization” of downtown, spurred intense local opposition when
former Transportation Commissioner James Redeker proposed the idea a decade
ago.
Stamford commuters said Redeker spoke as if DOT were in the
development business, not the transportation business.
Redeker said at the time that the best use for the site of
the now-demolished garage is not a parking lot, and that DOT considered the
Station Place parcel to be the most valuable piece of property in Connecticut.
Building a project there, he said, would “encourage development,” and
generate lucrative fees for the department.
Cooper said Tuesday the requests that the DOT now is issuing
to developers will offer “opportunities for future Transit-Oriented
Development.”
The strategy of TOD is to construct high-density buildings
around public transit stations under the theory that it will reduce the use of
cars.
DOT likes TOD
When DOT opened the new Stamford train station garage in
February, agency officials posted a statement saying they would pursue a TOD
project with developers to “complement investments that the City of Stamford
has been making to improve properties and infrastructure around the station”
and that “is expected to drive further economic and community development for
Stamford and the entire state.”
Jim Cameron, a longtime commuter advocate and columnist, was
a strong critic of the DOT’s plan 10 years ago.
“Clearly somebody at the DOT still has TOD dreams,” Cameron
said Tuesday. “The impression I got back then was that nobody at the DOT was
really smart at making these land deals. But I guess they’re still trying to
sell the Crown Jewels.”
The problem with the previous effort was that DOT officials
publicized few details about their plan, except that the garage would be moved
from Station Place across from the train station to a site a quarter-mile away.
DOT officials told angry commuters that the plan was “proprietary”– protected
from public view – because it involved a private developer.
Members of the administration of then-Mayor David Martin
expressed frustration about DOT’s close-to-the-vest approach, saying they had
many questions about what TOD would add to the heavy traffic congestion around
the train station.
In the Stamford train station master plan the DOT issued in
February, officials appear to acknowledge the congestion.
“The Stamford train station is the busiest passenger rail
station in Connecticut,” the master plan concludes. “However, its heavy usage
alongside spatial constraints posed by neighboring development and railway
infrastructure creates a need for a reimagined, modernized facility.”
The master plan lists 14 projects within a quarter-mile of
the train station that are recently completed, under construction, or approved,
plus one that is proposed.
Station ringed by housing
The projects include 344 housing units at 75 Tresser; 288
units at 111 Harbor Point.; 325 units at Atlantic Station; 325 units at
Atlantic Station West; 107 units at The Key at Yale & Towne; 50 units at
Metro Green Phase II; 131 units at Metro Green Phase III; 900,000 square feet
at Charter Communications world headquarters; 456 units at RBS-Clinton Avenue;
and 406 units proposed for 677-07 Washington Blvd.
The total amounts to just under 2,500 housing units and
nearly 1.4 million square feet of commercial space, according to the master
plan.
It’s not clear from the master plan how TOD at the old
station garage site will affect congestion.
The old garage, which was beset with design flaws and
construction deficiencies from the time construction began in 1984, has been
put out of its misery. It had 727 spaces, but in the end only 200 were in use
because it was crumbling.
A 2004 addition to the old garage, with 1,200 spaces,
remains on Station Place.
The new garage on Washington Boulevard has 914 spaces and a
pedestrian walkway that connects to the Track 5 train platform. The $100
million structure was entirely funded by the state.
The 2004 addition and the new garage together have 600 more
spaces than were available when the old garage was standing. But commuters
report on social media sites that the new garage is often full by 8:30 a.m. on
many weekdays. Some have speculated it’s because the state charges less than
other downtown garages, so a number of people who park in the new garage are
headed for destinations other than the train station.
In fact, fewer people are taking the train from the Stamford
station than before the COVID pandemic changed work habits, said a spokeswoman
for Metro-North Railroad. Between March and August, an average 8,000 passengers
boarded trains each weekday in Stamford, the spokeswoman said.
That’s down from the pre-pandemic ridership, when the yearly
average for a weekday was 11,000 passengers, the spokeswoman said.
Groton task force wants to build new athletic fields to address shortage
Kimberly Drelich
Groton ― A group working to solve what it calls a shortage
of athletic fields here is scheduled to present conceptual plans Thursday that
call for new fields at Robert E. Fitch High School, Sutton Park and the former
Claude Chester School.
The recommendations would upgrade an outdated football field
at the high school and add more fields and amenities for students and the
community to use, according to the task force.
The Athletic Fields Task Force will hold a public input
session on the plans Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Thrive 55+ Active Living Center.
Parks and Recreation Director Mark Berry said the purpose of
the presentation is to share with the public the conceptual plans that the task
force and consultants believe will best meet the needs of the community after
getting feedback from organizations that use the fields.
Berry said public comments will be incorporated into the
next round of plans, which will provide an estimated cost for the proposal. The
next steps would include seeking approval for the work.
Athletic Fields Task Force Chairman Frank Norosky said the
group, under the Parks and Recreation Department, began meeting in 2020 to look
into the shortages of fields in town. After talking with people in the
community, the task force put together a proposal to maximize space issues and
provide the most fields, Norosky said.
The proposed designs, developed by Kent + Frost Landscape
Architecture of Mystic, call for two full-sized multi-use fields, a half field,
amenities, and parking at the former Claude Chester School site; rebuilding the
baseball and softball fields at Sutton Park; renovating Fitch High School’s
football field and track with new amenities and adding a softball field and
multi-use field, among other features at the high school.
There’s been no decision yet about whether some of the
fields would be artificial turf or grass.
The task force had found that the high school’s facilities lag behind
other towns in the area.
Norosky said the task force found that when high school
teams need to leave campus for a practice or game in another part of town, it
can create a problem for students who need to stay after school for academic
help because they risk missing the bus.
According to a
summary of the task force’s findings on the town’s website, the
group also found that the high school football complex has
“significant issues” that need to be remedied such as access to the bleachers
and a lack of restrooms while there is a lack of facilities for girls’ teams.
Proposed improvements to Sutton Park also will help high
school students, who can walk from campus to the adjacent park.
He said overall the plans would provide more opportunities
for students to use fields on campus or within walking distance and also more
opportunities for residents.
In order to bring the plans to fruition, Berry said a final
plan would have to be presented to the Town Council, which would consider
funding options and the scope of work. The community then would decide if the
project moves forward.
West Hartford chooses final plan for center infrastructure update
After years of discussion and revisions, West Hartford has
finalized plans for updating LaSalle Road and Farmington Avenue, two key
streets in its town center.
The final plan was presented this week to the town council’s
Community Planning and Economic Development Committee by Town Manager Rick
Ledwith and Travis Ewen, a senior associate and landscape architect with
Stantec, the Hartford-based engineering consultant hired by the town in 2022 to
develop the plan.
The final plan needs no additional approvals from town
boards or commissions, Ledwith said.
He noted that discussions for the project began in 2021 and
that the town council has since set aside about $10 million in American Rescue
Plan Act (ARPA) funding to cover its costs.
The town intends to put the project out to bid in October,
Ledwith said, due to requirements included with the ARPA funding.
“We do need to have the funds appropriated and contracted by
Dec. 31 of this year, “ he said. “Then we have two more years to expend those
funds. We do need to move quickly to hire a construction manager and
construction company to complete this project.”
The project is expected to be completed in 2026.
The town and Stantec conducted several public outreach
sessions on the project, which redesigns the two streets in the center to
update their infrastructure while also improving safety for vehicles and
pedestrians.
The town had narrowed it down to two proposals. The first
would have changed parking in the center to primarily parallel parking,
significantly reducing the number of on-street spaces, while the second retains
most of the existing “pull-in” parking spaces.
Ledwith told the committee that business owners objected to
the significant loss of street spaces, which led to the decision to reject the
parallel parking plan. He also noted that construction, which will be done in
phases to reduce the impact on businesses, will be completed faster if most of
the existing parking is unchanged. Each phase under the final plan will take
four to six weeks, he said.
The final plan does reduce on-street parking by 18 spaces on
LaSalle Road, but adds three spaces on Farmington Avenue.
The plan includes widening sidewalks on both streets — by 5
feet on Farmington Avenue and by 15 to 20 feet on LaSalle Road — which will
allow restaurants to expand outdoor dining while also reducing the distances
for crosswalks.
Raised crosswalks on both streets, and crosswalk bump outs
on LaSalle, are intended to reduce traffic speeds. Sidewalks, crosswalks and
parking will all also be made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
The plan includes a proposal for “traffic security
bollards,” or thick posts, that would be used to close off LaSalle Road to
vehicle traffic during special events. Ledwith said the bollards could be
installed and removed by town employees as needed or constructed as an
automated system.
The plan also suggests installing mobility hubs, “where
people can connect to different forms of transportation” that can include
covered bicycle racks, e-bike sharing and charging stations, and improved bus
shelters, Ledwith said. The plan places the hubs in a parking lot on Arapahoe
Road, which intersects with LaSalle, and beside Chase Bank on Farmington
Avenue, near the intersection with North and South Main streets.
The Arapahoe Road parking lot also will have designated
parking for drivers who work for Grubhub, Uber Eats and other food delivery
services. Drivers for these services will be required to use only those
designated spaces, Ledwith said.
“I feel strongly that this plan reflects our commitment to
preserving what makes West Hartford special, while embracing new ideas for the
future that we’re really excited about,” he said.
Solar arrays at top of Middletown's old landfill won't mar panoramic view, officials says
MIDDLETOWN — As work continues on a large solar array at the
top of the old landfill behind the Transfer Station on Johnson Street, access
to the nature trail leading to the peak is blocked off for at least another
month.
West Hartford-based solar
energy developer Verogy is installing arrays on 7 acres of
remediated land at the capped 80-foot-high midden.
The Midden Panorama Trail, which can be accessed by a
short nature trail with a steep climb, affords
a nearly 360-degree view of the surroundings, including Cromwell,
Meriden, Portland and other towns, as well as the 90-foot high Arrigoni Bridge,
and convergence of the Mattabesset and Coginchaug rivers below.
The gravel trail, a short, steep climb to the top, is
accessible from a path next to the R.M. Keating Historical Enterprise Park at
180 Johnson St.
The array will not mar the panoramic view, Acting Director
of Public Works Howard Weissberg said.
"They realigned some of their panels to ensure that
everything would be preserved,” he said.
Once the work is done, public works will explore options at
the peak “to figure out how to gain the best visage,” Weissberg said. He will
be working with the Jonah Center for
Earth & Art, as well as the Complete
Streets Committee to devise a plan.
The 750 kilowatt solar array comprises some 1,520 First Solar
modules, according to Verogy.
It is constructed on a ballasted system of concrete
blocks set on a stabilized case to ensure the integrity of the landfill cap,
according to a fact sheet.
In all, 778 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be
avoided on average each year. The project’s annual production is equivalent to
the needs of 103 homes’ electricity use for a year, Verogy said.
Production will replace carbon dioxide emissions generated
from 1,990,374 miles driven by a passenger vehicle, officials said.
It is expected to produce 1,114 megawatt hours of clean
energy annually without generating air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions,
Verogy said.
Eventually, the arrays will generate revenue for the city in
the form of lease payments for the lifetime of the project.
The
capped landfill, which was closed in 1991, is covered by brush, trees,
wildflowers and other vegetation. Beavers can occasionally be seen swimming in
the river, along with other wildlife.