Courtney proposal supporting submarine base improvements clears U.S. House
Brian Hallenbeck
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and other House
members Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a water resources bill that
includes a provision he championed in support of the Naval Submarine Base in
Groton and future Virginia-class submarine missions.
The Water Resources Development Act, aimed at improving the
nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation, flood and storm
protection, and other aspects of the nation’s water resources infrastructure,
passed by a vote of 399 to 18.
It now goes to the Senate, which is expected to add its
approval before sending it on to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
Courtney’s provision would benefit the submarine base, known
as Subase New London, which is being modernized in preparation for the
homeporting of the next generation of Virginia-class submarines, which will be
84 feet longer than current Virginia-class subs. Existing piers at the base
will have to be extended to accommodate the larger vessels.
The provision would enable construction to extend Pier 8 by
transferring control of a portion of the Thames River channel from the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to the Navy, as the scope of the project would extend
beyond property managed by the base.
“Good news for Subase New London and the Virginia-class
submarine program,” Courtney, the second-highest-ranking Democrat on the House
Armed Services Committee, said in remarks released by his office. “Expanding
the Navy’s control of the Thames River for the Virginia-class submarines
enabled with Virginia Payload Modules is a strong commitment by Congress to the
‘enduring’ mission of Subase New London. Block V and Block VI submarines are
the future of the fleet, and this bill, which will soon be enacted by President
Biden, aligns the base’s perimeter to be able to homeport them while they are
on patrol well into the 2060s.”
The Virginia Payload Module, or VPM, is a new section of
yet-to-be-built Virginia-class submarines that contains four payload tubes for
launching Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Courtney said the bill also would protect and strengthen
eastern Connecticut’s waterways and ecosystems “from reducing invasive species
in the Connecticut River to protecting our watersheds and shorelines.”
The version of the bill passed Tuesday is the result of
months of negotiations to reconcile differences between the versions that each
chamber passed last summer. According to Courtney’s office, it addresses
Connecticut water resources in several ways.
Courtney secured an authorization of $25 million for water
and wastewater infrastructure in East Lyme and $25 million for environmental
infrastructure for water and wastewater infrastructure in East Hampton. He also
secured a provision to ensure the hydrilla plaguing the Connecticut River is
addressed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Hydrilla is an invasive, aquatic
plant.
The bill adds Connecticut’s shoreline to a list of regions
that receive additional federal resources from the Army Corps of Engineers to
carry out projects and studies to reduce damages from floods, hurricanes, and
storms. And it adds the Connecticut River Watershed to a list of regions
prioritized to receive federal support from the Army Corps of Engineers to
address needs related to flood damage, sea level rise and other matters.
Special zoning meeting Wednesday night on Amazon center in Naugatuck, Waterbury
Naugatuck — The Zoning Commission will hold a special
meeting tonight at 6 in the Board of Education conference room, 497 Rubber
Ave., to open a hearing on a special permit application for a proposed Amazon
distribution center at 0 Pondview Drive, 0 Waterbury Road, 0 Great Hill Road,
191 Sheridan Drive and 0 Sheridan Drive.
The Inland Wetlands Commission already approved the
application from Bluewater Property Group last week.
Route 15 lanes in Norwalk to close for $175M Route 7, Merritt project
NORWALK — Some lanes of Route
15 in the city will be closed on Saturday.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation will close
lanes on Route 15 between the West Rocks Road overpass and Exit 38 between 7
a.m. and 2 p.m. for state forces to conduct survey operations, according to a
statement from the department.
The closures are tied to a DOT project for interchange
improvements on Route 15 and Route 7, the statement said. Nilesh Patel,
principal engineer with the DOT, said this summer that he aims for the
design of the $175 million project to be complete by the end of 2024 and for
construction to begin in 2025.
Motorists driving south on Route 15 cannot exit directly to
either the southbound or northbound lanes of Route 7 and drivers on either side
of Route 7 cannot exit to the northbound lanes of Route 15.
The stretch of Route 15 that will have lane closures is
about 2 miles long.
Traffic control signing and DOT crash trucks will
“guide motorists through the work zone,” the statement said.
Meriden panel rejects plans to renovate existing senior center, backs plans for a new one
MERIDEN — The Meriden Senior Center Building Review
Committee soundly rejected an alternate plan to dramatically renovate its
existing space at 22 W. Main St. and purchase a vacant building next door.
The alternative plan would have cost significantly less than
the approved $36
million proposal to build a senior center at 116 Cook Ave., City
Manager Brian Daniels said. However, committee members found the West
Main Street alternative did not share the same amenities marked as priorities,
but could be possible at the Cook Avenue site.
About 20 people, mostly seniors, attended the meeting and shared concerns about the existing building, while agreeing with the committee's decision.
"I am adamantly opposed," said committee member
Dennis Tobin. "It’s been my pleasure to serve on this committee. We must
do better. It’s not surprising the first location we eliminated was downtown.
This was the opportunity to improve all of this."
Several speakers also made comparison to the city spending
$200 million to renovate the city's two high schools and praised the service
and taxes the seniors have invested in the city.
"In Meriden there are two cohorts that deserve our
attention, the young and the seniors," Tobin continued. "They deserve
a center they can enjoy. We should give them the best we possibly
can."
Under the West Main Street plan, people would have to cross
the heavily trafficked Hanover Street and take an elevator to enter on the
second floor for primary activities. It also has less green space for outdoor
recreation and gardening. Despite putting some solutions in place to mediate
those concerns, the committee found it was giving up too much, members said.
Two and a half years ago, the building committee undertook a
survey and feasibility study on a new senior center proposal. The committee
found that local seniors wanted a senior center. The proposal called for a
joint campus to share with the Department of Public Health and Human Services
at 116 Cook Ave.
But in September, city officials learned the
116 Cook Ave. project would be delayed until at least 2027 because it
was tied to the city's flood control project. First, two bridges need to be
completed, and the soil dredged at a cost of $10 million. The dredged soil
would be trucked to 116 Cook Ave. and dumped on site to elevate the property
out of the flood plain. Then design work can begin.
The Public Health and Human Services Department agreed to
exit the campus proposal and renovate
the existing building at 165 Miller St. Daniels was asked to seek an
alternative plan to build the senior center quicker.
Daniels worked with city officials and learned the property
at 28 W. Main St. was for sale. He asked for estimates and reviewed timelines
for grant applications to complete renovations, including roofs and walls at
both properties.
Some of the discussion centered on comparisons to
Wallingford and Southington. Daniels reviewed census and other data and found
that the city's aging population is expected to decrease in upcoming years, as
opposed to Wallingford and Southington. Both suburban towns have higher
income populations, and Meriden's senior center membership is less than 1,000
people.
"We are not Southington and Wallingford," Daniels
told committee members.
He presented renderings that revealed exposed brick and wood
beams and large windows and sky lights in newly renovated art and ceramics
classes. The site would also have exercise classes on the first floor and a
small green space in the rear for raised bed gardens and smaller
outdoor activities such as bocce, according to Public Health and Human
Services Director Lea Crown.
Larger recreation activities are available at the YMCA and
the nearby linear trail at the Meriden Green, a block away.
Mayor Kevin Scarpati opposed the plan as one the committee
rejected prior to Daniels' arrival in August.
"I see one option, abandon the 116
site," Scarpati said after the presentation, adding they shouldn't
compare themselves to Southington and Wallingford. "This is not the way of
the future, it doesn't resolve traffic, parking, recreation and noise."
Scarpati also pointed to construction disruptions at 22 W.
Main St. for months, but does agree the city needs to make the roof and wall
repairs there.
"It's counterintuitive," Scarpati said. "I
wasn't looking to build a senior center for today, but for the future. Through
all the public outreach we did, we learned what works and what doesn't work.
This is not something I support."