Old Lyme Residents Overwhelmingly Reject Beach Area Sewer Project
OLD LYME — Town residents rejected a budget increase for a
Sound View area sewer project Tuesday, with 72% voting against to proposal in a
referendum that closed one chapter in a years-long local debate.
Of the 1,288 residents who turned out to vote, 925 voted
against expanding the budget to $20.5 million and 363 voted in favor.
The rejection marks the end of a contentious process that
pitted the town’s Water Pollution Control Authority leadership against
residents of Sound View and Area B, who opposed the project over concerns about
the costs they would bear.
Dennis Melluzzo, a Sound View resident and one of the
project’s most vocal opponents, was the only area resident waiting for results
at Town Hall on Tuesday night.
“It was an ill-fated system. It was an ill gotten
referendum. This should never have happened,” Melluzzo said. “This was the vote
of the people who said no.”
First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker said she would not
comment on next steps until speaking with the state’s Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection. She also noted that Miami Beach would vote on the
project next Saturday.
“Let’s have a conversation after Miami’s vote on Saturday,”
Shoemaker said.
The beach area sewer project, pushed forward by DEEP, was
intended to address the high density of houses and septic systems along the
shoreline. The state agency had offered to cover nearly half the cost through
grants and forgivable loans, which would have reduced the burden on homeowners
in the beach area.
The plan proposed installing sewers in Sound View and Area B
— two neighborhoods directly part of the town with about 210 properties — as
well as three private beach associations: Old Lyme Shores, Old Colony and Miami
Beach.
The project had been approved in 2019 with
a slightly higher turnout than Tuesday’s vote, but in that case the result was
833 in favor and 565 against. They approved a $9.5 million budget — less than
half the amount voted on this time.
With a combined $85 million updated budget, including shared
infrastructure and the four neighborhoods, the project has been described by
Selectman Jim Lampos as the largest in the town’s history.
WPCA Chair Steve Cinami lamented the outcome.
“I believe it’s unfortunate the BOS did not explain the
consequences of not passing the referendum to the public,” Cinami said in an
email. “It will be interesting going forward to see how much money will be
spent fighting the DEEP, which all taxpayers will have to absorb.”
The weeks before the referendum were marked by public
acrimony between Lampos and Cinami, who clashed over the project’s
potential impact
on town taxpayers. Cinami criticized Lampos’ calculations, arguing he
had overestimated the
impact.
The debate centered on state statute
7-249, which caps what property owners can be charged at no more than the
increase in their property values from sewer installation. Any excess amount
could have been appealed by homeowners and might ultimately be divided among
all town taxpayers.
In the days before the referendum, signs urging a no vote
appeared on front lawns and roadsides, some linking the vote to the Halls
Road redevelopment project, which was also rejected earlier this year.
Hours before the polls closed, Melluzzo stood at a table
alongside Mary Daley and Brian Cornell, three WPCA members who are Sound View
homeowners and led the opposition to sewers. To combat the cold afternoon, they
offered coffee and donuts to voters. Melluzzo said they had been there since
11:30 a.m., minutes before the polling station opened. At the time, he
expressed confidence that high turnout indicated people came out to vote
against sewers.
Melluzzo said a no vote would kill the project.
“This is the perfect chance for the selectman to say stop,”
Melluzzo said, “because there’s no funding.”
A year in, Kooris’ CMDA sets stage for wave of transit-oriented projects
When 2025 began, David Kooris was expected to play
a major role in reshaping how some Connecticut communities approve and finance
dense housing.
A year later, he has built a new state agency from the
ground up, secured buy-in from dozens of municipalities, and begun laying the
groundwork for major transit-oriented development projects across the state —
efforts backed by $90 million in bonding approved by lawmakers to boost
high-density housing in downtowns and near rapid bus and rail stations.
Kooris was tapped by Gov. Ned Lamont in July 2024 to launch
and lead the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority (CMDA), a
new quasi-public agency tasked with helping cities and towns advance
large-scale redevelopment. He brings extensive experience in economic
development, including nearly two years as a deputy commissioner with the state
Department of Economic and Community Development.
Over the past year and a half, the veteran planner has
focused on assembling the agency — creating programs, hiring staff, recruiting
consultants and persuading towns to participate.
As of late November, 32 communities had agreed to join CMDA,
with 11 completing all steps to establish development districts eligible for
funding. Kooris said he eventually expects about 50 municipalities to
participate.
The authority can issue low-interest loans to help
developers close funding gaps and make projects viable. It can also help pave
the way for development by assisting with zoning changes and helping
communities obtain grants for brownfield cleanup, demolition or infrastructure
upgrades.
Developers in Waterbury, Enfield, Avon, New London, Norwich,
New Haven and other communities have begun early talks with CMDA, although no
formal funding applications had been submitted as of mid-November. Kooris
expects the first proposals to be submitted before the end of 2025.
“We have some very interested and eager applicants who are
getting their stuff together, so they will be very ready when we are too,” he
said.
‘Need for subsidy’
Kooris is a familiar figure in Connecticut’s development
circles. Before joining state government, he led Connecticut operations for the
Regional Plan Association, a role that brought him from New York to Stamford
and deepened his work on land-use and transportation issues.
He later headed Bridgeport’s planning and economic
development offices, gaining firsthand experience with the barriers that stall
housing production in older urban centers. That experience followed senior
roles in state government — including director of resilience at the Department
of Housing and deputy DECD commissioner — and a stint running Stamford’s
downtown business improvement district.
Kooris said the financing hurdles CMDA is designed to
address are not new to him. In Bridgeport, for example, he saw how strong
housing demand often failed to turn into viable projects.
“I would characterize Bridgeport’s challenge as not
dissimilar to other participating cities,” Kooris said. “There is increasing
demand for housing, but it’s not at the rents that are necessary to support
construction without subsidy. And we need housing that is affordable for the
workforce in the area. So, there’s just a basic need for subsidy to make new
construction or renovation possible beyond what a bank is willing to lend.”
Bridgeport — along with New Haven and Manchester — was among
the latest cities to have its memorandum of agreement approved by CMDA,
formalizing its participation in creating development districts near major
transit hubs and in downtown areas.
Coordinating and permitting role
Kooris emphasized that CMDA’s role goes beyond financing.
The agency is working with consultants to analyze development and market
potential around every train and rapid-bus station in Connecticut, helping
municipalities identify zoning or infrastructure constraints and develop
strategies to remove barriers.
In some cases, that means improving public communication
with residents or updating zoning rules; in others, it may involve utility,
transportation or wastewater upgrades. CMDA’s analyses can also help towns
compete for state and federal grants.
“I think a big part of our purpose is to realize what is
holding each community back from their goals,” Kooris said.
The agency is also working to streamline permitting by
collaborating with state and federal regulators to preapprove certain traffic
or stormwater impacts in select districts — reducing delays without sacrificing
community input or environmental review.
“It just can be done in a different way that front-loads as
much of that as possible, so that when a developer comes in, they are
implementing a preapproved vision, rather than vetting that project as the
vision,” he said.
Kooris expects lawmakers to continue to add funding for
development incentives in the coming years. But he believes the authority’s
ability to coordinate across local, state and federal agencies — and to create
predictable, streamlined conditions for development — will ultimately prove
more impactful.
“I’m thinking a lot about the way in which we will evolve as
an organization over the course of the next several years,” he said. “I think,
over time, our direct funding role becomes less and less important, and our
coordinating and permitting role becomes more and more important.”
Waterbury water main break prompts city officials to fast-track system upgrades
WATERBURY — As work to fully restore water
service in Waterbury continued Tuesday, city officials outlined
plans to step up a capital project that they said could prevent a
repeat of widespread disruptions following any future water
main breaks.
During a news conference on the ongoing
restoration efforts, Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski Jr. and Water
Superintendent Bradley Malay said city officials had been preparing to include
a project to install additional bypass valves in the water system in the city's
capital improvement plan for the next fiscal year, but will now expedite the
schedule.
Large parts of the state's fifth largest city and sections
of surrounding towns receiving water service from Waterbury lost
water following a water main break on Thomaston Avenue last Wednesday
afternoon. At the outage's peak, nearly 100,000 customers lost water, and city
officials said 100% of Waterbury lost water at some point Friday night.
City officials are cautiously bringing the water system
fully back online. Malay said re-introducing water too quickly under high
pressure could cause significant damage.
"The last thing we want to do now that we've mitigated
the big problem is create another big problem that we have, 'Oh now, we have to
shut down because these three 12-inch mains broke over here,'" he said.
"It is the last thing I want to do."
Instead, crews are slowly introducing low-pressure water
while simultaneously releasing air from the lines, Malay said.
"It may be an abundance of caution, but I believe it is
the correct amount of caution to put towards it," he said. "We're
going to continue to fill until the furthest reaches of our system our full of
water. Then, we're going to introduce more pressure into the system. I believe
that is the correct way."
While water service is being restored to residents, the city
remains under a boil water advisory. Malay said water samples are being sent to
a state-certified laboratory and results are expected to be returned on
Thursday morning. The boil water advisory will remain in effect until testing
confirms the absence of bacteria in the system.
Pernerewski also announced the city will continue
distributing bottled water Wednesday and Thursday, but only at Municipal
Stadium at 1200 Watertown Ave. because the companion site at Crosby High
School has closed. A later city advisory said distribution at Municipal Stadium
will start at 9 a.m. Wednesday and continue until supplies are depleted.
The mayor said that he was advised the demand for
bottled water Tuesday was lowest in the last several days.
Pernerewski said the lack of a bypass valve in the vicinity
of the water main break on Thomaston Avenue was a big reason for the widespread
and lingering disruptions in water service. He said this was also an issue
following an earlier disruptive break in one of the city’s largest and oldest
high-pressure water mains on Huntingdon Avenue in September.
"One of the reasons that we're going through this
today, and we went through the same problem back in the fall, is because within
the system when we have a leak we have not been able to isolate it as
sufficiently as we should be," Pernerewski said.
He said crews finished installing a bypass valve on the
Thomaston Avenue main Sunday as part of the repair work there.
"Had we had a valve located anywhere in the area where
put the new valve in on Sunday this would not have been a problem,"
Pernerewski said. "We would not have shut down the system to isolate where
the leak was."
He said the mayor's office and the Water Department had been
discussing including a project for installing new bypass valves or replacing
existing ones in capital budget for the upcoming 2027 fiscal year, but now will
no longer wait that long after this latest water main break.
Pernerewski said the installation of new or replacement
bypass valves in 10 locations across the city would permit the Water Department
to isolate sections of water mains that fail and minimize or avoid any
interruptions in water service. He said more locations could possibly be
identified as part of planning process.
"Then, we're going to undertake a program much
earlier so that we can get going on that. If we can get these valves
installed, I believe that we will have less of an issue like we've had in the
last two big breaks when we have had to shut the system down and then bring the
system back.
Pernerewski and Malay had no estimated timetable or costs
for the project, but both said it will be a costly one. Malay said the
planning and execution of such a capital project will also be involved.
"Even when you have the funds available and even when
you the plan to do it, you just can't do it," Malay said. "You have
to make sure you have a plan for people having water. You have to have a plan
for people being able to drive down the road. A lot of these valves are right
in the middle of the road. It is not just, 'Hey, we're going to replace the
valve.' There's a lot of impressing factors on when you decide and how you
decide to do these projects. And, yes, it will take a long time, but there is
no two ways about it. But you don't finish it if you don't start it."
North Haven could have four new elementary school buildings by 2033, experts say
NORTH HAVEN — With four public elementary schools
in North Haven due
for an upgrade, building planning experts and engineers have recommended a
scenario that would include rebuilding them all.
At the Board of Education’s recent meeting, officials from
MP Planning Group and Colliers Project Leaders, a construction project firm,
said the best way to modernize all four elementary schools would be by
rebuilding them, starting with Ridge
Road Elementary and Montowese Elementary. Then, Green
Acres Elementary and Clintonville
Elementary would follow.
“I just think it’s important for everyone to know that the
new construction is necessary at this point. … These schools are falling apart,
and they really need to be addressed,” Mike Zuba from MP Planning Group said at
the Dec. 11 meeting.
School board Chair Ronald Bathrick brought up the idea of upgrading
the town’s elementary schools in October, saying that financially,
rebuilding would make more sense than renovating due to the state’s
reimbursement rate. According
the Connecticut Department of Administrative Service’s updated reimbursement
rates, North Haven’s new construction reimbursement rate went up from
27.5% in 2025 to 31.3% in 2026.
To renovate a school, North Haven is eligible for a 38.21%
state reimbursement rate in 2026, though not every aspect of a renovation
project is eligible for state reimbursement, Zuba said. For example, making a
building Americans with Disabilities Act accessible and replacing the roof are
eligible, but “if you’re doing something where you’re opening up walls, it then
adds other project elements that become noneligible,” he said.
“That’s what drives cost up and overall lowers your
reimbursement, because in order to be able to retrofit an old building, you’re
now touching architecture, flooring, walls, all items that are now not
eligible,” Zuba added.
Proposed timeline and cost
The option to rebuild the schools two at a time, starting
with Ridge Road and Montowese, would take until 2033, the building officials
said.
Since both of the schools are on fairly large properties,
Zuba said the plan would consist of building the new facilities next to the
current structures so students and staff would not need to relocate. The Ridge
Road new building would be constructed next to the soccer fields, while the new
Montowese building would be built on the northern area of its property.
Under this scenario, the new Ridge Road and Montowese
buildings would be ready to open in 2030.
The Green Acres and Clintonville sites are a little too
small for building new schools adjacent to the current buildings, Zuba said. So
during construction, Green Acres students would go to classes at the old Ridge
Road building, while Clintonville students would move into Montowese.
The new Clintonville and Green Acres buildings would be
ready for use in 2033, if this scenario is adopted by North Haven.
As of right now, the entire rebuilding project for the four
schools could cost, in total, anywhere from $205.8 million to $271.1 million,
with the district’s share possibly between $146.8 million and $196.1 million,
Chuck Warrington from Colliers Project Leaders said.
“These are very early numbers. That’s why we’re providing a
range of costs,” he said.
What’s next?
The firms will begin creating the educational specifications
for the new Ridge Road and Montowese buildings next month, expecting to finish
them for March to then get Board of Education approval, Warrington said.
The firms also have “to do some site investigation” to get
the application ready to get the state reimbursement for the project. That has
to be submitted by June 30, Warrington said.
Once the educational specifications are completed and
approved, Warrington said they would be able to finalize the budget needed for
the project.
“We’re going to hopefully be back out here again, sharing
more detailed information with you, hopefully to garnet support for your
projects,” he said.
The Board of Selectmen will then need to give the OK to
allow the project to move to a referendum in November 2026 to get official
approval to be able to get on the priority list for state reimbursement.
Bathrick, at the meeting, said the district asked the firms
to look into "every possible scenario" when it came to this
project.
"Whether it was a super school, which would be one, two
schools, three schools or keep it as the four-school scenario that we have
now," he said. "And it really worked out that the four schools was
the best between the bus rides and what we thought was going to be the best
opportunity for learning for the kids coming up."