DRVN has a Dec. 31 deadline to remove or forfeit the salt and equipment to the Connecticut Port Authority. But, unlike in past years, the company was not the low bidder for the region in a bidding process conducted by the Capitol Region Purchasing Council, which is run by the Capitol Region Council of Governments. […]
Groton, New London and Norwich are slated to each receive grants of $477,647 to improve their schools, state legislators announced Tuesday. The state Bond Commission authorized on Tuesday $30 million in funding for the state’s 33 Alliance Districts to use towards eligible projects, such as improvements to heating and ventilation systems, communications and technology systems, lighting, […]
Verogy LLC wants to cover the property with solar energy panels, promising a 4.7-megawatt system that would produce enough electricity to power more than 1,100 homes. But owners of the nearby Karabin Farms warn that the loss of high-quality hay they grow there would be a massive business setback for one of the only fast-growing […]
There’ll be many happy sports players come winter, when construction on two large turf fields in Milford will be completed. One of the fields is at Jonathan Law High School, on Lansdale Ave., and the other is by Foran High School, on Foran Road. Construction on both projects broke ground over the summer. Together, they […]
The National Coast Guard Museum Association has submitted an application to the city for construction of a 400-foot glass-walled pedestrian bridge to span Water Street and connect the downtown with the waterfront and future Coast Guard museum. The state has authorized and approved up to $20 million for design and construction of the bridge, which […]
The referendum question asks whether to approve $33.5 million in bonding for a renovate-to-new building project at the elementary school. Local taxpayers would be responsible for up to $17.5 million of the cost of the project. School building grants from the state would cover the remaining cost. The town council voted unanimously to have the […]
To keep up with the wear and tear, the state Department of Transportation is constantly working on maintenance and improvement projects. The most important of those initiatives are outlined every four years in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The DOT is receiving public comments on the draft version of the latest STIP, to cover the […]
The Board of Selectmen has approved a series of amendments to the credit enhancement agreement for the proposed All Sports Village complex. The proposed complex, at the northeast corner of Old County Road and Route 20, is in a Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, district. TIF districts allow municipalities to provide annual rebates of taxes […]
The proposed regulation includes an “economic reality” test to help determine whether individuals are in business for themselves or economically reliant on an employer. Part of the test includes two factors — whether the person has the opportunity for business profit or loss and to what degree they control the work they perform. Other factors […]
City Law Director Jeffrey Londregan, in a Sept. 2 letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, reiterated the city’s argument that the port authority must first amend a 20-year-old State Pier Municipal Development Plan before it can apply for a permit to work at the pier. The plan governs activities on the property. It’s […]
Metro-North has finally put $50 fines into effect for those refusing to wear face masks on its trains, but they’re leaving enforcement to the MTA Police who almost never are seen on Connecticut trains. We’re talking about public health here. I think anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be kicked off the train. The […]
Town Manager Robert Geiger told the Board of Selectmen Monday night that he had met with school officials about the renovations and addition to Hinsdale School, originally slated for completion by September 2022. “It will take two to three months for the contractors to look at them and another few months before we see returns,” […]
City officials announced Tuesday that work is underway on four building of the future Windward Commons Development. In June, Mayor Joe Ganim visited the site to watch as one of the buildings was demolished, posting a livestream from the site. JHM Group, the developers of the site, partnered with Park City Communities, which owns and […]
Vacant for 37 years, what’s known locally as “the Waterford Airport property” at 140 Waterford Parkway South is once again a target for development, this time by Fabcon Precast, a concrete manufacturer based in Minnesota. At 188 acres, the airport property value is currently about $4.3 million, according to the town tax assessor’s office. Fabcon […]
Dave Roche, president of the Connecticut State Building Trades Council, said the company refused to entertain any proposals put forth by organized labor, while hiring out-of-state workers from states with high infection rates and not requiring them to be tested or quarantined. Sal Luciano, president of the Connecticut chapter of the AFL-CIO, called on Gov. […]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday unveiled a short-term spending bill that would avert a government shutdown — and allow the Pentagon to move forward with contracts with Electric Boat for two new Columbia-class submarines. A short-term bill is needed to continue government operations after the end of the federal fiscal year, Sept. 30. But […]
Regulations changes to allow construction of a large scale apartment building at the Connecticut Post Mall are necessary to stabilize the mall economically, representatives of property owner Centennial Real Estate told the Planning and Zoning Board. The PZB did not vote on the proposal, instead continuing the public hearing to its Oct. 6 meeting. The […]
“We’re going to put Amazon on notice about the exploitation of workers,” said Joe Toner, president of the Hartford Building Trades Council. The building trades unions, Connecticut AFL-CIO, leaders of the General Assembly’s Labor Committee and others say Amazon’s hiring of out-of-state contractors on a 3.5 million square-foot distribution center in Windsor puts Connecticut at […]
State agencies spend more than $100 million a year doing business with minority-owned small businesses in Connecticut, well exceeding targets enshrined in state law, but business people of color say they are getting short-changed. Connecticut’s supplier diversity program, commonly referred to as a contract set-aside program, directs most state agencies to make a good faith […]
The $25 million project will feature a new 50,000 square foot Bristol Event Center and a 90-suite HOME2 Suites by Hilton hotel on six acres behind the existing hotel, which is located off Route 229. Construction is estimated to take 18 months. The groundbreaking was attended by Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu and representatives of the Central […]
When completed, the deal with Competitive Power Ventures would give Tel Aviv-based OPC Energy its first entry into the U.S. power generation market. The terms of the letter of intent call for OPC to spend up to $800 million to acquire a 70 percent ownership stake. The Towantic Energy Center power plant is located in […]
“As of right now, everything has been on schedule,” Yale Director of Athletics Vicky Chun said. “When COVID hit and the school shut down, everything was halted for capital projects. Construction at Reese Stadium, site of soccer and lacrosse practices and games, and Yale Field remains on schedule. “Yale Field, that is to complete renovations […]
Pennsylvania-based A.R. Building Co. has secured approvals to start a third project in the city: an 89-unit apartment complex at 22 Georgetown Road. The Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday approved the coastal site plan and site development plan for the Georgetown Road project, the last major hurdle for the project to move forward. Construction […]
The energy generated from the solar field would be sold to the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System and used for power at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, according to plans filed with the Connecticut Siting Council. The panels are expected to generate more than 3,000 megawatt hours in the first year, enough […]
The passage of a $55 million referendum question on the November ballot could solve the problem of Middletown’s cramped and aging municipal offices, allowing a move to a much larger facility nearby on Main Street. The city’s municipal building, erected in 1958 at 245 deKoven Drive, has undergone additions and renovations over the decades, but, […]
A $400,000 federal grant could lead to improving the Metro-North Danbury and New Canaan branch lines and even extend rail service to Brookfield and New Milford. The grant will go toward a regional study that will evaluate previous recommendations for the lines and develop a plan to pay for and implement them. A $1 million […]
Not only is the e-commerce giant currently constructing its second major facility in town — a $230 million, 823,000-square-foot fulfillment center on former tobacco farmland at 1201 Kennedy Road and 1 Joseph Lane — it’s planning a third major location there. Amazon is seeking town approval to repurpose an existing 154,496-square-foot light industrial building at […]
Traffic problems on Strobel Road, Spring Hill Road and along Route 111 could be easing relatively soon, according to a review of some of the infrastructure improvements around town. With Trumbull High closed from March to September, work on Strobel Road proceeded almost without interruption, Mascia said. As a result, the project is “on track […]
The hearing on a Spinnaker Real Estate Partners proposal to develop the five acres at 275 South Orange St., once home to the Coliseum but for years now the site of a large parking lot, will be Oct.7, while the recycling center review is set for Oct. 21. Both plans have generated considerable opposition. The […]
Eversource Energy is asking Connecticut lawmakers to authorize $700 million in borrowing to blunt the impact of losses from Tropical Storm Isaias, the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback of a recent rate increase. The theory behind securitization plans is simple: Rather than hit ratepayers with a big increase due to extraordinary losses by a utility, […]
After rescheduling the event once, Wednesday morning marked the beginning of one of two major construction projects happening in Berlin. That was until some Connecticut residents who are fed up with the governor’s coronavirus precautions arrived to interrupt the event and make their voices heard. The protestors called Lamont “King Ned” in response to Lamont […]
As majority Democrats shape the special session, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney of New Haven said the top of the agenda would be a so-called take-back-our-grid bill in response to Isaias, the recent tropical storm that knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of residents. Looney and Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz […]
In a unanimous vote Monday night, Hartford City Council approved the $17,000 purchase of 522 and 532 Ann Uccello St. from social services nonprofit House of Bread Inc. The city’s Department of Development Services has determined that its purchase of the Ann Uccello properties is “a key component” of the so-called “Salvin Block” project, records […]
Eversource estimates at more than $28 billion the cost of entrenching one of every four miles of its Connecticut power lines, in any effort to reduce the odds of power outages during storms — and more than $61 billion for the remaining wires. The subsequent estimate averages out to about $50,000 for each of Eversource’s […]
The additional money, $300 a week, will be paid retroactively for those who qualify and will be paid for six weeks, the Connecticut Labor Department said. This will provide thousands of unemployed workers in the state with an additional $1,800. The federal aid is a slimmed-down version of a program created by legislation addressing the […]
A crucial component of an ambitious, $100 million redevelopment of downtown Hartford’s Pratt Street corridor — the conversion of student housing behind the Lofts at Main and Temple into apartments — could begin in November, even as the duration of the global pandemic remains uncertain. The $9.1 million conversion also includes improvements and upgrades to […]
The ideas were shared earlier this month during a public design workshop for the city project, which seeks to make a safe, walkable corridor out of the historic center of the capital city. A final public workshop is tentatively planned for October. A $250,000 grant will cover the cost of the preliminary design work, but […]
The $65.8 million renovations to Rockwell and Johnson elementary schools are mostly complete, but work continues on spaces including the gyms and cafeterias. Those areas should have been complete by the start of the school year, but school officials note those spaces are not being used anyway, due to coronavirus precautions. The construction company cited […]
On Wednesday, the planning and zoning commission recommended that the town sell its 27.38 acres — the bulk of which is the site of a former shopping plaza known as “the dark side” of the Parkade. The purchase price in a development agreement that the board of directors approved last month is $1.7 million. The […]
A proposed zoning regulation change to allow for a 300-apartment “luxury residential community” at the Connecticut Post Mall comes before the Planning and Zoning Board with a 7 p.m. public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 15. Dallas-based mall owner Centennial Real Estate proposes constructing the apartment building at the location now occupied by the closed Sears Auto […]
State Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto gave members of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments an overview of how the 3,000-person agency is operating during COVID-19. As expected, traffic is down since the start of the pandemic because of the decrease in workday commuting, but cases of speeding and fatal accidents are on […]
The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a virtual public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday on a special permit application to construct an 82-unit apartment building on the former Campbell Grain building site in downtown Pawcatuck. Plans call for a five-story, 116,000-square-foot building building with parking under the building and on site and a riverfront […]
A Hartford apartment developer is cutting the ribbon Wednesday on the second completed phase of a new $32-million apartment complex on Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield. Lexington Property Management LLC, an arm of area developer Martin J. Kenny’s Lexington Partners LLC, this summer debuted a five-story, 111-unit apartment building at 1178 Silas Deane Highway as […]
The longstanding debate about whether housing belongs on the town’s Fairfield Hills campus will be on the Nov. 3 ballot along with Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The referendum about whether to allow housing as part of a commercial redevelopment in no more than two of the empty former psychiatric hospital buildings on the Fairfield […]
Working through the pandemic, engineers and contractors are ahead of schedule as the city continues to make progress on the latest phase of the Downtown Crossing that will connect Orange Street over Route 34, while a separate art project will light the way for pedestrians going to nearby Union Station. Mayor Justin Elicker thanked the […]
The Planning and Zoning Board has approved a proposal for a mixed-use project with 77 apartments, retail space, and offices at 125-135 Broad St. The plan, which generated significant public comment, was approved unanimously; the approval included the condition that Metro 135 LLC submits an updated landscaping plan. Those in favor who wrote or spoke […]
Millions, possibly even billions of gallons of stormwater containing untreated sewage enter Connecticut’s waters each year, closing beaches, preventing shellfishing and harming marine life, according to experts. It’s an ongoing problem, and one that’s likely to impact the state for decades, costing at least another billion dollars, according to combined estimates from local authorities responsible […]
Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, a New Haven Democrat, said that school construction is a top priority for communities all across the state that receive reimbursements from the state in order to expand and improve their facilities. Another priority is focusing on utilities that have been in the news lately after widespread power outages […]
The agency’s four-year outlook for capital projects, the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, contains 223 projects and $3.1 billion in federal funds that will be matched with $864.5 million from the state and $17 million from local governments. The largest projects in the document, which is abbreviated as STIP, include the $90 million signalization of the […]
Newington taxpayers will see their taxes increase by an average of $75 annually if the planned renovation of Anna Reynolds School moves forward. The project cost has been estimated at $35.5 million, but reimbursement from the state of Connecticut through a school building grant program is expected to bring the town’s projected cost to about […]
A new survey of contractors provides a bleak snapshot of the construction industry nearly six months into the coronavirus pandemic, finding that the share of contractors who have had future projects canceled or delayed due to COVID-19 has reached 60% — nearly double the amount from June. The results of the survey, which polled more […]
A bridge that carries Interstate 84 westbound over the Housatonic River will close for more than a year starting Friday. Median crossings will direct westbound traffic onto the current eastbound side of the Rochambeau Bridge, allowing all four lanes of highway traffic to stay open while the bridge is replaced. The crossings will be connected […]
Starting the day after Labor Day, road crews in Plymouth will begin work at the Route 6 and Route 72 intersection installing a new water main. The water main will connect that intersection to the Bristol town line on Route 6. Depending on the weather, Mayor David Merchant said that the project may take 3 […]
The board this week held a public forum on the project with architects from Kaestle Boos Associates speaking from the high school library. Kaestle Boos was hired by the school board to develop the project’s preliminary plans. Board Chairwoman Fiona Cappabianca repeatedly stressed during the forum that the high school, which was build in the […]
Though Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration projects a whopping $2.1 billion deficit for the new fiscal year, which began July 1, that is based partly on pessimistic stock market projections from April that — at least so far — haven’t come to pass. Some legislators want to crack open the state’s record-setting $3 billion rainy day […]
The state has partnered with joint venture partners Ørsted and Eversource on a $157 million redevelopment of the New London port. Construction is slated to begin soon. The pink on the signs was a reference to the famous pink home of Susette Kelo, whose attempt to fight the taking of her home by eminent domain at […]
Local dignitaries gathered Tuesday afternoon for a joy-filled, informal christening of the new Beman Middle School at the track which overlooks the massive building now under construction. With the $87.35 million construction project humming along in the background, Board of Education officials and city leaders spoke to several-dozen members of the community — several of them […]
