esidents on King Street say the proposed bus entrance for the new Norwalk High School will exacerbate traffic issues in the neighborhood, while some parents warn of health concerns associated with the district’s other construction option. In the “option B” plan, an entrance off King Street would be used for bus transportation as well as […]
The Middletown Board of Education is considering a plan to fully replace the track and turf field at the high school at a cost of $766,300. The Keystone turf project will be tackled first. Two years ago, Keystone worked on a similar project at a high school in New Jersey, O’Connell told committee members. He […]
Oak View Group, which manages 300 sports and entertainment venues globally and redevelops others, said it is “very likely” the Los Angeles-based company would invest in a renovation of the aging Hartford arena. Luukko said OVG has not yet determined how much it would invest because a study of the scope of renovations must be […]
The Bristol Board of Fire Commissioners voted Thursday to push forward a motion to the Bristol City Council to consider purchasing land for the building of a new fire station. Bristol Fire Chief Richard Hart brought a proposal to the city’s 10-Year Capital and Strategic Improvement Planning Committee last week for a new station. Continuing […]
The city’s Common Council will consider adding language to the Code of Ordinance to allow for more oversight on school building projects. As it stands, the current resolution allows the School Building Committee to oversee the preliminary plans and cost estimates for school construction projects, which are presented to the mayor, the Common Council and […]
The order coincides with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which will infuse billions in long-awaited spending for infrastructure projects and upgrades across the country. The White House predicts the order will affect $262 billion in federal contracts and impact nearly 200,000 workers. A PLA is similar to a collective bargaining agreement between a […]
The Republican agenda focuses on initiating multiple training programs at Connecticut high schools that include apprenticeship support, establishing health care workforce training, and growing state defense. One of the proposals that’s already made it into legislation is a requirement to get school guidance counselors to talk about the trade schools, in addition to traditional two […]
Gov. Ned Lamont is expected Friday to announce the departure of Melissa McCaw as the secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. Hearst Connecticut reported news of her pending departure Thursday evening, which was confirmed to the CT Mirror by sources. In an interview last weekend, she distanced herself from the school construction program […]
Just days after state officials canceled a contract that provided more than $29 million in hazardous waste projects to a select list of four companies, they released new guidelines Wednesday that sharply limit when municipalities can make use of the process for school construction. The grand jury investigation has raised questions about whether Diamantis pressured […]
A New York state law that aims to combat wage theft in the construction industry went into effect on Jan. 4. New York Senate Bill 2766-C makes general contractors responsible for ensuring all workers on a project, including those employed by subcontractors, are correctly paid. It also imposes more stringent reporting requirements for subcontractors. Wage […]
NE Edge LLC, under manager Thomas Quinn, is requesting a data center host municipality fee agreement with the town, which is the first step in the process of developing data centers. A host municipality fee agreement sets conditions to potentially allow data centers “on particular properties under certain conditions and sets the revenue that would […]
he Board of Education terminated a contract with Construction Advocacy Professionals, LLC during a special meeting in the wake of recent controversy surrounding the company. Board of Education President Gayle Sanders-Connolly told the Herald in a previous interview the school district agreed to move forward with the company because it needed assistance and it was […]
With more than 40 people on a Zoom call to discuss the future of 78 Olive St., more spoke in favor than opposing the 14-story apartment complex that also would being infrastructure gains. What has to happen first, however, is a proposed zone change from BA to BD-1, with the particulars of a site plan […]
A total of $1 million in steel was delivered on Tuesday for the new library project as sections of the $39.5 million structure begin to rise adjacent to the old library between Main Street and South Avenue. The new library project was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission in July 2021, received building permits […]
Construction needs more than half a million workers above its current pace of hiring in order to meet demand in 2022, according to an analysis released Wednesday by Associated Builders and Contractors. Predictive models from ABC indicate the industry needs 650,000 additional workers. For every $1 billion in additional construction spending, construction gains 3,900 jobs, […]
Instead of ending a year from now, a key rule for acquiring future power for the grid will end three years from now, with agreement from Dykes. But renewable energy advocates around the region are nothing short of appalled and point fingers straight at ISO-NE, which they say changed its mind at the very last […]
The Connecticut State Department of Transportation will host an informational session and subsequent public comment period for two bridges that are slated to be rehabilitated in the city. The rehabilitation of the bridge on High Street, listed under Bridge No. 04247, will cost approximately $5.3 million. The bridge is at the cross of the Boston […]
The outreach to 1,500 Danbury residents in January about transportation, education, economic development and quality of life is the latest step in a two-year process by city leaders to write a master plan for the next decade. The solution, Gomes said, was to come up with a master plan that not only lays out specific […]
Under the 8-30g law, which has come under criticism by state lawmakers from Greenwich, local land-use agencies cannot deny affordable-housing proposals except when there are public-health or safety concerns, giving them much less latitude in the approval process. SJP Properties, a New York City-based real estate developer, is working with a local developer, Eagle Ventures, […]
Work is well underway in the demolition of three buildings on a former part of the University of Bridgeport campus for the new Bassick High School in the city’s South End, after a lot of back-and-forth about the location and financing. The demolition and hazardous materials abatement, by all accounts, went more smoothly. AAIS Corp., […]
At a Connecticut Port Authority board meeting last week, Chairman David Kooris said there has been close coordination with Eversource and Ørsted to make sure the State Pier project is finished in time to be used on their 132-megawatt South Fork Wind project, which had a ceremonial groundbreaking this month in Long Island, and is […]
Jaymin Mehta of Canton, in association with GLNK LLC, has applied to develop a new hotel at 17 West St. The property is 47,676 square feet and has served as a parking area for many years, according to minutes from the Feb. 3 Conservation Commission meeting. The maximum lot coverage allowed in the area is […]
Last year’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure law was hailed by state leaders on all sides as a much-needed investment in roads and bridges, broadband internet, water systems and other priorities. But while the feds are signing the checks, state and local governments largely will decide how to funnel the money to specific projects—and they’ll need to […]
To accommodate McCaw, the Lamont administration signed off on a memorandum of understanding that temporarily removed OSCGR from DAS and grafted it onto OPM, despite objections by state lawmakers. They saw the move as potentially politicizing state reimbursements that largely had been set by formula. Diamantis has said any suggestion that municipalities use the emergency […]
Representatives from the construction and engineering firm Kiewit, construction manager of the project, provided a brief tour of the construction site on Thursday. Progress also can be tracked online at statepiernewlondon.com. The modernization project is the result of the Connecticut Port Authority’s agreement with port operator Gateway Terminal and joint venture partners Ørsted and Eversource. […]
Asbestos Abatement and Insulation Services (AAIS) Corporation and Bestech Inc. of Ellington are two of the four companies that the state Department of Administrative Services chose in 2017 to be on an exclusive list of contractors that would handle all abatement work on state buildings. The list was originally intended for state agencies and municipalities […]
The school building committee and its team of architects and engineers are getting ready to formally present the $159 million project, which was approved by voters in November 2020, to the Planning & Zoning Commission in March. The approved project includes a new middle-high school building and administrative offices. The old building will be torn […]
Angelo Melisi, Jr., the developer of Bridge Street Commons I and II in the heart of downtown, is calling on the Planning and Zoning Commission to deny Guedes’s plans, as presently submitted, to construct a four-story building with 30 apartments and 34 parking spaces on land presently used for city parking. Melisi said he supports […]
A total of 473 housing units across four projects were approved at the latest City Plan Commission meeting as this sector continues to grow in spite of a lingering pandemic. The rules require a set-aside of affordable apartments for new developments and major renovations or a monetary contribution toward low-income units. City Plan approved the […]
Domenic Carpionato has been named project manager for the ownership group that is heading the highly-anticipated and closely-watched project, officials confirmed. Carpionato Group is not the buyer or developer of the West Hartford property, officials said, but Domenic Carpionato will play a key role in any redevelopment efforts, although there are currently no plans for […]
SL 1055 Crossroads LLC recently filed an application with the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission to build the facility on a roughly 4-acre lot on Parker Street. The developer describes the property on its website as being in close proximity to Interstate 84 and next to several industrial buildings. The move continues a trend of […]
Current and former officials in both municipalities said they received orders from the Connecticut Office of School Construction Grants and Review, which was led by former legislator Konstantinos Diamantis, to reject the winning bids for demolition services and hazardous materials cleanup for three different schools. Documents have also emerged that show a disgruntled contractor warned […]
Developers of the former Showcase Cinema property in East Hartford discussed their plans to build as many as 420 upscale apartments at the Silver Lane site during a recent special meeting of the Town Council, saying they also plan to seek a nearly three-decade tax abatement on the project. New Britain developer Jasko Development and […]
The capital city is a few years into a $149 million super-renovation of Bulkeley, one of several high schools inside the city’s borders. If you’ve been following news of the statewide flap over school construction, you can guess what consulting firm joined the project last April. Yes, it was Construction Advocacy Professionals LLC, the Plainfield […]
What Lamont specifically proposed to legislators was budget policy language that would strip the board’s enforcement powers. The watchdog group, which has lacked a full contingent of support staff throughout its 14-year history — and wouldn’t receive funds to hire any under the governor’s proposal — already relies heavily on free work by its volunteer […]
Large public infrastructure projects are creating thousands of jobs, but they also are increasing the demand for limited materials. As a result, over the course of two years, material costs skyrocketed and lead times increased, forcing contractors to pay significantly more out of pocket to procure materials. According to one recent study, since the pandemic […]
Foxwoods also revealed it is planning to open a new high-stakes bingo hall, convert the casino’s existing bingo hall into a 75,000-square-foot convention center and renovate the casino’s main entrance. Plans call for the Great Wolf Lodge at Mashantucket to open adjacent to the casino in 2024. Great Wolf Resorts is investing most of the […]
“Nora [Dannehy] got together with Stan Twardy — two former U.S. attorneys,’’ Lamont said. “We came forward immediately. We said, ‘Leave no stone unturned.’ Zero tolerance for this type of stuff. Follow where it may. That’s what Stan Twardy’s report showed.” Twardy was hired by the state and conducted the investigation into the hiring of […]
From at least April 2020 through February 2021, the president of Stamford Wrecking Company and his lawyer repeatedly pressed complaints that OPM was not following the legally required bidding process for demolition and hazard abatement work and was instead driving work to a small group of contractors on an OPM-approved emergency bid list. Lamont said […]
Officials are exploring ideas for the North Stonington Road Bridge in Old Mystic, which has been out for more than a decade. The bridge was found to be in poor condition following a 500-year storm in March 2010, Groton Town Manager John Burt said. A safety check after the storm and subsequent inspection revealed several […]
The old Sacred Heart Church convent and rectory are gone, demolished as part of St. Martin de Porres Academy’s plan to give its students a safer area to play basketball and more room for people to park. The plan to raze the convent and rectory, while maintaining the 127-year-old school and the 171-year-old church, which […]
The Norwalk-based developer, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, announced the plan to finally get started building Thursday evening at a virtual outreach meeting for small contractors. The project, called “Square 10,” encompasses the blocks bounded by George, State, MLK, and Orange, where the New Haven Coliseum once stood. Spinnaker is beginning its bid process for local […]
A Bridgeport developer’s goal of building a $15.5 million indoor/outdoor sports complex on Olson Drive moved forward Tuesday. John Guedes, president & CEO of the Primrose Companies, said Wednesday he is working to seal the deal. The Cassetti administration is working with the Ansonia Housing Authority to acquire the land for $510,000. The Cassetti administration […]
Virtual net metering is a way to credit that power to structures that are not connected directly to the system itself. Coventry has to use VNM because the new panels it wants to install would credit power to a number of school buildings to pick up the slack in the solar systems they already have. […]
When the town of Tolland realized it had to build a new, $46 million elementary school three years ago, Kostas Diamantis, then a politically-influential, top state official, took control of the project. Diamantis told the town who they were to hire as general contractor and the consultant the town was to hire as its owner’s […]
A row of homes and businesses on Benedict Place and Benedict Court in central Greenwich would be demolished to make way for 110 residential units if a local developer gains permissions from the town. The latest application follows a surge of other proposals for central Greenwich that seek to encompass the state’s affordable housing law […]
Funding is in place for some $20 million worth of improvements citywide. The Board of Aldermen, at its meeting Monday, approved some $20 million worth of bonds to cover improvements of sanitary sewers and wastewater facilities ($3 million) and various public and school upgrades ($16.2 million). Blake said the $3 million sewer improvement section will […]
Kelly and Formica wrote to Connecticut State Auditors and Democratic legislative leaders with the request in light of federal authorities requesting documents associated with the projects overseen by Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis, former head of the state’s Office of School Construction Grants and Review. While it is unclear what federal authorities are specifically investigating, they requested […]
Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget proposal, released Wednesday, instead calls for allocating $218,770 to the Auditors of Public Accounts, a legislative agency whose mission is to “audit state agencies,” to fund three additional auditors. But the proposal does not adjust funding for the Contracting Standards Board, leaving just enough money to fund the agency’s two existing […]
Massachusetts-based National Development met with the East Hartford Town Council Tuesday night to give a detailed look at its proposed four-building manufacturing, research and development and logistics hub near Rentschler Field, a project that could create about 2,000 permanent jobs and generate an estimated $4 million in new annual tax revenue, the developers said. According […]
Old Colony Beach Association President Douglas Whalen on Wednesday said the four beach communities that have been involved in devising a shared sewer system are looking for between $6 million and $10 million to bridge the gap between what residents agreed to pay and the ever-rising cost of construction. Whalen said the sewer system will […]
Developer Michael Licamele, who is a principal of the Easton-based Manchester Parkade 1 LLC, the Parkade’s former developer, said he and his partner, Harry Freeman, would fight the town’s recent decision to pull the plug on negotiations for redevelopment of the Broad Street property that once held a retail plaza. The town and Manchester Parkade […]
Mayor Michael Passero marked the occasion with a news conference, saying it was with mixed emotions that this chapter in New London’s history was coming to an end. While hundreds of families had raised their children here in the decades after it opened in 1967, it was also an example of a failed government policy […]
Gov. Ned Lamont opened the 2022 legislative session Wednesday on a high note of optimism – declaring in his State of the State Address that Connecticut is rebounding from years of large budget deficits, businesses moving out of state, and bond ratings downgrades. As he faces re-election this year, Lamont said the state is stronger […]
Greg Vaca wants to replace the aging strip center at the intersections of Route 75 and 159 with three apartment buildings, a $25 million project he said that is far better suited to modern lifestyles. If all goes to plan, Vaca hopes to break ground in the summer and be ready to screen prospective clients […]
The City Council has authorized borrowing $700,000 to cover a funding gap that had delayed the completion of demolition of the Thames River Apartments complex on Crystal Avenue. The council authorized Mayor Michael Passero to sign off on an amended contract with Stamford Wrecking Co. as an emergency measure on Monday, “to address an urgent […]
The federal district appeals court in Washington, D.C., late Friday temporarily halted a decision made last month that had taken the proposed Killingly power plant out of consideration for future power sources in New England. The operator of the New England grid, ISO-New England, which runs the auction, said in a statement on Sunday that […]
A planned 2,091-square-foot expansion to the Bailey cafeteria is expected to receive approval from the city Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday evening, said Superintendent of Schools Neil Cavallaro. He said the expansion should seat about 120 additional students. According to state data, enrollment at Bailey grew from 806 students in 2017 to 927 in 2021. […]
Quinnipiac University’s board of trustees has approved a $244 million investment to construct three new buildings at its Mount Carmel Campus in Hamden, including a new business school. The expansion — to be paid for through a combination of the university’s endowment, philanthropic efforts and debt financing — will include the addition of two academic […]
Development giant Winstanley Enterprises is pledging to donate 22 undeveloped acres to Enfield as a conservation buffer to its planned 819,000-square-foot distribution center on the former Hallmark property. Winstanley, on Monday, announced its intention to donate 22 acres, a combination of field and woods, bordering Spruceland Road. That neighborhood runs along one side of Crescent […]
The Connecticut Airport Authority is willing to pay the city up to $10 million to purchase Sikorsky Memorial Airport. “We have decided it would be in our best interests to try to pursue an acquisition,” Kevin Dillon, the authority’s director, said Friday. “It’s easier to accomplish. It’s a lot cleaner.” The challenge for the Ganim […]
A long-planned project to repair and strengthen the northbound span of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge is slated to begin this spring. “If the lowest rating is greater than or equal to 7, the bridge is classified as Good; if it is less than or equal to 4, the classification is Poor. Bridges rated 5 […]
President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Friday requiring project labor agreements on federal construction projects over $35 million, according to a White House fact sheet. The order, which is effective immediately, will impact $262 billion in federal construction contracts and affect nearly 200,000 workers. Nevertheless, the new executive order does not apply to […]
The property was sold by Stratford Land Development Company Limited Partnership to Lordship Land, LLC. Both deferred comment to the broker, as did Mary Dean, town economic development director. The idea is to build on the property and then lease the space. There is no deal in place to lease the property at this time, […]
The board of trustees approved $244 million for the project, which will include construction of a 79,000-square-foot School of Business, a 137,000-square-foot general academic building and a 417-bed residence hall, the university announced Thursday in a release. The construction will take place within the campus’s existing footprint, between Tator Hall and the College of Arts […]
Connecticut Port Authority Executive Director John Henshaw and authority board Chairman David Kooris said in an interview Thursday they’re not sure what it means. While the grand jury subpoena was made public, the reason for the investigation is not. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment Thursday about the purpose of the […]
The ambitious plan for a $1 billion energy complex and data center at the old Stanley Works industrial complex in New Britain appears to be back on track after a long hiatus triggered by the pandemic. EIP LLC has changed financing, brought in a different fuel cell supplier and rewritten the plan for where it […]
Negotiations between the city and the developers of the Summit have hit a snag when it comes to the proposed career academy that has put into jeopardy the future site of the $144.5 million school. Mayor Dean Esposito terminated negotiations between the city and developers a few days ago, disagreeing with some terms, he said. […]
Building management at the Allure — a luxury apartment complex built in 2017 by Building and Land Technology — told residents Tuesday afternoon that part of a fifth-floor outdoor terrace collapsed over part of its garage. City fire and building officials have ruled the area structurally sound and safe for residents. BLT told residents in […]
The FBI is investigating the state-financed reconstruction of the State Pier in New London and school construction grants overseen by Kostantinos “Kosta” Diamantis before the administration of Gov. Ned Lamont fired him from a top budget post. Kosta Diamantis simultaneously was deputy secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, an unclassified political position, and […]
Geballe, the commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services and the state’s chief operating officer, said Tuesday he has accepted “a dream job” at Yale overseeing a new innovation and entrepreneurial program. Lamont named Michelle Gilman, who is currently the deputy to Geballe, as the new commissioner of administrative services, a key post as the […]
The $50 million renovation project, which began in July 2021, will be completed with reimbursed funding by the state and is slated to continue throughout the winter. The renovation project is being led by a team from Newfield Construction. When completed, the building will include an updated security system, specialized rooms and services for hearing […]
Affordable housing, traffic and pedestrian safety top the list of concerns around a proposed development on the Strouse Adler property tied to a zone change in Wooster Square. PMC Property Group wants to construct a 13-story apartment tower, after the zone change, by dividing the 78 Olive St. site fronting on Chapel Street and building […]
President Joe Biden urged U.S. governors on Monday to ramp up their construction plans as his administration rolled out a guidebook for accessing the nearly $1 trillion made available by the bipartisan infrastructure deal. The book is meant to level the playing field by making it easier for smaller cities, tribal leaders, nonprofits and faith-based […]
The estimated cost to build a new middle and high school has risen dramatically — up almost 46 percent from what was approved last year. City Council is expected to consider on Tuesday a new request to borrow $144.5 million for the career academy, compared to the $99 million approved last April. The city hopes […]
The site of the former Allingtown library on Forest Road was sold to a developer in July 2020, a controversial move that some in the neighborhood claimed was a decision that disadvantaged the working-class neighbors of the area — who used the building as a community space for seniors and youth — as a means […]
State officials selected the Pratt Street brownfield project for a $1.8 million cleanup grant because of its potential for economic development in a transit-oriented district, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said Monday. Bysiewicz told the group 30,000 people have moved into the state since the start of the pandemic, adding she feels Meriden is an attractive […]
