Norwich Public Utilities officials presented a proposed $105.9 million 2024-25 budget for all four of its service divisions that calls for a decrease in spending of $3.89 million, a 3.67% drop from this year’s budget. A five-year, $200 million upgrade of the city sewage treatment plant started this year, and planned major upgrades to the […]
Nearly a year after some of the region’s largest offshore wind developers began making noises about pulling out of their projects because of increased costs, and six months after they actually did, a new round of bidding coordinated among three states appears to show that interest in developing offshore wind is still strong, even with […]
Ørsted, the Danish energy company staging offshore wind projects at State Pier, announced Wednesday it has pitched a proposal for its biggest U.S. wind farm to date with New London as its base. The Danish wind giant was one of four companies to announce bids in the tri-state solicitation. Avangrid, SouthCoast Wind and Vineyard Offshore […]
The Cedar Street bridge has reopened to downtown motorists after reconstruction, and workers have uncovered another section of Harbor Brook. But as the city moves toward expanding the Meriden Green to Cedar Street to create a sensory park, it is stymied by a lack of funding after several failed attempts to secure $5.5 million in […]
Verogy, which works with all things solar energy, has a knack for turning landfills no longer fulfilling their original purpose into renewable energy. “All the landfills we’re using are what are called closed and capped,” said Brian Fitzgerald, the company’s director of development. “They’re no longer accepting any bulky waste and trash.” It’s one of […]
Superior Court Judge Matthew Budzik sided with PURA in dismissing nine of the 12 counts of Aquarion’s appeal. He remanded two counts to PURA, along with part of a third. Budzik upheld PURA’s methodology in determining rate cases, saying that the agency has broad discretion. He dismissed Aquarion’s claim that the rate decision was “confiscatory.” […]
As Eversource Energy continues to explore the sale of its Aquarion Water subsidiary, it’s unclear exactly how many companies may be interested in buying it. The purchase, however, will have a ripple effect across Connecticut with more than 236,000 customers in 72 municipalities across three states. Financial analysts have said the California-based corporate parent of […]
Many of the bids came back in the $140 million range on a project budgeted at $107 million, Capital Region Development Authority officials told the agency’s board on Thursday. Higher costs for labor and materials likely pushed the bids up above the original budget, according to Michael Freimuth, executive director of the CRDA. The first […]
The fate of the North 7 development plan is unknown after Stamford developer Building and Land Technology yanked its application for a 266-unit mixed-use apartment building over a city requirement that developers bury the utility lines. “At this point, to underground the overhead utilities that currently exist would literally cost several million dollars, and by […]
Real estate developer Daniel Bertram, a principal with BRT Companies of Danbury, came before the Board of Selectmen earlier this month to explain proposed updates to the project. Construction is proceeding at the 14.7-acre property at the corner of Main (Route 17) and Marlborough streets (Route 66), near the Arrigoni Bridge. New traffic lights at […]
Established in the late 1800s, Drescher’s occupied the building at 21 Leavenworth in various forms until 2021, when the pandemic shuttered many of downtown Waterbury’s restaurants. Now the area is slowly stirring back to life, and the co-owner of Tullamore Public House hopes to help bring business to the entire downtown district. The Tullamore’s opening […]
Connecticut is one of the most heavily dammed states in the country, with about 4,800 spread throughout cities and towns, 84 percent of which are privately owned and many more than a century old. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state is home to 54 dams per every 100 miles of free-flowing […]
The last pile was driven on March 13, and dredging around the pier wrapped up in February, later than initially anticipated but still in time to accommodate the arrival next month of offshore wind turbine components for Ørsted and Eversource’s next project, Revolution Wind. Hundreds of the piles, which are metal pipes ranging in diameter […]
A major renovation of Hartford’s XL Center would cost tens of millions of dollars more than an estimate of $107 million, throwing into uncertainty a long-debated makeover of the aging arena and likely forcing another downsizing. Five months ago, the Capital Region Development Authority sought bids for what the already-downsized renovation of the sports and […]
A vision for the aging Community Center laid out by a team of specialists in architecture, landscape design and community engagement has given the Board of Selectmen a lot to consider as it weighs what the community wants against how much taxpayers can afford to pay. Consultant Brian Cleveland, of Brian Cleveland Architects, on Wednesday […]
For so many townspeople, the 1928-era building at Farmington High School is a landmark, a structure whose walls safeguard the memories of generations of residents. And in an April 2023 referendum, voters decided the fate of the nearly 100-year-old building, with an overwhelming consensus to save and renovate it. Now, what was once classrooms for […]
The redevelopment of the now-demolished Bowles Park apartments in Hartford’s Blue Hills neighborhood will enter its fourth stage with the help of $5 million in state funding. At the site of the old Bowles Park, a 410-unit state housing complex, sits Willow Creek, a mixed-income housing facility with several community amenities. The most recent round […]
With almost $79 billion earmarked for highway, safety and transit programs, the budget also adds $9.5 billion to support the resilience, safety and sustainability of the nation’s transportation network via the bipartisan infrastructure law. Enacted in late 2021, IIJA is the Biden administration’s outline for “building a better America,” according to the Federal Transit Administration. […]
Legislation in Connecticut, the capital of the American insurance industry and home to several of its largest carriers, could make insurers pay for that contradiction. If passed, the bill, which just cleared a committee vote in the state Senate, would move toward imposing a fee for any fossil fuel projects companies insure in-state. That revenue […]
Town officials say they are relieved a proposed solar facility on South Road has been denied for its potential adverse environmental effect after they questioned whether the property would eventually be returned to its current agricultural use. The Connecticut Siting Council on March 14 denied a petition by Santa Fuel Inc. to build and operate […]
Grove Court is receiving a $6.8 million state grant for various improvements, the second round of financing in the past few months to finance a series of substantial upgrades to the affordable housing complex. The state-funded complex received $2 million in August for other extensive repairs. That was in addition to $3 million in federal […]
A project to “lower” the highway system through Hartford that is expected to take some 25 years to complete got a $2 million boost from the U.S. Department of Transportation last week. The grant funding will enable preliminary engineering, environmental documentation, and public outreach for the River Gateway portion of the Greater Hartford Mobility Study. […]
City officials are back to the drawing board after rejecting two requests for proposals from Cornerstone Realty and Industrial Realty Group, a Los Angeles-based developer, to redevelop the former Anamet factory site at 698 South Main St. City officials said Anamet, a 17-acre brownfield site, including a 180,000-square-foot high bay building, is crucial to revitalizing […]
Instead of cars whizzing through the waterfront area on multi-lane highways, traffic specialists envision two-way streets, walkways, roundabouts and even a pedestrian “Bridge of Roses” over the Yantic River. The City Council on Monday viewed concepts from a downtown Norwich mobility study that tackled how to fix the 1970s road patterns that raced traffic through […]
A Pennsylvania-based transportation company is in the midst of a $25 million expansion on Aircraft Road. A. Duie Pyle Inc. opened a regional facility in town in 2001 and company leaders say the expansion project was designed to build on the existing site, including construction of a two-deck parking garage to maximize space on the […]
Aquarion Water Company and its contractors were recently working overnight near her home to replace 2,000 feet of aged water mains under Greenwich Avenue, but the light and the sound, she said, have kept Santos and some of her neighbors from sleeping. When crews come to work at night, Santos said, the engines of large […]
The town’s plans to build a new community center, bringing its senior center, one library branch, and teen center together into one complex, are moving forward. On Tuesday, the town announced it had selected GWWO Architects to design the new building, which will be located at 100 Mayflower St. at the site of the former […]
Motorists heading to the Merwin Meadows area will face intermittent closures on Lovers Lane on Monday and Tuesday due to work on a bridge replacement project, the town of Wilton announced. The entire bridge replacement project is expected to be completed this summer. A temporary bridge, allowing one lane of alternating traffic, was installed last […]
On a platform suspended nearly 40 feet above New Haven Harbor, Gov. Ned Lamont got a first-hand look Monday at the latest piece of machinery designed to help the state meet its ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The cargo mover, built by the German firm Sennebogen, is the largest machine of its kind […]
Berkeley Street is set to get new sidewalks after Norwalk’s Common Council approved a $1.8 million request from the Department of Public Works. “As you know, we have our annual paving operations; we pave our roads every year and as construction protocol, we always build our sidewalks ahead of time,” James Meehan, a principal engineer […]
In a joint virtual conference on Friday, union leaders from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts expressed support for coordinated efforts by the governors of the three states to boost industry in the area, and called for development companies to commit to adopting high labor and wage standards, as well as ensuring that permanent workers can […]
The borough has been awarded three grants totaling just over $8 million. They include more than $5.7 million in a Community Investment Fund grant to improve a section of Rubber Avenue, a $650,000 state Department of Transportation grant for a pedestrian bridge downtown and a $1.6 million federal grant for Naugatuck Senior Center. The funds […]
Buildings on the campus of the Torrington Company are coming down piece by piece to preserve historic elements for reuse. As of last Thursday, 21 of the 29 structures on the 14-acre property have been slowly razed. To keep the site contained, crews work inside a shell of walls and roadside edifices. Carbone estimates the […]
A 4-mile tunnel carved out of bedrock under Hartford’s South End — the city’s very own Big Dig — is now nearly complete and will be a crucial component for eliminating sewer waste that overflows and pollutes Wethersfield Cove, the Connecticut River and other streams especially when there are heavy rainstorms. The Metropolitan District Commission […]
Last September, attorney Bill Sweeney stood in front of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission to praise a development deal that would transform three long-vacant Fort Trumbull parcels into two apartment complexes and a six-story parking garage. RCDA notes on its website that its overarching mission, to work with developers on projects that will “complement […]
Reconstruction of the Sherman Street bridge is expected to be completed by August, and Norwich Public Works has its eye on replacing another key local bridge over the Yantic River on New London Turnpike. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D- Conn, recently announced that the Senate passed a funding bill with $106 million for projects across […]
A new piece of state funding in the form of a $1.6 million Community Investment Fund award announced this month, which requires final approval by the state Bond Commission, will enable the museum to fully realize Allyn’s wishes by transforming 12 acres of grounds into an “urban art park,” Quigley said. The park will feature […]
The Old Greenwich School renovation project did not get construction funding last year, so the building committee is trying again — with a more expensive project estimated to cost $44.3 million to build. Originally, the OGS renovation project’s construction cost was estimated to be around $42.7 million, but the delay in approvals has resulted in […]
Plans for the north end school, which has not yet been officially named, got the go-ahead from local zoning officials this week, marking another step forward for the $90 million project. It will be built on 42 acres at the corner of Jarvis Street and Marion Road, replacing Chapman Elementary and Darcey School. Some PZC […]
Excavators made methodical work knocking down the former Subway headquarters on Thursday, a job expected to take about three weeks. The company moved to nearby Shelton last October. As of Thursday, about 10 percent of the main building was down and a maintenance building was gone, said Andy Howard, a project manager from Scinto’s construction […]
A project to connect the city’s West Side to the Stamford train station through a pedestrian corridor just got a $17 million federal boost. The plan, known as the “West Side Neighborhood Connector Project,” would create a 12-foot-wide path to fill a 3,000-foot missing gap in the city’s Mill River Greenway network, among other improvements. […]
Danish wind energy developer Ørsted and the utility Eversource built a 12-turbine wind farm called South Fork Wind 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of Montauk Point, New York. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul went to Long Island Thursday to announce that the turbines are delivering clean power to the local electric grid, flipping a massive […]
Most of the federal money to Connecticut, $17 million, has been awarded to Stamford, where it will be used to connect the struggling West Side to the prosperous downtown and growing South End. The aim is to ease travel from the West Side to downtown jobs, bus transit, shopping, services, and recreation. The city will […]
Developer Building and Land Technology wants to convert a four-story office building on a 25-acre site into a 354-unit residential complex at 800 Long Ridge Road. The development would include 618 total parking spaces, spread out over existing surface lots and an underground garage. The project also includes about 9,400 square feet of commercial space. […]
As the local school district grapples with surging student enrollment and overcrowding at Danbury High School, local leaders have considered whether expanding Henry Abbott Technical High School could help resolve the issues. Expansion is possible, according to the leader of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, which oversees Abbott and 16 other technical high […]
Residents will decide on a $61 million middle school renovation project when it heads to referendum on Tuesday. While the total estimated cost of the project is $61,913,393, the estimated local cost to the town is $25,712,663. This is due to the project meeting the state’s “renovate as new” criteria, making 65.36 percent or $40,466,593 […]
Residents approved a $39 million bond referendum in November 2022 for a new main library branch to be located at 1041 Main St., intended to help revitalize Main Street while modernizing and expanding the town’s offerings beyond the cramped Mary Cheney Library at 586 Main St. At the time, town officials said the state had […]
A special state board has recommended spending $8 million to help clean up lower East Side properties where a developer wants to build minor and major league soccer stadiums, plus adjacent housing, retail and a hotel. Though that amount is, according to key legislators from Bridgeport, only about a quarter of the $30 million that […]
Norwalk has received a $3.4 million federal grant that will cover the design and construction of the new signals, among other traffic improvements. TMP requested $380,461 of the grant to be allocated to the engineering consultant VHB to design the new intersections and design a new transit signal priority system for 56 intersections. The Economic […]
A newly executed agreement between the town and the developers of the Founders Plaza property near the bank of the Connecticut River transfers $6.5 million in state funding for demolition of the former Bank of America building. The new agreement, approved by the Town Council at a special meeting Monday, also reduced the minimum number […]
Construction officially began this week on the new Norwalk High School with the installation of fencing around the site. This marks the first step in the five-year project that is scheduled for completion in 2029, though students will start classes in fall 2027. The construction comes a month later than the district’s anticipated February start. […]
State Treasurer Erick Russell and Gov. Ned Lamont now hope to do something similar — albeit on a smaller scale — with Connecticut’s transportation program. Rather than attacking unfunded pension obligations, this plan would erase hundreds of millions of dollars in bonded debt, the principal and interest on highway, bridge, and rail projects. The goal […]
As part of nearly $9 million funding package from the federal government, the city will get $850,000 to help make the road through Hamilton Park more pedestrian friendly. The Hamilton Park project is part of the master plan to convert the 92-acre park into athletic fields and courts, said Tommy Hyde, executive director for Waterbury […]
East Hartford’s Town Council on Monday night agreed to conditions for the use of a $6.5 million state grant to demolish a building within the Founders Plaza office park, which will make way for a massive, mixed-use redevelopment. Under the agreement, the money will be used to demolish the 182,890-square-foot former Bank of America office […]
Future visitors to the Trumbull Mall could find a larger but more walkable property featuring hiking trails and a hotel, according to a series of ideas put forth by the consulting firm Stantec during a packed Town Hall meeting Tuesday on the mall’s future. The study focused on the area between Main Street and Madison […]
The Green Bank shepherded the two towns through the process, including finding a contractor to build the solar installations and a way to finance the projects. The solar development company Greenskies Clean Focus, based out of North Haven, won the construction contract after a competitive bid. Although the Green Bank used a competitive bidding process […]
The state of New York has conditionally awarded one of two offshore wind projects to Ørsted and Eversource, a move that could translate into more activity at New London’s State Pier. Work at State Pier associated with Sunrise Wind would mean the assembly and marshaling of an additional 84 turbines right behind Revolution Wind’s 65-turbine […]
Connecticut is set to receive millions of dollars in funding for local projects that are part of the first tranche of bills to fund the federal government — with likely more on the way if Congress negotiates and passes the second round later this month. So far, Connecticut’s delegation has secured about $138 million in […]
A proposal to study how large-scale data centers might affect the reliability of the state’s electric grid is drawing opposition from those who say it would delay critical development. The legislation would require the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to conduct the evaluation with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Office of Consumer Counsel […]
Come 2025, Westport should get a new bridge over Sasco Creek. The current bridge, which was built around 1965, starts at the intersection of Old Road and Wakeman Lane and has fallen into disrepair, the state Department of Transportation has determined. The bridge work could start in spring 2025, Wilberg said, and will take until […]
People from rural towns across the state with concerns that the Connecticut Siting Council has legal jurisdiction over the location of solar power facilities, rather than the municipalities, are hoping new legislation could give them more control of their land. Of particular interest to many who testified is HB 5361, which would give municipalities the […]
Both the East Norwalk Train Station and a section of East Avenue will be closed for three weeks starting Monday due to construction work related to the Walk Bridge replacement project. The East Norwalk improvements are part of the $1 billion project to replace the 128-year-old Walk Bridge that connects millions of people to the […]
An advanced fuel cell array that could turbo-charge future manufacturing in New Britain is in its final stages of testing and could hook up to the power grid as soon as May, according to city officials. The 67-fuel cell array — installed outdoors in a dilapidated section of the Stanley Works complex at 600 Myrtle […]
A developer picked by the town of East Hartford for the tricky redevelopment of a historic, but rundown downtown building into a modern 24-unit apartment building can now access $760,000 in state grant funds. East Hartford’s Town Council, on Tuesday, unanimously agreed to grant access to those funds to developer Parker Benjamin – who was […]
The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved spending $306,650 to hire a program manager who will oversee the construction of the new Oswegatchie firehouse. Downes Construction Co. of New Britain will develop bids, review construction drawings, assist in the selection of the building contractor and oversee the day-to-day construction while reporting back to the building […]
A Republican legislator who also runs a small electrical company wants to reduce the state’s apprenticeship hiring ratio, which supporters say would help bolster Connecticut’s trade industry workforce. The state Department of Consumer Protection imposes a so-called “hiring ratio” on contracting companies in electrical, plumbing and metal-working trades. The rule is a bit technical, but […]
here have been at least 1,800 complaints each year since 2019. Meanwhile, the unit’s staff has dropped. Ten years ago, in 2014, there were 42 staff members, including 31 wage enforcement agents and wage and hour investigators combined. This year, 30 total staff members remain, with 21 agents or investigators. The rest of the staff […]
United Rentals, the world’s largest equipment-rental company, announced this week that it agreed to acquire construction company Yak Access for about $1.1 billion from private equity firm Platinum Equity. The products and services of Hattiesburg, Mississippi-based Yak include approximately 600,000 hardwood, softwood and composite mats; temporary and permanent access roads; site evaluation; design and installation […]
With construction now underway on Wilton’s new police station, Chief Thomas Conlan said the new facility will be a “morale boost” to the department’s 41 officers. Branford-based A. Secondino & Son Inc., Wilton’s contractor for the new building, began working on the project two weeks ago, said Jeff Pardo, facilities manager and assistant director of […]
Developer Building and Land Technology is proposing to convert a four-story office building on a 25-acre site into a 354-unit residential complex at 800 Long Ridge Road that will include 618 total parking spaces, spread out over existing surface lots and an underground garage. The project also includes about 9,400 square feet of commercial space. […]
The Project Labor Agreement itself emphasizes local employment opportunities with the Norwich-New London Building Trades Council holding career fairs for five years, with a hiring goal of 25% from Norwich and 30% from the New London Council. The council will also assist with local workforce initiatives. Non-union workers can also work on the school project […]
The City Council late Monday heard from nearly three dozen union trades workers and union leaders before voting 4-3 to require Project Labor Agreements for the city’s $385 million school construction project. The agreement requires the contract manager to reach pre-hiring agreements with the Norwich-New London Building Trades Council to provide local skilled trades workers […]
Developers planning around 1,000 apartments in a mixed-use redevelopment of East Hartford’s Founders Plaza office park will have up to four years to finish a first-phase building of at least 150 units in return for $6.5 million in state demolition funding. The Port Eastside partnership – which includes several prominent area businessmen – plans to […]
Experimental speed cameras in highway construction zones so effectively reduced speeding that state transportation officials want to permanently use them. Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto told state legislators on the Transportation Committee that the two-year pilot program resulted in significant reduction in traveling speeds in five work zones where the speed cameras were tested. Eucalitto said […]
After months of site preparation, the footprint of the city’s $40 million community center took shape Monday morning as crews poured tons of concrete to create the floors of the facility’s programming and gym spaces. The day’s action was largely centered on the southern portions of the 58,000-square-foot center, which will include the gym, recreation […]
The Planning and Zoning Commission held an informational meeting last week to hear about the two road projects – Elm Street, from Main to Gay streets, and Hubbard Street, from Boyd Street (Route 263) to its dead end. Public works Director James Rollins told the commission both projects will improve the roads, sidewalks and drainage. […]
The University of Connecticut is deepening its ties to the Capital City, with plans to grow its downtown campus footprint while connecting students to new research, employment, internship and even housing opportunities. The expansion includes UConn taking over 51,000 square feet of vacant space at the XL Center, where the school this fall will debut […]
When the call comes to set up an emergency shelter, Health and Human Services Director Lea Crown loads her car up with cots and supplies from the Health Department on Miller Street to set up at the Meriden Senior Center. Committee members were updated by Crown and Senior Center Director Rick Liegl about the value […]
The town will receive $1.9 million in federal funding for two of its “net-zero” elementary schools after the costs to renovate them exceeded the initial estimates. Manchester secured $81 million in bonds for the project, with roughly two-thirds sourced from the state’s Construction Grant Program, and allocated $5 million from the town’s reserve fund. Buckley […]
Work to install water mains is scheduled to begin Monday, March 4, on Prospect Hill Road and Dorwin Hill Road, which will ensure continued water system reliability for customers, Aquarion Water Co. said. The project will install 8,296 feet, or about 1.5 miles, of water main, according to Aquarion. It is part of an ongoing […]
The property is still not the kind of place children should frequent, or for that matter anyone other than construction workers wearing the proper clothing and safety equipment. But it is becoming easier to picture a day when it will be clean and ready for redevelopment. The initial work following delays began last April in […]
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz joined local officials Friday to highlight the $8,707,755 recently awarded to the Town of Griswold through the Community Investment Fund. The money will be used for a municipal water infrastructure project that will support more than 325 acres of commercial land along Route 164 and facilitate the Heritage River Village development, […]
The Shelton Planning and Zoning Commission at a hearing Wednesday heard plans from applicant F.S. Shelton LLC and principal John Abene for a five-story, multi-unit apartment complex at 745-801 Bridgeport Ave. The $25 million project, by developer Highview Commercial, would feature 170 apartments, a portion of which would be affordable. The development would feature nine […]
Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate Partners exercised its option on Tuesday to buy a 90,000-square-foot parking lot at Capitol Avenue and Hudson Street for $3.25 million, according to the Capital Region Development Authority. The authority voted in January to loan Spinnaker $3 million toward the purchase, which forms a crucial piece of the Bushnell South development […]
City Engineer Giovanni Zinn says the project to make a nine-block stretch of lower State Street more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly won’t involve street closures and will ultimately improve traffic and safety. The $6.7 million project, partially funded through a $5.35 million state Department of Economic and Community Development grant, will redesign the streetscape along a […]
The state is preparing for a $30 million refurbishment of the Bissell Bridge, a key traffic link between I-84 and I-91 north of Hartford. Precise construction plans won’t be known until engineers do final designs in 2025, but the state department of transportation is letting the public know now that some potentially major weekend detours […]
