Taking a lesson from a year-long delay in the recently completed sports-betting lounge at Hartford’s XL Center, the Capital Region Development Authority plans to sign an agreement with local unions to ensure a ready supply of trained labor for the venue’s broader $100 million renovation. Now, as the CRDA prepares to launch a grander $100 million, two-year XL Center reconfiguration and repair program, Freimuth is hoping to avoid some of the same pitfalls. Material, especially electronic switchgear, will be ordered well in advance and stored, he said. A project labor agreement will mean paying a premium for some trades, Freimuth conceded in a meeting with his board Monday morning. But it will also guarantee access to trained pools of labor and ensure predictable labor rates negotiated in advance, he said. The CRDA board voted on Monday to allow Freimuth to negotiate a project labor agreement with local unions.
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