A development project on Franklin Street inched closer to city approval Thursday after the Architectural Review Committee unanimously green-lighted the 60-unit, mixed-use complex. A hearing is set for Sept. 11 during the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Pennrose wants to have most of the design work completed before the fall deadlines to apply for tax […]
The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) has recaptured $6 million of wages that were illegally withheld from ironworkers and welders from November 2013 to December 2017 by their former employer, Maspeth, New York-based AGL Industries, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday. This is NYSDOL’s largest wage-theft recovery ever. AGL pleaded guilty to third-degree grand […]
Crashes occur here around the rush hours, as drivers trying to take a right turn from Fenn onto Ella Grasso and others head straight from or onto Holly Drive, where several factories are located. A traffic signal in the intersection has failed to prevent traffic jams and accidents, according to the state Department of Transportation. […]
Inspectors with the Connecticut Department of Labor last week ordered two contractors, ASF Construction of Tarrytown, N.Y., and NB General Construction of Brewster, N.Y., to stop work on Atlantic Station at 405 Atlantic St., where the second of two big apartment towers is going up. Both companies were charged Aug. 7 with failing to provide […]
Gov. Ned Lamont and Democratic legislative leaders repeatedly trumpeted their adoption of a new state budget “on time” in June, noting it gave cities and towns certainty about the grants they could expect. But for the second time in three years, Connecticut cities and towns haven’t received state funding crucial for scheduled summer road repaving […]
Hospital leaders broke ground on the Robert R. Rosenheim Foundation Dialysis Center on the fourth floor of Connecticut Children’s Tuesday morning. They expect to finish construction in six months and soon after begin treating young patients from across the state and region in need of dialysis for kidney failure. The Rosenheim Foundation donated $1.5 million […]
Union Station could be more than it is — a transportation center with a few fast-food shops — with downtown businesses such as Atticus Bookstore Cafe and Crêpes Choupette opening outlets and possibly a boutique hotel operating overhead, according to plans announced Tuesday by city and state officials. The idea is to show off the […]
With groundbreaking scheduled for this fall, the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency approved updated recommendations for phase three of the Washington Village replacement project. Phase one, which is fully occupied according to officials, consisted of 80 apartments split between two buildings, of which 40 are public housing replacement units. Phase two, which is under construction, calls for […]
Crews from Burns Construction have already started this weeks work on New Canaan, Connecticut’s gas expansion construction project to install, and improve the town’s natural gas distribution system, and will continue construction on the project through Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. No work will be done on Saturday. Traffic flow will be maintained where it is […]
The Trump Organization, according to The Washington Post, has used undocumented workers through its Mobile Construction Payroll LLC business unit to perform construction work at its winery and East Coast golf resorts for the last 20 years. The workers in question are from Latin American countries, and one told The Post that his supervisor encouraged […]
Larson said his carbon tax idea would raise more than double the amount of money needed for his proposed ten-year investment. In addition to fixing roads and bridges, carbon-tax money from Larson’s federal proposal would also be spent on energy research, community support, and rebates to low-and-middle class Americans. https://www.wnpr.org/post/larson-continues-push-carbon-tax-congress-massive-tunnel-hartford
The National Coast Guard Museum project planned for the city’s downtown waterfront is expected to enter the first phase of construction early next year. The final design, which was approved by the board earlier this year, features an 80,000-square-foot, five-story, interactive museum that is certified through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, a widely recognized […]
Workplace injury significantly raises a person’s risk of overdose death or suicide, according to a study co-authored by Boston University researchers and published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. An injury serious enough to trigger at least one week off from work almost tripled the combined risk of suicide and overdose death among women […]
The city moved swiftly in urging the courts to return control of the land around Dunkin’ Donuts Park to Hartford after a jury last month decided the city was justified in firing the previous builder of the ballpark and the surrounding area, known as Downtown North. The former development partners of Centerplan Construction Co. and […]
While potentially taking years to litigate, the lawsuit is likely to have an immediate political impact in Hartford. It appears geared to raise doubts about the tribes’ ability to legally develop off-reservation casinos or compete for exclusive rights to sports betting in the state. But the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal nations, the respective owners […]
Mayor Neil M. O’Leary has agreed to sell Green Hub Development the roughly 60,000-square-foot, five-story, “Odd Fellows” building at 36 North Main St. The city claimed it from a New York investor in 2013 for unpaid taxes and utilities. It’s been empty for more than a decade and is in rough shape. At the request […]
Superintendent of Public Works Scott Bartlett and Director of Public Works Joseph Michelangelo were arrested Monday. Bartlett is accused of accepting bribes to allow Julian Enterprises to dump truckloads of material containing lead and PCBs on property adjoining the town’s public works garage on Richard White Way. Jason Julian, co-owner of Julian Enterprises, was arrested […]
An overabundance of surface parking lots in Connecticut’s Capital City has for decades been a drag on development, said Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Sara Bronin, one of the main proponents of no longer requiring developers to offer parking for newly built projects. Hartford’s high property tax rate — 74.29 mills, by far the […]
The entire rehabilitation project is expected to cost $8.6 million and is fully covered with state bond funding. It is expected to be completed in September, said DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick. The bridges are all classified as poor or serious condition, though only one of the projects is a traditional bridge, according to the state […]
Lamont is calling for Connecticut’s two federally recognized Indian tribes to drop longstanding plans for an East Windsor casino in exchange for sports betting and other enticements, officials said. A source close to the negotiations said the state has discussed selling the troubled XL Center in downtown Hartford to the tribes, who would renovate and […]
Key players in the $93 million public-private investment to establish an offshore wind hub here say the deal has not been delayed by recent shakeups in Connecticut Port Authority leadership. Three months after Gov. Ned Lamont’s May 2 announcement of the deal, state and local officials, State Pier operator Gateway and Danish offshore wind giant […]
A Plainville electrical contractor pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing more than $3.3 million from 300 employees. Sixty-two-year-old Lee Ferguson owns and operates Ferguson Electric and Ferguson Mechanical. According to the U.S. Attorney District of Connecticut’s Office, from 2013 to 2017 Ferguson deducted around $1.60 to $3.15 per hour from each of his employees’ fringe benefits […]
The bipartisan bill represents the latest step in Bridgeport’s nearly three-decade pursuit of a casino development. It does not yet have the support of Gov. Ned Lamont and faces other obstacles, like the threat of legal action, to passage and implementation. The bill allows the Mashantucket and Mohegan Pequot tribes, who run Foxwoods and Mohegan […]
If you are brand new to public works projects, start at square one: familiarize yourself with Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage laws to better understand what’s at stake (check out the US Department of Labor website). There are very real consequences for violations, such as payment of back wages, additional fines and penalties, prosecution, and other […]
The first phase of the $1 billion green-energy and high-speed data center complex is a $100 million, 20-megawatt fuel cell. Construction will begin in the fall and the project will take place at the Stanley Works campus. According to the announcement, the company will spend $300 million in Phase 2 to build and renovate the […]
New Britain officials, led by Republican Mayor Erin Stewart, have embraced the CTfastrak bus rapid transit system as an economic engine, and it seems to be working. The mayor said in a recent interview that she expects 200 new units of downtown housing in place by the end of this year, with another 100 coming […]
The 485-megawatt plant went online roughly a month ago, providing energy to thousands of homes and businesses throughout the state. It also set in motion plans to retire PSEG’s longstanding coal plant next door, which officials say is scheduled for June 2021. Monday was the official opening. That includes PSEG’s $600,000 Ready2Work program which helped […]
According to the American Lung Association, all of our state’s counties receive a grade of “F” when it comes to the ozone. Metro-North mostly runs its trains on electricity, but its diesels are downright filthy as are local buses, though many fleets are converting to natural gas or electric operation. Even shipping by water contributes […]
Ideanomics in a court filing said the $21.9 million assessment was “grossly excessive, disproportionate and unlawful.” Based on West Hartford’s 2019-2020 mill rate of 41.8, Ideanomics would owe about $918,834 in property taxes this fiscal year. Meantime, Ideanomics last week unveiled renderings of its planned sprawling West Hartford project — previously estimated at $283 million […]
While the debate over electronic tolls may seem over for the summer, Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney said Thursday that discussions are ongoing and a proposal could include tolling on some bridges combined with additional borrowing. The bridge-only proposal is the newest variation of ideas put forward this year, with others consisting of […]
The developer of a $1 billion fuel-cell powered data center in New Britain, slated to begin first-phase construction this fall, has secured a state tax break worth up to $55.2 million. It’s the largest benefit of its kind ever granted under the CI-administered relief program, which dates back well over a decade. The data center […]
The votes have been cast and the 2019 ENR New England Best Projects winners have finally been chosen. Three industry judges reviewed 43 projects located throughout the region, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. https://www.enr.com/blogs/8-new-england-news-and-views/post/47185-ern-new-england-announces-2019-best-project-winners
Permits for new housing construction across Connecticut rose about 10.5 percent in June. The permits were issued in 104 cities and towns the U.S. Census Bureau regularly samples. https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/ct-june-housing-permits-up-10
The chairwoman of the Connecticut Port Authority, Bonnie Reemsnyder, resigned Wednesday amid calls for her to step down by Gov. Ned Lamont. The authority also recently placed its executive director, Evan Matthews, on administrative leave, but has not stated the reason. Head of troubled CT port authority steps down
The path is clear for The Haven upscale retail outlet to begin demolition and construction, as the City Council late Monday cleared the last two hurdles by voting unanimously to approve a $5 million state grant for construction and abandonment of streets where the project will take place. The Haven has been five years in […]
A review of Connecticut transportation projects over the past three years shows Connecticut companies are awarded state contracts over 80 percent of the time, although some major projects are performed by out-of-state contractors. In 2018, CT DOT awarded a total of 61 contracts worth $899 million to 35 different companies. https://yankeeinstitute.org/2019/07/22/majority-of-transportation-projects-awarded-to-connecticut-companies-some-big-projects-go-to-out-of-state-firms/
The next step in connecting the southwestern part of the city with downtown, a project that will bring Orange Street across what is now a multilane highway, was officially launched Monday. Phase 2 of Downtown Crossing, which will take two years to complete, will bring 10 acres of vacant land and roadway back onto the […]
In discussions with Gov. Ned Lamont and legislative leaders, Looney, the Senate president pro tempore, is pressing for a limited tolling plan and more state bonding to fund improvements to the state’s highways, bridges and rails. As they pursue a proposal that can pass the General Assembly, Looney believes his experience as a toll taker […]
“Fintech village will be a unique and special place the likes of which Connecticut has not seen, adapted to fit organically into the scale and footprint of the former UConn campus…,” The state has pledged $10 million to the development in exchange for the 330 jobs Ideanomics promised to create. https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/ideanomics-unveils-virtual-fly-through-of-400m-fintech-village
Touted by lawmakers as the smallest school construction package in years, $160.5 million in grants for eight new school construction projects was passed with little debate Monday. Two of the eight new schools will be built in Fairfield, and one each will be built in Bridgeport, Enfield, Norwalk, Simsbury, Middletown, and Newington. The bill, which […]
In addition to attempting to override one of Gov. Ned Lamont’s vetoes Monday, the General Assembly is expected to approve school construction funds for eight schools in seven towns. However, negotiations on the annual bond package, which is the amount of money Connecticut borrows for infrastructure improvements, have hit a wall. Lamont’s offer to use […]
The $54 million project, which received a $15 million state grant, includes constructing a new nearly 20,000-square-foot building for treating and processing water and two new above-ground storage tanks, while repurposing elements of the 1939 facility, according to Groton Utilities. R.H. White Construction Co. of Massachusetts is the general contractor on the project. The water […]
The new facility will place all rental car companies at the airport, eliminating the need for shuttle service from the airport to the rental agencies off-site locations. It will include 830 parking spaces for rental cars. In addition to centralizing rental car facilities, the CAA said, the new transportation center will add public parking spaces […]
For 10 days starting Friday evening, the state Department of Transportation will close the southbound lane of Interstate 395 in Waterford to complete a $6 million bridge rehabilitation where the highway crosses Route 85. The project replaces the bridge deck and parapet, and installs a precast concrete median barrier that will be safer than the […]
Tolling a dozen “deficient” bridges – the number that’s being bandied about at the Capitol — at 50 cents a trip for all vehicles would raise $210 million a year, before expenses. We could charge trucks a bit more, maybe bring it up to $250 million, but that’s the reasonable limit. These are my calculations […]
Rep. Joe Courtney scored a win Wednesday after a decade of trying to repeal a tax on expensive health care plans that was imposed by the Affordable Care Act. The House voted overwhelmingly, 419-6, to approve Courtney’s Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2019, which would abolish a tax imposed by the Affordable […]
Evan Matthews, head of the quasi-public agency responsible for promoting investments in Connecticut’s three deepwater ports, has been placed on administrative leave. The news comes as the state continues work to finalize a $93 million public-private investment in New London’s State Pier. In an email Thursday, Governor Lamont’s Director of Communications Maribel La Luz, confirmed […]
President Trump’s embattled labor secretary, R. Alexander Acosta, on Friday announced his plans to resign as controversy lingered over his handling of a sex crimes case involving a financier, Jeffrey E. Epstein, when Mr. Acosta was a federal prosecutor in Florida. Mr. Acosta’s resignation, effective July 19, brings to four the number of cabinet agencies […]
Even though highway tolls is the top priority on the legislative agenda for Gov. Ned Lamont, no date has been set for a special session. “The governor is working hard,” Aresimowicz said. He added, “We know we have a problem. The question is: are we willing to compromise to do something about it or are […]
The Parks and Recreation Department is eying a complete renovation of the pool at Page Park, as well as additional improvements in the park that will total $3 million. Joshua Medeiros, superintendent of Parks and Recreation, said the current pool was installed in the 1950s and it needs an “overhaul” to be safe and accessible. […]
Ideanomics CEO and President Alfred Poor sent letters to neighbors of the former UConn campus in West Hartford, letting them know that company representatives will be canvassing the area next week in advance of the company’s project design reveal. Ideanomics, a China- and New York-based company focusing on financial services technology, purchased the former UConn […]
Under an agreement inked this week between the state’s selected developer, Sacyr Rooney, and the quasi-public Materials Innovation Recycling Authority (MIRA), which oversees the Mid-Connecticut plant and related facilities, MIRA agreed to finance the waste-to-energy portion of the project entirely on its own — a cost estimated at between $120 million and $140 million. That […]
A federal judge has cleared the way for state and federal transportation officials to move forward with a $1.1 billion project to replace a 122-year-old movable railroad bridge in Norwalk. The existing Walk Bridge, or Norwalk River Railroad Bridge, carries four tracks that serve about 200 trains daily, including Amtrak. The U.S. Department of Transportation […]
Lamont told reporters on Tuesday that he has no plans to direct the DOT to proceed if he is unable to get House and Senate majorities to authorize an electronic highway tolling system. The first-term Democrat also had no progress to report Tuesday concerning his discussions with General Assembly leaders, or his plans to recall […]
The Greenwich Transportation Center will undergo a large-scale redevelopment that organizers say will be launched next year through a public-private partnership. The plan is to begin construction in a little more than a year and have the project completed in about 18 months. Under the project outlined Tuesday, the current building would be demolished, but […]
The Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority along with the City of New Haven sought to invalidate a state statute that limited the runway’s length to 5,600 feet. The appeals court noted that Tweed’s runway is one of the shortest commercial airport runways in the country and that it lacked nonstop flights to Orlando, Boston, Washington, D.C. […]
Lamont told reporters Monday that he is not giving up on a special session on tolls, although no session has been scheduled as many legislators are away on vacation in the middle of the summer. Lamont held a high-profile meeting with top lawmakers on tolls on June 19, but no agreements were reached. In a […]
The property, which is the site of the former Connecticut Tar & Asphalt Co., is made up of three parcels of land: 222, 230 and 248 Brownstone Ave. The town currently receives $16,415 a year in property taxes. That money would stop if the town buys the property. One of the ideas put forward for […]
The remediation work on the PCB-contaminated brownfield property at 894 Middle St. is in its final phases. The council voted to make an additional appropriation of $350,000 within the Capital Projects Fund for environmental engineering at the site. The city began the remediation work last April, with a $1.3 million grant from the Connecticut Department […]
Our bridges are still corroding, our highways are still potholed and our trains are running slower than ever. Transportation is grinding to a halt, and with it our state’s economy. Something must be done. The money must be found. It is clear that the Special Transportation Fund is headed into the red unless additional funding […]
With state legislators on vacation in the middle of the summer, lawmakers expect to return to the state Capitol as soon as July 22 to vote on the annual bond package to pay for municipal construction projects. When the regular legislative session ended on June 5, lawmakers said they would return to complete unfinished business […]
State officials recently ended a lengthy effort to find a private partner to redevelop the historic former Seaside Regional Center into a luxury hotel on state park property, saying a pair of proposals failed to meet the state’s criteria to move forward. DEEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Whalen, in an email to The Day, said neither […]
Those four properties next to the train station will make up the project known as “Farmington at Steele.” The estimated $18 million project will be funded entirely by the Newport Realty Group’s private financing through equity and banking partners. No state funds will be used during the development phase. Approximately $2 million in grants from […]
Connecticut’s jobs picture, meantime, has worsened in 2019 as the state has lost about 300 jobs since January. The state Department of Labor recently announced the state shed 1,500 jobs in May. Wages in Connecticut are also growing at a modest pace. New Haven County led employment growth, up 0.7 percent, followed by Hartford County […]
Capping a civil suit that spanned nearly three years, a Superior Court jury on Tuesday decided that Middletown-based Centerplan Construction and DoNo Hartford LLC — companies both controlled by Robert Landino — must pay the city $335,000, court records show. An attorney for the companies, Raymond Garcia, said Tuesday afternoon that his clients would appeal […]
UConn’s board of trustees last week finalized an amended purchase and sale agreement to allow Ideanomics to substitute an existing $8 million surety bond with a performance bond worth approximately $4 million. Release of the surety bond will allow Ideanomics to unlock capital currently earmarked as collateral for additional environmental remediation needed at the 58-acre […]
The discoveries have added an estimated $4 million in cleanup costs associated with the 393-acre property, prompting town officials to seek release of a $2 million low-interest contingency loan approved by the state in addition to a $10 million grant awarded to cover final cleanup costs. The low-interest loan has payment forgiveness provisions based on […]
The State Bond Commission is to release tens of millions of dollars in funding for repairs to the bridge that connects Middletown and Portland. With a total cost of $46.8 million, $39.4 million coming from the state, the phase two replacement of the Arrigoni Bridge from Middletown to Portland will involve the bridge’s approach spans, […]
State Reps. Michelle Cook and Maria Horn, D-Torrington, announced Wednesday that Litchfield County Regional Fire School in Litchfield is expected to receive $410,000 for soil remediation from the Connecticut Bond Commission, according to a release. Firefighters officially opened the doors of the $13 million facility in October. It includes a 16,650-square-foot administration, education and vehicle […]
Besides recently receiving approval from DEEP for its proposed “Coastal Wastewater Management Plan,” which details installing a gravity-fed sewer system within the Sound View neighborhood and a neighborhood north of Route 156 known as “Miscellaneous Town Area B” by connecting to New London’s wastewater treatment facility, town officials also have discussed scheduling an upcoming referendum […]
The East Shore District Health Department found no evidence of rodent activity in the old East Haven High School building and, following a walk-through Thursday, gave the developer converting the building to housing the OK to demolish its 1973 wing. The go-ahead for demolition came just days after the town’s Building Department, at the Health […]
“It’s hard to quantify, but, yes, the move to the Big East is a good thing,” Mike Freimuth, the straight shooting executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, said Wednesday. The new building, if constructed properly, would instantly become the Big East’s jewel. Freimuth said he envisions “optimizing” 11,000-12,000 seats. And yet with a […]
Gov. Ned Lamont threatened Wednesday to clamp down on state borrowing if legislators can’t agree in special session this summer on a plan to toll Connecticut’s major highways. Lawmakers declined to adopt any long-term financing plan for transportation work during the regular session, which adjourned on June 5. But they must return to the Capitol […]
The approval earlier this month of certificates of environmental compatibility and public need by the state Siting Council for the development of the proposed Killingly Energy Center facility means thousands of dollars partially earmarked for a “bridge of flowers” on the Water Street bridge could eventually be dispersed. A Community Environmental Benefit agreement approved by […]
The administration of Gov. Ned Lamont re-launched its campaign for highway tolls in a private two-pronged pitch to wary legislative leaders Wednesday, setting Connecticut’s growing transportation infrastructure needs against a special transportation fund on the verge of insolvency. What he needs is a way to reassure Senate Democrats, who now hold a 22-14 majority after […]
Despite neighbors’ concerns, the city recently approved an agreement to lease land near Derby High School to the Regional Water Authority to construct a one-million gallon water tank. While many residents living nearby the proposed tank have expressed opposition to the project, city officials are in favor of it. Fire chiefs in both Derby and […]
According to Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley, the city is in search of a contractor to handle renovations to the entire building, which will include a new roof, heating and electrical work, as well as purchase and installation of new furniture and equipment to outfit the police station. Bids also will include prep work for […]
The Common Council unanimously approved $57 million in bond authorizations to be used for renovations at three schools. Benefiting from the money will be Chamberlain Elementary School and Slade and Pulaski middle schools. Slade and Pulaski middle schools were selected for roofing projects at an estimated cost of $3 million per school. The remaining $2 […]
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is crediting the Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) method with saving up to two years on the replacement of a bridge section over Interstate 95 in Stamford, Connecticut. ABC has become a way for state DOTs to replace aging bridge infrastructure with minimal traffic detours during construction. It is also recognized by […]
The former developer, Centerplan Construction Co., has blocked development by placing liens on the parcels surrounding the stadium, even as the city selected a new firm, Stamford-based RMS Cos., to take over the 13-acre project nearly a year ago. Centerplan’s lawsuit against the city, alleging wrongful firing, headed to trial last week in Superior Court […]
By July, the three stories in the 70,000-square-foot building facing Howard Avenue and Cherry Street will have been transformed into a 725-student charter school. It’s one part of an ambitious brownfield remediation and revitalization project Flocco and his firm Corvus Capital Partners have undertaken in the city’s West End with home-development partner The Pacific Companies. […]
Details on how the old Memorial Boulevard School will be reconfigured into the new Memorial Boulevard Intradistrict Arts Magnet School have been released. The plan is for the school to accommodate 525 students in grades six through 12, chosen through a lottery system. The building closed as a school in 2012 and the target date […]
City officials announced last week that the project, money for which was originally in the proposed 2019-20 capital budget, would have to be deferred a year because an open space land swap — mandated by the state — would not receive approval by the June 30 deadline. As a result, the subsequent construction project to […]
The question of raising revenue through highway tolls will almost certainly come back for deliberation sooner. The likelihood is for a special session this summer. Gov. Ned Lamont made tolls a staple of his promised fiscal reforms. There is a drumbeat of opposition from drivers who object to this new form of tax on their […]
The $15 million project to replace a 1958 bridge near Route 1 has been completed early. Crews demolished two bridge spans that carry Route 1 over I-95 and installed new ones using what Lamont called an “innovative” construction method called accelerated bridge construction. With traditional construction methods, a project of this scale would have taken […]
The city council on Monday is scheduled to vote on a resolution that would authorize Mayor Luke Bronin to amend the Hilton Hartford’s existing ground lease for three parcels at 315 Trumbull St. so the city could seek a $4.7 million loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on behalf of […]
A group of residents is suing the town for violating their rights as citizens by raising the cost of the Town Hall project. They are seeking a court hearing to cease construction until further notice and hold another referendum for voters to sanction the new cost if they see fit. Residents are torn over the […]
Gov. Ned Lamont vowed Thursday to call the state legislators back to vote on highway tolls, while House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz gave tolls a 50-50 chance for passage. An agreement between Democrats has proved elusive, let alone an overarching bipartisan deal given the continued Republican opposition to tolls and insistence on the GOP alternative plan […]
The 11th-hour gambling legislation sought by Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim would entice the tribal owners of Connecticut’s two casinos to build a $350 million casino in his city with a promise of $100 million from the “city and/or state” and valuable exclusive rights to online sports betting and internet casino gaming. The Mashantucket Pequot […]
“Governor [Ned] Lamont is right to be advocating for using tolls as a stable, responsible source of funding to pay for transportation upgrades,” Murphy said. “If someone has a better idea to fix this problem for good, I’m all ears. But so far the governor’s idea seems to be the only serious one on the […]
Town Manager Robert E. Lee has suggested starting up another five year $5 million road repair plan as the current program wraps up this year. “The council would have to make a decision by Sept. 5 for it to be included on the ballot,” Lee said. “No date has been set for a public hearing […]
The approved bonding will pay for “like new” renovations and expansions at Buckley, Bowers, and Keeney elementary schools and the beginning of efforts to renovate three other school buildings that are closed or will be closed for other uses. The total cost will be $93 million, and local taxpayers will be responsible for $47 million […]
Legislators were studying a massive, 567-page budget bill Sunday night that they plan to debate Monday after a months-long struggle over balancing a two-year, $43 billion fiscal plan. Legislators must pass the state budget before the General Assembly session ends at midnight Wednesday. The budget raises state spending slightly and closes a two-year projected deficit […]
The brownfield inventory maintained by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection lists 516 sites. But state officials admit that’s not comprehensive. Connecticut officials can’t say how many jobs are created or local tax revenue generated by the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on brownfields. The state has spent approximately $206 million over […]
On Thursday, the first installment of the pedestrian enclosure designed to look like honeycomb began. In the following weeks, multicolored translucent panels that will reflect a range of colors will begin to manifest. Contractor Martin Laviero has until October to finish the project; however, they are ahead of schedule, Moriarty said. He anticipates completion to […]
Windsor Locks voters on Wednesday backed a plan to create a Tax Increment Financing district in the area of the proposed All Sports Village complex at the east end of the Route 20 corridor. The sports complex, initially pitched to residents last July, will bring $27 million in spending to the town within five years, […]
The city of Bridgeport and Connecticut’s two Native American tribes are close to a deal that would deliver a casino resort worth at least $350 million, a development that could unseat MGM Resorts International’s larger plan for Bridgeport harbor. “We’re trying to find a happy medium that is good for the state, good for the […]
Despite strong pushback from veteran legislators, Gov. Ned Lamont was advocating Thursday for a vote on highway tolls before the end of the regular session next week. House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said Lamont is well aware of the sometimes slow-moving and deliberative process of the legislature, which often leads to long debates on […]
“Some of these Amtrak brides were built during the Grover Cleveland Administration (no joke),” Murphy tweeted. “It’s time to admit that the current financing system for rail in the northeast is fundamentally broken and needs to be rebuilt from scratch.” The truss-style swing bridge was built in 1984 and replaced a previous span that dated […]
The Board of Education will convene a special meeting Thursday to vote on a contract with Hartford-based Newfield Construction – the firm the city had selected to oversee the construction of a new Wendell Cross Elementary School. The proposed contract outlines $3,164,916 in fees and costs – most of them related to pre-construction and construction […]
The Department of Public Works said they will be paving nearly seven miles of roads next month as part of its 2019 paving program. While weather will be a determining factor, the city plans to begin milling the streets beginning June 17 through June 28. Milling is the process of removing part of the road’s […]
Four development groups are interested in renovating the former Odd Fellows building at 36 North Main St. with the backing of $10 million from the state. It could take a considerably longer to finish negotiating an agreement that satisfies the city, the developer and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. The DECD holds […]
The Town Council approved an ordinance last week to appropriate $60 million for wastewater treatment plant upgrades aimed at reducing phosphorous discharge. The town has submitted the project to DEEP for a grant from the Clean Water Fund. With a state grant of $19.9 million and state loan of $38 million, the net cost to […]
Public Works Director Howard Weissberg said the project, which began in December 2017, is scheduled to finish next week. The city pursued the project, Weissberg said, primarily to improve traffic safety and cut down on motor vehicle accidents along Pratt Street by reducing the number of travel lanes and adding turning lanes. The work on […]
The Connecticut AFL-CIO joins other labor groups in backing tolls as a way to fund transportation upgrades and repairs. “The Building Trades represent thousands of skilled construction workers across Connecticut who are trained and certified to meet our state’s workforce demands,” said David Roche, president of the Connecticut State Building and Construction Trades Council. “We […]
Pelosi and Schumer said after their last White House meeting in late April that there was a consensus on one aspect of infrastructure: The agreement would be big and bold. But funding is a different matter. Business and trade groups have been meeting with White House officials to emphasize the importance of shoring up the […]
Gov. Ned Lamont expressed acceptance Tuesday that the 2019 session of the General Assembly will end June 5 without a vote on highway tolls, recasting his focus for the final weeks to delivering a budget that will provide a reliable fiscal blueprint for Connecticut for the next two years. Lamont made his comments a day […]
State lawmakers are considering a plan to invest $60 million into Hartford’s XL Center over the next two fiscal years, in addition to exploring a public-private partnership that would relieve the state and taxpayers from shouldering future investments. The potential bonding package would fund up to $30 million in each of the next two fiscal […]
The state Department of Labor (DOL) last month said the state shed 1,300 jobs in March. On Thursday it reversed course and said the state actually added 300 jobs in March. The state gained another 300 net jobs in April. Connecticut now has almost 1.7 million seasonally adjusted jobs and an estimated 72,500 unemployed residents, […]
57% percent of Connecticut’s roads are in poor condition, and over one-third of Connecticut’s bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. There are currently three options being put forward to fix the state’s failing transportation systems. The first is to continue to do nothing. The second is to borrow billions of dollars through bonding, […]
