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Developer seeks approval for 420,000 cubic yards of fill to redevelop former Berlin brickyard
A Utah developer is seeking approval to bring 420,000 cubic yards of fill to a long-abandoned Berlin brickyard as part of a plan to redevelop the 57-acre property. The project, slated for 303 New Britain Road, would create a pad site for two commercial buildings totaling 44,000 square feet on about 16.7 acres, along with 90 parking spaces, stormwater basins and a new permanent railroad crossing. Berlin Industrial Redevelopment LLC, an affiliate of Farr West, Utah-based Industrial Development Advantage LLC, is seeking site plan approval for the project, which would be located on a 56.9-acre property owned by Connecticut Sand & Stone Corp. Braxton Buckway, the company’s chief financial officer, is listed as the applicant. The property has been vacant since the early 1980s. From about 1900 into the 1960s, it operated as the Donnelly Brick Co., which mined clay to depths exceeding 30 feet. The resulting pits were filled during the 1970s, including with material generated during construction of Route 9, but the fill was never engineered or compacted. That uncontrolled fill left the site geotechnically unstable and environmentally contaminated. The developer says the site cannot be redeveloped without massive amounts of fill to stabilize the ground and raise the grade. Berlin Industrial Redevelopment, or BIR, proposes using up to 420,000 cubic yards of fill to do that.
Proposed Killingly warehouses continue to roll through review
Killingly — The traffic engineer for a proposed development at 90 Putnam Pike told the Planning and Zoning Commission Monday night that the project is not a mega warehouse that would generate large amounts of truck traffic. The comments by Kevin Solli came as the commission continued its public hearing Monday night on a proposal By Killingly 1 LLC for warehouses of 178,750 square feet and 297,500 square feet, respectively. He said a traffic study calculated the warehouses will generate 87 trips — 14 of those being trucks, during the peak hour in the morning, and 91 trips — 14 of those being trucks, during the peak hour in the evening. “That is one vehicle a minute, this is not a mega warehouse as people have been alluding to, this does not represent a large trip generation, and our analysis is that, as we have indicated, will not have adverse impacts on the traffic operating conditions of the area,” Solli said. It is still unknown what businesses would occupy the warehouses. Because of this, residents have expressed concern the traffic numbers could increase from the numbers cited by Solli.
https://theday.com/news/916494/proposed-killingly-warehouses-continue-to-roll-through-review/
Demolition of Sports Haven & its 100-foot horse mural begins, with the artist looking on
NEW HAVEN — Of the estimated 140,000 vehicles that whizzed by the giant horses and jockeys painted on the former Sports Haven video off-track-betting facility in the city’s Long Wharf section Tuesday, few if any stopped to witness the start of its demolition. But Tony Falcone was there, joined by Robert Greenberg. They didn’t come to mourn the demise of Sports Haven (originally called Teletrack) and its 100-foot-tall very public art mural installation, but to celebrate the fact that it was there as long as it was, as well as to document it and hopefully preserve some small part of it for posterity. But you can understand if they might get a little misty-eyed. Falcone is the guy that painted those giant horses on the building at 600 Long Wharf Drive beginning in 1995 and finishing in 1996. Since then, they’ve been seen by millions and millions of people passing by on one of Connecticut’s busiest stretches of highway. Greenberg is the guy who a few years ago founded the Lost in New Haven Museum at 80 Hamilton St., which works to preserve classic, lost icons of New Haven just like this. They came out of their visit with a promise from Johnny Carabetta, a member of the family that owns demolition contractor J & J Demolition — and the one operating the excavator that was working around the edges of the building Tuesday before things ratchet up further on Wednesday — to try to keep some good-sized chunks intact to go in the museum.
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/demolition-new-haven-sports-haven-mural-ct-22391944.php
Norwich to put $55M police station to Nov. 3 vote
Norwich — Members of the City Council on Monday night voted to add a question to the Nov. 3 ballot asking residents to approve $55 million to renovate the former Chelsea Groton Bank building at 300 Main St. into a new police station. Last year, the police department offered public tours of the current 47-year-old police station at 70 Thames St. The tours showcased the building’s insufficient storage and interview space, lack of changing rooms for female officers and numerous other problems, including mold and water from a leaky roof that threatens computer equipment.
Police officials have repeatedly boasted how the former bank building at 300 Main St. would provide much more space, including more interview rooms, and locker rooms for the department’s female officers. The department currently has 73 officers — while the current station was built to accommodate only 51. Over the years, the city has made several attempts to build a new police station, but those proposals were rejected at referendum or earlier. The only council member to speak prior to the vote Monday was Mayor Swarnjit Singh. “This need is not new. It existed for decades. And prices keep going up. From $33 million to $44 million to $55 million. And they’re not coming down. I do construction for a living so I do know,” Singh said. “And I feel like it fits the overall vision of creating better public safety for our people. And as we are growing downtown, this has become a need as well.”
https://theday.com/news/916369/norwich-to-put-55m-police-station-to-nov-3-vote/
New Haven landmark Sports Haven, visible to 140k drivers each day, could come down this week
NEW HAVEN — Sports Haven, the vacant landmark former video off-track-betting parlor in the Long Wharf section known for its highly visible giant murals of racing horses, is expected to come down this week and demolition could begin as soon as Tuesday morning, officials said Monday. The property owner and its demolition contractor, J & J Demolition, could have a demolition permit in hand as soon as Tuesday, city Building Official Robert Dillon said Monday. It will be up to them when they begin taking the building down, Dillon said. Demolition of the building at 600 Long Wharf Drive — which is seen by about 140,000 vehicles per day passing by on Interstate 95 — is coming about a month later than the previous estimate by city officials. Several employees of a hazardous materials abatement company were still on the property Monday morning, working to get the property ready for demolition. A supervisor and an employee of the demolition company both said demolition could begin sometime this week. Earlier this summer, the building underwent an environmental assessment, Dillon has said. Part of that assessment was to determine whether the building had any asbestos-laden tiles, he said.
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/new-haven-long-wharf-sports-haven-i-95-i-91-22388950.php
After repeated water main breaks, Waterbury confronts ‘100 years of neglect’
WATERBURY — Since December, Waterbury has suffered multiple water main breaks, leaving residents and businesses without water for days. And officials know that isn’t the last of it. “Breaks are going to continue to occur in the system,” Mayor Paul Pernerewski Jr. said. “We haven’t done enough maintenance over the years. That’s a problem the city has had throughout its history.” Pernerewksi said the city’s water pipes — some installed in the 1940s, others in the 1970s and 1980s — are in varying condition. The same goes for valves that have failed. But he said it’s the lack of direct work done on those pipes over the last 70 years that is coming back to hurt residents now. “Prior administrations in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s — in order to keep taxes and costs down — didn’t do enough maintenance,” he said. “100 years of neglect. You can’t fix it in 10 years.”
Manchester senior center estimate jumps from $19 million to nearly $28 million
MANCHESTER — The estimated cost to convert a former church into a new senior center has come in higher than officials expected. The town’s Board of Directors thought turning the Concordia Lutheran Church on Pitkin Street, which it bought for $1.5 million, into a new town facility would be close to $19 million. Now, the town is looking at a $27.7 million project. Mayor Jay Moran, when first hearing the price, said he felt there was a sense of “sticker shock” around the table after listening to a presentation from an architectural firm that went over three different options, with the one suggested by the town’s 21st Century Senior Center Task Force being the most costly. That plan, though, would fully convert the church into a facility with adequate space for all of the desired programming needs the town has as it works to replace its senior center, which is currently located in a former school building that is over 100 years old. Chris Wente, a principal with edmSTUDIO, noted some challenges with the building that have driven the price up. “One of the biggest challenges for this piece of property are the multiple levels this building has,” Wente said. “For a senior center it’s not ideal to have multiple levels you’re dealing with. There’s multiple entry points. For a senior center, it’s important to control the different points of entry to know who’s coming and going.”
Stamford, state to split cost of $7.46 million West Broad Street Bridge’s yearlong rehab
STAMFORD — A Stamford official said it will take at least a year to rehabilitate the deteriorated West Broad Street Bridge. City Engineer Lou Casolo said the $7.46 million project will address deteriorating portions of the bridge while allowing traffic and pedestrians to continue using the busy downtown crossing. “The bearing pads of the steel beams are at the end of their life and require replacement,” Casolo told the city’s Board of Finance at a Wednesday night meeting. “There’s a lot of sidewalk deficiencies, and this is more deterioration along the supports for the railing.” The project will be funded evenly by the city and a grant through the state Department of Transportation’s State Local Bridge Program. On Wednesday night, the Board of Finance signed off on the project, including the allocation of roughly $3.7 million for the city’s share. Casolo said the board needed to authorize the project before Mayor Caroline Simmons could sign a commitment letter for Stamford’s portion of the cost. Once the funding is in place, design work will begin, Casolo said. “It’s not a full bridge replacement; it’s a rehab project,” he said.
Amazon looks to build second mega-center in eastern CT, promising 500 jobs
Already proposing a 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner, Amazon is now looking to build a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center less than a half hour to the south. The world’s largest online retailer wants to use part of a 170-acre tract in the Occum section of Norwich for an operation that would have 58 loading docks and 422 trailer-parking slots along with 729 employee parking spaces. In its pitch to the city, Amazon held out the lure of new jobs and tax revenue. The company estimated its Norwich fulfillment center would create the equivalent of 500 full-time jobs, and said its average hourly wage around the country is $23. Amazon also emphasized that its similar facilities nationally are assessed at more than $150 million, which could generate several million dollars a year in new tax revenue for the city. The company said construction would generate another 200 temporary jobs. The location is in the 185-acre Occum Industrial Park, a property Norwich has designated as a center for jobs growth. That could reduce community opposition, which often is triggered by proximity to homes. Amazon is planning a much smaller facility in Goreham, Maine, for instance, but this summer hit local resistance because the site is alongside a neighborhood.
Revolution Wind project on track for completion this year, developer says
The offshore Revolution Wind project is nearing completion after nearly three years of work based out of the State Pier in New London, officials with Danish wind energy developer Ørsted said Thursday. In a presentation on the company’s quarterly financial results, Ørsted Chief Executive Rasmus Errboe said the project is more than 95% complete, with 61 out of 65 turbines fully installed. The four remaining turbines are on track to be installed over the coming months, Errboe added, allowing the project to reach full commercial operation by the end of 2026. Revolution Wind is the first offshore wind project contracted to supply electricity to customers in Connecticut. The installation, which is located off the coast of Rhode Island, began sending some power to the electric grid in March, when it was about 90% complete. Once finished, the project will have a peak capacity of 704 megawatts, enough electricity to power roughly 350,000 homes. (While the project is supported financially through power-purchase agreements with utilities in Connecticut and Rhode Island, the electricity it generates is distributed throughout the New England electrical grid.)
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