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North Haven could have four new elementary school buildings by 2033, experts say
NORTH HAVEN — With four public elementary schools in North Haven due for an upgrade, building planning experts and engineers have recommended a scenario that would include rebuilding them all. At the Board of Education’s recent meeting, officials from MP Planning Group and Colliers Project Leaders, a construction project firm, said the best way to modernize all four elementary schools would be by rebuilding them, starting with Ridge Road Elementary and Montowese Elementary. Then, Green Acres Elementary and Clintonville Elementary would follow. “I just think it’s important for everyone to know that the new construction is necessary at this point. … These schools are falling apart, and they really need to be addressed,” Mike Zuba from MP Planning Group said at the Dec. 11 meeting. School board Chair Ronald Bathrick brought up the idea of upgrading the town’s elementary schools in October, saying that financially, rebuilding would make more sense than renovating due to the state’s reimbursement rate. According the Connecticut Department of Administrative Service’s updated reimbursement rates, North Haven’s new construction reimbursement rate went up from 27.5% in 2025 to 31.3% in 2026.
Waterbury water main break prompts city officials to fast-track system upgrades
WATERBURY — As work to fully restore water service in Waterbury continued Tuesday, city officials outlined plans to step up a capital project that they said could prevent a repeat of widespread disruptions following any future water main breaks. During a news conference on the ongoing restoration efforts, Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski Jr. and Water Superintendent Bradley Malay said city officials had been preparing to include a project to install additional bypass valves in the water system in the city’s capital improvement plan for the next fiscal year, but will now expedite the schedule. Large parts of the state’s fifth largest city and sections of surrounding towns receiving water service from Waterbury lost water following a water main break on Thomaston Avenue last Wednesday afternoon. At the outage’s peak, nearly 100,000 customers lost water, and city officials said 100% of Waterbury lost water at some point Friday night.
A year in, Kooris’ CMDA sets stage for wave of transit-oriented projects
When 2025 began, David Kooris was expected to play a major role in reshaping how some Connecticut communities approve and finance dense housing. A year later, he has built a new state agency from the ground up, secured buy-in from dozens of municipalities, and begun laying the groundwork for major transit-oriented development projects across the state — efforts backed by $90 million in bonding approved by lawmakers to boost high-density housing in downtowns and near rapid bus and rail stations. Kooris was tapped by Gov. Ned Lamont in July 2024 to launch and lead the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority (CMDA), a new quasi-public agency tasked with helping cities and towns advance large-scale redevelopment. He brings extensive experience in economic development, including nearly two years as a deputy commissioner with the state Department of Economic and Community Development. As of late November, 32 communities had agreed to join CMDA, with 11 completing all steps to establish development districts eligible for funding. Kooris said he eventually expects about 50 municipalities to participate.
Old Lyme Residents Overwhelmingly Reject Beach Area Sewer Project
OLD LYME — Town residents rejected a budget increase for a Sound View area sewer project Tuesday, with 72% voting against to proposal in a referendum that closed one chapter in a years-long local debate. Of the 1,288 residents who turned out to vote, 925 voted against expanding the budget to $20.5 million and 363 voted in favor. The rejection marks the end of a contentious process that pitted the town’s Water Pollution Control Authority leadership against residents of Sound View and Area B, who opposed the project over concerns about the costs they would bear. First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker said she would not comment on next steps until speaking with the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. She also noted that Miami Beach would vote on the project next Saturday. The beach area sewer project, pushed forward by DEEP, was intended to address the high density of houses and septic systems along the shoreline. The state agency had offered to cover nearly half the cost through grants and forgivable loans, which would have reduced the burden on homeowners in the beach area.
https://ctexaminer.com/2025/12/16/old-lyme-residents-overwhelmingly-reject-beach-area-sewer-project/
Waterbury to spend $5.44M advancing cleanup, redevelopment of former Anaconda Brass site
Waterbury officials are preparing to spend another $5.44 million on a long-running cleanup of the former Anaconda American Brass site near the city center, preparing for its redevelopment. The roughly 20.5-acre site along Freight Street had, until recent years, hosted a massive industrial complex that had serviced the city’s once-prosperous brass industry for well over a century. As the brass industry faded, portions of a building at 170 Freight St. were leased out to various companies. The neighboring building at 130 Freight St. hosted a handler of environmental waste products. City officials have used millions of state and federal grant dollars in recent years to acquire and demolish buildings in the complex that were aging or entirely decrepit and failing.
State Begins Public Debate on Nuclear Energy, With Little Opposition So Far
HARTFORD — State officials launched a public debate this week about the advantages of expanding nuclear energy in Connecticut as a first step toward encouraging towns to host new capacity, in what could mark a reversal after decades of stagnation in the sector nationwide. Wednesday’s workshop drew a largely receptive audience, with only one critical voice among the participants. State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Karie Dykes noted that Connecticut has recently adopted regulatory changes that will enable expanded capacity. “We have a long and proud history of supporting nuclear generation with the operation of the Millstone facility and strong fundamentals in terms of our nuclear workforce,” Dykes said. “This is not a new topic for us, but it’s a new moment.” The workshop was intended to engage residents in discussions about nuclear benefits and concerns, with the goal of implementing next year a program of grants and loans for towns interested in welcoming new advanced reactors.
$50M rehab of CT’s state Capitol will be delayed until after nation’s 250th celebrations
HARTFORD — The two-year $50 million exterior cleaning and restoration of the historic state Capitol building will take a back seat to next year’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The advisory State Capitol Preservation and Restoration Commission voted recently to delay the project until Sept. 1, 2026. That means the historic 1878 Gothic structure in Hartford will not be sheathed in scaffolding at a time when it will be a major backdrop for a variety of commemorative activities, particularly July 4, 2026, when the nation will celebrate semiquincentennial events. During the Capitol Preservation and Restoration Committee meeting on Tuesday, Osten asked the 12-member group for a consensus to allow the Capitol project to start in September. Brian Pencz, facilities administrator for the Office of Legislative Management, said the price shouldn’t be too different and delaying the construction until the fall is manageable. The building checklist includes a million dollars to brush on new gold leaf 3/1000th of an inch thick around the massive 250-foot-tall dome designed by architect Richard Mitchell Upjohn.
‘What’s in it for us?’ Utility’s plan for a large-scale battery farm in New Milford prompts concerns
NEW MILFORD – A Colorado company planning to build a large-scale energy storage battery farm capable of powering tens of thousands of homes for a few hours drew opposition from a crowd of residents and town leaders over safety concerns during a 2 ½-hour informational meeting. “You made a comment [on an application] that this project is less impactful to the environment and ecologically more beneficial than a housing project,” said William Taylor, chair of New Milford’s Zoning Commission, during the packed meeting. “Can you explain what you mean by that and how you came to that conclusion? Because it’s not obvious.” “This part of the country is in critical need of capacity services due to the aging electrical infrastructure,” said Charlie McGovern, director of development for Flatiron Energy, which wants to build a 140-megawatt battery energy storage plant on residential Aspetuck Ridge Road. “The ability for us to interconnect into the grid at this point and provide such a service to the local distribution system is huge for the local resiliency of this community.”
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/battery-farm-new-milford-ct-21239385.php
State bond package steers $31M to Hartford development projects
State officials are preparing to direct more than $31 million toward economic development and community projects in Hartford under a $3 billion bonding package slated for a Dec. 18 vote by the state Bond Commission. Hartford’s share includes about $17.5 million routed through the Capital Region Development Authority. The bond commission agenda, which covers statewide agency operations, municipal grants and community-focused investments, is widely expected to pass; items that reach the panel are almost always approved. Hartford is also positioned to receive $13.75 million in community development funding recommended by the state’s Community Investment Fund 2030 Board after its Sept. 30 meeting.
https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/state-bond-package-steers-31m-to-hartford-development-projects/
Tweed Announces 2026 Construction Start
Tweed New Haven Airport’s operators announced this week that construction should begin next year — and wrap up by 2028 — on a long-delayed expansion project that has ballooned in cost to $250 million. The top lawyer at a local environmental nonprofit and the mayor of East Haven, meanwhile, expressed skepticism about that timeline — as they voiced long-standing concerns around the project’s impact on the surrounding environment and residential neighborhood. At the center of that plan is the construction of a new terminal on the East Haven side of the Morris Cove airport property as well as the extension of the airport’s main runway by nearly 1,000 feet in order to attract more commercial air service. According to Tuesday’s press release, the airport expansion project is now expected to cost $250 million. Back when the project was first announced in 2021, the estimated price tag was $70 million.
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