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CT to study nuclear industry workforce needs
A new state law requires Connecticut to assess the workforce needed to support a potential advanced nuclear energy industry, as policymakers continue exploring whether advanced nuclear technologies could play a future role in the state’s energy mix. Gov. Ned Lamont on May 22 signed Public Act 26-46, which directs the Connecticut Council for Advancing Nuclear Energy Development to study the skilled labor needs associated with advanced nuclear energy projects. The council must identify the types of workers that would be needed to support future projects, including engineers, technicians and skilled trades workers, and determine whether Connecticut’s existing education and training programs could meet that demand. The law also requires recommendations for workforce development, recruitment and training strategies. The measure does not authorize construction of a nuclear facility, provide funding for a reactor project, or change the state’s energy procurement policies. Instead, the legislation is intended to ensure Connecticut is prepared if advanced nuclear technologies become commercially viable and attract investment here.
https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/ct-to-study-nuclear-industry-workforce-needs/
Proposal for massive CT distribution center draws opposition. An ‘unacceptable burden’: resident
Noise, lighting, trucks, exhaust and more are on the minds of Connecticut residents who oppose a proposed nearly 1.4-million-square-foot warehouse and distribution center project that would be built off Interstate 395. The Killingly residents voiced concerns about the development, called Project Husky, that is being proposed by developer Ryan Companies. It also calls for 60 loading docks, 430 trailer parking spaces and 930 associate parking spaces. Although the name of the distribution company was not on any town material or proposals, Amazon was mentioned several times by name during the May 18 town Planning & Zoning Commission meeting. The 228 Westcott Road plan includes the construction of a new warehousing and distribution center of 1,288,220 square feet and includes 340 acres for development and 76 acres of conservation easement. There are also 216 acres proposed to be deeded to the town of Killingly for conservation. The project is located between I-395, Westcott Road and Mashentuck Road, according to the Killingly Planning & Zoning Commission agenda from May 18. Two new distribution centers are being proposed on 54 acres at 90 Putnam Pike. That proposal totals 467,500 square feet of gross floor area with associated loading bays, trailer parking spaces, employee parking, access drives, stormwater management systems, retaining walls, septic systems, utilities, landscaping and lighting, records show.
New Britain secures full funding for long-sought Allen Street drainage project
NEW BRITAIN — Mayor Bobby Sanchez said New Britain has secured all funding needed for the long-awaited Allen Street drainage and flood mitigation project, which city officials say will address years of flooding problems in the neighborhood. “On day one, I made a promise to the Allen Street neighborhood that we would fully fund this project and finally move it forward after more than a decade of waiting,” Sanchez said. “Today, we are proud to say that promise has been kept. This project is about protecting homes, improving infrastructure and finally delivering relief to residents who have waited far too long for action.” The city had already secured nearly $8 million in federal, state and transportation infrastructure funding for the project. Sanchez said an additional $5 million in state bonding support has now been approved, completing the funding package needed to move the project forward. City officials said the additional support came through a partnership involving the New Britain legislative delegation, including state Sen. Rick Lopes and state Reps. Manny Sanchez, Dave DeFronzo, Iris Sanchez and Gary Turco, along with support from Gov. Ned Lamont and U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes.
CT still has thousands of lead pipes carrying drinking water. New funding aims to replace them
Connecticut is set to receive $27.5 million from the federal government to replace thousands of aging lead pipes still carrying drinking water to homes across the state. The funding, announced last week by the Environmental Protection Agency, is the latest allotment given to Connecticut through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Enacted in 2021, the federal law set aside $15 billion for finding and replacing lead pipes nationwide, including about $150 million for Connecticut. Lead, a heavy metal once common in products such as pipes and paints, is a neurotoxin that is harmful to human health, especially for children and pregnant women. Even small amounts can stunt children’s development and lower IQ scores, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Though water quality experts say the federal funding covers only a fraction of what it will ultimately cost to replace all of Connecticut’s lead pipes, public health officials have described the investment as a big step toward improving the state’s drinking water systems. “Drinking water infrastructure projects are costly, and this funding provides significant support to our communities as they work to identify and remove lead service lines,” DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said. “These resources allow Connecticut to move faster in eliminating lead exposure risks, strengthening local public water systems, and protecting the health of all residents — especially our most vulnerable.”
Connecticut’s century-old coastal rail bridges are getting billion-dollar replacements
As passengers travel on the rail lines along Connecticut’s coast, more than 100-year-old bridges carry their trains over some of the rivers that flow into Long Island Sound. Billion-dollar projects are underway to replace two of those movable bridges. And by the time work wraps up in 2030 or 2031, assuming there are no delays, a third new bridge could be under construction. The complex projects aim to keep Amtrak, Metro-North and Shore Line East trains running while work is ongoing and to ultimately increase train speeds. Here’s what those barges, cranes and construction crews are up to, and what plans are still in the works.
Higher gas prices could strain CT construction plans as diesel, asphalt prices surge
While rising gasoline prices threaten Connecticut families’ summer travel plans, the trend is putting pressure on the state’s transportation program as well. Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget director said Thursday that certain gasoline and sales tax receipts could “soften” this summer if prices remain elevated or turn worse in the coming months. And a key business leader warned that the state’s transportation construction dollars likely won’t stretch as far, as the cost of diesel fuel, liquid asphalt and other petroleum-related products surge along with gasoline. “I think we are, unfortunately, all at the whims of the federal government and the decisions of our current president, and this is a situation where we are all suffering,” Lamont’s budget director, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Josh Wojcik, said Thursday. According to AAA, the average price of regular gasoline stood Friday at $4.55 nationally and $4.64 per gallon in Connecticut, with the latter up 60% since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran on Feb. 28. That created a brief surge in the state’s $2.3 billion Special Transportation Fund, thanks to a percentage-based tax that reflects changes in the wholesale price. But that tax also has a cap, which has been in effect since March 31. In other words, tax receipts from this source are maxed out — unless motorists start driving more. That’s unlikely given current prices, not to mention a new forecast posted Wednesday on X by GasBuddy. The popular gasoline price-forecasting service projected an average retail price nationally of $4.80 per gallon between Memorial Day and Labor Day, provided supply lines from the Persian Gulf remain blocked.
Major milestone: Coast Guard Museum hoists rescue helicopter into building
New London — A retired MH-60T Jayhawk U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was lifted into the under-construction Coast Guard Museum on Wednesday. The multi-mission recovery helicopter, which was active from 1990 to December 2023 and saved over 333 lives, arrived Monday from Elizabeth City, N.C., according to retired Coast Guard Capt. Wes Pulver, president of the National Coast Guard Museum Association. The helicopter is white and red and has a 54-foot wingspan. It can reach a maximum speed of 205 mph and accumulated 18,855 flight hours during its time. The future director of the museum, retired Coast Guard captain Carl Riedlin, flew the helicopter while serving in Astoria, Ore., and doing search and rescue missions. It just happened by chance that the helicopter he flew ended up in the museum. “It is really neat that it is here. It’s amazing. One of the goals of the museum is that people who served, when they walk through the museum, they see something that they did and the contributions they made. So it’s really neat to see that,” Riedlin said. The helicopter’s career began in Clearwater, Fla., flying drug interdiction missions and responding to the Haitian boat lifts in the ’90s. Some of its other notable stations were Air Station Astoria in Oregon, Air Station Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and Air Station Kodiak in Alaska.Wednesday morning the helicopter was placed on a sled, which was hooked into the side of the building and then lifted and rolled into the building. In a few months, it will hang from the ceiling in the atrium of the museum. The final display with have replicas of a real crew from Elizabeth City, N.C., that flew the helicopter. The display will reenact the crew rescuing a swimmer.
Crumbling ex-CT hospital site targeted for adaptive reuse. City notes ‘live, work, play’ potential
It was started as a state hospital for people with mental illness and remained operational until the buildings were abandoned in 1996. Now some of remaining crumbling and abandoned buildings sit on the banks of the Thames River directly across from the posh Mohegan Sun casino buildings. The city of Norwich wants to change the future of the buildings in its city that serve almost as a gateway to the nearly 300-year-old community at the confluence of the Yantic and Shetucket rivers in eastern Connecticut. The city is soliciting bids for qualifications for developers to study the former site of Norwich State Hospital, a plan that seeks adaptive reuse of the parts of the site that are in Norwich. The city said it seeks “professional consulting firms and teams to complete a planning study to reimagine the former Norwich State Hospital.” The Norwich property is located at 628 and 705 Laurel Hill Road on Connecticut Route 12, and the Norwich request for quotation indicates there also is a hope to create a community-driven vision for the site. “The planning effort will focus on creating a vision for the future redevelopment of the area that will provide a sense of place for city residents and visitors alike. The former hospital property is a prime location for the construction of a live, work, play development that would exist in concert with the neighboring Preston Riverwalk,” according to the city of Norwich RFQ. The RFQ project is funded by a $250,000 Community Investment Fund 2030 Grant and is expected to complement the upcoming Preston Riverwalk development, which will be constructed by the Mohegan Tribe. “The Gateway Norwich planning project is intended to provide the community with a blueprint for strategic future growth through public outreach and visioning exercises,” according to the Norwich RFQ.
Developer proposes 22-story, 305-unit apartment tower in Bridgeport
A developer has proposed a 22-story mixed-use tower with 305 apartments in Bridgeport, according to an application filed with the city’s Planning and Zoning Department. Jonathan Gonzalez, of Meriden, has proposed constructing the building on a 0.44-acre parcel at 110-118 Congress St. A three-story commercial building on the property would get demolished to make way for the proposed building. Gonzalez said the project is part of a broader goal to build 20,000 apartment units nationwide to generate cash flow for Second Start Inc., a nonprofit he founded that provides housing and support services for disadvantaged people. As part of a separate Bridgeport project, he said he also plans to build an eight-story, 346-unit apartment building on Myrtle Avenue in partnership with the property owner. “We have a lot of big initiatives, and in order to get to that initiative, we have to create a cash flow,” he said. The first two floors of the proposed Congress Street building would include office and retail space for tenants such as a grocer, cafe and pharmacy, according to the application. Apartments would occupy the remaining 20 floors. Plans include installing paved driveways, sidewalks, new utilities, a stormwater management system and landscaped areas. “The proposed project represents a significant redevelopment of an underutilized commercial property into a modern mixed-use development that enhances the urban fabric of the surrounding area,” the application said.
Energy company proposes big natural gas pipeline expansion in New England
Less than three years after a large fossil fuel company proposed expanding a major natural gas pipeline in New England, the company, Enbridge, is back with a new proposal. Known as “Project Beacon,” the expansion would substantially increase the amount of gas that can flow into the Northeast through the Algonquin Gas Transmission line. This pipeline carries fracked natural gas from northern New Jersey through parts of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and into Massachusetts. Details about the proposed project are vague, but according to documents released by Enbridge this week, the company would replace existing lines with larger diameter pipes in some places and run secondary pipe lines alongside existing ones in other places. Project Beacon would also involve expanding some compressor stations along the route, and could include new gas storage facilities. Depending on customer demand, the project could expand capacity on the pipeline by 10%, the company said, and be in service by late 2030. “Project Beacon would help meet growing energy demand by easing longstanding pipeline bottlenecks that have contributed to higher energy costs for consumers,” Enbridge spokesperson Max Bergeron wrote in an email. “By improving access to abundant domestic energy supplies, the project aims to reduce price spikes and strengthen the region’s energy system.”
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