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Voters in Middlebury, Southbury approve Region 15 budget, $224M in school construction bonds
Voters in Middlebury and Southbury approved the 2026-27 budget for the Region 15 schools and gave the green light to bonding for new buildings to replace the district’s oldest elementary schools. The budget for the next fiscal year totals $95.6 million, a $4.86 million, or 5.4%, increase over the current $90.78 million budget, according to the regional school district. The total is the same figure that the school board adopted earlier this spring. Voters in the two towns served by the school district approved the spending plan, 2,679 to 1,618, according to unofficial results from the May 6 referendum. They also approved $224 million in bond funds for projects to replace the aging Gainfield and Pomperaug elementary school buildings in Southbury, 2,474 to 1,820. The new buildings are proposed for each school’s existing site. The buildings, if completed, would be larger, with each able to accommodate around 550 students. Both would also offer prekindergarten space as well. Region 15 Superintendent Joshua Smith said he hopes construction will begin in 2028, with the buildings completed by 2030.
Meriden’s $122M Pulaski school project added to the state school construction list
MERIDEN — The district has moved a step closer to building a new Pulaski Elementary School on the site of the former Meriden-Wallingford Hospital at 1 King Place. “We are excited that the Pulaski project has been included on the state’s school construction list,” Meriden school Superintendent Mark Benigni said in a statement. This clears the way for the city to receive funding to demolish the former hospital and make way for construction of a new state-of-the-art Pulaski Elementary School, Benigni said last week. “I want to thank everyone involved in making this happen, as this is terrific news for the entire city of Meriden,” he said. The $122 million Pulaski project is expected to receive a state reimbursement rate of 90%, Benigni said. The school district is hoping for work to begin in the winter, he said, with a first step of demolishing the former hospital. “This project will help change the face of downtown,” state Rep. Jack Fazzino, a Democrat who represents part of Meriden, said in a Facebook post. The former hospital has been a decades-long problem, said state Rep. Michael Quinn, D-Meriden. There have been many proposals over the years to rehabilitate or demolish the structure, but no action has ever been taken, he said. “This plan solves that problem and also solves the problem of the current Pulaski school,” he said in an interview.
CT plans $10 million project to improve multiple busy intersections. Here’s where and how.
The state is planning a $10 million project that will impact two communities and, in addition to replacing outdated infrastructure, the work is intended to improve safety for motorists and pedestrians, records show. The projects will include 10 new traffic signals and other improvements in Bloomfield and Windsor and could be coming later this year, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The $10 million project would replace the aging traffic signal infrastructure at intersections on state routes 218 and 187, according to the Department of Transportation. The technology will allow communication with the agency, to help reduce travel times, records show. “The upgrades to signal and pedestrian equipment at these intersections will replace outdated infrastructure and increase safety for pedestrians and motorists alike,” Connecticut Department of Transportation Project Manager John Lockaby said in a statement. “We encourage the public to attend [an upcoming] meeting to share their feedback with the CTDOT project team to incorporate into the design.”
Amazon confirms site of next planned Connecticut mega-warehouse
KILLINGLY—The recent announcement that Amazon is the prospective tenant at a planned 1.3 million square-foot warehouse near I-395 in Killingly didn’t come as much of a surprise. But some of the details of the proposed “Project Husky” may have, such as the company’s plan to donate nearly half of the 556 acres involved to the town for open space. Company officials announced the plan to donate 216 acres on the northeast side and 76 acres on the southeast side of the project in an effort to create a buffer between the $200 million project and residential areas during a presentation to the town’s planning and zoning commission Monday. The company is seeking site plan approval from the commission as it simultaneously seeks approval of the project from the town’s inland. wetlands and watercourses commission. Brad Griggs, Amazon’s lead for economic development in the New England, told officials that the land donation would result in neighborhoods being between 1/2 and 2/3 of a mile from the proposed building. Griggs also shared that the advanced-robotics “first-mile” facility would employ more than 500 people full-time and the building project would create 200 construction jobs. Griggs declined to give a timeline for construction on Monday.
Tweed New Haven airport gets $11 million federal boost for long-fought expansion project
NEW HAVEN —The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Tweed New Haven Airport an $11.31 million grant to support infrastructure upgrades, including a 35,600-square-yard terminal apron on which to park aircraft adjacent to the proposed new terminal on the East Haven side of the airport. The federal grant is part of the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program, “supporting critical infrastructure upgrades that will enhance airport infrastructure and improve the long-term passenger experience,” Tweed said Monday in a news release. The improvements will help Tweed “accommodate increased aircraft operations and better serve the growing demand for air travel in Southern Connecticut,” and is part of “a broader, multi-phase investment in the airport’s infrastructure and long-term growth,” the release states. “This federal investment is a major step forward for Tweed-New Haven Airport and the region we serve,” said Tweed New Haven Airport Authority Chairman Robert Reed. “Expanding the new terminal apron capacity allows us to safely and efficiently accommodate more aircraft, improve operational flow and continue building a modern airport that meets the needs of airlines as we focus on tomorrow’s growth,” Reed said.
Gas giant met with White House about New England pipeline project
Enbridge is planning an expansion of a major natural gas pipeline into New England, setting the stage for a political battle over the future of the Northeast’s energy system just as the midterm election season heats up. The Calgary-based pipeline company recently briefed the National Energy Dominance Council on plans for an expansion of its Algonquin Gas Transmission line, according to a White House official. Enbridge is also briefing potential buyers on its plans, according to an industry official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive business matters. The official said the company’s efforts appear to be in their early stages. “The message was, ‘Get ready to do your modeling work,’” the person said. Details about the expansion are still unclear. But the mere prospect of expanding pipeline access is likely to be controversial in New England, where a pair of proposals to build new pipelines were abandoned nearly a decade ago after encountering fierce resistance. It also injects a new wrinkle into gubernatorial races in New England, where a trio of Democratic governors seeking reelection are under mounting pressure to address some of the country’s highest energy prices. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee have all pledged to green their states’ economies but have also signaled openness to backing new pipeline projects in the face of rising energy prices.
https://www.eenews.net/articles/enbridge-proposes-expansion-of-new-england-pipeline/
Lawmakers approve bill allowing state comptroller to withhold payments for wage violations
State lawmakers have approved legislation giving the state comptroller authority to withhold payments on public projects when contractors violate prevailing wage laws. Senate Bill 268 passed the Senate in a 31-5 vote in April and cleared the House Monday, 107-40, with support and opposition largely split along party lines. The bill, which still requires approval from Gov. Ned Lamont, authorizes the comptroller to suspend payments to contractors or subcontractors found to have knowingly or willfully underpaid workers, after a stop-work order is issued by the labor commissioner. Contractors would have 10 business days to come into compliance after notification before payments can be withheld. Funds would be released once violations are resolved, penalties are paid or a settlement is reached. The bill faced opposition from some construction industry groups, which argued it could disrupt project cash flow and unfairly penalize contractors not directly responsible for wage violations. State Comptroller Sean Scanlon said the measure will help protect workers and safeguard taxpayer dollars.
New Greenskies CEO Singh eyes solar growth, storage expansion as federal tax credits phase out
The new CEO of North Haven-based renewable energy company Greenskies Clean Focus is Vijay Singh, but not the one known for playing golf. When asked about sharing a name with the longtime professional golfer from Fiji, Singh just chuckles. “I get asked that question a lot,” he said, “but I don’t play golf.” What Singh has done is spend more than two decades building and scaling renewable energy businesses, including managing multi-gigawatt energy portfolios. That includes launching the energy storage group at Florida-based NextEra Energy and helping grow it into a multibillion-dollar renewables and battery storage business. Now, Singh is tasked with leading Greenskies, which was founded in Westport in 2008 by Michael Silvestrini and former state Sen. Art Linares. They sold the company in 2017 to California-based Clean Focus Yield Ltd., and it was sold again in 2020 to JLC Infrastructure, a New York-based private investment firm focused on infrastructure projects. Singh succeeds Stanley Chin, who stepped down as CEO as part of a leadership transition, according to the company. Greenskies develops, finances and operates commercial and industrial renewable energy projects nationwide, with a focus on Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and California. Its clients include businesses, municipalities, schools, universities and hospitals. The company does not serve the residential market.
Officials celebrate start of Gold Star Bridge next phase
New London — In 1950, the Gold Star Memorial Bridge carried about 16,000 vehicles a day. Today, the now two-span bridge carries 60,000 vehicles in each direction, a traffic volume that exceeds what it was built to handle, state Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said during a news conference Tuesday. That shows the importance of a $900 million construction project to repair the northbound span, he said. The project will bring the bridge up to modern standards, extend its service life, lift load restrictions and restore full access for freight and oversized vehicles, and ensure the bridge continues to safely carry people and goods for decades to come. Federal, state and local officials gathered with construction workers and engineers to celebrate the start of this next phase of construction during a news conference at the Thames River State Boat Launch underneath the bridge. The project is expected to be completed in 2030. To do the work safely, the project will require a traffic crossover that will begin May 30 and continue throughout construction, Eucalitto said. The start of the traffic crossover was postponed from around May 9 to avoid introducing a new traffic pattern before the busy Memorial Day weekend.
https://theday.com/news/891139/officials-celebrate-start-of-gold-star-bridge-next-phase/
Manchester sells Broad Street Parkade site to developer of 232-unit mixed-use project
MANCHESTER — The town has sold the Broad Street Parkade site for $3.6 million to the prospective developer of an $80 million mixed-use housing and retail project with 232 apartments. After a 2022 request for proposals, Manchester selected Texas-based Anthony Properties to develop five properties formerly home to a blighted strip mall: 296, 324, 330, 334, and 340 Broad St. Under the developer’s site plan, approved in December 2025, the roughly 21.6-acre site will have a residential component accessed from Green Manor Boulevard with four 48-unit buildings and four 10-unit buildings, supported by a clubhouse and other amenities, and 13,000 square-feet of commercial “pad sites” with frontage on Broad Street. The housing portion would feature 96 two-bedroom units, 88 one-bedroom units, and 48 studios, with 381 parking spaces on-site and along Green Manor Boulevard. Director of Planning & Economic Development Gary Anderson issued a statement Thursday confirming that Manchester has closed on its sale of the Parkade site to Anthony Properties for $3.6 million, allowing the project to break ground “within the month.”
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If you believe you have been the victim of wage theft on a public works construction project, please feel free to contact our office. You can also visit the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Wage & Workplace Division’s website to file a complaint here.