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Groton City Council Puts Another $1.25 Million Toward Shore Avenue Seawall
GROTON — The newly elected City Council approved another $1.25 million toward finishing construction on the Shore Avenue seawall, a project expected to have cost overruns of close to $10 million. On Monday, the council unanimously voted to approve a purchase order with Arborio Construction and transfer $1.25 million from its capital fund balance for the completion of the seawall replacement project. During a prior meeting of the council, public works coordinator Heidi Comeau, along with representatives from GZA GeoEnvironmental, a Trumbull-based engineering firm hired by the city to complete the reconstruction of the seawall, told the council that the project would cost another $1.25 million to complete. About $2.7 million for the project came from a state grant, and the city used an additional $1.4 million of American Rescue Plan Act money. The previous City Council had also transferred $6.7 million from the capital fund balance to fund the project.
Old Lyme WPCA Chair Disputes Selectman’s Cost Calculations on Sewer Project
OLD LYME — A week after Selectman Jim Lampos publicly warned that all taxpayers could face millions in costs if voters approve the sewer project in the beach area, the head of the Water Pollution Control Authority is pushing back on his math. Steve Cinami, chair of the Water Pollution Control Authority, took aim Wednesday at the methodology Lampos used to project potential municipal liability. “They misled by indicating the assessed value would be $62,413, when in reality it is almost half that,” Cinami told CTExaminer. The main critique was that Lampos’ calculations included financing interest, which Cinami argued should not factor into the betterment assessment — the amount property owners are charged for infrastructure improvements.
Connecticut transportation fund could run dry by 2030, budget forecasts warn
HARTFORD — The gas pump icon on the dashboard of the Special Transportation Fund is lit up again, warning it could run out of cash by 2030, but state leaders are not panicking. The latest five-year budget projections prepared for the state legislature indicate operating shortfalls starting in the next one to two years will lead to the fund’s insolvency in four years without alternative financing, additional revenue or reductions in transportation investments. The dedicated budget fund was established in 1984 to finance transportation infrastructure after a deadly highway bridge collapse in Greenwich. Donald Shubert, president of the Connecticut Construction Industries Association, said he is unsure what to make of these budget projections. The state Department of Transportation generally cannot bid, contract and construct infrastructure projects fast enough for the construction industry, but highway construction is booming due to the use of federal infrastructure funding.
Developer wins court fight to build warehouse on Timex property in Middlebury
MIDDLEBURY—A lawsuit to stop a warehouse development off Straits Turnpike has been dismissed by a judge. Superior Court Judge John Louis Cordani ruled last week that the Middlebury Planning and Zoning Commission followed local land-use regulations in granting approval for a site plan and a special exception for excavation as part of an application to build a 171,000 square-foot warehouse on 20 acres at 1535 Straits Turnpike. In his ruling, Cordani wrote that the commission had repeatedly approved warehousing activity in so-called “LI-80” districts without the presence of a manufacturing facility on site. The judge also noted that the approvals were consistent with longtime practices that spanned many planning and zoning commissions.
Undeveloped section of Connecticut River could see more than 300 apartments
A remote, largely overlooked section of the riverfront could soon become one of the more densely developed sections of Thompsonville with potentially more than 300 new apartments in two mid-rise buildings. A developer this summer got the town of Enfield’s go-ahead to build 156 apartments on a narrow road just north of the Donald Barnes boat launch on the Connecticut River, and a different development partnership this week will present plans for another 160 slightly south of there. Taken together, the proposals would signal the biggest residential initiative since the massive renovation of the empty Bigelow-Hartford carpet mill in 1988 created more than 450 apartments in Enfield’s Thompsonville section. The complex, now known as Bigelow Commons, is just west of where developers plan the new waterfront apartments.
UConn trustees to consider nearly $100M for Gampel renovation; $5M for boathouse in Coventry
The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees will vote Wednesday on a $99.4 million budget for a comprehensive renovation of Gampel Pavilion — the venue’s first major update since opening in 1990. The revised final budget for the Gampel renovation is $63.4 million more than previously approved for the first phase of the project, which began in May. The board is expected to approve the increase at its meeting Wednesday, along with a $4.95 million project to demolish and rebuild a boathouse in Coventry for UConn’s women’s rowing team. A major factor driving the budget increase was the discovery that the arena’s 39-year-old HVAC system requires significant improvements not included in the original project scope. According to the budget report, these upgrades are “essential to mitigate condensation within the arena during events and prevent water accumulation and dripping onto the court surface.”
Stamford zoning officials approve 196-unit apartment plan on former Gen Re site
Stamford’s Zoning Board on Monday unanimously approved a proposal to convert a former Gen Re office building on Long Ridge Road into a 196-unit apartment complex. The application, submitted by 120 Long Ridge LLC, calls for redeveloping the 302,000-square-foot building at 120 Long Ridge Road into a mix of 23 studio apartments, 64 one-bedroom units and 109 two-bedroom units. The LLC is controlled by two entities whose principals are Carl and Paul Kuehner, chairman and CEO, respectively, of Stamford developer Building and Land Technology. A separate housing proposal for the adjacent 20.3-acre vacant parcel at 120-C Long Ridge Road is still under review. In that application, 120-C Long Ridge LLC and Toll Northeast V Corp., a subsidiary of national homebuilder Toll Brothers, are seeking to construct 102 for-sale units.
Construction on Fitch athletic field improvements slated to begin in early 2027
Groton — Now that voters have approved a $14.3 million project to improve athletic facilities at Robert E. Fitch High School, the town will begin looking for a consultant to design the project with plans to begin construction in 2027. The town is developing a Request for Qualifications for consultants and plans early next year to advertise and receive qualification submittals, according to a tentative timeline provided by Town Manager John Burt. The town then plans to review and interview the most qualified consultants, develop a scope of services and negotiate consultant fees, according to the schedule. The six-month design and permitting process is slated to begin in May 2026.
Bridgeport had hired contractor to raze Cherry St. buildings. Now city and developer reach a truce.
BRIDGEPORT — Cherry Street Lofts developer Gary Flocco and city officials have brokered at least a temporary truce over the latter’s efforts to demolish blighted buildings intended for the residential complex’s long-delayed next phase. “We’ve come to a settlement,” Flocco said about a Monday morning status conference between the parties and a state Superior Court judge. In September he had filed a lawsuit to thwart the teardown. And Thomas Gaudett, Mayor Joe Ganim’s chief administrative officer, also confirmed a deal had been struck to keep the structures at 62, 72 and 80 Cherry St. and 1325 Railroad Ave. standing and hopefully finally move their renovation forward.
Roadwork to close busy ramps in two CT cities this week. One is at an often snarled area.
Drivers may encounter roadwork early this week as road projects begin in two Connecticut cities. The East Main Street on-ramp to Route 15 North, Interstate 91 North, and Interstate 691 West in Meriden will be closed continuously to all traffic starting Monday and it will last several weeks, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Roadwork reconstruction requires the East Main Street ramp closures, according to the DOT. Traffic signage will guide motorist through the work zone. The project, which includes slope easements and drainage, is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2027, and the cost is approximately $7 million. The DOT said 80% of the project will be paid in federal funds and 20% will be paid with state funds.
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