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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.”
$150M plan seeks to redevelop aging CT cineplex into 300+ apartments, entertainment venue
Four months ago, the end credits rolled for the last movie shown at the Apple Xtreme Cinema, the lights were turned off and the cineplex boarded up. But now, there are once again scenes of coming attractions. A massive redevelopment planned for the 13-acre multiplex on New Park Avenue in Hartford — a project that could reach an estimated price tag of $150 million — could include more than 300 mixed-income apartments, with rents ranging from affordable — targeted at low-to-moderate income households — to market-rate, officials familiar with the plans said. The apartments would be built on what are now parking lots to the north and south of the theater, bookending a renovated cineplex that could retain a couple of movie screens alongside a new restaurant and bar — perhaps offering wood-fired pizza — and a game arcade. In the rear of the cineplex structure— opened in 2000 and also operated under such brands as Crown and Bow Tie — space would be converted to self-storage. The project also would put to a new use a cineplex built for another era when multiple screens responded to the demand by the movie-going public. The movie industry was battered by the pandemic and increasing competition from the small screen. Construction on “Edge 400” — its name drawn from the cineplex’s location near the town line with West Hartford in the city’s Parkville neighborhood — could begin by early 2027, bringing new attention to a less considered gateway to the city.
NextEra-Dominion deal would put CT’s Millstone nuclear plant under new ownership
Connecticut’s largest power plant would change hands under a merger announced Monday, in which Florida-based NextEra Energy would acquire Dominion Energy, the owner of the Millstone Power Station in Waterford. Millstone is the only operating nuclear plant in Connecticut, and its two reactors supply roughly half the state’s electricity and more than 90% of its carbon-free power, according to Dominion. The deal, an all-stock transaction valued at about $66.8 billion according to Reuters, would transfer control of Millstone to NextEra. NextEra, through a subsidiary, is the majority owner and operator of the Seabrook Station nuclear plant in New Hampshire, which sells its power into the regional grid operated by ISO New England, the same market Connecticut draws electricity from. If the merger closes, the combined company would own both Millstone and Seabrook — meaning a single company would control all of the nuclear power generated inside Connecticut, along with a significant share of the regional nuclear supply that reaches Connecticut homes and businesses. Seabrook is the second-largest nuclear plant in New England, behind Millstone. Neither company’s announcement of the deal — nor its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission — mentions Millstone, Seabrook, Connecticut or New England. The companies framed the merger almost entirely around growth in the South and soaring electricity demand from data centers, particularly in Virginia, where Dominion runs a grid serving the world’s largest concentration of data centers.
EB seeking approval for first conversion projects at former Crystal Mall
Waterford — Electric Boat, the new owner of the former Crystal Mall property, is awaiting state traffic approval tied to its renovation project and is seeking town approval to approve conversions of old anchor stores into training centers. EB wants to renovate the former Bed Bath & Beyond and Sears stores, according to Planning Director Mark Wujtewicz, who said he meets with EB officials weekly. The submarine maker has also applied for a building permit from the town. Wujtewicz said last week the company seeks approval for “selective demolition” and conversions of the two former retailers. The Sears space would be made into permanent workforce training facility, while the shell of the Bed Bath & Beyond will be made into a temporary workforce training center. “It would just be limited to this work,” Wujtewicz said. Wujtewicz said the company’s conversion of the former mall, which officially closed its doors at the end of March after 40 years in business, is proceeding on schedule. He added that EB’s purchase means the town has to rework its own long-term development plans and must abandon its vision of a mixed-use, business and residential operation. EB purchased the mall property last year after pressure from the U.S. Navy to deliver submarines. Moving some workers to Waterford would free up space in the Groton shipyard, which can’t expand because it has the Thames River on one side and neighborhoods on the other. The Groton shipyard could then focus more on building submarines.
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.”
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