Following a second round of construction bids, renovations for the Hindley, Holmes and Royle elementary schools are now expected to cost closer to $100 million, up from the $82,250,000 originally allocated for the project. The renovations call for an overhaul of the three schools that would remove all portable classrooms and bring in new classroom wings, libraries and playgrounds. Based on the latest construction estimates, revealed in a Dec. 6 meeting, the HHR Building Committee will have to go before the town to request additional funds for all three schools. The committee is expected to vote on final appropriations for the three schools on Wednesday night. The project has been delayed twice, first by a month to include additional design work and then nearly a full year following a round of construction bids that came back at higher-than-anticipated costs. Under the current timeline, the project would be underway in June 2024 and be completed in August 2026.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/darien-hindley-holmes-royle-elementary-schools-18540411.php?src=sthpdesecp

The town is looking to acquire state funding to revitalize parcels of land on a major connector road, Rubber Avenue. The borough held a hybrid public informational meeting on Dec. 5 for the Rubber Avenue Corridor Community Investment Fund application through the state Department of Economic and Community Development. The Board of Mayor and Burgesses unanimously approved to submit the application to obtain an $8 million CIF grant where the borough would match it with $400,000 from Tax Increment Financing funds. The borough is near the process of redoing about two-thirds of a mile on Rubber Avenue from the intersection of Melbourne and Hoadley streets to Elm Street through the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program project. That plan will include a new modern roundabout, drainage improvements, new sidewalks and landscaping along the road.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2023/12/10/naugatuck-applies-for-8m-state-grant-to-revitalize-rubber-avenue-parcels/#login

The pattern is known as transit-oriented development, and it’s both the manifestation of Fairfield’s population growth over the past decade and a sign of where the town could be headed over the next 10 years as part of a long-term planning document that local leaders are debating. The advisory document — known as the Plan of Conservation and Development, or the POCD for short — is the 10-year development blueprint that will largely influence how Fairfield balances construction projects that boost the tax base with the space it preserves amid a growing population. Fairfield’s population rose about 3.5 percent over a 10-year period from 59,400 in 2010 to roughly 61,500 in 2020, according to census data. Zoning commissioners seem to be in agreement that the town needs more housing options, but “how much is too much” has been a sentiment of concern when it comes to adding density to the neighborhoods with Fairfield’s largest complexes.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/fairfield/article/fairfield-apartments-population-development-plan-18524579.php

Opposition is mounting in town to stop the planned expansion of a natural gas compressor station located near homes and just 1,900 feet from Whisconier Middle School. Two steel pipelines enter and exit the compressor station: The Algonquin pipepline, which was built in 2008, comes in from the southwest, and the Iroquois pipeline, which was built in 2009, comes down from the north. The point at which they meet is a compressor station on an 80-acre property at 78 High Meadow Lane. The compressor station is owned by Iroquois Gas Transmission System, L.P. While no new pipeline is proposed as part of this project, Iroquois wants to more than double the capacity of the compressor station — to receive an additional 125 million cubic feet per day of natural gas, according to an operating permit filed with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/brookfield-compressor-station-expansion-pipeline-18506774.php

A planned six-mile, $65 million pedestrian and bike rail trail stretching from downtown Hartford’s Union Station to Bloomfield’s town center could be completed within five years, the project’s designer said. The hARTline comes with a cost estimate of $65 million, compared to tens-of-billions of dollars for the larger highway-capping and reconfiguration envisioned in the award-winning Hartford 400 plan, which Suisman helped develop. Hartford officials and nonprofit leaders are currently assembling $2.4 million to fund the design of the trail line. The Hartford 400 plan envisions a spur using expanded city sidewalks past Dunkin’ Park to Market Street, where a pedestrian bridge would carry cyclists and pedestrians over Interstate 91 and into Riverside Park by the municipal boathouse. The hARTline would connect with a network of trails reaching other communities and, ultimately, could serve as Hartford’s contribution to the planned 3,000-mile “East Coast Greenway” pedestrian and bicycle route stretching from Maine to Florida.

City, nonprofit development team eye $65M rail trail from downtown Hartford to Bloomfield

When complete, the project is expected to power roughly 70,000 Long Island homes. The project dovetails with New York’s plan to transition to a carbon-free electricity system by 2040. The Empire State’s plan is to install 9 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2035. “New York’s nation-leading efforts to generate reliable, renewable clean energy have reached a major milestone,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a Wednesday statement. “South Fork Wind will power thousands of homes, create good-paying union jobs and demonstrate to all the offshore wind is a viable resource New York can harness for generations to come.” The Revolution Wind project, touted as six times as large as the South Fork Wind, is also a joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource, and is expected to bring a total of 704 megawatts of energy to Connecticut and Rhode Island. The Revolution Wind pre-installation work at New London’s State Pier will involve the assembly of 65 turbines that will be shipped to two offshore wind stations in federal waters 15 nautical miles southeast of Point Judith, R.I.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20231209/taking-to-the-high-seas-for-an-up-close-look-at-south-fork-wind/

Residents no longer have to worry about the town potentially having solar panels installed in their neighborhood. Approximately 50 residents, most of them from the Highwood Farms section of town, attended Tuesday night’s selectmen meeting to object to having solar panels installed on town-owned land in their neighborhood. The possible site is a wooded area near the soccer field behind a dirt parking area. Selectmen tabled the matter officially but agreed to not accept a proposal that would place panels in any residential neighborhood. First Selectman Edmond V. Mone said the reason the town is looking at potential sites is because about a year ago, solar companies started approaching the town about installations in the downtown area. Because of the complexity of the matter, the town hired a consultant, Energia Solar Solutions, for $10,000 to help the board determine whether this is a technology worth pursuing.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2023/12/07/solar-array-will-not-be-placed-in-any-thomaston-neighborhood/

Extension of the system was one of the conditions set in 2021 when residents approved the $8 million sale of the town’s water and sewer assets to Aquarion. Pine Meadow, which sits over the town’s aquifer, is served by septic systems. Town officials said extending the system helps ensure the town’s water does not become polluted. The extension would add 106 new customers, alleviating the high user rates. There also is the possibility of a massive 291-unit residential development just to the south that would further use the town’s oversized sewer plant. Oversight of construction was discussed, with subcommittee members suggesting they be responsible for it. Jerram said the contract provides for the town’s engineers, CDM Smith, to provide a professional for the task.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2023/12/07/new-hartford-sewer-extension-panel-appointed/

In light of needed repairs that could total more than $100 million over as many as 15 years at Wilton’s public schools, the town’s newly sworn-in first selectwoman advised caution in moving forward with funding. Wilton needs all hands on deck to move forward with the logistics of the school and municipal improvements, Boucher said. The needs for the school buildings, which have an average age of 60 years, were presented in November, with different projects categorized as priority levels 1, 2 and 3 within a 10-year plan. Lynne Vanderslice, the town’s former first selectwoman, said the timeline would likely be drawn out further. Two outstanding issues regarding the proposed improvement funds are which repairs would go toward a Board of Education budget or a municipal budget, said Frank Smeriglio, Wilton’s director of public works and town engineer.

https://www.nhregister.com/news/education/article/wilton-board-selectmen-boucher-school-repairs-18537601.php

Orsted’s South Fork offshore wind farm off New York delivered its first power to the state’s power grid, according to a press release by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. South Fork, which Orsted is building with Eversource, will eventually consist of 12 Siemens Gamesa turbines with a total installed capacity of 132 MW and is situated 35 miles (56 km) east of Montauk Point in New York. Offshore wind is expected to play a major role in New York’s plan to reduce carbon emissions by getting 70% of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030. It is also a pillar of US President Joe Biden’s plan to decarbonize the US power grid and combat climate change. In November, New York launched a new offshore wind solicitation to help support the development of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, enough to power up to six million homes.

https://www.offshore-mag.com/renewable-energy/article/14302396/orsted-south-fork-offshore-wind-farm-delivers-first-power-to-ny-electric-grid