Federal regulators have ruled that Tweed New Haven Airport may move forward with plans to extend its runway and construct a larger terminal, which is a project the airport is undertaking with the goal of increasing airplane traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) handed down that 25-page ​“Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision” Friday afternoon about Tweed’s $165 million runway extension and airport expansion plan. The draft assessment published by the airport found that a larger terminal, to be built on the East Haven side of the property, and a longer runway would reduce noise and air pollution caused by an airport that plans to expand its operations no matter what. “The release of this assessment today is a big step forward to ensuring that south-central Connecticut has the reliable transportation opportunities this region needs to grow economically,” Gov. Ned Lamont is quoted as saying. ​“Additionally, it will ensure that there are commonsense noise and traffic mitigation measures in place that will retain the neighborhood’s quality of life.” In a separate press release, East Haven Mayor Joe Carfora, who has criticized the airport expansion plans after initially embracing them, lamented the ruling. “It is certainly an understatement to say that I am disappointed,” he wrote. ​“The substantial impact that the proposed action will have on our community is monumental. Our experts, and my staff will fully evaluate the FAA’s findings before announcing our next steps.”

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/tweed_environmental

The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a rule Dec. 14 that seeks to modernize the registered apprenticeship program. The rule intends to strengthen labor standards and worker protections as well as better promote apprenticeship pathways, among other things. “Equity and job quality have marked the most successful Registered Apprenticeship programs for workers and employers alike. This proposed rule codifies the Department of Labor’s strong commitment to these principles,” Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said in a statement. Apprenticeships have received much attention of late as a way to funnel badly needed talent into key industries. The Biden administration has pointedly proposed investments in sectoral training and apprenticeship as part of its wider jobs platform; part of the fiscal year 2024 budget proposal from President Joe Biden included $335 million for the RA program to build pathways to in-need industries, such as construction, clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/dol-apprenticeship-proposed-regulation/703023/

Town leaders are close to approving expansion plans for the library following a redesign made possible with state money. A state grant approved this fall provided $5 million more to the $17 million library project, which allowed an increase to the square footage as well as design improvements and other upgrades. Additional money will also allow an upgrade to the exterior aesthetics of the proposed library, which had been criticized by some town officials and residents. State money also funded an expansion of the building. A change to the original plan goes back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for approval on Tuesday. Town leaders had initially pitched the idea of a 30,000-square-foot library to voters prior to last year’s $17 million referendum. When costs of such a building came in high, the plan was reduced to about 24,000 square feet. The addition of $5 million allows the construction of a library closer to the initial size. Town officials hope to open the new library in the fall of next year.

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Southington/Southington-News/New-look-of-Southington-library-unveiled.html

The developer of the 300-unit apartment complex currently under construction in Cheshire’s Stone Bridge Crossing mixed use development is telling prospective tenants that the retail anchor of the project is a Whole Foods Market grocery store. Fairfield-based Eastpointe LLC is building an apartment complex that will be know as Riverpointe and has created a web page to market the 10-building complex. The page refers to the Stone Bridge Crossing retail component describing it as “adjacent to a Whole Foods-anchored retail center.” Dan Zelson, a founding principal of Faifield-Couinty-based Charter Realty, which is overseeing the procurement of retail tenants for the complex, said the company is not identifying the anchor grocery store. Stone Bridge Crossing is being developed near the intersection of Interstates 84 and 691 in Cheshire. The main entrance to the development is off Route 10, near the town’s border with Southington.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/whole-foods-anchoring-cheshire-development-18566274.php

As the proposition of a 580-unit development looms over Simsbury, multiple residents passionately expressed their opposition to its construction, saying that it could destroy the rural character of the town they call home. Located at the site of The Hartford’s former campus on Hopmeadow Street, the development will comprise 580 units, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom houses, an uptick from the 540 units depicted in an earlier proposal. Citing concerns over overcrowding local schools and damaging the rural character of the town, more than 15 residents spoke out against The Silverman Group’s, a New Jersey-based developer, plans for a residential development at a Zoning Commission public hearing Monday night. But resident Pete Harrison, who is the director of Desegregate Connecticut, also spoke at the public hearing, saying that the need for affordable housing should take precedent.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/farmingtonvalley/article/simsbury-ct-affordable-housing-the-hartford-18561209.php

A group of 10 burgeoning engineers from the city’s high school spent part of their Wednesday morning in an outdoor classroom that featured towering wind turbine components, a massive off-loading barge and the kinds of activity expected at a major manufacturing site. The students toured the turbine pre-assembly site in the company of several chaperones from the campus’ college career and workforce readiness program, which aids students in exploring post-high-school careers. “We are bringing a new industry to America and it’s happening right here in New London,” Hammond said, rattling off the length of each turbine blade (330 feet), the weight of the nacelle generators (520 metric tons) and the height of the finished towers (more than 800 feet). The State Pier visit was just one of several on-the-job field trips planned by local schools taking advantage of major construction projects in their backyards. New London officials plan to take students to Fort Trumbull where a new $40 million community center is under construction. City Councilor Akil Peck said the center project offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity for students interested in the building trades.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20231220/nl-students-get-a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-state-pier-wind-power-work/

The State Bond Commission approved a $600,000 grant to replace the roof of the Danbury Community Center building at 12 Boughton St. Curran said that while the interior of the building has undergone renovations, the roof, which previously didn’t need work, is now “past its useful life.” It needs to be replaced soon. Curran said she expects the roof replacement project to begin this spring. She said the project will follow the state’s bid process. The project is expected to cost $625,000, and a local match of $25,000 will cover the project’s remaining cost. Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves, said the release of funds is both a win for Danbury’s state House delegation and for the Community Center. “Now, with a new roof on the way, the Community Center can continue to provide meaningful programs and services to the Danbury community,” Alves said.

https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/danbury-community-center-roof-ct-grant-18561502.php

The state’s final report on its three-year, Greater Hartford Mobility Study lays out plans for a dramatic change in the area’s transportation system but it first acknowledges the sobering — and lingering — reality: the damage done by 1960s-era urban renewal and interstate highway construction. In the Hartford area, largely white, affluent suburban communities benefited — and thrived — from the highways at the expense of Black, brown and low-income residents who lived in the neighborhoods torn apart by Interstate 84 and Interstate 91, the report notes. “Moving forward, our transportation infrastructure’s potential impacts on communities will not be overlooked,” Morgan said. “The safety and mobility of all roadway users will be included in the design and construction of all projects.” The study — a blueprint for correcting many of the mistakes of urban renewal — includes big-ticket highway projects such as moving the notorious I-84/I-91 interchange; lowering and rerouting I-84 to reconnect Hartford neighborhoods; and capping portions of I-91 to once again link Hartford with its riverfront. In East Hartford, a tangle of highways and ramps just opposite downtown Hartford would be simplified to open up space for future development.

CT city hopes to right wrongs of 1960s urban renewal. Here’s the plan to remedy flawed highway infrastructure

A federal grand jury’s investigation into how contracts were awarded through the state’s school construction grant program has quietly continued in recent months, with four detailed subpoenas issued this year — two as recently as October. The subpoenas, as well as two previously undisclosed from 2022, seek phone records, emails and calendar entries of as many as 16 state employees, according to the attorney who reviews Freedom of Information Act requests concerning subpoenas. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Novick told attorney Morgan Rueckert, hired by the state to review all subpoenas, that some details should be redacted so as not to “frustrate the federal investigation by alerting the targets of the investigation to a more complete picture of the nature of the probe, the techniques employed, the identities of witnesses, and the evidence developed to date.” The materials sought in the subpoenas suggest that the grand jury has made progress in its investigation. For example, it asked for communications between two unidentified parties for one specific day: May 12, 2020.

Grand jury probe into CT’s school construction program continuing

The Biden administration announced on Monday a final rule implementing an executive order that will require project labor agreements on federal construction projects costing $35 million or more. It will likely result in PLAs being required on a majority of large federal jobs. As a result, the White House estimated as many as 200,000 workers on federal construction jobs could see boosted “wages, benefits and safety protections regardless of union membership.” Part of the goal of the executive order, according to the White House fact sheet, is to increase efficiency by having all stakeholders — contractors, subcontractors, unions or other labor groups — negotiate the terms of each project ahead of time. On Monday, Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, praised the implementation. “With this latest action to strengthen economic security, labor-management relations and family-sustaining job opportunities, President Biden is yet again demonstrating his rock-solid commitment to American taxpayers and all workers — union and non-union — across the country,” McGarvey said.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/pla-mandate-biden-federal-contracts/702914/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202023-12-19%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:57550%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive