The person hired to replace Konstantinos Diamantis to steer the state’s school construction grant program has resigned after barely four months on the job. Douglas Rogers resigned from his job as director of the Office of School Construction Grants & Review on March 13 in an email to the state Department of Administrative Services human resources department. The email didn’t give a reason for his sudden departure. In an interview this week, Rogers said he couldn’t adjust to the slow pace of state government work. He was hired after an extensive search to replace Diamantis, who was removed as the director in October 2021 after state officials were informed that a federal grand jury was investigating several school constructions projects.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/education/article/head-ct-s-controversial-school-construction-17863311.php

The landmark State Capitol building, completed in 1878 as a memorial to the Civil War, is crumbling and needs more than $54 million in repairs, cleaning and renovations, according to estimates that could increase by 4 percent or more annually as building officials await funding from the General Assembly. While there was an extensive, 10-year renovation that began in the late-1970s, building officials have mostly triaged problems as they occurred since then. On Tuesday, Pencz and other legislative management officials told the advisory State Capitol Preservation and Restoration Commission — a group of appointed state officials, former lawmakers and former legislative administrators — that there will be a final project plan after the General Assembly ends in June, around the time work finally starts on the leaky skylights.

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhregister.com%2Fpolitics%2Farticle%2Fct-state-capitol-building-renovations-17852273.php%3Fsrc%3Dnhrhppromostrip

City officials approved plans for a mixed-use, 77-unit project in the East Norwalk Village on Wednesday, calling opposition to the project by more than 700 neighbors misplaced frustration with recent zoning changes to encourage development in the “stagnant” area. A petition signed by 731 residents called on the developers, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners and M.F. DiScala & Co., to scale back the project, citing concerns of increased traffic on busy, local roadways and potential environmental impacts on water and air quality. But at the Wednesday Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, an attorney for the developers told local officials the vast majority of neighbor opposition was not about the impacts of the development itself, but the zoning that allows it to be built.

City Officials Approve 77-Unit Development for ‘Stagnant’ East Norwalk Under New Zoning Rules

The proposed project to build a sports complex at the now-vacant MassMutual office park on Bright Meadow Road originally called for developer Andrew Borgia of Fast Track Realty and Anthony Ardolino of All Sports Village to lease a portion of the nearby 32.6-acre town-owned Brainerd Park for artificial-turf playing fields as part of their financing requirements. The developers also have a purchase and sale agreement for property at 113 Brainard Road to use for the sports complex. They will be going before the Planning and Zoning Commission to request a zone change from residential to business regional. According to Town Manager Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, it’s unknown at this time what will happen with the new development plan when it goes before the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency and PZC.

Plan B for Enfield sports complex: New design would not lease land at Enfield park

Over the past 15 years, as Stamford grew to become Connecticut’s second-most populous city, no area experienced more of a transformation than the South part — also known as Harbor Point courtesy of the large mixed-use development that bears the name. The 350-acre peninsula’s two census tracts saw a combined 140 percent increase in population in the 2010s. Development doesn’t appear to be ending in the near future. According to a city map, three residential and two office buildings have been approved, with several more projects proposed. As BLT’s presence in the South End has grown, so has some residents’ resistance to the firm’s work. Though they’re not building at the moment, BLT still owns several large lots on the peninsula. The portfolio includes the B&S Carting site and the former Blickensderfer factory lot at 650 Atlantic St.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/stamford-south-end-blt-harbor-point-development-17761663.php

The Torrington native is the newly appointed state Department of Transportation commissioner, getting acclimated to his new role since his appointment in January. He previously served for three years as deputy secretary of the state agency responsible for the state’s roads, bridges and rails. Eucalitto started working as a deputy commissioner a couple of months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since starting his new job, Eucalitto is making a point to visit each of the 65 DOT garages and 40 DOT offices across the state each week or every other week, depending on his schedule. Last Friday, he stopped by the Thomaston garage to visit with the staff and hear what they have to say. He brought his work with him and sat down at an empty cubicle for part of the day. Eucalitto comes on board at a time when there are hundreds of vacancies within the department. The department, which has about 3,000 employees has 500 job openings. The department is competing for engineers who can make more money in the private sector.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2023/03/26/new-dot-commissioner-road-tested-torrington-native-took-a-scenic-route-to-states-top-job/#login

A massive $385 million project to revamp Norwich’s school buildings moves a step closer. The Norwich City Council approved resolutions giving the Norwich Board of Education permission to apply to the state Department of Administrative Services for funding for three of the four elementary school projects – Greeneville, Stanton and Moriarty elementary schools. School Building Committee Chair Mark Bettencourt said the application for and the work on the Greeneville and Stanton school projects would be done first. Back in November, voters approved the city’s plans to spend a total of $385 million to discontinue use of all the existing elementary schools and build four large new ones, alongside turning the Samuel Huntington Elementary School into the new district office, and a remodel of Teachers Memorial Global Magnet Elementary School. The cost is $385 million, but the cost to the city was said to be only $149 million, after getting state grants.

https://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/2023/03/13/norwich-funding-greeneville-stanton-moriarty-school-building-construction-projects-cathy-osten/69992948007/

A developer’s offer to expand and improve a key intersection helped convince town officials to approve a $100 million project off West Street. Town leaders gave the Texas-based developer approval earlier this week for the plan which includes 255 apartments along with turning lanes and a motion-sensing camera for the West Street and Curtiss Street intersection. Despite reservations among some Planning and Zoning Commission members, they approved the development’s special permit and site plan Tuesday night unanimously. Approval includes stipulations for the right-hand turn lane on Curtiss Street and a requirement that trucks use West Street for highway access during construction. The next steps for the company are getting state Department of Transportation approval for work adding the turning lane to West Street. Curtiss Street work only requires town approval.

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Southington/Southington-News/Southington-planners-approve-$100-million-West-Street-development.html

The town has won $5.4 million in state aid to demolish and abate the abandoned middle school on Newhall Street, a site Mayor Lauren Garrett hopes ultimately will become Hamden’s “community campus.” Garrett has proposed spending $15.4 million, the bulk of the town’s remaining $18 million in ARPA money, on the community campus. The entire project is expected to cost $59 million, according to a town application for state funding. Located in Newhall, one of Hamden’s most underserved neighborhoods, the community campus would house child care and elderly services, social services, a food pantry, an arts and cultural center, a library and a health and wellness center, Garrett wrote.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/state-officials-back-hamden-community-campus-plan-17854059.php

The Federal Aviation Administration has extended the public comment period on the draft Environmental Assessment of Tweed New Haven Regional Airport’s proposed expansion project by 15 days to May 1 after being approached by representatives of both the airport and expansion opponents. The Tweed New Haven Airport Authority will hold a public information workshop and hearing on the draft EA at East Haven High School April 1. It will begin with an “open house” question-and-answer session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by a more formal hearing from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The EA found that the expansion project would not significantly affect traffic at 11 key intersections. A new traffic signal and intersection improvements would be installed at Proto Drive and Coe Ave in East Haven.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/public-comment-extended-tweed-airport-17855849.php