Republicans are in the minority in the General Assembly, but they were able to secure enough signatures to force a public hearing on repealing the highway user fee that went into effect in January. The Democrat-controlled Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee refused to hold a public hearing on the bill, but according to Republicans they secured 51 signatures to force the public hearing. Republicans have been trying to repeal the fee because they say it will increase the cost of goods trucked to the state. The state is expected to start collecting revenue from the highway user fee on Feb. 28, despite opposition from the business and trucking community. The mileage-based fee on trucks using Connecticut highways was approved by state policymakers back in 2021 in an effort to generate ongoing revenue to support the Special Transportation Fund, which pays for the upkeep and improvement of roads and bridges.

Republican Minority Wins Public Hearing On Highway User Fee

Last year Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill reversing the moratorium on new nuclear plants in Connecticut, a ban that had been in place since 1979. The Millstone Power Station in Waterford, with its two operating reactors, would be the spot where the next generation of reactors could be built. Some of the more promising next-generation nuclear designs are for SMRs, or “small modular reactors,” like the one being developed by NuScale, headquartered in Portland, Ore. Smaller in size and output than existing plants, the technology is billed as safer and both more efficient and economical than the large-scale reactors, such as those at Millstone. Katie Dykes, commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), is fully on board the nuclear bandwagon, including advocating for extension of the licenses of the two Millstone reactors as well as being open to the possibility of locating the next generation of nuclear-generating technology there.

https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/news-people/article/changing-face-of-nuclear-energy-17783397.php

A long-sought bill with bipartisan support that would require offshore wind developers to establish a compensation fund will get a hearing Wednesday before the legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee. The hearing was scheduled for Tuesday but postponed to 11 a.m. Wednesday due to an internet outage at the state Capitol. Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, co-introduced House Bill 5223 with four Democratic state representatives, while three Republicans and two Democrats are co-sponsors. Local co-sponsors include Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington, and Rep. Devin Carney, R-Old Lyme. The Environment Committee in 2020 raised a bill establishing a fund to compensate commercial fishermen negatively impacted by offshore wind facilities, but a public hearing never happened because it was initially scheduled for March 16 – just as the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Representing the Ørsted-Eversource joint venture Revolution Wind, Nicole M. Verdi and Raymond V. Collins said the partnership has and will continue to work with the commercial fishing industry, and they raised several concerns about the bill.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230221/proposed-bill-would-make-offshore-wind-developers-create-compensation-fund/

Connecticut Port Authority officials said Tuesday that construction work to position State Pier for the South Fork Wind project remains on track for “substantial completion” at the end of this month ― but there are some delays, and Executive Director Ulysses Hammond won’t say yet how much they will cost. Board Chairman David Kooris said the agency is handing over State Pier to port operator Gateway in March, and Northeast Offshore LLC (NEO) will start to utilize the facility in April. NEO is the joint venture of Ørsted and Eversource. Marlin Peterson, construction manager for AECOM, the project’s construction administrator, said the value of work completed on-site to date is about $180 million. The port authority also currently has an operating deficit. But Andrew Lavigne, manager of business development and special projects for the port authority, said the agency anticipated a deficit due to the timing of revenue expected in the next few months. He said until those funds are received, surplus from prior years will fund operations.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230221/port-authority-updates-timeline-%e2%80%95-but-not-cost-%e2%80%95-for-state-pier-construction/

A plan to start tackling big-ticket repairs at Rentschler Field in East Hartford — the home turf of the University of Connecticut football program — could get a major boost if state lawmakers approve a proposed $24 million upgrade for the next two years. Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed capital budget includes $12 million in each of the next two fiscal years for renovations at Rentschler — new roofing, concrete repairs and technology upgrades, among them — that would form the foundation of a larger, $63 million plan. The overall plan would stretch out over five years and was developed by a high-profile sports stadium consultant last year aimed at ensuring the venue, which turns 20 this year, keeps up with evolving Division I standards. The proposed funding for Rentschler comes as UConn football has struggled in the past decade, without a winning season since 2010. But in 2022, in coach Jim Mora’s first season, the program showed encouraging signs of a turnaround. The team’s record of 6-7 was the best in six years, matching 2016, and the team went to a bowl game.

https://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-east-hartford-rentschler-field-funding-20230219-fykidj2kmrhn5bw76piqtnlzoe-story.html

The Department of Public Works, which is “constantly looking” at the town’s bridges to make sure they’re safe, is working with the state Department of Transportation on the design work for the complete or partial replacement of seven bridges in New Milford. New Milford is working on the final contract to replace the bridge, which was built in 1978, Healy said. The project will be paid for through a $1.78 million state and federal grant, Healy said. According to the Master Municipal Bridge List, the two-lane 34-foot steel bridge goes over the East Aspetuck River just east of Route 202. The town held several public meetings last fall about the project. According to WMC Consulting Engineers in Newington, which was hired to design the bridge and the associated roadway and site improvements, the project’s cost is about $4.3 million. It will be split 50-50 between the state and the town.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-milford-dpw-partners-dot-replace-seven-town-17781633.php

Darien’s $68 million in renovations for three elementary schools are on track after Planning and Zoning officials signed off on the latest plans with some small updates. Members of the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission have approved site plans for Hindley, Holmes and Royle Elementary Schools. Construction for the project is slated to begin this summer and is expected to be finished in time for the 2025-26 school year. The schools will remain open during the construction period, completed in phases to avoid disrupting school operations and with staggered hours so as not to conflict with school pickup or drop off. Based on prospective construction bids, the overall project appears to be close to the designated budget, with Hindley and Royle under initial estimates and Holmes slightly over. Official bids are expected in late April.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/darien-commission-approves-hindley-holmes-royle-17791177.php?src=sthpdesecp

State officials are seeking an additional $47 million in federal aid to build and complete Resilient Bridgeport, a significant flood control plan for the South End that was already awarded $40.8 million but is now estimated to cost much more. Given the uncertainty, Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration made a controversial decision to redesign the new Bassick High School being relocated from the West to the South End to withstand severe weather rather than wait for Resilient Bridgeport’s completion or settle on another site outside of a flood zone. “Until we go out to bid, we don’t know exactly what those numbers will be,” she said. Which is why the $47 million competitive grant the state is seeking from the Federal Emergency Management Agency includes a sizeable contingency to account for any future cost increases.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/bridgeport-ct-federal-money-flood-project-17791184.php

The numbers, compiled by Stamford Public Schools director of facilities Kevin McCarthy, showed that the price to rent standalone units for 200 rooms for just one month would be greater than the cost to buy 200 window units. In January, Mahoney had asked for an estimate of how much it would cost to rent air conditioning units for the two hottest periods of the school year: May and June at the end of the calendar and August and September at the beginning. The officials are hoping to add 200 window units to classrooms before the start of the next school year. Another 200 or so would be installed for the following year. The price tag for the entire rental would be $350,000 for one month. In comparison, buying and installing 200 window air conditioner units would cost $300,000, McCarthy said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/stamford-finance-board-questions-school-s-ac-cost-17781777.php?src=sthpdesecp

The City Plan Commission voted unanimously during its latest online meeting Wednesday night to support a plan put forward by the Queach Corporation, a development firm run by Michael Giordano, to construct a new seven-story apartment building along 7 – 17 Stone St. The construction is contingent on the demolition of four single-family homes and the relocation of a fifth historic home to the right of the property. According to the developers’ site plan application, demolition is expected to begin in June 2023 and conclude in August. Construction should take about 14 months. Commission Chair Leslie Radcliffe applauded the project as an impressive undertaking that will ​“provide housing for a population we don’t always hear about.”

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