he Board of Education took a major step toward consolidating the town’s two high schools this week, voting by an 8-1 margin to combine Mark T. Sheehan High School and Lyman Hall High School into one school on the current Pond Hill Road site of Lyman Hill, Superintendent of School. It would cost $216.06 million, with the town’s share of that being $122.68 million. The state would reimburse the town for its share at a rate of about 43 percent, board Board of Education Chair Tammy Raccio said Tuesday. If approved by the Town Council, “the next steps in the process will include reviewing the second-tier study and determining the feasibility to move forward with one consolidated high school,” she said. “If the decision is to continue with one consolidated high school, then a grant application would need to be submitted to the Office of School Construction Grants and Review for approval.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/wallingford-boe-votes-consolidate-sheehan-lyman-17811140.php

Manhattan-based GAIA Real Estate has sued South End developer Building and Land Technology, the city of Stamford and multiple other entities over their handling of the Lofts at Yale & Towne. GAIA bought the factory-turned-apartment building around October 2016 from BLT. Loft residents were forced to move out by the end of July 2021 after property owners reported numerous structural faults. The lawsuit goes in depth on what exactly the underlying deficiencies are. In doing so, GAIA’s lawyers pin the blame on BLT and its associates, primarily, for alleged negligence in how it developed, maintained and sold the complex to them. The firm alleges that BLT and its associates knew of the deteriorating subsurface conditions. Additionally, the company is suing the city of Stamford for negligence, which it says has resulted in further damages.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/stamford-blt-lofts-at-yale-towne-unsafe-17802105.php?src=sthpdesecp

A reliance on construction materials produced overseas has left U.S. contractors susceptible to long lead times and extreme price volatility, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic slowed global supply chains. About 32% of building materials come from outside the U.S., according to Marcum, a New York City-based accounting and advisory firm. The main building materials sourced outside of the United States are some of the most foundational materials used in construction. The make-it-here push raises issues for the construction industry and project owners, namely increased expenses. Many building groups have pushed back on the Biden administration’s onshoring initiative, claiming some materials simply aren’t available domestically at any price and will cause even more construction delays.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/buy-america-provisions-can-improve-construction-lead-times-they-also-raise/643676/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202023-02-28%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:48395%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

A major improvement project at Bradley International Airport that is part of $230 million in upcoming renovations got another financial boost from the federal government’s infrastructure program aimed at improving air travel. Bradley will receive a $5 million grant in a second round of funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. The grant comes on top of about $20 million from a first round of funding last summer. The Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees operations at Bradley said it was “very grateful” for the the support of Gov. Ned Lamont and the state’s Congressional delegation in securing the additional funding for the baggage screening project. The FAA grant to Bradley was part of more than $1 billion in funding to 99 airports around the country to improve baggage systems, security checkpoints and “multi-modal connections. The funding also comes as air travel recovers from the pandemic.

Bradley International Airport chosen for $5 million federal infrastructure grant to help pay for major upgrade

Norwich Public Utilities will receive $1.6 million in federal grants to support two projects utility officials called critical projects, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced Monday during a visit to NPU headquarters. The funding is part of the 2023 fiscal year federal budget signed into law in December, Blumenthal said, addressing a group of NPU employees. NPU will receive $800,000 through the Environmental Protection Agency for the Poquetanuck Cove Crossing Water Interconnection to connect with the Groton water system, and a second $800,000 to reline sewer mains in the Greeneville section of Norwich. Construction on both projects is expected to begin before Memorial Day with work likely completed before the end of 2023. “These projects will improve public safety and water quality in our region, while modernizing and upgrading our infrastructure,” LaRose said in the news release.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230227/norwich-public-utilities-to-receive-1-6-million-for-water-sewer-projects/

Officials say the project to renovate and expand the Meriden Public Library now is around 90% complete. During a walkthrough of the Miller Street building on Monday afternoon, the sounds of construction were still audible and some debris was still present, as Montagno Construction crews continued on the $13 million project. Construction began in early 2022. Officials eyed April 10 as the date for Montagno to turn the building back over to city officials. Officials have marked July 1 as the date for the library’s grand reopening. “Libraries are now becoming community centers,” Welsh said. “It’s more than just books. Now it’s distribution of content and the creating of content, creativity. And, putting the two together.” Welsh envisioned a partnership between the library and the Meriden Public Schools to allow students and adults to learn how to utilize that technology for their own content creation.

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/Meriden-Library-project-continues-with-projected-spring-opening.html

With trillions of dollars in new work coming online this year, contractors — already struggling to retain craft workers during a historic shortage — now face the challenge of competing with big projects that come to town with a lot to offer workers. This year, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS and Science Act, which allocates $39 billion to build and expand semiconductor manufacturing plants, will create thousands of new construction jobs — on top of what Ken Simonson, chief economist for Associated General Contractors of America, called “an unusually large concentration of really large projects right now.” To attract and retain workers, many local companies are finding more compelling benefits well beyond money. They’re offering everything from hot meals and heated bathrooms on jobsites to paid volunteer and educational opportunities that may even extend to workers’ families. Younger generations of workers are asking more questions about company culture, what types of projects they would be working on and even safety protocols, said Keyan Zandy, CEO of Skiles Group, a mid-size general contractor in Dallas.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/how-to-retain-workers-when-a-megaproject-comes-to-town/643411/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202023-02-24%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:48327%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

With an additional $100 million needed to entirely fix the state’s crumbling foundations, lawmakers are once again pushing for assistance for the thousands of homeowners still affected. One of the most significant proposed bills calls for more borrowing for the Crumbling Foundation Solution Indemnity Co., or CFSIC, the captive insurance company that has been fixing foundations, primarily in the northeastern section of the state. While it is still early in the legislative session and there is not yet a dollar amount attached to the bonding bill, its sponsor, Sen. Jeff Gordon, D-Woodstock, said the final proposal could range anywhere between $50 million and $100 million. That would be in addition to the $100 million in debt that has already been approved by the legislature, $25 million of which has been allocated, as well as nearly $12 million a year from an annual insurance surcharge deposited in the Healthy Homes Fund. While testing is now mandatory at quarries for pyrrhotite, the mineral known to cause concrete to deteriorate, Maglaras notes that not all concrete aggregate comes from quarries.

https://www.journalinquirer.com/connecticut_and_region/crumbling-concrete/article_26b96d7a-b50c-11ed-9139-4b930c4be5c9.html

The $2.3 million streetscape project involves creating a sidewalk that will begin at the Wilton-Ridgefield line, heading north on Route 7. It will continue north to Tusk & Cup Fine Coffee, to the intersection with Route 102. There will be a walking bridge over a brook. The sidewalk will continue north across the street. “The width of Route 102 where it meets Route 7 will be narrowed so you won’t have to run out of breath trying to get across there,” Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi said. “There’ll be walking signs, crosswalks and the sidewalk will continue up to the Norwalk River. A sidewalk will continue all the way up Florida Road as well, with a crosswalk over to the Ancona Plaza.” The project also includes installing decorative lighting as well as the realignment of Route 102 with Route 7 with new traffic signalization and crosswalks at that intersection. J Iapaluccio contractors in Brookfield are expected to do the work.

https://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/ridgefied-branchville-project-pedestrian-friendly-17801998.php

Since 2007, Antonio Iadarola, the city engineer and public works director, has tried to convince the engineers that flooding on Kenosia Avenue and West Street are connected to development damage to the Still River and its flood plain that could be fixed if the federal government would commit its resources. But it wasn’t until Iadarola began collecting field data during storms to compile a comprehensive flood report for the Army Corps in 2021 that federal engineers took notice, and recently committed to a $1 million study. The two-year study, which requires the city to contribute $450,000, will recommend solutions, along with a cost-benefit analysis, that would set the stage for the Army Corps to implement flood control measures. The Army Corps study will focus on three key problem areas that Iadarola’s department believes are responsible for the flooding that has plagued the upper reaches of the Still Water basin.

https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/danbury-flooding-army-corps-fix-still-river-17804504.php?src=nthpdesecp