Data center developer NE Edge LLC has asked the town to serve as a host municipality for a two-building data center on Dominion Energy’s Millstone property. In a letter to the town, NE Edge Manager George A. McLaughlin III described one of the two proposed buildings as two stories high with a 568,000-square-foot footprint. More than 1 million square feet of space would be available for cloud and data storage servers. The on-site power generation will eliminate the need for diesel generators, which often create noise, a factor in Groton residents’ opposition last spring when NE Edge proposed a data center project for that town. The Millstone plant also provides redundant energy, meaning it has multiple power sources to rely on in the event one malfunctions. Sabilia said the project would involve a three-year construction plan under a labor agreement, meaning union workers and apprentices would be hired. She called the project a “great opportunity” to build career paths while providing approximately 1,500 construction jobs and 200 permanent data-center jobs.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230214/waterford-asked-to-host-data-center-project-at-millstone/

Frustrations over Connecticut’s high cost of electricity and concerns over its ability to adequately regulate Eversource, the state’s largest distributor of electricity, are fueling a bipartisan effort to revise the complex rules of utility regulation for the second time in three years. On Tuesday, the legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on two measures intended to give regulators more discretion over rate setting and to shift responsibility for some costs from ratepayers to shareholders, including compensation for executives and lobbying at the state Capitol. Gillett’s recent remarks to lawmakers made clear two things: She believes Eversource, which distributes electricity to all but 20 of Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns, needs far greater oversight than it has received during the administration that employs her; that view is not shared by her two colleagues at PURA. That seemingly put her at cross-purposes with Katie Dykes, the commissioner of DEEP. Dykes, who preceded Gillett as chair of PURA and played a role in recruiting her to Connecticut as her successor, played down any conflict.

CT legislators vow harder look at utilities, and a regulator applauds

A pair of lawmakers representing Stratford in Hartford — Republican Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly and Democratic Representative Joe Gresko — are behind four bills that would further complicate the CAA’s already delayed purchase of Sikorsky Memorial Airport and also give their town more influence in the deal. Daniel Roach, an aide to Democratic Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim who has been closely involved in the negotiations with the CAA, said of the bills, “We’ll see how it works out.” The four proposals are just the latest hurdle for the Ganim administration’s effort to have the CAA either buy or lease Sikorsky Memorial and return regular passenger service there. As recently reported, an initial analysis of potential ground contamination at the airport concluded the cleanup costs could be anywhere from $4 million to $19 million, while the CAA has offered to pay $10 million maximum for the property based on what Bridgeport has invested in the site beyond the federal dollars that keep it operational.

https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/stratford-legislators-bills-target-bridgeport-s-17781637.php?src=rdctpdensecp

Contractors are completing the framework for the largest building at Meadow Commons, a mixed-use project along the Berlin Turnpike that is on track to be one of Newington’s biggest new developments in a decade. Most of the walls are up for the roughly 43,000-square-foot retail building closest to the turnpike, and a large crane is assembling the framework for the roof. Framingham, Mass.-based Grossman Development Group is also constructing several smaller retail buildings on part of a 24-acre tract previously used by Eversource. Town officials at the time estimated the combined value of the residential and commercial improvements would amount to more than $82 million, and construction inflation since then may have driven that figure up. Grossman is building the retail complex in partnership with Long Wharf Capital and Callahan Inc., with financing by Washington Trust.

https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-connecticut-newington-development-20230213-t3guyovbz5astcmmfwmzil5hlq-story.html

Comcast, one of the largest telecommunications operations in America, has purchased 70 megawatts of renewable solar electricity from a town business that is in the early stages of development. Serving millions of customers across the nation, Comcast will now power 43% of its Connecticut and Massachusetts operations utilizing renewable solar electricity from the Gravel Pit Solar project in East Windsor. The solar project, between Apothecaries Hall Road and Plantation Road, is being developed by D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments and North Light Energy. Aaron Svedlow, president of North Light Energy, said the project started construction in late January and will be completed in 2024. He said the 120-megawatt clean energy facility will include over 250,000 solar panels and will begin delivering to customers in 2024, with Comcast the facility’s largest customer.

https://www.journalinquirer.com/towns/east_windsor/comcast-tapping-into-east-windsor-solar-farm/article_c9331678-a959-11ed-9b54-0bcf508ff5a8.html

With their plans to process dredged soil at a rail-connected industrial site on the Thames River on hold, Massachusetts-based Cashman Dredging and Marine Contracting is now pushing to develop the rest of the 165-acre site into a complex of industrial buildings. Cashman Vice President Allen Perrault presented a conceptual plan to the Ledyard Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday night showing that the company intends to use the north side of the former Dow Chemical property on Route 12 for its own marine equipment business, and will clear woods and level a hill on the south side of the property to make way for several large industrial buildings that Cashman would lease to other companies. The major marine uses on the Thames River also makes it a prime location for a dredging company, and the proximity to the New London State Pier puts the company in position to supply aggregate material for offshore wind construction, or to stage equipment for offshore wind, Perrault said.

Marine Company Plans Industrial Buildings for Thames River Site, Awaits Dredging Regs

A former lawyer and government affairs officer for the General Contractors Association of New York, she said her passion lies at the intersection of construction and public policy. Farber was appointed executive director of the Subcontractors Trade Association — a New York City-based association of union subcontractors — in January, becoming the first woman to hold the role in the group’s 66-year history. The biggest challenge right now for the construction industry is the rise in material prices. A lot of subcontractors were hurt by the unprecedented spike in costs. Addressing issues with insurance, change orders and contract payments, as well as taking a partnering approach with the industry, will go a long way to improving the delivery of essential capital projects and stretching limited capital dollars.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/ny-union-head-material-prices-are-constructions-biggest-challenge/642520/

The Town Council voted to allow the Middle School Building Committee to proceed with the $58.6 million school project while expressing concerns about the budget being $21 million over what voters approved at referendum. The committee’s website offers a breakdown: $17.2 million for construction and $3.8 million for other “soft” costs. The new middle school is “desperately needed,” Superintendent of Schools Enza Macri said Friday. “I’m sure there’s nobody who wants to go back twice,” Mayor Steve Fortenbach said. If project costs exceed even $1 over $56 million, he added the question whether to spend more must again be put to voters. Members will be reviewing project information “to see where a partner in this project may not have provided appropriate information,” the superintendent continued.

https://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/cromwell-school-building-panel-trying-close-21-17776683.php

An obscure dormitory building on a downtown residential street is becoming part of the complex homelessness puzzle leaders are piecing together to find enough shelter for those without a roof and keep them off the streets permanently. The building in question, which is three houses away from the historic Octagon House, is the center of complex agreement between the city, its housing authority, the state, and a Stamford nonprofit that wants to play a major role in helping unhoused people in Danbury find homes. As a result, the Elm Street dorm building is a key to the city’s long term homelessness plan, even if the city is keeping its options open about precisely how it will fit into the larger puzzle. The agreement fits into the larger picture of Danbury’s post-pandemic homelessness strategy that includes the city’s newly opened Danbury Support Center at 41 New St., which is at capacity with 20 men and women, and the former Super 8 motel at 3 Lake Ave., owned by Pacific House, where 35 people are sheltered.

https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/danbury-homeless-elm-street-17777461.php

Patrons will find additional programming and much more space after visiting the newly renovated New Milford Public Library, which reopens this week. “It’s going to be a true destination point for the downtown,” said Mayor Pete Bass, while giving a tour of the library to Hearst Connecticut Media. A ribbon cutting to open the library after the $8.5 million project will be held at 10 a.m. on Feb. 18. The $8.5 million renovation project for the library at 24 Main St. was proposed in 2016, yet Bass said the renovation has been “an over 20-year process.” The library building closed in May 2020 to make way for the renovation project, and construction began that June. The library offered patrons curbside service and lobby browsing as well as in-person and online programming while construction was happening.

https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/new-milford-library-offer-new-expanded-amenities-17769555.php?src=nthpdesecp