A private real estate company has received conditional approval to build a 1 million-square-foot warehouse in Plainfield that is expected to net the town a tidy sum in permitting and tax revenue. The Planning & Zoning Commission on June 29 granted site plan approval to Scannell Properties for construction of a warehouse on the combined parcels at 91-105, 107, 113 and 143-151 Plainfield Pike currently owned by the Plainfield Materials company. In addition to the enormous warehouse, the project, which First Selectman Kevin Cunningham estimated will cost up to $100 million to complete, calls for creating 975 parking and 182 trailer storage spaces, along with 200 docking doors on the total 137-acre space, according to site plans.

https://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/local/2022/07/14/scannell-properties-to-build-massive-warehouse-on-plainfield-ct-pike/65371733007/

Hard-hatted Hunter was on the construction site of the George-and-Orchard Street portion of the $838 million Yale New Haven neurosciences center rising in West River. While workers from Turner Construction worked on the first tiers of the garage, Hunter monitored their safety. Hunter said he has seen no slips, no falls, no major injuries during his months stationed at Yale New Haven. Two hours into the job Tuesday morning, that was holding true: ​“So far, so good. I haven’t seen any safety issues. Let’s see what happens the rest of the day.” Turner has had him doing the safety superintendent work at Yale New Haven since June. He is responsible for checking in on a half dozen sites, mostly the West River project, but also on York Street.

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

FFD 149, Fine Fettle’s social equity cultivator business in partnership with Hartford resident Kennard Ray, has submitted a special permit and subdivision applications with the town to construct a cannabis cultivation facility at 10 Mosey Drive. A public hearing for the proposal is set for Dec. 15. Pending public approval, Zachs said the facility will take about 18 months to build out. He said the cultivation business will have between 60 to 100 employees when fully up and running. Fine Fettle’s social equity cultivator license is for businesses planning to open large-scale operations of more than 15,000 square feet of grow space, differing from micro-cultivator licenses that go to establishments with between 2,000 square feet and 10,000 square feet of grow space.

Fine Fettle proposes cannabis grow facility in Bloomfield

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), however, 43% of the public roadways in the United States remain in poor or mediocre condition, with almost 231,000 bridges needing repair—nearly 8% of them structurally deficient. These systems need major repair, replacement, or preservation work and soon. The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law in November 2021, is a historic, $550 billion investment to address deteriorating infrastructure, including projects to improve public transportation, roadways and water and energy distribution systems. In government projects, however, nearly one-third of initiatives fail to meet original goals and only half stay within budget. This data spurred the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act (PMIAA) of 2016, which is legislation designed to improve project and program management within the U.S. federal government to help reduce wasteful spending.

https://www.constructiondive.com/spons/preparing-for-the-imminent-surge-in-infrastructure-projects/637701/

A single lane access bridge at the former Ansonia Copper and Brass site could be the city’s literal link to economic progress, according to Corporation Counsel John Marini. And the state is spending $6.5 million to make it happen. Local and state officials announced last week that the site would get state money — approved by the State Bond Commission — from the Community Investment Fund 2030 to repair an access bridge to the plant, at 75 Liberty St., that would allow greater access on site for cleanup efforts. Marini said repairs are expected by 2023. The site has gotten millions over the years to help with cleanup and redevelopment. But the pace of state and federal aid has picked up over the last few. The $6.5 million comes just months after the site got $2.9 million in federal funds to demolish and remediate the former SHW Casting plant on Main Street, removing hazardous materials.

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Ansonia-Copper-and-Brass-bridge-repair-17648118.php?src=nhrhpdesecp

The state has allocated $24.6 million to help municipalities remediate 41 blighted properties, Gov. Ned Lamont announced, including the former Ames corporate headquarters in Rocky Hill. The funding is expected to augment $625 million in private funding that will go toward investigating and cleaning up the sites, which span about 86 acres in total. The funding, in the form of grants and loans, is from the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. “Remediation of brownfields is critically important for the health of our environment, and the health of our communities,” said Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes.

State provides $24.6M for brownfield projects across CT

The Inland Wetlands Commission, at its meeting Thursday, approved R.D. Scinto, Inc.’s plans to construct a 43,000-square-foot addition to the already existing commercial flex space at 15 Forest Parkway. According to the plans filed with the Inland Wetlands Commission, the building addition and new parking areas will replace some existing paved and wooded areas on site. The existing driveway entrance into the parking lot will be maintained. The project site area will encompass approximately 3 acres of the lot. Generally, the site slopes from east to west towards an existing wetlands area located in the southern portion of the lot. According to the plans, the proposed project seeks to develop a portion of the existing wetlands area and will create new wetlands areas to compensate for this. 

https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Expansion-Scinto-Forest-Parkway-Shelton-17648504.php

The UConn Board of Trustees unanimously approved $688,480 at its Dec. 7 meeting to replace the court. The project is slated to be completed in time for the start of the 2023 fall semester, officials said. The Gampel Pavilion, also home to UConn volleyball as well as career fairs, open houses, and commencement ceremonies, opened in 1990. UConn officials said due to its age and current thickness, the wood court can no longer be sanded as part of scheduled maintenance and is beyond its useful life. The project, though, will include the removal of the existing wood flooring, inspection and repair of the subfloor (the middle layer of a flooring system); installation of a new maple floor system; and sanding, finishing, and painting. The project, officials said, will begin after the spring semester ends and occur over the summer of 2023.

https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/uconn-gampel-pavilion-to-see-major-overhaul

East Hartford’s 86-year-old Town Hall will be receiving a much-needed renovation to replace mechanical systems — think heating, air conditioning and more — that have “exceeded their life expectancy,” according to town officials. The goal now is to completely vacate the Town Hall facility so that the entire building can be renovated at once, versus renovating in phases, which could have increased the cost and the time it takes to complete the project, officials said. Town Chief of Staff Connor Martin said that “these renovations have been a long time coming and we are grateful to the East Hartford Town Council for approving this major project. The goal of these renovations is to provide Town Hall visitors and personnel a safe, revitalized, and sustainable environment to conduct the business of the Town.” The $21.6 million project is expected to be completed in about a year.

https://www.courant.com/community/east-hartford/hc-news-east-hartford-renovation-town-hall-20221213-mjs54luw4bd4hj44vomssjxvo4-story.html

The state Department of Transportation will hold an online-only public information forum Tuesday on a $7.5 million plan to replace the Lawler Lane bridge over Interstate 395 starting in 2024. The 165-foot-long bridge was built in 1958 and rehabilitated in 1992 and 2017. DOT inspectors deemed the bridge deck and superstructure to be in poor condition, with cracks and extensive rust. A recent inspection by the DOT Bridge Safety and Evaluation Unit showed a large area of concrete deterioration, prompting the agency to recommend replacing the bridge instead of rehabilitating the structure, DOT officials said in a posted notice on Tuesday’s meeting. The project is expected to take one construction season and will be funded with state dollars.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20221209/dot-to-hold-online-public-meeting-tuesday-on-plan-to-replace-lawler-lane-bridge-in-norwich/