Plans to build a warehouse on the former Bristol-Myers Squibb site on Research Parkway are once again before the town for approval after two previous attempts to build warehouse facilities on the site were rejected in the face of public opposition. The Inland Wetlands Commission on Oct. 5 approved the new application, which Calare officials described as “significantly smaller” with “significantly less impact.” The Planning and Zoning Commission cannot take up an application until it has won Inland Wetlands approval. There won’t be a public hearing on the application, he said, but residents will have the opportunity to speak on the proposal.

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Wallingford/Wallingford-News/Controversial-warehouse-plan-back-before-Wallingford-P-Z

Town officials are hoping to secure a small portion of the state’s $150 million funding package for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades in schools. The Berlin Town Council is hosting a public hearing Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. on an ordinance that would authorize $4.9 million in bonds for this project. Over the summer elected officials earmarked $4.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds the town received toward upgrades to HVAC systems in the Willard, Hubbard and Griswold School communities. The town’s Public Building Commission will take lead on the project along with Berlin Public Works and Facilities Departments. A construction manager is expected to be hired to plan the scope of work and oversee construction.

http://www.newbritainherald.com/NBH-Berlin+News/409781/berlin-officials-hoping-to-secure-funding-for-hvac-upgrades-in-schools

Make way for 194 new apartments on Congress and Davenport Avenues, now that a California-based developer has won a key — and hotly contested — city approval. Thanks to the city’s inclusionary zoning ordinance, 5 percent of those apartments — or 10 units in total — will be set aside at below-market rents. The remaining units will rent out at market rates, with the developer estimating that one-bedroom apartments could cost around $2,000 to $2,300 per month. Now that the developers have won site plan approval to move ahead with the as-of-right project, they can proceed with purchasing the properties and then pulling permits to demolish the existing buildings and construct the planned new complex.

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

Two city leaders who opposed a 2019 plan by a Danbury company for a “sizeable” building to store concrete trucks on a one-time country lane said they object even more to the resurfaced plan because it’s downhill from the proposed west side academy. Rotello was referring to plans by Hat City Concrete Pumping to build a 17,000-square foot building and concrete materials storage yard on a 1.5-acre site on Ye Old Road, downhill from a 24-acre office building last occupied by Cartus Corp. that Danbury wants to transform into a $164 million career academy for upper grades. The Planning Commission will continue the hearing in November.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Concrete-company-storage-building-backlash-17523098.php

Six state DOT heads signed a pledge last week to leverage funding from the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to reduce the racial wealth gap. California, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana and Michigan, plus Washington, D.C., aim to do so by creating more opportunities for historically disadvantaged construction businesses — with an emphasis on prime contracting roles. The IIJA stipulates that at least 10% of federal transportation and transit project funds go to DBE enterprises, and it also places an emphasis on prompt payment to DBE subcontractors in order to remedy ongoing effects of past discrimination against small firms owned and controlled by disadvantaged individuals. One of the challenges that small and disadvantaged businesses face is getting access to insurance needed for such federal work. The criteria for better rates favors established builders, and makes it difficult for newer ones to compete.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/transportation-leaders-boost-equity-federal-iija-infrastructure-effort/634343/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202022-10-19%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:45365%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

With Constitution Boulevard extension work nearly underway, the city has secured deals with companies to buy land on the Mas property and adjacent city lots to which the new road will connect. The price for the land ranges from $85,000 to $125,000 per acre to various groups for use in industrial and retail capacities. Lauretti said he placed the $85,000 per acre price on the land after discussions with the city’s appraisal company. He said the acres being sold are “raw land. There’s no utilities, and its rough terrain. A lot of sitework will be needed” he said, adding “The price is reflected in the condition of the land.” Lauretti said Constitution Manufacturing, already Shelton-based, specializes in steel manufacturing and plans to build a 40,000 square foot building. Kyma, LLC, specializing in interior audio design and consulting, plans to build a 50,000-square-foot building.

https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Shelton-Mas-property-Mayor-Mark-Lauretti-17508224.php?src=rdctpdensecp

On Nov. 8, voters here will find a referendum question at the lower right of the ballot on a proposed $385 million bond that would restructure city schools for decades. Although the bond question asks for $385 million, the city’s total cost would range from $97 million to $153 million, depending on state reimbursement levels. City officials estimate the tax impact for the first 10 years of the 30-year bond to range from 2.9 mills and 4.6 mills. Despite the price tag and monumental scope of the project, the fall campaign season has been quiet on the measure. No signs dot the landscape urging voters to “vote yes” or “vote no,” and no political action committees have been set up to promote or campaign against the bond. Without the new schools construction bond, the city would face an estimated $225 million with no state reimbursement just to repair and maintain the current city schools, which were built between 1925 and 1975.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20221019/norwich-voters-will-be-asked-whether-they-support-385-million-schools-project/

The board, which wants to delve deeper into all state agency contracting procedures — particularly those involving the Connecticut Port Authority and an offshore wind farm near New London — expects to ramp up activities this winter, Fox insisted. The contracting board will receive lists of candidates for all five positions in its investigative team this week. The watchdog board’s volunteer members contributed their own time last winter to begin investigating a $523,000 “success” fee the port authority paid to a New York consulting firm that helped it find a pier operator. That consulting firm, Seabury Capital Group of New York, has close ties to a former port authority member. Fox has said he believes the contracting watchdog, once fully staffed, both can improve the quality of state services and reduce wasteful spending through better monitoring of contracts.

CT contracting watchdog close to adding investigative team

The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission voted 4-0 earlier this month to approve Phase I of the Harbor Brook project that stretches from the Amtrak bridge to the Cooper Street bridge. The project entails creating wetlands, changing watercourses, two bridge replacements, associated channel work and excavation, and some utility work for displaced water and sewer lines. Elsa Loehmann, Fuss & O’Neill’s project engineer and lead designer, described the project as a “Flood Resiliency Project,” designed to reduce flooding and flood risk to the neighborhood with ecological restoration. The first phase will focus on the bridge replacements and utility improvements for Harbor Towers. All channel, floodplain, and trail work will be done during the second phase and the layout, grading, and drainage plans were displayed.

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/Panel-approves-flood-control-project-from-Cooper-Street-to-downtown-Will-tie-to-linear-trail

The slog to replace the demolished Congress Street Bridge that used to link downtown and the East Side got a significant boost last week with the issuance of a key permit from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Still, if the current project timeline remains unchanged, the span will not be completed until possibly late-2024 or even 2025 — over eight years since Mayor Joe Ganim sought to make the bridge a priority for his administration. She said it will take an estimated 18 months to complete the bridge, which, depending on how long it takes to select a contractor, could mean the new Congress Street structure will not be open to traffic until late 2024 or early 2025. One remaining issue, however, will be the price tag, whether inflation and supply chain issues have increased the cost beyond $24 million, and, if so, where the additional dollars will come from.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/State-issues-key-permit-for-long-shuttered-17516990.php