If all goes according to the plans on paper, a new Greeneville school and a new John B. Stanton School will be constructed first in the $385 million school construction project approved by voters Nov. 8 and should open in January 2026. The multi-phase project is expected to cost city taxpayers $97 million to $149 million, depending on state reimbursement levels. Norwich Comptroller Josh Pothier said Friday the city will seek to bond the initial $9.5 million by Dec. 31, including $7 million for initial costs on the school construction project and another $2.5 million for other city infrastructure projects. The project calls for four new elementary schools, one at the grounds of the former Greeneville School and three on the grounds of the current Stanton, John Moriarty and Uncas schools. The Teachers’ Memorial Global Studies Magnet Middle School will be either renovated as new for an estimated $99 million or replaced. That decision has not yet been made.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20221119/norwich-school-construction-project-will-start-with-new-stanton-greeneville-schools/

The thought process of creating a new Public Works Operation began back in 2014 when the city started their transit oriented development planning process. The new Public Works Operations Facility will be located at 665 Alton Brooks Way. “Every inch of this project has been carefully designed to ensure that it will allow our department to provide the highest quality of service to our residents,” Stewart said. “It’s going to minimize the need to contract out maintenance work on city vehicles and the salt shed will be large enough to hold the amount of salt that we need to keep our roads safe throughout the entire winter. But most importantly our city staff will finally have the facility they need to perform their jobs at the highest level possible and I hope that it becomes a huge sense of pride for you.” The contractor for the $20 million project is Millennium Builders Inc. Stewart is hoping the facility will be done in a year but there is no definitive date as of yet.

http://www.newbritainherald.com/NBH-New+Britain+News/410613/new-britain-breaks-ground-on-new-20-million-public-works-operation-facility

Public records show the Connecticut Port Authority selected Kiewit Corporation to serve as the construction manager on the multimillion-dollar infrastructure project, which is expected to operate as a launching point for offshore wind turbines. According to records from the Port Authority, Kiewit captured a large portion of the money being spent on the State Pier project, which has become the focus of a federal investigation and has seen its budget balloon from an estimated $93 million to more than $255 million. The Port Authority selected Kiewit to do everything from installing new electrical lines, building new drainage systems, demolishing the old pier and driving new steel pilings into the edge of the Thames River. Kooris and other officials with the Port Authority told the CT Mirror that Kiewit’s recommendations on the subcontracts did not present a conflict because AECOM also reviewed the bids and made the same recommendation to the board. Teresa Shada, a spokeswoman for Kiewit, told the CT Mirror that her company followed all of the required bidding procedures for the State Pier. And she said Kiewit was performing its duties as the construction manager when it recommended that the Port Authority reject the two offers from JT Cleary.

Manager at CT State Pier recommended itself for $87M in contracts

The first major step in the multi-million project to update and renovate Keeney Street Elementary School passed its first hurdle last week, as the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the plans. The project, which required a special exception permit because it’s a school, would add roughly 8,500 square feet of interior space to the building at 179 Keeney St., increasing overall classroom space while reorganizing the floor plan. The district also plans to overhaul Keeney’s exterior, with consolidation of playgrounds and outdoor recreation to the east of the building and a redesign of the bus loop, parent drop-off loop, and parking. Voters approved the project in 2019 as part of the $93 million SMARTR2 referendum that also is funding work on Bowers elementary, now underway, and Buckley elementary, which was just finished at a total of $27 million. Of the total referendum amount, $88 million comes from state bonding, and $5 million is from reserve funds allocated to the building projects.

https://www.journalinquirer.com/towns/manchester/design-approved/article_7d41fa7e-6758-11ed-8477-2783abfa448c.html

The city’s Planning Board and Board of Finance have recommended that the building be sold for housing. Both have urged the city to require any buyer to preserve the original structure and build no more than four market-rate apartments within it. But about an hour and a half into Thursday night’s meeting at Springdale Elementary School, Simmons said it was clear that there was a lack of support for the idea. One question raised during the meeting was how much it would cost to refurbish the building. Simmons said city engineer Lou Casolo gave an estimate of about $400 to $500 per square foot, or between $4 million and $5 million in total. The 1.63-acre property, including the building and the land, has been appraised at $4.7 million. The Board of Finance and Planning Board recommended that the property be subdivided into a 0.63-acre parcel, on which the old police station sits, and a 1-acre parcel, which the city wouldn’t sell. 

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/In-Stamford-some-residents-call-for-old-police-17595115.php?src=sthpdesecp

Hartford HealthCare is expanding its outpatient services in Wilton Corporate Park, with the construction of a center that is scheduled to open next March. Hartford HealthCare’s new center at 50 Danbury Road, which will have a staff of about 80 people, will complement its outpatient services in the adjacent building at 60 Danbury Road that include surgical and medical weight loss, general surgery, medical oncology, breast surgery, urology and movement-disorder care. During the past two years, Hartford HealthCare has opened new outpatient centers and/or expanded services in Milford, North Haven, Fairfield, Westport, Shelton, Stratford and Oxford.

https://www.nhregister.com/business/article/Hartford-HealthCare-to-expand-outpatient-services-17577571.php?src=nhrhpbusiness

A New Jersey-based real estate investment firm bullish on Connecticut has paid $79.25 million for a sprawling industrial complex in Bristol. The 1.2-million-square-foot Bristol Logistics Center at 780 James P Casey Road sold in October. It’s likely to be one of the largest Greater Hartford commercial real estate deals of the year. The buyer was Treetop Companies, a Teaneck, New Jersey-based real estate investor and developer. Mermelstein said his firm is eyeing a future addition to the 139-acre property. That could include a new 250,000-square-foot industrial building built on-site, or a 250,000-square-foot addition to the existing building. Those plans won’t be finalized until sometime in the first quarter of 2023, he said. Mermelstein said his firm was attracted to Connecticut by its proximity to major highways and ability to pull workforce from several markets.

Massive Bristol industrial property sells for $79.25M; future development eyed

A highly-anticipated and state-funded $3 million upgrade to one of the city’s most well-traveled roads is about a year away. “This project we are embarking on is 100% funded by a LOTCIP construction grant (Local Transportation Capital Improvements Program) and it involves a Complete Streets upgrade to the entire 1.2-mile length of John Downey Drive,” Stewart said. City Public Works and Engineering staff are designing the project in-house and will be seeking input from impacted stakeholders and business owners beginning in Jan. 2023. The entire roadway will be repaved with new curbing installed, in addition to drainage and pedestrian improvements to meet ADA standards. A new sidewalk will be installed all along the road’s west side and a multi-use trail will be built on the east side. The design will include the replacement of the traffic signal at the intersection with South Street as well.

http://www.newbritainherald.com/NBH-New+Britain+News/410559/statefunded-3-million-upgrade-to-one-of-new-britains-mosttraveled-roadways-is-on-horizon

A new proposal seeks to build a large, mixed-use development on Black Rock Turnpike, that would add thousands of feet of co-working space and nearly 250 apartments. Post Road Residential is asking the Town Plan and Zoning Commission to conduct a non-binding pre-review on its plans for a five story building with 243 residential units, a 10,000 square foot amenity space and a 6,000 square foot co-working space at 81 Black Rock Turnpike, also known as the Reiner Property. Chris Russo, the attorney for the developer, said the property is currently an eyesore and the proposal will completely turn that around. He said it has been designed in a way that is in line with the town’s transit oriented development study. Commission Chair Thomas Noonan asked if the developers were aware of the Fairfield Metro development breaking ground nearby, and if they plan to complement it. The developer’s team said they looked at those plans.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/fairfield/article/Mixed-use-project-Black-Rock-Fairfield-17589522.php

The study comes at a time when the corridor area is projected to see an 18% population growth and 26% employment growth between 2016 and 2050, a faster pace than Connecticut overall, said Krista Goodin, project manager with CDM Smith. Goodin said the I-95 corridor from Branford to Rhode Island was previously studied in 2004 and later studied in an update in 2018. Both studies identified the need for additional capacity to address increasing congestion and recommended improvements, including widening in some areas and safety and design improvements at interchanges. The project team said it has gathered and analyzed data of the corridor, but stressed that there are no specific recommendations at this phase of the study. The team said it is looking to hear from residents about their feedback based on their day-to-day experience of I-95. Harley said next spring the DOT plans to begin a project centered around the reconstruction of the Exit 74 Interchange and includes the replacement of the bridge carrying I-95 over Route 161. He said the design team also will continue to investigate solutions to reduce congestion and improve safety in this section of I-95.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20221115/dot-looks-for-ways-to-improve-i-95-between-branford-and-rhode-island/