The city received a $10.4 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the design and construction of a floodwall around its wastewater treatment plant, Mayor Dorinda Borer recently announced. “When the plant, located on the ocean, gets flooded it compromises the system, the infrastructure breaks down and it’s costing us millions of dollars to repair and we’re millions of dollars behind on repairs,” Borer said. Thursday’s announcement came less than a week after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a memorandum canceling the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program that initially allocated $47.5 million in additional funding for a coastline resiliency program in Bridgeport. The city had been ravaged by Superstorm Sandy and sought infrastructure upgrades. FEMA said in a statement that the BRIC program was “more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.” West Haven’s funding is through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program, the city said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/west-haven-wastewater-treatment-plant-flood-feam-20269041.php

In its final meeting before the end of Connecticut’s fiscal year June 30, the State Bond Commission on Friday approved about $790 million in long-term borrowing for dozens of projects, from more than $32 million for planning and renovations to the Agricultural Experiment Stations laboratory in Windsor, to $171 million for statewide school construction. In a fast, 15-minute meeting in the Legislative Office Building, the committee dominated by Democrats, with no debate, approved $222 million for a variety of dwelling initiatives, including workforce housing and the Time to Own program, which offers forgivable loans to first-time home buyers. The 10-member commission also approved $80 million for the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s local investment fund for 35 projects.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/politics/article/ct-bond-commission-enfield-mall-housing-20270595.php

Mayor Kevin Scarpati recently used his tie-breaking power to effectively kill two votes that would have started the center renovation on West Main Street, while protecting the city’s authority to pursue a new build at 116 Cook Ave. Scarpati broke a 6-6 tie to vote against a Finance Committee recommendation to develop plans for 22-28 W. Main St. He also broke a 6-6 tie on a Health and Human Services Committee recommendation to reject the renovation. Those who supported the renovation pointed to significant cost discrepancies between the price tags. The new build is estimated at about $35 million and won’t likely begin until after 2027. The renovation is expected to cost $13 million and construction can begin next year.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/meriden-scarpati-reject-senior-center-renovation-20264844.php

Lawmakers pushed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to speed up federally funded infrastructure projects in a recent Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meeting, as they begin developing the next multiyear Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act added about $550 billion over baseline funding levels and included a five-year reauthorization of federal highway, transit and other infrastructure programs that is set to expire at the end of September 2026. That funding infusion helped improve the condition of U.S. infrastructure, but ongoing support is needed to maintain progress and meet new challenges, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Several senators asked Duffy about the status of infrastructure projects in their home states and why some already-approved projects are frozen while agencies review them for mentions of climate change, environmental justice or equity. President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 “Unleashing American Energy” order halted disbursement of IIJA and Inflation Reduction Act funds while federal agencies examine projects for compliance with his policy agenda.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/duffy-hearing-transportation-reauthorization-iija/744753/

The State Bond Commission is poised to approve $5.3 million to support two ongoing redevelopment projects in Waterbury that figure prominently in the city’s revitalization plans. The agenda for the upcoming meeting Friday includes $4 million that the Community Investment Fund Board approved March 12 for funding the third phase on an ongoing project to transform the streetscape along West Main Street. In all, the CIF board approved $77 million for development projects across the state. The bond commission is also slated to reallocate $1.3 million remaining from previously approved funding for the expansion of electric and water capacity at Captain Neville Industrial Park to instead support the continued cleanup of the former Anamet brass manufacturing complex abutting the Naugatuck River on South Main Street.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/waterbury/article/waterbury-ct-redevelopment-west-main-street-funds-20264839.php

The state Bond Commission, on Friday, will consider borrowing $680.7 million for a laundry list of economic development and other initiatives. Housing is a leading theme, with officials set to borrow $192 million for various development and maintenance programs. The state Department of Housing is up for $135 million for its “flexible housing program,” a key initiative to partner with developers, municipalities and nonprofits for the creation of affordable housing. Friday’s agenda includes funding for a host of economic development efforts. Hartford, for instance, is up for $5.4 million for a cleanup of a roughly 33-acre abandoned junkyard along Bartholemew and Flatbush avenues. There’s also $1.36 million in revenue guarantees for Aer Lingus to ensure the airline continues its direct flight out of Bradley International Airport to Dublin, Ireland through 2026.

CT eyes borrowing hundreds of millions for housing, marina upgrades, trans-Atlantic flight and other economic development efforts

New standards from the Trump administration have led the state Department of Transportation to take down large signs around Connecticut sites that were funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021, removing references to former President Joe Biden, who signed the $1.2 trillion act. While allowing green signs without Biden’s name to remain in place at dozens of project sites, white signs, about six-feet by four-feet, containing Biden’s name have been ordered removed. Josh Morgan, communications director for the DOT, said Monday that at the time of the law called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Biden signed in November of 2021, signage requirements under the U.S. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices called for large green signs to be placed along highways and roadways without Biden’s name. Morgan estimated that “a handful” of signs with Biden’s name have been removed from project areas, while the green signs are being left in place, for the time being.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/some-signs-with-biden-s-name-being-removed-from-ct-highways-under-trump-orders/ar-AA1Ctf3l?ocid=BingNewsVerp&cvid=dcd2b9521bef437187c610aa2faf6f47&ei=21

The state Bond Commission will meet on Friday to vote on a series of allocations for projects in northeastern and north-central Connecticut, including a $10 million allocation to begin the revitalization of Enfield Square. The funding would jump start the ambitious $250 million proposal to redevelop the Enfield Square mall into a mixed-use property complete with a variety of retail, recreational, and residential units. Last month, CIF board members praised the proposed project, dubbed Enfield Marketplace, saying it could be transformative for the region and the state as the outdated indoor mall model is dying. Other CIF funding to be considered is more than $1.2 million for renovations to River Street School in Windsor, and $250,000 for Park Hill in East Windsor. A total of $19 million for grants and improvements to various magnet schools will also be considered, funding that would help pay for roof repairs, boiler replacements, and HVAC upgrades, among other projects.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-bond-commission-enfield-square-mall-20262650.php

Renovations on the Darien Metro-North Railroad train station will not be completed until next year after multiple setbacks, according to First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky. Construction has been ongoing on extensive renovations on the downtown station, with upgrades including platform replacements on both sides, new hydraulic elevators and the state’s first electrically heated train platform, which would help the town avoid salting for ice in the winter. The eastern platform’s replacement is now slated to finish by the end of August and the entire project, barring any unforeseen delays, would likely wrap by March 2026 according to Zagrodzky. The estimated cost of the project, which is state funded, is now closer to $40 million, Zagrodzky said. The cost was originally estimated at $34 million, with the delays adding about $6 million the cost. Construction also reportedly ran into unexpected infrastructure when digging trenches for the electrical supply that would power the heated platform. Workers also found the demolished remains of a 19th century building that had been paved over, Zagrodzky said, which they then had to excavate to install the electrical infrastructure.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/darien/article/darien-metro-north-railroad-station-construction-20252621.php

With state investment uncertain, Andre Swanston and his Connecticut Sports Group, the developers behind the proposed new soccer stadium, are working with city officials on an additional funding mechanism to help get the venue built. More specifically they would obtain permission from the Connecticut General Assembly to employ tax increment financing (TIF), using a portion of any new real estate taxes generated by the lower East Side redevelopment to pay off some of the construction debt, rather than those revenues going straight into Bridgeport’s coffers. First stop is the state legislature, which must allow Bridgeport to establish a special taxing district encompassing where Swanston wants to erect the stadium — as well as housing, a hotel, retail and restaurant space — in a project that he unveiled in late 2023. While the developers have so far repeatedly declined to talk actual numbers, documents from early 2024 showed the soccer facility’s budget to be $96.2 million. State officials last year awarded a total of $16 million toward helping cover the clean-up of environmental contamination, specifying that should the stadium not move forward those targeted properties will be shovel-ready for other redevelopment.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/taxing-district-soccer-mls-bridgeport-stadium-20262928.php