Today, the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee expressed support for a bill that intends to double the number of Wage and Workplace Management Division’s (WWMD) wage investigators at the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL). Inadequate staffing has posed a significant issue for CTDOL, which has come under fire in recent years for its ever growing backlog of wage complaints. The bill received not only bipartisan support from committee members, but support via written testimony from multiple organizations, such as CT AFL-CIO, Connecticut’s Voices for Children, the Connecticut Worker Center, and various other labor unions and advocacy groups. One such group was the Foundation for Fair Contracting of Connecticut, a non-profit that advocates for labor law compliance in public works projects, headed by Kimberly Glassman. “We see firsthand just how understaffed and overworked these investigators are. We really need the legislature to give this agency some relief,” said Kimberly Glassman, Director of the FFFC, who testified in-person.

https://insideinvestigator.org/bill-to-tackle-ctdol-complaint-backlog-met-with-bipartisan-support/

Trump’s ire has long been directed at wind power in particular, even though the biggest producers are red states, per the EIA. To that end he signed a standalone executive order temporarily suspending new or renewed leases for offshore and onshore wind projects, and halted the leasing of wind power projects on the outer continental shelf, pending a review by federal agencies. Passenger and high-speed rail projects supported through the Biden administration could get reduced federal support under Trump, according to Holland and Knight. Water infrastructure continues to be an area of concern across the country, as burgeoning cities and megaprojects like data center campuses seek to slake their thirst.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/losing-construction-sectors-under-trump/739202/

With changes in infrastructure priorities, regulatory rollbacks and economic shifts, contractors and developers are bracing for both new opportunities and potential setbacks. Some sectors, such as data centers and infrastructure, are set for rapid growth, while clean energy projects and high-speed rail could see federal support dwindle. Other types of projects have a mixed or uncertain outlook under the new administration. Data center construction growth should surge to new heights this year after a strong pace of activity in 2024, according to the Associated General Contractors of America’s annual outlook survey. That push is being fueled by big tech companies. For example, a new joint venture among tech giants OpenAI, Softbank and Oracle, dubbed Stargate, plans to invest $100 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure, with the potential to scale up to $500 billion by 2028.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/winning-construction-sectors-under-trump/739067/

Gov. Ned Lamont unveiled his new two-year budget Wednesday with new and increased funding for several programs thanks to a ‘tweak’ to the state’s fiscal guardrails, and tax cuts for middle-class families, workers across a multitude of industries and corporations to boost job creation. After a debate that has lasted for a year, Lamont is proposing a change in the fiscal guardrails that includes the “volatility cap” that would allow more spending by the Democratic-controlled legislature. The proposed change would allow $593 million in additional spending over the next two years that would not have been possible without the changes. The move requires a 60% vote in both houses of the legislature, rather than a simple majority.

CT Gov. Lamont unveils 2-year budget: Tax cuts, tax increases and more aid

A heavy excavator was clearing land on Monday to make space for a 24-unit apartment building just outside the city’s downtown limits, where a row of three apartment houses known as “the barracks” were once a blighting influence. “We have a good city with some new housing coming in, and there’s going to be more of it popping up,” said Joseph DaSilva, a landlord and developer who is building the new four-story apartment house on Town Hill Avenue in Danbury. The city’s professional Planning Department gave its approval Jan. 15 requiring, among other conditions, that “the on-site storm drainage system shall remain private, and regular maintenance is crucial for the system to continue to function as intended.” The start of construction for DaSilva Apartments comes one week after the city updated its downtown development rules to bring the city’s Main Street corridor back to life.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/danbury-construction-apartment-town-hill-ave-start-20140909.php

On Monday, Jan. 27, the regional utility holding company agreed to sell Aquarion Water Co. for $1.6 billion plus debt to the New Haven-area’s Regional Water Authority, nearly a year after putting the business up for sale. Regulators had nixed an Aquarion rate hike request in 2023. Then on Tuesday, Eversource CEO Joe Nolan Jr. and his deputies at Eversource gathered in Cambridge, Mass. alongside smiling public officials for the groundbreaking of a $1.8 billion, underground electrical substation with new urban transmission lines — a substation that’s said to be one of the most advanced in the world, extending more than100 feet below the surface as part of a mixed-use development. In his speech, Nolan said nary a negative word about Connecticut. He didn’t have to. The multi-billion-dollar actions spoke loudly enough: In Connecticut, we will invest the bare minimum to maintain reliability and we might see some slippage on that front.

https://www.ctpost.com/business/article/eversource-cuts-ct-mass-20064058.php

City officials are looking to press forward with plans to develop commercial space at the former Bigelow Boiler site on River Street. Michael Piscitelli, New Haven’s economic development administrator, said the work is related to remediation of the site prior to “turning it over” to a developer for a commercial space that could potentially house up to five businesses at 198 River Street and parking at the other two parcels on the site. According to the application materials submitted to the City Plan Commission for approval, the city anticipates construction will begin in the third quarter of 2025 and conclude in the third quarter of 2026.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-haven-bigelow-boiler-site-commercial-20058722.php

The town has been awarded a $3.5 million federal grant to construct a sidewalk on the east side of Route 69 from Prospect Elementary School to the center of town. The busy route also is known as Waterbury Road. Prospect was awarded a federal Transportation Alternatives grant that includes a 20% match from the town. The town’s sidewalk task force held a special meeting Tuesday to get the latest project moving. It will start with an 18-month planning and design process, and take an estimated three to four years to complete. Chris Faulkner of VHB will serve as the liaison for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The funds will come from the Federal Highway Administration and be passed through DOT. The town initially will pay the entire cost of the project before it applies for an 80% reimbursement.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2025/01/31/prospect-sidewalk-job-gets-3-5m-boost/#login

The site of an approved residential and retail project at 280 Main Ave. in Norwalk, once planned to be a BJ’s Wholesale Club, has been listed for sale for $15 million. Despite the listing, Planning and Zoning Director Steve Kleppin said the site still has the Planning and Zoning Commission’s approval for development. That approval allows for the construction of a three two-story structures: a 19,000-square-foot retail space with 10 apartments above it; a 2,240-square-foot coffee shop; and a 2,200-square-foot restaurant, along with an electric vehicle charging station. “The owner can pull a permit to construct that development if they wish, or they can sell and someone else can propose a different project,” Kleppin said in an email Thursday. “If what they propose is a completely different project, they would probably have to start from scratch. If there were minor modifications, that might be a simpler process. Hard to say exactly without seeing what was proposed.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/norwalk-280-main-ave-bjs-retail-apartments-20066246.php

From demolition of a portion of the former Founders Plaza office park to the sale of town-owned property for a 400-unit apartment complex, 2025 will be another year to push ahead large-scale economic redevelopment projects in East Hartford. Town staff are setting the stage to invest a portion of a $6.5 million state grant to demolish the former Bank of America office building at 99 Founders Plaza, making way for a 300-unit apartment building facing the Connecticut River, Martin noted. This is the first installment of a multi-year effort to build roughly 1,000 apartments mixed with retail, entertainment and other commercial uses along the riverfront. Martin said the investors behind “Port Eastside” have invested more than $22 million into the acquisition of various parcels for the project.

East Hartford mayor touts progress on large apartment, other developments