East Hartford officials have decided against applying for a state Community Investment Fund grant in support of a massive, mixed-use redevelopment of its Founders Plaza office park. At least not for the latest round. The partnership behind the “Port Eastside” project has spent millions of dollars securing about 30 acres of the struggling office park along the Connecticut River. Port Eastside was initially introduced as an $841 million investment in summer 2023. While plans have been updated since then, the project team has not offered an updated development estimate. A request for up to $4 million in state Community Investment Funds to help fund pre-development costs is on the Dec. 10 meeting agenda of the East Hartford Town Council. East Hartford Development Director Eileen Buckheit, on Monday, said officials haven’t had a chance to digest whether the conditions that would apply to the CIF grant are appropriate for the Port Eastside project, and so willl not seek support for Port Eastside in the CIF application round due Dec. 13.

East Hartford officials drop grant request to aid Founders Plaza redevelopment

The city’s public utilities department plans to create a master list of pre-vetted engineers and other contractors, which officials said will help projects get done quicker. The requests for qualifications now being advertised by New London Public Utilities (NLPU) seek firms with engineering expertise in one or more areas: water treatment facilities, water supply dams, water tanks and storage facilities, wastewater pressure and force mains, wastewater treatment facilities, and storm water systems. Water and Water Pollution Control Authority Chairman Barry Weiner said the city in the past has waited until a project is “well along” in the planning process before screening potential contractors, including those that specialize in pre- and post-construction work. NLPU, which owns and operates a series of water, wastewater and storm water systems in New London, Waterford and East Lyme, is seeking consultants able to provide project planning, design, construction oversight, general technical support and on-call services and to “work well with groups of city officials, citizens and businesspersons,” according to the bid documents.

https://theday.com/news/194328/new-london-looks-to-streamline-water-projects-with-list-of-pre-vetted-contractors/

The town has long held a goal of retaining its rural character and agricultural traditions, but the new Plan of Conservation and Development also looks to a future with increased development and a need for better town facilities. The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the cafeteria at Preston Plains Middle School, 1 Route164, Preston, on the 2024 draft 289-page Plan of Conservation and Development. Town Planner Kathy Warzecha said the document represents a lot of hard work by the commission and planning staff. The plan still emphasizes the importance of preserving the town’s rural character and farms. The most significant addition to the new 10-year document is the preparation for development at Preston Riverwalk. The plan recommends connecting the Route 12 Riverwalk with the town’s plan to slow traffic and enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety along Route 2A in Poquetanuck Village. The plan recommends intersection improvements with dedicated turning lanes for the Riverwalk and better pedestrian crosswalks.

https://theday.com/news/205877/preston-public-gets-say-tuesday-on-draft-plan-of-development/

Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont announced New Haven received $386,000 in Department of Economic and Community Development Brownfield Remediation grants for two projects, with the aim of cleaning blighted and contaminated properties. In New Haven, a $186,000 grant will support environmental investigations, hazardous building material surveys, structural assessments, and remedial design plans for 4.9 acres at former manufacturing sites at 71 and 89 Shelton Ave., and the city will share a $200,000 grant with East Haven for assessment work at a 21.47-acre site including 201 and 181 Russell St. in New Haven. The site, which was once used for radiological activity to benefit the U.S. Navy, has undergone a significant amount of remediation already, Rosenberg said. However, there are still some more “normal” contaminants like PCBs, oils and metals that must be addressed, she said. Besides New Haven, Ansonia received a $200,000 brownfield remediation grant to support the environmental, hazardous building materials and structural assessments for the former Ansonia Opera House.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-haven-ct-grant-blight-remediation-19968680.php

The Inland Wetlands Commission on Thursday approved an application by Bluewater Property Group to build a multistory Amazon distribution on property straddling the Naugatuck and Waterbury town line. Next up, the Naugatuck Zoning Commission will hold a hearing Wednesday on the proposed development at the Board of Education conference room at 6 p.m. Waterbury Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission also gave a unanimous approval to move the project ahead now to its zoning commission. Bluewater Property Group looks to develop a 650,000-square-foot, multifloor retail distribution center on the Naugatuck-Waterbury line in the area of 0 Great Hill Road and 191 Sheridan Drive on 183 acres. It’s divided up to about 114 acres is in the city and roughly 69 acres is in the borough.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/12/09/waterburys-amazon-facility-passes-another-hurdle/

The Board of Mayor and Burgesses on Dec. 4 approved an agreement with Field Turf USA for a new artificial turf field and track for $1.1 million. The deal includes maintenance, which may have a slight additional cost, and a 10-year warranty. The funds will come from a capital reserve account. Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess said all of the high school coaches have been involved with the design, which will be modeled after Killingly High School’s facility in Dayville. That field has two garnet endzones. The project will include track upgrades that have been requested by the track team. The borough’s standing building committee voted in November to move forward with the project before the borough board gave the final approval. Part of the package that the borough is negotiating is a 10-year maintenance agreement at a discounted rate to guarantee the field will be properly maintained by the company and professionals, Hess said.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/12/08/naugatuck-approves-1-1m-turf-field-and-track-upgrades-at-high-school/

Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing attendees got restless Thursday night at Ledyard Middle School as Harry Heller, attorney for the company proposing a new 40-acre quarry operation in Gales Ferry, was allowed for more than 20 minutes to grill a member of the public, Eric Treaster, who opposes the project. A few minutes later, attorney Wilson Carroll, who represents the Gales Ferry Fire District in opposing the quarry proposal from Gales Ferry Intermodal (GFI) LLC, argued that Heller’s cross-examination of Treaster was inappropriate. The hearing will continue at 6 p.m. next Thursday at Ledyard Middle School and on Zoom, with final arguments set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at the same location. During his testimony, Treaster laid out 22 reasons the proposed quarry at a site off Route 12 formerly occupied by Dow Chemical Co. violates zoning regulations. Principal among these were that GFI is seeking a special permit for an “excavation major,” but by blowing up parts of Decatur Mountain and removing bedrock the company is actually proposing a quarry, which isn’t allowed under town regulations.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20241206/ledyard-quarry-hearing-gets-testy-as-public-comment-continues/

The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced Friday a $31 million investment in expanding truck parking at rest stops across Connecticut. Rest areas in Middletown, Southington, Madison, Southbury, and Vernon will get 183 new parking spaces, officials said. Construction began in October at the Middletown Rest Area, located off I-91 near Exit 20. The $3.8 million project, which will add 11 truck parking spaces to the lot, is projected to be completed in September 2025. The project is also a key investment for the state. Connecticut’s freight transportation system supports more than 451,000 jobs and produces $50.5 billion annually in gross regional product, officials said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/ctdot-truck-rest-stop-parking-expansion-middletown-19964141.php

Yale University is looking to construct a seven-story dramatic arts building on a currently vacant lot at the corner of Crown and York Streets, according to documents filed with New Haven’s City Plan department. The plans for the Yale-owned parcels of 321, 333, 337 and 341 Crown Street and 142, 146 and 148 York Street propose classrooms, offices, production and technical shops, rehearsal and meeting spaces, a 100-seat studio theater, and a new 400-seat Yale Repertory Theater. The 188,294 square-foot building will use a steel frame with exterior walls of glass, metal and masonry. The project will seek LEED Gold certification and will meet Yale’s standard for “Zero Carbon Ready,” officials wrote in the application. It will hae 28 bicycle racks with 56 total spaces, and 41 on-site parking spaces would be eliminated.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/yale-plans-new-dramatic-arts-building-new-haven-s-19961807.php

When a critical bridge spanning Interstate 95 was damaged in a fiery crash in May, state leaders estimated it would take a year to repair. Instead, the Fairfield Avenue overpass was rebuilt and reopened exactly seven months later. How did CDOT’s contractor, Yonkers Contracting Co., and nine subcontractors, finish it five months early and $3.2 million under budget? Officials credited good weather, dedication and an accelerated regulatory approval process that allowed crews to start construction sooner. Timothy Caulfield, vice president of construction for the Yonkers, N.Y.-based company, said that a combination of hard work, problem solving, and luck got the bridge done so much faster than the estimated one-year timeline — a length of time he said gave crews a small cushion but was a reasonable amount of time in which to finish the project.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/norwalk-fairfield-ave-bridge-under-budget-early-19964755.php