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

An applicant’s plan to build a 171,600-square-foot industrial warehouse on a parcel at 1535 Straits Turnpike has taken a step forward after being given the green light to connect the property to the town’s existing sewer line. Middlebury Land Development, a subsidiary of parcel owner Timex, received the approval Nov. 19 from the town’s Water Pollution Control Authority. Middlebury land use officials noted the town’s sewer capacity, through the Naugatuck line, can accommodate 338,000 gallons per day, more than enough to accommodate the plan. MLD’s application now heads to the Planning and Zoning Commission tonight. Middlebury attorneys have said the regulation was not intended to restrict storage of new products, even if they are not actually produced on the premises. That appeared to be the basis of the PZC’s approval in January of construction of a 750,000-square-foot distribution center at the former Timex world headquarters property off Christian Road. That project remains on hold, tied up in court on appeal by residents who have fought a two-year battle to keep that facility from being built. The final oral arguments are scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. at Waterbury Superior Court.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/12/04/middlebury-warehouse-project-moving-along/

Norwich Public Utilities received approval for three water projects at the Norwich City Council Meeting Monday. The projects will cost a total of $13.6 million, and will be paid for by water revenues, and grants and loans from the state’s Clean Water Fund program. The completed projects are expected to have a 30-year life span, the agenda stated. An 8.5% increase to water bills is expected over a three-year period, but this project won’t impact it, NPU General Manager Chris LaRose said. The West Town Street Water Main rehabilitation includes the installation of cured-in-place pipe lining from the intersection of Yantic Road and West Town Street to the property located at 58 Yantic Flats Road, insertion pit excavation, installation of water main, and valves and fittings to modify existing connections. The PFAS system for the Norwichtown Well could either be an addition to the existing building, or a separate facility nearby. The Route 2 project includes the replacement of all galvanized or copper pipes along Route 2, the agenda states.

https://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/local/2024/12/04/norwich-public-utilities-water-mains-west-town-street-norwichtown-well-route-2/76732172007/

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday that he had approved a $4 million state grant to the town of Stonington to clean up contamination in the vacant half of the William Clark Company Threadmill at 21 Pawcatuck Ave. The cleanup of the 5.2-acre site is part of a plan to reuse the building as a 51-unit apartment building with limited commercial space. In addition, a $1,857,370 grant was awarded to the Norwich Community Development Corp. to remediate and stabilize the historic Mason House located at 68 Thermos Ave. The Integrated Day Charter School plans to use the space to expand and provide community mental health services and host events. The funds were among $20 million in grants awarded to support the remediation and redevelopment of 21 blighted and contaminated properties across the state. The money is aimed at cleaning up the sites so they can be redeveloped and “put back into productive use to support economic growth and housing needs.”

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20241204/state-awards-multi-million-dollar-grants-to-stonington-norwich-to-help-rehab-mills/

Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday announced $20 million in grants to support cleanup and redevelopment of blighted properties throughout the state. The funds will support remediation and redevelopment of 21 properties, consisting of 150 acres of contaminated land in 18 municipalities, according to Lamont’s office. The grants are being released through the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s brownfields program. The funds are expected to leverage approximately $530 million in private investments, creating 1,392 new housing units and prompting business growth, according to Lamont’s office. “All of these blighted properties have been vacant for years when we should be using them to grow new businesses and support the development of badly needed housing,” Lamont said.

$20M in state funding to advance redevelopment of ‘zombie properties’ across 18 CT cities and towns

The city and a renewable energy developer are proposing to construct a 991-kilowatt solar panel array on a 4.25-acre section of capped landfill surrounded by the sprawling Bates Woods property. The plan, which will be discussed at a Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on Thursday, calls for building a series of ground-mounted racking systems holding 3,032 solar panels. The panels would be positioned on a portion of former ash and bulky waste landfill land used for about 30 years before it closed in 1991. The city will work with North Haven-based Greenskies Clean Energy LLC, a developer and operator of renewable energy projects, to build the system with a gravel access road constructed by city public works crews. “This was a dump, a landfill that was capped – we are not carving out any part of Bates Woods for this project,” he said. “This is a project that is in line with (state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection) policies and will contribute to the state’s effort to de-carbonize our economy.” Public Works Director Brian Sear said Greenskies would be responsible for installing and maintaining the panels. He said the city expects to see a roughly $110,000 annual drop in its electric bills through a power purchase agreement involving the electricity generated by the proposed solar system.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20241204/solar-farm-with-more-than-3000-panels-proposed-for-capped-landfill-near-new-london-park/

Stroke experts are designing the center — now under construction at the hospital’s Saint Raphael’s campus in New Haven — to allow for a speedy response to strokes, which cause more damage the longer treatment is delayed. Gunel spoke Wednesday at the “topping off” ceremony for the $838 million Adams Neurosciences Center, marking a construction milestone on a building said to be the largest single health care project of its kind in Connecticut’s history. When it opens its doors in 2027, the 184-bed neuroscience hospital will feature an expanded emergency room and two new patient towers housing neurological intensive care units, treatment areas and rehabilitation services. A new parking garage is also planned for across the street. Cardiac and vascular care will also be bolstered at facilities surrounding the new center, part of the nearly $1 billion Yale New Haven Health has invested in the Saint Raphael’s campus since it purchased the formerly Catholic hospital in 2012.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/ct-yale-health-neuroscience-new-haven-adams-center-19958974.php