Bridgeport needs $22M for Congress St. bridge replacement — 'Get this bridge done, please'

Brian Lockhart

RIDGEPORT — City officials are turning to the federal government to help finance the long-promised reconstruction of a bridge over the Pequonnock River linking the East Side to downtown.

The City Council's economic development committee Wednesday approved a grant application to the U.S. Department of Transportation for $22.1 million to rebuild the Congress Street span. The city and state had previously set aside an additional $12 million a piece for the project.

“Get this bridge done, please. Let's get it done," Councilman Jorge Cruz, whose district includes downtown, said before Wednesday's vote. "It's been delayed, delayed, delayed, delayed. And it's a shame."

The drawbridge got stuck in the open position in 1997, during Mayor Joe Ganim’s first tenure in office. He was re-elected in 2015. 

In 2010 then-Mayor Bill Finch had the the old structure torn down to eventually make way for a new one. Proponents of the replacement effort have argued it is necessary to cut down on emergency response times between the two neighborhoods — the fire department headquarters is located adjacent to the downtown end of Congress Street — and to provide easier access for seniors and disabled East Side and East End residents.

As time passed city officials determined it would be more cost-effective to install a fixed span. But that resulted in a lengthy state and federal permitting process, including determining whether a moveable bridge was still necessary to accommodate boat traffic along the Pequonnock. 

In 2019 Ganim announced the state would help Bridgeport split the then-$24 million cost of a new fixed bridge. Construction was supposed to start in 2020. 

But that never happened because of several factors: the global COVID-19 pandemic that struck Connecticut in 2020; the aforementioned permitting process which concluded in fall 2022; and last-minute objections from a few property owners along the river who wanted a drawbridge.

When the city finally sought construction bids last summer, four interested contractors participated, submitting costs double and more of what had been anticipated — $42.55 million, $48.04 million, $56.93 million and $57.63 million.

And that resulted in the current $22.1 million grant application, which is expected to pass the full council at its next meeting. The members are, like Ganim, all Democrats.

The mayor's rival in this coming Tuesday's Democratic mayoral primary, former administration employee John Gomes, has previously sought to use the delays against the incumbent, claiming the Congress St. bridge is a example of some of Ganim's broken promises to voters.

Other council committee members besides Cruz took the opportunity Wednesday to express frustration over the seemingly never-ending effort to build a new Congress Street span. Councilwoman Eneida Martinez, who lost her East End seat in 2021 but was voted back on the legislative body in 2023, said, "What is it going to take for the City of Bridgeport to get it together to get this bridge done? ... We're talking years. Now we're back at the table asking for money once again."

"It takes away from the short cut for many," Martinez said. "Our seniors ... that go to downtown, they have to go all the way around to the Stratford Avenue bridge. It's ridiculous."

"I think we all know this has been one of the slowest (projects) we've had in the city, unfortunately," said Councilman Scott Burns.

Freshman Councilman Richard Ortiz said he would not be shocked if the city gets the federal dollars only to find the costs have again increased.

Councilman Tyler Mack, who also represents downtown, asked what happens if Bridgeport is not awarded the $22.1 million. Staff with the economic development department responded that they can quickly pivot to apply for federal dollars from a different source.

One of those employees, Jonathan Delgado, added the city "worked very hard" on the grant application.

"We feel very, very competitive," he said.

Half of former West Hartford UConn campus redevelopment gets key wetlands approval

Michael Walsh

WEST HARTFORD — Plans for the redevelopment of the former University of Connecticut campus took a step forward Wednesday when the town's Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Agency gave one half of the housing and commercial project its approval.

The wetlands approval of 1700 Asylum Ave., the eastern parcel of the property that's divided into two by Trout Brook Drive, puts developers closer to the construction of four buildings totaling 322 apartments on what is now an asphalt parking lot. The project still needs further approval, including from the Town Council.

"I don't see where a significant impact to the wetlands and the resources of the state occur," said agency member Gordon Binkhorst, who made the motion to approve the application.

Joshua Kaplan, another agency member, said he appreciated the applicant's detailed report, but questioned that there may be a significant impact, citing the removal of trees.

"(The developers) presented a very thorough case," Kaplan said. "I very much appreciate all the efforts that they've put in with respect to wetland mitigation, enhancement, invasive species removal. But I do feel that there's a possibility that there is significant impact here. I don't know that I can vote in a positive manner on this application. A modest redesign to increase the wetland buffers ... would allow the preservation of many of those larger diameter trees."

Ultimately, Kaplan gave the application his approval after having a condition to preserve certain large trees on the site. 

Other conditions for approval included moving a maintenance garage further from a wetlands resource. The application was unanimously approved.

"I really have tried to find those significant impacts on the wetlands," said agency member Elizabeth Gillette, explaining her yes vote. "And try as I might, they really just aren't there. I will support this application. But it is with a heavy heart, because if nothing else, I just think of what else it could have been. But that's not what's being proposed. They have frankly met the burden and have worked with the town quite cooperatively on increasing buffers."

In all, developer West Hartford 1 LLC hopes to build what's now called Heritage Park, a mixed-used residential and commercial property that would include 569 units of housing split between apartments, assisted living and townhouses. The western parcel, 1800 Asylum Ave., would also include a grocery store, restaurant, cafe and more. Plans for that parcel were withdrawn and will be resubmitted and considered separately from the eastern parcel at a later date.

Before giving its approval, the agency unanimously also denied an intervening petition filed by three West Hartford residents — Christine Feely, Gary Schulman and Jessica Rubin — who claimed it would be reasonably likely that the construction would harm the site's existing wetlands.

"This was a very complicated application we looked at," Binkhorst said. "It's a pretty high bar to unreasonably pollute our environment. We must make our finding on substantial evidence — not on conjecture, not on speculation and not on questions or concerns raised. It has to be reasonably likely. There was nothing in the record ... that meets that burden."

$8M Bartlem Park expansion project on track for possible fall opening in Cheshire

Ciara Hooks

CHESHIRE— Work continues on the Bartlem South Project —a nearly $8 million expansion of Cheshire's Bartlem Park — and officials anticipate it to be completed in the fall or early winter of 2024.

The master plan for the property, adopted in 2021, includes a Great Lawn and a bandshell to be used as a community-gathering place where concerts, movie nights and other events can be held. In addition, the plan calls for a passive recreation picnic grove area, multiple fields, walkways throughout, a new bathroom facility, additional parking spaces, and expanded parking in the pool parking lot area.

“It’s a great project for the town and certainly something everyone is really anticipating, especially the new turf field because it has lighting," said Town Council Vice Chairman Jim Jinks. "It will be a huge addition to our current set of fields  because we don’t have any fields right now that are lit up so it’s going to really help in terms of field hockey, lacrosse, football and other sports. We can kind of extend the day with the use of those turf fields being lit up.

“Everyone’s really excited about it and we’re eager to see it come to fruition," Jinks added.

Site work and excavation for the site improvements started in March 2023 by DeRita & Sons Construction Co., and officials are hoping this phase of the project will be completed later this year, while acknowledging that significant work still lies ahead. 

“It all depends on the construction of the band shell and bathroom facility,” said Town Manager Sean Kimball. “As with any project there’s a variety of change orders and changes to the original design that are proposed and of course the town works through all of those.”

It also heavily depends on the weather.

“If we have a longer winter that might delay things. But if we have a shorter winter they can do a lot more work,” Kimball added. “But certain phases of the project are pretty much complete, like the baseball field (which) has been replaced with the multi-purpose synthetic turf field with lights.”

The total cost of the project is $7.9 million, $2 million of which came from American Rescue Plan Act funds, as well as a credit of $81,000 to be used for the restroom facilities and $750,000 of additional state grants.

Nonprofit Meriden housing developer moves on after completing Bristol project

Mary Ellen Godin

Years after developers, including a Meriden nonprofit, broke ground on renovations to convert two historic schools in Bristol into apartments, the units are finally fully leased.

Bristol officials celebrated the groundbreaking in 2017 for what was seen as much needed housing near downtown. And while the project is being hailed as a success, the path to opening was difficult.

Bristol Enterprises LLC, a partnership between Ted Lazarus of the Park Lane Group and Maynard Road Corp., the private nonprofit development arm of the Meriden Housing Authority, cobbled together $23 million in tax credits and other state financing to complete the renovations to Bingham and O’Connell schools on Park Street and North Street. 

The two former schools today contain 98 units of market-rate housing for seniors and are back on the tax rolls. A deal to refinance the construction loan was expected to close out the project for the developers. 

“It’s completely leased up,” Lazurus said in an interview late last month. “When it is refinanced, it will be even better.”

The renovations included efforts to provide natural light, ventilation and increased fire safety. The project also incorporated Maynard Road’s use of geothermal and solar technologies to make both buildings energy neutral.

It was Maynard Road’s first out-of-town project, but it wouldn’t be the last. The company is also involved in affordable housing developments in East Lyme and Waterford.

As an extension of the Meriden Housing Authority, Maynard Road seeks to develop market-rate and affordable housing with the goal of ultimately bringing revenue back to Meriden.

Setbacks, lawsuit

Some of the setbacks in Bristol were caused by standards set by the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, according to the developers. There was also a fire at the site early on in the project, Lazarus said. The pandemic created supply shortages on materials and equipment and new regulations sparked even more delays, he added.

There were financing issues and delayed loan closures, as well, which led to a $1.2 million lawsuit from Leasing Innovations LLC claiming failure to pay for equipment, court documents show. On Dec. 7, the court granted a default judgment against the Meriden Housing Authority, according to the state Judicial Branch website. 

MHA Board of Commissioners Chairman Neil Ivers said in an interview last month that the housing authority is contesting some of Leasing Innovations' claims and he was unaware of the default judgment

"What Leasing Innovations is alleging, we don't agree with," Ivers said. "We're not in default of any payment. We're paying our bills and I'm happy where we are.”

An email chain between a technology subcontractor, Maynard Road Secretary Robert Cappelletti and Lazurus over the course of two years reflects a dispute over payments for work on the project.

Christopher Haley, a co-owner of Massachusetts-based Intellibeam, provided the emails and invoices to the Record-Journal.

Loan closings were promised and postponed, and Cappelletti, who is also executive director of the Meriden Housing Authority, paid a $7,658 equipment invoice with the Housing Authority’s credit card, the emails show. An administrator for the housing authority later asked Haley for a copy of the receipt, Haley told the Record-Journal.

Haley says he reached out individually to MHA board members over the credit card use and the nonpayment but received no response. 

Cappelletti could not be reached for comment.

Shoreline projects

Cappelletti is also the director of the Groton Housing Authority and has been able to secure work for Maynard Road in the southeastern part of the state. 

Teaming up with Georgia-based affordable housing developer Harold Foley, Maynard Road managed construction on a $20 million affordable housing project on 16 acres in Niantic, The Day of New London reported.

In Waterford, Maynard Road is working on Brookside Commons, a mixed-income development.

One of the two buildings at Brookside Commons has a certificate of occupancy, and another is expected soon, Cappelletti told Maynard Road board members at their December meeting.

The two affordable housing projects near the shoreline were financed with the help of Low Income Housing Tax Credits and are similar to other projects Maynard Road has worked on in Meriden. 

Meriden Commons I and II on State Street have 76 mixed-income units, and 66 units at 24 Colony St. are primarily low-income. Other affordable housing projects in Meriden include 11 Crown St., the former site of the Record-Journal, where the tax credits from the Meriden Housing Authority’s voucher program were used to fill a financing gap for the developer.

Seeking opportunity

Maynard Road’s activity comes as the MHA addresses deficiencies found in a 2022 audit, which resulted in the agency being designated as a “troubled” housing authority by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Part of its recovery plan involves outsourcing its Section 8 program in Meriden to a private company, which is ongoing.

Maynard Road, meanwhile, continues to seek opportunities, including proposals for a black box theater on West Main Street in Meriden and a power generation plant and community center at Yale Acres, a housing complex located just off Broad Street in Meriden. The MHA and Maynard Road completed renovations to Yale Acres in 2020 converting 162 units of 1950s-era public housing to modern mixed-income housing utilizing net zero energy.

Maynard Road hopes the Bristol project provides a model for future success.

“For us, the conversion of those former schools to apartments has been a great project,” said Bristol Director of Economic and Community Development Justin Malley. “One of our goals is to increase the numbers of apartments near our downtown. The buildings didn’t have much use for us as schools, but their conversion as apartments was a 180.”

Fairfield Fights Transmission Lines, Splits Over Messaging

Sophia Muce

FAIRFIELD — Local Republicans took aim at the tactics used by recently-elected First Selectman Bill Gerber, a Democrat, to fight a plan by United Illuminating to string transmission lines through private property off the existing Metro-North right of way through Bridgeport and Fairfield.

In a Jan. 12 email to Fairfield residents, Gerber told residents that the company’s standard easement form would give United Illuminating the right to install equipment, fill, excavate and clear the land of any structures at any time– claims that Republicans are not disputing.

But accompanying the email was a rendering produced by Sasco Creek Neighbors Environmental Trust Inc., a group opposing the project, that appears to show a 324-year-old house on Pequot Avenue missing significant portion of its structure. 

The rendering was captioned, “The existing Southport property after the proposed seizure of property.”

On Wednesday, former Republican RTM chair Pamela Iacono, who opposes the UI plan, nevertheless urged Gerber to retract the image, calling it “misleading.”

“Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that this image is, in fact, misleading and does not accurately represent the situation,” Iacono wrote. “Using town resources to disseminate inaccurate information is a serious concern that undermines the trust we place in our local government, and in this instance may very well harm our fight against the monopole project proposal.”

Iacono said she had contacted a United Illuminating employee, who told her the simulation was not accurate and that the company would not demolish properties.

But on Thursday, Gerber stood by his use of the image, and questioned Iacono’s intentions.

“It’s really odd of her to be trying to undermine the town on this issue by talking to a company that has not been forthcoming,” said Gerber.

Gerber said that United Illuminating had tried to discredit the rendering during Siting Council hearings, and he was disappointed that Iacono would do same.

“If you’re going to ask UI something that might hurt their ability to do this, they’re going to give you an answer that is going to be disingenuous — to the point that they can be,” he said.

Asked about the imagery on Thursday, Andrea Ozyck, co-founder of Sasco Creek Neighbors Environmental Trust, told CT Examiner that architect David Parker had used professional modeling tools to create an image that would show the degree of encroachment possible under the proposed easements.

“Some of [the easements] extend into the home,” said Ozyck. “It certainly was not meant to imply that UI intends to physically remove a portion of someone’s home. That doesn’t really make a lot of sense. It’s pretty obvious that you can’t leave the back of someone’s house open.”

Ozyck said the intent was not to suggest that the utility would demolish half of a house, but that company could technically remove structures within its easements.

Responding to Iacono’s email, Ozyck said she was shocked by the former official’s “insensitivity,” as many residents and business owners are concerned about looming impacts to their property values.

“It’s sad that we have people in our own town who are minimizing the concerns of these homeowners who are affected by this,” Ozyck said. “And it’s sad that we’re working against each other on something that really is meant for the best interest of our town.”

At a meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday, Republican Brenda Kupchick further questioned the professionalism of the town’s new communications director – a new position created by Gerber.

“I know there was some concern about some of the communication coming from your communications person that may not be completely accurate. So, I think that we should definitely let professionals be communicating on something of this level,” Kupchick said.

Gerber responded, calling the criticism “unfounded,” adding that his newsletter had been reviewed by legal staff before it was emailed to town residents.

After the meeting, Iacono reiterated that the image was misleading. She said the town had plenty of “disturbing facts” that could have been included in the email, but instead chose sensationalism.

She also took aim at the new communications hire and the legal review.

“His comments also raise critical questions about the endorsement of the ‘very good lawyer’ he says reviewed the newsletter. The administration’s employment of a ‘professional’ communications director loses its purpose when town communications can’t be trusted as factual,” Iacono said. “Mr. Gerber needs to ensure accurate information is disseminated to residents of our town to maintain credibility in our collective and worthy fight against UI’s disastrous monopole project.”

Local officials and residents from both political parties have largely come together to oppose the planned $225 million transmission line project, which would require 19.25 acres of easements, 7 acres of clearing, and the installation of 102 new monopoles.

UI is awaiting a decision by the Connecticut Siting Council determining whether the project can continue.

Asked about the email and imagery, United Illuminating spokesperson Sarah Wall Fliotsos called the email and imagery “misleading” and “inaccurate.”

She also tried to assure local residents that the company would make every effort to accommodate property owner concerns.