House Dems unveil $547B infrastructure bill amid Biden talks

Kevin Freking

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are weighing in on the infrastructure negotiations between President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans by calling for a public works boost that would dedicate about $547 billion over five years to roads, public transit systems and rail programs.

The proposal from Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Democratic chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, comes during a key moment of the infrastructure debate as the White House signals its desire to start wrapping up negotiations. The legislation’s unveiling Friday comes as Biden prepares to hold another round of talks with the lead Senate Republican negotiator, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.

DeFazio’s legislation includes a reauthorization of surface transportation programs set to expire Sept. 30. He tacked on major investments in passenger and freight rail. He framed the bill as moving forward on key pieces of Biden’s $1.7 trillion American Jobs Plan that are within his committee’s jurisdiction. And he called the effort a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to move our transportation planning out of the 1950s and toward our clean energy future.”

The bill is being closely watched as a building block toward a broader infrastructure package. DeFazio’s panel is expected to debate and vote on the measure next week. It is not expected to attract much GOP support, as Republicans unveiled their own legislation recently that would authorize about $400 billion over five years for road, bridge and transit programs.

The highway bill being taken up by the House panel doesn’t address the most contentious aspect of any infrastructure bill — how to pay for it. That’s for another panel to determine. A similar dynamic is playing out in the Senate, where a panel recently passed its version of the highway bill unanimously, but the lawmakers didn’t have to vote yet on how they would pay for it.

DeFazio’s legislation used as a starting point a bill that passed his committee last year without GOP support and was then rolled into a $1.5 trillion infrastructure package that passed the House but went nowhere in the Senate.

DeFazio’s bill would boost investment in roads and bridges by about 54% with an emphasis on fixing existing infrastructure. It would dedicate about $4 billion to electric vehicle charging stations and would provide record levels of investment for pedestrian and cyclist pathways. It would also seek to reconnect low-income communities divided by highways with a $3 billion program “to correct mistakes of the past.”

Business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable have called on lawmakers to continue negotiations and work toward a bipartisan compromise.

But some Democrats have questioned the merits of that approach and are already unhappy with some of the compromises that Biden has offered. They support using a process that would allow Democrats to pass an infrastructure boost with a simple majority, which they did through a COVID-19 relief measure that delivered $1,400 payments to most Americans.

“Getting Republicans on board is not necessary. Getting the American people back on their feet is,” Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., said Thursday night.

Biden is seeking roughly $1 trillion in infrastructure spending, down from an initial pitch of $2.3 trillion. Senate Republicans have countered with only $257 billion in additional spending on infrastructure as part of a $928 billion package.

Offshore wind farm gets approval from coastal regulators

AP

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island coastal regulators have given a proposed wind farm off the state's coast critical approval over the objections of the fishing industry and some environmentalists.

The vote Wednesday by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council in favor of the South Fork Wind Farm moves the project one step closer to reality.

Fishermen objected, arguing that a compensation package agreed to with developers Orsted and Eversource will not adequately compensate them for the loss of fishing grounds, The Providence Journal reported.

The environmental group Save The Bay said the 130-megawatt wind farm is being placed in the wrong spot in Rhode Island Sound, an area home to a rich diversity of fish.

The council did agree to a reduction in the number of the project’s turbines from 15 to 12 that would be made possible by the developers’ use of more powerful turbines.

The council recommended that instead of creating a fishing industry compensation fund that could gradually reach a value of $12 million over 30 years, the developers make a one-time upfront payment of $5.2 million.

Council Executive Director Jeff Willis said the lower figure is the net present value of the higher number.

The Fishermen’s Advisory Board said the industry faces a total loss during the eight-month construction period and a 50% to 80% loss during the wind farm’s operation.

Business groups and construction unions back the project.

“Offshore wind is our future,” said Michael Sabitoni, president of the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council. “We’ve embraced the renewable concept to create the new industry, the future.”

Mixed-use apartment building proposed after $10.5M purchase of Farmington Marriott

Sean Teehan 

proposed construction project would convert the former Hartford Marriott Farmington into a mixed-use apartment building featuring a new restaurant and function hall space.

CLP Farmington LLC bought the three-story building for $10.5 million, with the intention of converting it into 224 units of market rate studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury apartments, said Jason Schlesinger, a principal at developer CLP Farmington LLC.

"We want to appeal to the folks that work in these large corporations," said Schlesinger, who noted the location's proximity to companies like Raytheon Technologies Corp. and UConn Health. "We think that this product with all the amenities that we're going to produce will be very attractive to them."

Under current plans, units would be mostly studio and one-bedrooms, and would include stainless steel kitchen appliances, in-unit laundry and an upgraded fitness center, Schlesinger said. Rents for studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units would go for about $1,100, $1,500 and $1,800 per month, respectively.

CLP Farmington filed an application with Farmington for a zoning change that would be required, Schlesinger said. If the town approves, he hopes to start renting out units next spring.

If the project moves forward Meriden-based La Rosa Construction Co. will serve as construction manager, and Hamden-based Silver Petrucelli & Associates will handle design and architecture, Schlesinger said. 

In addition to the residential units, the new building would include a restaurant featuring indoor and outdoor dining, and 13,000 square feet of meeting/function space, both of which would be open to the public. 

Schlesinger didn't have a cost estimate for construction. 

Farmington voters approve plan for new high school in second referendum

Don Stacom

Reversing their decision from four years ago, voters in Farmington on Thursday approved a $135.6 million replacement for the town’s high school.

While votes had not been fully counted, registrars on Thursday night estimated the plan had passed by about 2-1 in three of the town’s four districts, with a turnout of about 33% of the 20,045 eligible voters. A tabulator problem at Irving A Robbins Middle School delayed the full count.

The referendum energized voters on both sides of the issue, and for weeks local streets have been lined with a steadily increasing number of lawn signs urging either “yes” or “no” votes.

Thursday morning, voting officials at the West Woods Upper Elementary School reported they had checked in dozens of voters they hadn’t seen in previous elections or referendums.

By noontime more than 200 people had cast ballots there, with eight hours of voting still to go. By comparison, just 126 showed up all day at West Woods for the April 29 town budget referendum.

At the community center in Unionville, Farmington High School senior Hannah Kirkpatrick said she’d voted “yes.”

“I go to the high school and I think there are a lot of things that need changing,” said Kirkpatrick, a first-time voter. “It’s a maze in there and when it starts to rain there’s water and mold.”

She said her brother will be going to Farmington High and she wants to see it improved.

But at West Woods, Hannah Phelps took a different view. Phelps, a 2017 graduate of Farmington High, said the deficiencies of the building have been exaggerated.

“Improvements need to made, but I’m not sure it needs all this,” said Phelps, who voted against the referendum.

Lisa Hudson also voted no at West Woods, saying she wants Farmington students to have a safe school but doesn’t think spending $135.6 million is necessary.

Luz Wheeler, however, said she voted “yes” because students need a modern building. Wheeler cited the high school’s status as a community emergency shelter as another reason to be sure it’s in top condition.

A woman walking out of West Woods declined to give her name or say how she voted, but acknowledged it was a hard decision.

“You want a good school but you also don’t want taxes to go up. It was a tough decision that came after much thought and prayer,” she said.

The proposal to build an entirely new three-story high school had bipartisan approval on the town council and school board, with educators saying the current building is outdated, leaking, crowded, and out of compliance with accessibility codes. The building committee reported reviewing all other options and concluding the $135.6 million plan was by far the best.

Opponents have argued for several weeks that the town should have pursued less costly measures, such as an extensive renovation. They accused officials of giving taxpayers an overly optimistic estimate of how the $135.6 million price tag will affect taxes.

Town officials have said a thorough examination ruled out the renovation alternative because it wouldn’t solve some deficiencies and wouldn’t be cost effective in the long term.

Smart Farmington, an opposition group, announced this week that unnamed Farmington residents had filed a complaint with the state elections enforcement commission claiming the town unfairly tried to influence voters with a pre-referendum mailing. It claims the taxpayer-funded mailing crossed the line from informational to advocacy.

School construction projects have grown sharply in cost during the past decade, especially in the Northeast. Several Massachusetts communities have pursued plans for projects costing more than $200 million each.

Norwalk is currently planning a $189 million high school, and Torrington last year got an estimate for $156 million for a combination middle school and high school.

Opponents of the Farmington plan contend that taxpayers can’t be asked to commit to repaying 20 years of debt on a $135.6 million building when several other town schools may need repairs or major overhauls.

When the town proposed a new high school four years ago, voters rejected it resoundingly. Nearly 39% of eligible voters turned out, the highest rate for a referendum since 1995. In that vote, only 2,411 voted yes, while 5,029 voted no.