Trump’s ‘Get America Building Again’ plan is coming to CT. Here’s how

Christoher Keating

Trying to build projects faster, the federal transportation department is joining with its counterparts in Connecticut on an agreement to cut red tape and speed up environmental permits.

President Donald Trump’s department announced Thursday that it had reached a “first-of-its-kind programmatic agreement” that will cover an estimated 90 construction projects each year.

The agreement is designed to speed up schedules by at least six weeks for major projects such as the Gold Star Memorial Bridge on Interstate 95 between New London and Groton, upgrades on the New Haven line of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad, and a new bus system in New Haven.

The Trump administration says the plan will “Get America Building Again” by helping states to complete projects faster.

U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Steven G. Bradbury says the agreement will allow the state to “accelerate the review of individual transportation projects that may affect historic properties” on the national list.

“This first-of-its kind agreement is a great example of the commonsense approach we are taking at USDOT to remove unnecessary burdens, empower states, and deliver a safe and efficient world class transportation system that Americans deserve,” Bradbury said in a statement. “We hope more states are interested in entering this more efficient agreement to streamline the regulatory process.”

Connecticut transportation commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said that money will be saved in the process.

“This agreement is the result of productive collaborations between CTDOT and our federal and state partners, and we deeply appreciate the support from the U.S. Department of Transportation in making it a reality,” he said. “By streamlining environmental reviews and cutting government red tape, we can more efficiently advance projects and ultimately reduce costs.”

Since transportation projects are particularly known for red tape, multiple agencies are involved in the agreement that stretches for more than 30 pages. Those include the Federal Highway Railroad Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration – plus the Connecticut transportation department, Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

“We’ve slashed costly red tape and prevented unending environmental reviews to build the big, beautiful infrastructure projects that will propel America forward for generations,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement.

Old Lyme May Hold Second Referendum as Sewer Project Costs Jump 40%

Francisco Uranga

OLD LYME — Sewer construction in Sound View and Area B is projected to cost at least 40% more than expected, even with state funding, prompting a possible second town vote to raise the budget.

Steven Cinami, chair of Old Lyme’s Water and Pollution Control Authority, said Wednesday that based on current bids, annual costs would rise to $1,938 per standard property in the area, up from last August’s estimate of under $1,400. 

“We have actual bids instead of estimates,” Cinami said. ”Now I use real numbers.”

The Old Lyme beach sewer project aims to meet a state environmental mandate to address pollution in the Connecticut River. 

Several homeowners have opposed the project, however, due to cost and claims that the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection used outdated pollution data.

Soundview homeowners, already facing tax hikes after last year’s town reassessment, would see added costs from a 20-year sewer construction payment plan. 

On Tuesday, the Old Lyme WPCA voted to increase the budget to $17.1 million to cover the total cost of the project. This represents an increase of $7.6 million, or 80% more than the original budget approved in a 2019 referendum. Bids received in February came in around $22 million for shared infrastructure and $10.5 million for internal infrastructure Cinami said.

The Board of Selectmen may call for a second referendum to address the new cost, but Selectman Jim Lampos said he doesn’t expect one to happen before August. All Old Lyme residents would be allowed to vote, even though only homeowners in the area would pay for the work.

Dennis Melluzzo, a WPCA member, Soundview homeowner and vocal opponent of the project, was the only one who voted against the budget increase.

“We raised the dollar amount to $17 million,” he said. “What does it do for affordability?”

“Nothing,” Cinami replied. ”Because the bottom line stays the same as before.”

According to Cinami, the total bonding for the project would be $8.55 million, as DEEP would pay half the cost of the project — 25% as a grant and another 25% as a forgivable loan. 

“I know the numbers jump out at you. It’s a huge increase,” Cinami said. ”We just have to explain that really well.”

The work includes building a sewer system in the Soundview and Area B neighborhoods, which depend on the town’s WPCA, and three beach associations — Miami Beach, Old Lyme Shores and Old Colony Beach.

Each association would pay for its internal work, while Old Colony Beach would also finance the shared infrastructure and charge the other associations annually for the cost. The shared infrastructure includes a trunk line and a pumping station allowing wastewater to flow to East Lyme and then New London, where it would be treated.

But Selectman Jim Lampos, a homeowner in Soundview, believes the cost could be even higher than Cinami’s latest estimate.

“This number can go higher, still before the referendum,” he told CT Examiner.

Lampos said the latest bids are valid only until the end of June, and would likely expire because the bidding processes for Miami Beach and Old Lyme Shores are pending. He also noted that homeowners would face added costs not included in the bids, including $2,344 in regional buy-in fees and about $8,000 to connect each house to the street lateral.  

Lampos recalled that DEEP committed to covering half of the cost, but with a maximum cap of $15 million for the entire project, including work on beach associations. If the costs increase, residents would have to pay more than half of the project.

Lampos highlighted that Old Lyme Shores will vote on May 24 on a referendum on the project, and if they decide not to join, the shared infrastructure cost would be divided among fewer homeowners and each would pay a higher cost.

Meriden approves $4.8 million plans for emergency dispatch center by police station

Mary Ellen Godin

MERIDEN —The Planning Commission unanimously approved plans to build a 6,000-square foot emergency dispatch center at 32 W. Main St. next to the police station. 

The single-story center will serve as a communications and operations hub for the city's police, fire and ambulance departments. The project includes merging the city-owned lots at 32 and 50 West Main Street to create a 16,093-square foot lot between the Meriden Senior Center and the Meriden Police Department.

The current dispatch center is wedged in a room just a few doors down from the main lobby of Meriden police headquarters, where 11 full-time and two part-time dispatchers coordinate police, fire and medical responses to a range of ongoing emergencies. The center processes more than 61,000 calls for service each year.

Emergency officials have said the center is cramped, the police department could use the space and two more dispatchers are expected this year.  

Construction is expected to begin in July and last 14 months, representatives said. The original project costs are around $4.8 million, with the city making up the $800,000 difference after a 2021 state grant.

The new communications center will also house training space and an emergency operations center, officials said. 

The new communications building will be set back on the lot with sidewalk access from West Main Street and Hanover Street. Entrance and exits will be on both sides of the building, according to renderings from Benesch and Silver Petrucelli Architects.

City Economic Development Director Joseph Feest said the reason for the setback is to improve the sight line. 

"If there is an emergency and somebody is looking for the police department you don't have to turn to your left past two buildings before you spot the building," Feest told commission members. "Right now, it's an open line through."

A five-foot concrete walkway is proposed to connect the new building to the police department. An above-ground generator is positioned behind a 6-foot privacy slotted chain link fence, along the east property line. Employee parking will be on existing lots. The proposed landscaping includes eight new emerald green arborvitae trees, and lawn, shrubs, arborvitae and white azaleas.

The city's Design Review Board approved the plan at its May 6 meeting. 

City staff requested some more information on the lot merger, a stormwater management plan and fencing and gates to conceal and allow access to the generators. 

"The proposed stormwater management is a closed system that will not infiltrate; therefore, no test pits have been performed as they are not necessary,"  project engineers stated.

They added stormwater management calculations and a geotechnical report showed there shouldn't be any issue with the proposed system. 

The city had considered one other site for the new dispatch center above the Pratt Street firehouse, but selected West Main Street. Studies revealed the Pratt Street firehouse would have required extensive renovations. 

"This is a project that was previously approved at a location behind the firehouse on Pratt Street," Holland stated in an email. "We have taken a look at the costs involved with that location and reviewed the feasibility study that was performed when this project was first proposed and feel that putting the center next to the police station is the best use of city resources."

The upsides for the West Main Street property, in addition to lower construction costs, were seamless equipment and systems transitions as well as better parking options.  

"As you are all aware, when the feasibility studies were conducted, the West Main Street location was deemed best suited and most affordable," Police Chief Roberto Rosado said last year. "I would like to highlight some additional considerations as to why the West Main Street location is most favorable from the Police Department’s perspective. It comes down to three reasons, systems integration, procedural integration, and the potential for connection to current infrastructure." 

East Windsor, lawmakers voice strong opposition to solar expansion

Eric Bedner

EAST WINDSOR — A large group of residents, along with local and state lawmakers, are urging the Connecticut Siting Council to reject a proposal to expand an existing solar array, arguing the council ignores public input and the impact to the community.

The Siting Council was scheduled to reopen the docket regarding the Gravel Pit Solar expansion Thursday.

Led by the grassroots East Windsor Citizens for Responsible Solar, more than 1,100 residents have signed a petition in objection to an expansion that would use 151 acres of land, including 46 acres of trees, to generate an additional 30 megawatts of power.

The group objects to the expansion due to adverse impacts to the environment, the loss of farmland and threats to the town's rural character. 

"We support renewable energy, but not at the cost of our wetlands, forests and farmland," organizer Nicole Paradise said. "This project would permanently alter the landscape and identity of East Windsor."

The number of solar facilities in East Windsor has been a hot topic for the past few years, with currently four built or under construction, with another slated to be built, East Windsor First Selectman Jason Bowsza said Thursday.

Neighbors have been vocal about their opposition to such facilities, with some expressing concern about noise generating from another facility on East Road owned by NextEra Energy. Earlier this year, a fire broke out at that facility, leading to questions of safety by state and local lawmakers. That facility remains offline.   

"We feel that our town has done its part contributing to Connecticut's clean energy goals with the current developments we will have," Chris Dahl, co-founder of the opposition group, said.

Attorney and Selectman Keith Yagaloff has filed a formal legal objection to reopening the Gravel Pit Solar docket, arguing the large expansion is an "overreach," according to the petitioning group.

East Windsor First Selectman Jason Bowsza, who was among those who signed the petition, said the Siting Council approves projects without taking into account the accumulative impact to municipalities, a required responsibility of the council.

"They really just approve them and forget them," Bowsza said. "In my experience, they don't give consideration to municipalities."

He and his constituents have been outspoken in their opposition to the Gravel Pit Solar expansion project, but feel as though they are not being heard, Bowsza said. 

"We're David throwing a stone at Goliath here and hoping to shatter a couple of panels along the way," he said.

"There's nobody that I have met in the town of East Windsor who has any interest in expansion of the Gravel Pit Solar project," Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, said.

The Siting Council lacks transparency, has little consideration for the short-term and long-term impacts to the community, and "safety is an afterthought," he said.

Anwar, whose district includes East Windsor, wrote to the council arguing the level of civic engagement shown by the petition reflects "deep and widespread concerns about the environmental, safety, and quality-of-life impacts of the project — concerns I share."

One of the "most troubling" aspect of the process is the lack of public engagement, he wrote. "For a project of this scale, the absence of transparency and local input is unacceptable."

Rep. Carol Hall, R-Enfield, whose district includes part of East Windsor, said the two communities she represents are doing more than their part to support solar arrays in the state.

Hall is calling for the elimination of the Siting Council and giving authority back to local planning and zoning officials.

"We really do need to revamp the entire way we do these solar projects," she said. "They're dumping all of these solar projects into one area of the state, which is totally unfair."

The council, Hall said, routinely approves projects without taking into consideration the opinions of residents or their elected representatives.

"To me, it's a broken system," she said. "We need to put it back in local control where it belongs."

Officials mark progress on new Northeast Middle School as bids come in under budget

Jack Crowley

BRISTOL – Bristol officials and educators gathered on Wednesday to sign a steel beam that will soon become part of the new Northeast Middle School, celebrating a milestone in the construction of the new school.

The beam signing, held at the current Northeast Middle School, marked visible progress on the state-of-the-art school set to open next to the existing school in fall 2026.

The new school is designed to feature a three-story academic wing and a two-story specialty wing that will house art, music and technology labs. It aims to provide a modern and comprehensive learning environment for students, officials said.

Superintendent of Bristol Public Schools Iris White said the project is currently under budget, with bids coming in at around $90 million – $12 million less than the $102 million approved for the project. White said costs haven’t been as high as expected when the project was being planned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The construction of the new middle school is another joint venture between D’Amato and Downes Construction, who have previously worked together on the recent renovation of Bristol’s City Hall and the Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School.

The school’s opening is set to start a district-wide redistricting plan first approved in 2022 under former Superintendent Catherine Carbone.

Once the new Northeast Middle School is completed, additional K–5 students will be shifted into Greene-Hills and West Bristol schools to improve efficiency and parity across elementary schools, according to the “Reimagining BPS 2023” redistricting plan.

Greene-Hills School and West Bristol School will transition from K-8 schools to K-5 schools.

Middle schoolers from those two schools will be reassigned to either Chippens Hill or Northeast Middle School, based largely on the existing high school boundaries for Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern, according to the plan. The district will also adjust elementary school attendance zones across the city to further balance enrollment and resources.

Under the current reorganization plan, the Pre-K program that has been at Edgewood School will be relocated while that building undergoes renovations. White said she is having “ongoing conversations” with the city and Board of Education to determine that location.

CT Senate overwhelmingly approves bill to loosen trade apprenticeship ratios

David Krechevsky

The state Senate on Wednesday gave overwhelming support to a revised bill that will loosen the restrictions on hiring apprentices.

An amended version of Senate Bill 1465 was approved by a 35-0 vote with one senator absent. 

Existing state law sets a hiring ratio for apprentices that certain trades must follow. The rule allows contractors to hire up to three apprentices at a 1:1 ratio. After that, employers must abide by a 1:3 ratio, which means that for each new apprentice, a company must have three additional journeymen. So, a company with 12 licensed journeymen can only have six apprentices on staff.

The rules apply to companies in the electrical; plumbing; heating, piping, and cooling; sprinkler fitter; and sheet metal work trades.

The bill approved Wednesday, however, grants the commissioner of the state Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) the power to allow a licensed contractor to hire one or more additional apprentices, up to a total of eight, even if the contractor does not employ enough journeypersons to satisfy the hiring ratio.

Contractors must apply to DCP for relief from the ratio requirement, must not have had any state disciplinary or enforcement actions taken against them in the three years before seeking relief, and must show that “good cause” exists for allowing the relief, the bill states.

It also requires the DCP commissioner to complete a review of the ratio relief application within 10 days.

Advocates for the change argue the existing ratio restricts licensed contractors from bringing on new hires to work in the trades, stifling workforce development at a time when Connecticut has 82,000 job openings.

The trades, in particular, have been hard hit by labor shortages.

Before the vote, Sen. James Maroney (D-Milford), who co-chairs the General Law Committee, praised Sen. Paul Cicarella (R-North Haven), a ranking member of the committee, for his efforts on the bill.

“This is an issue that's really been before the General Law Committee since I've been on the committee for years,” Maroney said. “This year, he really dug in and worked on this bill, and he worked collaboratively with a number of stakeholders who have signed off on the bill.”

Cicarella noted that the issue has been a “hot topic” between union and nonunion shops.

“They both had very legitimate concerns,” he said. “Unions wanted to make sure that the apprentices were being protected and used correctly.”

He added that all stakeholders took part in conversations to develop the bill, which he described as “a middle ground.”

“It is going to allow companies to bring on up to eight apprentices in a streamlined fashion, utilizing the ratio relief,” he said.

Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-Greenwich) spoke in favor of the bill, saying it will benefit not just young adults seeking to enter a trade, but have a broader impact as well.

“Loosening some of those limitations, those barriers, will give more of those people opportunity,” Fazio said. “But it will not just help them, it will also help our economy writ large.”

He continued, “We've seen a decrease in many blue collar jobs across our economy over many years in Connecticut, even as the white collar economy sees an increase in job growth in the state. People who are in skilled professions can make a great living and join the middle class.”