Coast Guard Museum fundraising to receive $50 million boost

Greg Smith

New London — Congress this week will vote on a massive $1.5 trillion government spending package that includes $50 million toward construction of the National Coast Guard Museum in New London.

Sen. Chris Murphy, who announced the news Wednesday, said in a statement that the $50 million, and removal of a prohibition of federal funds being used for construction costs, represented “a breakthrough for the Coast Guard, for New London and southeastern Connecticut.”

Murphy is the chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and had pushed for the funding with support from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and U.S Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee.

“After years of plans and proposals, hopes and expectations, the Coast Guard Museum is going to be built with construction to begin next year,” Murphy said in a statement.

“This project will not only create hundreds of jobs and annually pump millions into the local economy, but also inspire the next generation to serve. The Coast Guard is the only long-standing branch of the armed services without a national museum. We owe it to the brave men and women of the Coast Guard — past, present and future — to finally make the museum a reality, and today is a tremendous step toward fulfilling that commitment,” he said.

The news comes just days after retired U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Wes Pulver, president of the National Coast Guard Museum Association, provided an update on the progress of the museum to city officials. Preliminary construction work at City Pier Plaza will start this summer if permits are in place, he has said.

“The funding proposed for the National Coast Guard Museum in the 2022 federal budget is a game changer,” Pulver said in a statement Wednesday. “With this extraordinary support championed by Senator Murphy and the Connecticut delegation, we plan to break ground this summer. We celebrate all that this means for our Nation, the region, and for our Coast Guard.”

The omnibus spending package to be taken up this week by Congress consists of 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills and supplemental funding to support Ukraine and COVID-19 management. The bills included in the omnibus provide $730 billion in nondefense funding, a 6.7% increase over fiscal year 2021. The bills provides $782 billion in defense funding, a 5.6% increase.

The $50 million for the Coast Guard Museum is included in the fiscal year 2022 Homeland Security bill.

“This grant is going to go a long way to turbocharging construction,” Courtney said Wednesday. He said it’s been 15 years since Congress made the decision to locate the museum in New London.

“It’s definitely time to move on this,” he said.

Courtney, who said he intended to vote in favor of the spending package later on Wednesday, expects the funding boost will stimulate more attention and potentially more private donations.

There has been $20 million in federal funds appropriated to the museum in prior years for things related to the museum exhibits but not toward actual construction costs.

The spending package was expected to be taken up by the House on Wednesday and the Senate later this week.

Data center developer requests Groton Town Council make a decision soon

Kimberly Drelich 

Groton — The Town Council will hold a meeting next week to vote on a revised proposed data center agreement for land south of Interstate 95 between Hazelnut Hill and Flanders Roads, after the developer requested the council make a decision soon.

Thomas Quinn, manager of NE Edge LLC, which is seeking the host fee agreement with the town, said he is working with a very large data center company and some preliminary siting decisions will be made by the end of the first quarter, which he said is fast approaching.

Town Mayor Juan Melendez Jr. said at Tuesday night's Town Council Committee of the Whole meeting that NE Edge LLC had contacted him this week to request that the council vote next week on a final agreement. Melendez asked the councilors for a consensus about whether or not they were prepared to vote next week, with Councilors Rachael Franco, Juliette Parker, Bruce Jones, Melinda Cassiere and David McBride in favor of holding the meeting.

Town Manager John Burt said he has been working with Quinn to incorporate ideas from councilors and the public into the draft agreement. Burt said he is meeting with Quinn on Thursday to hammer out more details of the proposed agreement. Burt said he's not yet satisfied with the language, but they might be able to get through the latest issues on Thursday. 

Eric Callahan, an attorney for the town, would then take a look, and they would be able to distribute the proposed document to Councilors on Friday.

If approved, the agreement would be the first step before the developer then seeks land use approvals, sets the criteria to potentially locate one data center or more on the land and sets the revenue the town would receive in lieu of taxes, Burt has said. State legislation allows for 20- to 30-year tax exemptions, and Quinn said he envisions the data center proposal would bring about $1.5 million in annual revenue to the town.

McBride said he has questions and concerns regarding the proposed agreement and overall plan, but he supported taking the vote because he thinks it's the job of the councilors to make those decisions.

"I still have a lot to review as well but I think that gives us ample opportunity, and the public has had time to provide feedback because they’ve provided us a vast amount of feedback," added McBride, who said he's not a "yes" or "no" on the agreement at this point.

Franco confirmed that the council will have the opportunity next week to discuss the proposed agreement in a Committee of the Whole meeting and then can vote, so she said she's in favor of moving forward with the meeting.

But Councilors Scott Westervelt and Aundré Bumgardner both said they were not in favor of holding a meeting until they have time to read the document. Councilor Portia Bordelon also said she feels the councilors should have a chance to fully vet the document and for the public to comment.

Several councilors said they have walked the property, and Jones also visited data centers in New York and New Jersey with Representative Town Meeting member Edward Jacome to get comparisons on the size of data centers and how much noise they produce.

"NE Edge team appreciates the Town Council advancing this project to a (host fee agreement) vote along with each and every Councilor's efforts, and the Town Manager's substantial time commitment," Quinn said in an email Wednesday. If the agreement advances, he said the NE Edge team "looks forward to working with Groton and the boards necessary to achieve final approvals and will do our very best to be good neighbors."

He said about 20 companies are assessing the opportunity throughout Connecticut to build data centers. "Groton offers some unique benefits including main trunk fiber," he said, among other assets.

People raised concerns at a Feb. 24 public presentation about the potential impact of the data center proposal on the environment, including electricity, water use and possible effects on wells in nearby neighborhoods, as well as concerns about traffic and a loss of tax revenue. 

Labor unions said they were in favor of the development because it would bring good-paying jobs. Quinn has estimated that, depending on the size and type of the facility or facilities, it would bring about 80 to 160 full-time jobs.

Melendez had said the town officials got ideas from the meeting on how to improve the proposed agreement, but town officials were unlikely to meet the March 8 deadline that Quinn had been seeking.

During public comment during last week's Town Council meeting, people continued to raise concerns, from environmental impact to wanting more information about the developer's background, as well as some support for job opportunities.

Burt, Cassiere, Franco, Jones and Melendez said they met with Flanders Road neighbors to hear their questions and concerns during a Coffee with Councilors event at the Groton Public Library on Saturday.

Melendez said that after Quinn reached out to him to request the council vote next week, he brought the question to the council. But Melendez said that he personally was opposed to taking a vote next week, because he doesn't think he's confident that the proposal won't affect the neighbors, and he wasn't prepared to vote until he felt confident.

In a statement Wednesday, Bordelon said she was "profoundly disappointed" with the council's decision to go forward with the vote next week. She said a final revised draft of the agreement is not yet available for the councilors and the public to review, and councilors won't receive the document until late Thursday or Friday.

She said she would like to see the final revised draft go through "the regular steps, with at least two reads in successive COW (Committee of the Whole) sessions, a public hearing on a revised draft and then a vote at a regular Town Council (meeting) with public comment. Sadly, this does not seem likely to occur."

Bumgardner said Wednesday he has significant concerns with respect to the environmental impacts on the site and surrounding properties, including around the reservoir, Groton Open Space Association's properties to the south and residential neighborhoods.

"This is the largest development we've seen since Pfizer and Electric Boat broke ground on their facilities, so it's incumbent on the council to get this right," he said.

Melendez said the details of the time and date of next week's meeting, and whether or not there will be an opportunity for public comment, are still being worked out.

During next week's meeting, the council could take a vote or also could decide to table the issue, Melendez said.

The council did not have a regularly scheduled meeting for next week, so if the meeting were not scheduled, the data center agreement could have been on the agenda for the March 22 meeting or a later meeting, depending on what the council chose, town officials said.

Fairfield approves two new dorms at SHU despite some concerns

Josh LaBella

FAIRFIELD — The Town Plan and Zoning Commission approved two new dorms at Sacred Heart University on Tuesday, despite residents’ concerns about the proposal’s possible impact on the neighborhood.

Sacred Heart requested a zoning regulation amendment and a special exception permit to create freshmen housing on Jefferson Street. In the last hearing, Richard Fitzpatrick, the attorney representing the university, said the amendment would expand the permitted lot coverage and floor area for university use in the R3 zone, which currently prohibits additional construction.

When it came time to vote on the two parts of the application, they passed 6-to-1, with Commissioner Kathryn Braun as the lone dissenting vote.

Commissioner Steven Levy said the university’s request was in line with what the body had done with similar proposals made by Fairfield University.

“This would be consistent with how we’ve previously handled colleges and universities in other parts of town, recognizing that the increased density in that area... would be consistent with the use and the appropriate development of the premises,” he said.

Residents had raised concerns at a public hearing, saying the development could negatively affect parking, traffic, lighting and flooding in the area.

During the hearing, Fitzpatrick said the special exception permit would allow the university to build two dorm buildings at the former site of the Jewish Home for the Elderly. He noted the commission already approved the modification or construction of other buildings on the property.

The 15.48 acre property abuts the rest of Sacred Heart’s campus on the east, south and west, according to town documents. The proposed buildings would be three stories tall and connected by a bridge on the third floor. They would total about 133,600 square feet and would add 484 beds in the form of 115 four-person suites.

The proposal includes building a single-story parking deck for a total of 219 parking spots, according to documents.

Levy said the drainage and site plan infrastructure had already been in place to accommodate the proposal. He also said the building would likely reduce traffic because fewer students will have to commute to school.

“For all those reasons, I think it meets the criteria... and should be approved,” he said.

Braun did not support the proposal on Tuesday, saying that part of town is extremely dense. She said the town’s plan of conservation and development says that, while there have been institutional uses developed in that area, the commission should prevent the over expansion of those uses. She said the planning document also said any future development in that area should be sensitive to the neighborhood’s residential uses.

“By allowing even more density, more height, more build out, more floor area by up to almost 500 students living there, plus support staff and everything else, I think it’s overburdening the neighborhood,” she said. “We should be looking to de-densify some of these parts of our town. By allowing this, it just encourages too much development activity, too much traffic problems.”

Allowing the development would only benefit the university, Braun said.

“At some point, it has to stop,” she said. “Maybe it’s grown enough. Maybe they can expand into Bridgeport. It will affect property values and the quality of life of existing residents in that neighborhood.”

Braun also raised issues with the size of the project.

Commission Chairman Thomas Noonan said he supported the regulation amendment, adding the building was expected and planned

“I am for this building to be built,” he said. “I don’t believe this is an expansion of use. This is certainly creating more density, but it’s keeping it contained in the campus.”

Noonan said the POCD encourages the expansion of both SHU and Fairfield University.

Commission Vice Chair Lenny Braman agreed with Noonan’s comments, adding the university is a tremendous resource for the town.

“That’s not to say that we don’t take a hard look at proposals and applications from the university,” he said. “But the increase in coverage, increase in density here is... incremental, modest and appropriate given the surrounding neighborhood and the institutional use that is already there.”

Union trade workers voice displeasure with Bristol City Council for not taking part in a project labor agreement

Dean Wright

BRISTOL – Union trade workers with various local agencies voiced their displeasure with the Bristol City Council for not taking part in a project labor agreement connected with Bristol City Hall renovations, that they say would have brought jobs to local workers.

Workers made their statements during the public commenting portion of the City Council meeting this week. Bristol Mayor Jeff Caggiano said the project had been opened to all businesses who wished to bid.

“I’m here to follow up on a project labor agreement that was rescinded on Dec. 14, 2021, relating to the City Hall renovations. I’m proud to stand here tonight with my brothers and sisters of the building trades. As a labor leader in this city and a resident, I was quite disappointed by the action of the City Council on December 14,” said Greater Bristol Labor Federation President Mike Petosa.

According to city documents, the council unanimously voted to “notify and instruct the Construction Manager to terminate the Project Labor Agreement between D’Amato & Downes A Joint Venture and the Greater Hartford-New Britain Building and Construction Trades Council and The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters” at the December 2021 meeting.

Petosa continued that public labor agreements were always a “hot topic” in Bristol, yet he felt that neighboring towns “swore by them.” 

“(Fall) of 2021, the previous city administration voted in favor of the project labor agreement and on Dec. 14, 2021, your administration rescinds it,” said Petosa.”That’s a pretty tough pill to swallow.”

The president said that Council member Cheryl Thibeault said such an agreement would increase the cost of City Hall around “3 to 4.5 million over” and Petosa replied the figure was “totally off the mark.”

“On Jan. 12, we had a District Three meeting that was hosted by Councilman (Andrew) Howe and Councilwoman Thibeault at the Manross Library. I asked Councilwoman Thibeault where she got her figures regarding the PLA. She said from the architect,” said Petosa.

Petosa encouraged the council to do some research on what labor unions had brought to Bristol. Several fellow union workers voiced concerns in league with Petosa and that some of them were unemployed or traveling hours away for work when they might not have had to otherwise.

“A PLA would have ensured that a skilled workforce consisting of local residents in various trades would have been employed on this project,” said Petosa. “They’re the same people that pay taxes, own homes, shop in Bristol and support nonprofits. What you did was to slap them in the face, plain and simple.”

Bristol Mayor Jeff Caggiano said to his knowledge that the city had never chosen to go with a project labor agreement because it closed bids from local contractors that might not be union affiliated.

“We opened up a competitive bid process that anybody could bid on and I felt bad for some of the people that spoke and said they had to travel (hours or more) away,” said Caggiano. “Their companies are welcome to bid on any of these projects.”

The mayor said the hope was that more businesses would bid on the project and this could reduce projects. He said construction projects these days however could be harder to predict.

“Costs of projects have gone through the roof with the cost of materials, the inability to get materials and lengths of process,” he continued.

According to the city’s purchasing department, in fiscal year 2019, the city budgeted around $1350,000 for preparatory analysis on a new City Hall and then more in 2021 to total around $1.65 million to cover design costs. In 2022, around $31.8 million was appropriated to bring the total amount appropriated for a new City Hall to around $33,450,000. Costs continue to go up for construction needs, said city officials, and final totals may not be conclusive until April.

The mayor said the City Council wants to approve bids for the project at its April meeting and get construction underway in May. City departments will continue to move to new locations in the city throughout the month.

Caggiano also said he was open to holding a meeting with those who voiced concerns at the council meeting.

Gilbane commits $4B to diversity, will strive again to hit 20% goal

Joe Bousquin

Gilbane doubled down on its industry-wide push for more diversity in construction, committing $4 billion in contract awards to underrepresented firms over the next five years, including veteran, minority and women-owned businesses.  

Annualized, the amount would represent about 13% of Gilbane's revenues, which were $6.2 billion in 2021. The firm awarded $812 million in projects to minority- and women-owned companies, as well as small businesses, last year. That was 18% of the awards it put out, short of its 20% goal.

In an exclusive interview, recently appointed President and CEO Thomas Laird said Gilbane's executive bonuses could potentially be tied to hitting diversity goals in the future. "It needs that level of intensity," Laird said. "We're shining a bright light on it, and our leaders know that."

Dive Insight:

Gilbane has been a vocal advocate of advancing diversity and inclusion in construction in the wake of George Floyd's murder. A conversation between Gilbane Chairman Thomas Gilbane, Jr. and Turner Construction CEO Peter Davoren during the subsequent social upheaval led to the industry's inaugural Construction Inclusion Week last year.

And for good reason. Examples abound of hiring practices that shut out underrepresented contractors, and the field's macho and racist image. The result has been young, diverse workers staying away during a historic labor shortage.

Laird said Gilbane needed to do more to change that.

"And that means 18% on a goal of 20% is not good enough," said Laird. "So we are going to strive harder yet."

Part of the challenge of hitting those goals, Laird emphasized, is the smaller number of diverse contractors who are big enough to take on multi-million dollar projects. That was an issue discussed in a recent Congressional hearing on diverse contracting practices.

Laird pointed to the Cleveland, Ohio, market as an example.

"It's an area where it's very diverse, yet the diverse contracting capacity is very thin," Laird said. "So we are very focused on trying to create that capacity in Northeastern Ohio."

Since November 2020, for example, Gilbane has targeted the issue with its Rising Contractor Program, which pairs diverse contractors with mentors in its business units. Participants engage in classroom curriculum focused on real-world opportunities to win work. If a bid is unsuccessful, they get feedback on why.

"Until we provide that support, that help, that nurturing, it will continue to be a struggle, and it's just not acceptable," Laird said. The program has produced 138 graduates since inception. 

A focus on ESG

The pledge to commit $4 billion in contracts to diverse contractors and veteran-owned businesses — and report on those efforts publicly — is also part of Gilbane's forthcoming environmental, social and governance (ESG) report.

Investors are increasingly focused on how public companies conduct themselves in those three areas, and Laird said customers are now pressing the privately-held firm about it, as well.  

"It's becoming more of an expectation," Laird said. "We have clients asking for our ESG platform. A year ago, those questions weren't being asked, and now they are."

Laird was initially appointed interim CEO of the 153-year-old, family-owned company in January, before being named president and CEO shortly after. He started with the firm straight out of college in 1986, and has held positions throughout the firm's Mid-Atlantic and Central Regions.

Laird's promotion followed the hasty retirement of CEO Mike McKelvy, who resurfaced three weeks later as CEO of energy contractor McDermott. While McKelvy's eventual retirement had been planned for, the acceleration of the timeline took the firm by surprise, Laird said.  

Asked if he could change one thing, Laird said it would be to bring down the company's attrition rate in today's highly competitive jobs market.

"There's a lot of opportunity, and people have been recruited away for financial reasons," Laird said. "I'm a good example of somebody that stuck to it with a great company, and has benefited from that. Seeing others that feel differently make different decisions, I wish I could stop that."