CT seeks $47M more in federal funds for delayed Bridgeport flood project

Brian Lockhart

BRIDGEPORT — State officials are seeking an additional $47 million in federal aid to build and complete Resilient Bridgeport, a significant flood control plan for the South End that was already awarded $40.8 million but is now estimated to cost much more.

"I'm confident we have a very good application. We had some of our best (staffers) on it," Shante Hanks, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Housing and a Bridgeport resident, said in an interview Friday. Hanks for the last several years has been helping lead the project.

"If we are successful in (obtaining) this grant, we feel this is really gonna be a game-changer," said Graham Stevens, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's point person for Resilient Bridgeport.

The massive coastal flood risk reduction infrastructure initiative was launched locally after the destruction Hurricane Sandy caused in the South End in 2012. Once installed, the network of new pumping stations, flood walls, raised streets and other related improvements are not only intended to safeguard lives and property, but expected to significantly lower flood insurance costs, spurring more private investment in the South End.

But having been awarded the initial $40.8 million in federal dollars around seven years ago, Resilient Bridgeport is now viewed locally with some skepticism and frustration.  Over the last few years municipal officials and activists have wondered if and when ground will be broken, particularly given the cost escalations. With 90 percent of it designed, the current price estimate is $59.6 million.

"I'm frustrated. It's just sickening. ... They dragged their feet," said City Councilman Jorge Cruz, who represents the South End, on Friday. He added that he is grateful another Sandy-level disaster has not struck.

Given the uncertainty, Mayor Joe Ganim's administration made a controversial decision to redesign the new Bassick High School being relocated from the West to the South End to withstand severe weather rather than wait for Resilient Bridgeport's completion or settle on another site outside of a flood zone. 

"There's been incremental (budget) increases," Hanks said. "That happens with construction in general." She also blamed the global coronavirus pandemic, which struck Connecticut in early 2020, for slowing the preparations as well as increasing the costs of building materials.

And, Hanks admitted, the final budget could rise further.

"Until we go out to bid, we don't know exactly what those numbers will be," she said.

Which is why the $47 million competitive grant the state is seeking from the Federal Emergency Management Agency includes a sizeable contingency to account for any future cost increases.

Hanks and Stevens hope to learn if those additional millions of dollars will be awarded by late spring or early summer.

"Keep in mind when the state applied for these funds (the initial $40.8 million) there wasn't a design in place. It was hard to put together a budget at that point," Stevens said. 

"The project is somewhat unique," he added. "There's not an example of resilience project of this magnitude that's been built in Connecticut or even in the region. ... I understand it seems like a long time. But if you think about similarly scaled transportation projects, many of those have been through the planning phases for many, many years before breaking ground."

Like Hanks, Stevens too expressed confidence that the new grant request to FEMA will be successful. He called it "a very strong application."

"The team is very hopeful that this federal funding will be part of the solution to ensuring that Resilient Bridgeport moves forward," Stevens said.

As for a construction timeline, Stevens noted that a federal deadline of September 2025 for expending the original grant "has been removed."

"So we're in a very, very good place because that was a very tight timeframe when talking about a project that requires acquisition (of land) and a significant amount of construction and utility work," Stevens said. 

"I hope and pray we get it (the $47 million) so we can get this going," Cruz said.

City Councilman Tyler Mack also represents the South End.

"We've been waiting a long time," he said this week. "We just can't give up on our residents at this point. (Do) whatever it takes to get this project off the ground."

Kevin Moore is head of the South End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, one of several NRZs around the city that weigh in on economic development matters.

"There’s obviously real threats to the South End community and they're increasing with climate change," Moore said. "I think the neighborhood hopes to see real progress on Resilient Bridgeport soon, but also understands it's an expensive undertaking. (And) COVID obviously had impacts."

"We're 10 years from Sandy. This (the South End) is one of Connecticut's most vulnerable communities," Stevens said. "It's imperative we take as many steps as we can to ensure they're provided the protection they should have."

Rock crushing plant gets OK from Monroe zoning commission

Andy Tsubasa Field

MONROE — A building materials supply company won approval from Monroe planning and zoning officials to build a rock crushing and screening plant.

The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday voted 4-1 to approve the proposal. Monroe Recycling and Aggregates LLC will crush brick, concrete, asphalt paving fragments and other materials. It will also make products that include screened topsoil, screened dirt fill and bedding sand.

"We're happy with the outcome and look forward to getting this up and operational," Chris Pawlowski of Solli Engineering, the firm hired by Monroe Recycling and Aggregates, said in an interview.  

The crushed rock material would be sold to area contractors who would use the material for roadways, sidewalks and other construction projects. It would also be used by the company’s owner, Joe Grasso Jr., who runs a construction company that has worked on safety improvements along Pepper Street.

Engineers hired by the company said the rock will be crushed in the enclosed building, which would house crushing machines and rock screeners — equipment that separate rocks into different sizes. Inside the facility, conveyor belts would carry the rocks to the machines and form piles that vehicles would pick up and offload into storage bins.

Water sprinklers over the bins will help control dust. A set of walls made from concrete and boulders would prevent the facility from impacting nearby wetlands, according to a project application.

The project had previously raised concerns among a few planning and zoning commissioners worried about dust impacting nearby wetlands and affecting people using the Housatonic biking trail. 

Pawlowski said the company agreed to make several changes to the proposal, including moving a screener into the enclosed building and reducing the number of excavators and other equipment at the facility. 

The company also previously agreed to provide quarterly reports on materials it uses, and to not crush steel rebar.

A draft of rules presented by Town Planner Rick Schultz Thursday would require the company to agree to a process for the town to monitor noise from the facility. Those same rules would also require reports when the company upgrades the facility.

“If there are any deviations, they gotta come back to the commission,” Schultz said. 

Mollie Hersh

DARIEN — Darien’s $68 million in renovations for three elementary schools are on track after Planning and Zoning officials signed off on the latest plans with some small updates.

Members of the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission have approved site plans for Hindley, Holmes and Royle Elementary Schools. The Hindley and Royle plans were approved on Jan. 31; Holmes was approved Feb. 14.

Renovations include removing all portable classrooms, creating new classroom wings with expanded classroom size, updating libraries and learning commons spaces, creating new outdoor courtyards, adding parking and improving onsite stormwater management.

The majority of the original plans remained in place after three rounds of discussion with the Architectural Review Board, with some adjustments made in materials, landscaping design and some upgrades for all entrances including a new entrance at Holmes.

Though the Architectural Review Board provided a favorable report ahead of the Planning and Zoning decision, the board’s chair Elizabeth Geiger did include further recommendations such as more benches, trees and “a more playful approach” to school entrances. 

In the time since plans were submitted to Planning and Zoning in October, Hindley’s stormwater management system became a significant design focus after neighboring residents voiced their complaints about flooding.

Resident Stephen Gabriel said that piping for stormwater was not properly maintained, backing up the pipes and creating a stream of water that would often run downhill from the school toward his home on Pasture Lane. The above ground system proposed directly behind his home left him concerned.

 “I live downhill, so where’s all that water going to go?” he asked. “It’s going to soak back into my property.”

The department of public works scoped out the original stormwater pipe, finding large debris — including basketballs — inside.

To comply with residential requests, instead of controlling the water in an above-ground basin, the campus will use an underground retention system.

In the Planning and Zoning approval, the commission included a condition that the Board of Education would be responsible for any property damage from stormwater runoff or drainage issues created by the construction.

Construction for the project is slated to begin this summer and is expected to be finished in time for the 2025-26 school year. 

The schools will remain open during the construction period, completed in phases to avoid disrupting school operations and with staggered hours so as not to conflict with school pickup or drop off.

Taking a look inside

The Board of Education reviewed and approved the latest public designs of the schools’ interiors in January.

Travis Schnell from the architecture firm KG+D presented interior concept art designed to maintain a consistent look and feel across all three buildings and maximize flexible space.

Previews included Hindley’s new library, relocated to restore the school’s original entrance; the library expansion at Holmes into the courtyard, and a moving wall in Royle’s library to create a temporary breakout classroom for students.

All three of the libraries will be designed with a focus on different age group zones and feature reading nooks and large bay windows for natural light.

While interior renderings for individual schools’ classrooms have not been revealed, Schnell presented a general look at the new classrooms, music rooms and art rooms included in many of the new building additions.

New classroom wings will feature large bay windows to let in natural light, particularly for music and art spaces. 

The schools’ music rooms will have acoustic paneling around the room to ensure the space does not disrupt the surrounding classrooms. The art rooms will feature accent walls to brighten up the room.

New furniture will also be provided for the new classrooms. 

Many of the classroom layouts and storage options were designed in collaboration with school faculty, Schnell said, a collaborative effort that will continue throughout the design process.

“They are very pleased with the progress of the work and we love their feedback because it really just makes our jobs easier,” Schnell said. 

“I wish my kids were still at Holmes,” member Sara Parent said. “These are beautiful.”

Based on prospective construction bids, the overall project appears to be close to the designated budget, with Hindley and Royle under initial estimates and Holmes slightly over. Official bids are expected in late April.

If construction bids for the main work comes in under budget, architects have a list of alternates that could be added such as acoustic ceilings and lights for the Hindley and Royle cafeterias, a green roof at Hindley or wood-look acoustic ceilings.

New Milford DPW partners with DOT to replace seven town bridges: ‘Constantly looking’ at the structures

Kaitlin Lyle

NEW MILFORD – The Department of Public Works, which is “constantly looking” at the town’s bridges to make sure they’re safe, is working with the state Department of Transportation on the design work for the complete or partial replacement of seven bridges in New Milford.

Of those projects, the town is "trying to get Upland Road up and running," DPW Director Jack Healy said.

New Milford is working on the final contract to replace the bridge, which was built in 1978, Healy said.

The project will be paid for through a $1.78 million state and federal grant, Healy said. According to the Master Municipal Bridge List, the two-lane 34-foot steel bridge goes over the East Aspetuck River just east of Route 202.

The design is done, and an inspector is under contract for the project, which the DPW hopes to begin this summer, he said.

Additionally, Healy the DPW is working on the design work to remove and replace bridges on Van Car Road, Sand Road and Wheaton Road and to replace the deck on a bridge on Brookside Avenue.

The town hosted a public informational meeting earlier this winter on the Van Car Road bridge, which is located adjacent to Paper Mill Road. Work to replace the bridge, which was built in 1975, is slated to start in the spring of 2025.

The Sand Road bridge, built in 1983, goes over the West Aspetuck River near the junction between Sand Road and Long Mountain Road. The Wheaton Road bridge, built in 1985, is located over the East Aspetuck River near Route 202.

The Brookside Avenue bridge is located over the Great Brook just east of Route 202 and was built in 1938.

Among the DPW's ongoing projects is the replacement of the Merryall Road bridge, Healy said. The bridge over the West Aspetuck River has been identified as one of the worst five bridges in Litchfield County.

The town held several public meetings last fall about the project.

According to WMC Consulting Engineers in Newington, which was hired to design the bridge and the associated roadway and site improvements, the project's cost is about $4.3 million. It will be split 50-50 between the state and the town.

Construction is expected to take seven months, starting April 1 and finishing Nov. 30.

The overall design for the Merryall Road bridge replacement is “primarily done,” Healy said. The DPW is working on additional design work, such as guide rails, he said.

Every one of the seven bridges has already received “a full or tentative approval of a grant” from the DOT, Healy said. 

In addition to the seven bridge projects that DPW has in the works, Healy said the Cherniske Road bridge will also be replaced through a grant from the DOT. A temporary bridge was installed last fall over the existing one-lane bridge, located west of Sawyer Hill Road and Cherniske Road, while the town prepares to secure a permanent two-lane bridge there.

During public meetings on the projects, the DPW talks to residents about travel disruptions during construction, Healy said.

“The detours are inconvenient,” he said. “We know that, we try to minimize it. … The residents are concerned about detours and we do try to work with them as far as making sure the detours are well marked and are in good shape and that all emergency services can get through. We try to work with everybody to try to limit the effects of the detours.”

Preston to seek federal, state funding to replace bridges

Claire Bessette

Preston ― The town hopes to take advantage of new federal infrastructure and jobs creation funding to replace bridges on Cookstown and Parks roads off Route 164, saving town taxpayers $5.6 million.

First Selectwoman Sandra Allyn-Gauthier issued a news release Friday announcing plans for the separate projects, with planning to be done this year and construction in 2025 or 2026. The two projects will be planned at the same time, Allyn-Gauthier said.

She cited the importance of receiving comments of concern from residents early in the planning process. She said it’s too early to tell whether the bridges would have to be closed and detours put in place. Public information meetings will be held as the project plans progress. For information, contact Allyn-Gauthier at (860) 887-5581, ext. 1.

The projects include an estimated $2.9 million replacement of the Parks Road bridge over Broad Brook and an estimated $2.7 million replacement of the Cookstown Road bridge over an unnamed brook. Both projects are expected to be funded with 80% federal funding and 20% state bond funding through the state Department of Transportation, with no local match required.

“The replacement of these bridges enhances safety and provide substantial savings to our residents and taxpayers,” Allyn-Gauthier said in an email Friday, “as these costs won’t need to be part of repairs and maintenance or have to be included in our capital plan.”

Both are narrow, local roads off Route 164, with Cookstown at the southern end of the state road, and Parks Road near the town’s northern border with Griswold.

After study, Riverfront Recapture focuses on mixed-use apartment development to accompany riverside park in Hartford, Windsor

Michael Puffer

Riverfront Recapture will focus on adding a mix of multifamily housing, retail and restaurants on a portion of the 60-acre property it recently acquired along the Connecticut River on the Hartford-Windsor town line.

Conceptual drawings shared with the Capital Region Development Authority Thursday show a mixed-use development clustered along a 10-acre portion of the property furthest away from the waterfront.

The remainder will be new parkland, trails and a freshly dug, 9-acre lagoon for kayaking and other water activities. 

“We are looking for something that would complement the new greenspace, the park we are looking to build,” Riverfront Recapture President Michael Zaleski, told the CRDA board during a briefing at its Thursday meeting.

Riverfront Recapture paid $625,000 for the property, located just north of Interstate 91, in a sale recorded in September 2019. The purchase was announced the following April.

East Hartford development consultant Goman+York was hired to sift through possible scenarios for a 10-acre piece of the property furthest from the river. The consultant considered hotels, industrial, logistics, entertainment and other potential uses before settling on a mix of multifamily, restaurant and retail space.

Mike Goman, principal of Goman+York noted this sort of development would best pair with the new park, which will include miles of trails connecting to a larger regional greenway, along with a newly dug, 9-acre lagoon for kayaking and other activities.

The plan is to target tenants who are recently divorced, recently retired, empty nesters or a couple with two incomes and no children. Goman said roughly 200 units would be needed to support the sort of amenity-rich multifamily development envisioned.

The proposal will require zoning amendments to be approved in both Windsor and Hartford, Goman noted. Next, a financial feasibility study will be conducted. And then the property would be marketed to potential developers.

The property, located just north of Interstate 91, is contaminated and will be remediated using state and federal funds allocated to Riverfront Recapture. 

Proposed $24 million in repairs, upgrades at Rentschler Field comes as UConn football reaches agreement to extend playing at East Hartford stadium

Kenneth R. Gosselin

EAST HARTFORD — A plan to start tackling big-ticket repairs at Rentschler Field in East Hartford — the home turf of the University of Connecticut football program — could get a major boost if state lawmakers approve a proposed $24 million upgrade for the next two years.

The state taxpayer-backed funding proposal comes as UConn has reached a tentative agreement to extend its contract with the state for another five years to play its home football games at the 38,000-seat stadium, typically six games a season.

Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed capital budget includes $12 million in each of the next two fiscal years for renovations at Rentschler — new roofing, concrete repairs and technology upgrades, among them — that would form the foundation of a larger, $63 million plan. The overall plan would stretch out over five years and was developed by a high-profile sports stadium consultant last year aimed at ensuring the venue, which turns 20 this year, keeps up with evolving Division I standards.

Lamont’s proposal, however, will have to pass muster with lawmakers, some voicing concerns about such major investments when UConn Athletics is running deep operating deficits.

State Rep. Vincent Candelora, the House Republican leader, said he is still reviewing the details of the Rentschler proposal, but it is obvious that all buildings need maintenance.

“And I think we would all recognize that,” Candelora said. “The bigger question, I think, that we would have to seek answers to is the level of deficiency that UConn has been running over the past year and how we fix that operating deficiency before we start continued investments in the programs. A $53 million deficit is very troubling and problematic.”

Candelora’s comments come after a week in which the university and Lamont sparred about overall funding for UConn, sparking a protest at the state Capitol drawing hundreds of university students.

UConn has said the $53 million in 2022 included $13.4 million resulting from the loss of the university’s arbitration case with former men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie, who was fired in 2018. Without the money paid to Ollie, the deficit would have been $40 million, down $7 million from the previous year, UConn has said.

The deficit in 2022 was covered by a $46.5 million subsidy from the university and $6.5 million in student fees.

“Fundamentally, to get me to a ‘yes’ on any of this funding, I would like more answers on how we are going to fix the operating budget in our athletic program,” Candelora said.

Attendance drop

The proposed funding for Rentschler comes as UConn football has struggled in the past decade, without a winning season since 2010. But in 2022, in coach Jim Mora’s first season, the program showed encouraging signs of a turnaround. The team’s record of 6-7 was the best in six years, matching 2016, and the team went to a bowl game.

In 2021, the team was 1-11.

Rentschler opened in 2003 at a state taxpayer-funded cost of $92 million, built to showcase a rising UConn football program.

But attendance, which had declined dramatically in recent years, has cut heavily into concession sales and parking fees necessary to fund stadium operations. Some of that has been made up with professional soccer, lacrosse and other events booked at the stadium.

Last year, UConn football attendance — as measured by tickets presented at the turnstiles — was 72,505, the highest since 2018 but still less than half of the most recent peak of 184,977 in 2007, according to the Capital Region Development Authority, which oversees the stadium’s operations.

The stadium’s finances ran in the black in fiscal year 2022 for the first time since 2016, turning in a modest profit, boosted by revenue from events other than UConn football. In the current fiscal year, Rentschler is heading toward another financial loss — with fewer non-UConn events — but less than initially forecast, according to CRDA.

In its Rentschler lease agreement with the state, UConn picks up the first $250,000 of any loss with the state picking up the rest. In the 2023 fiscal year, the loss is projected to be about $1 million.

The five-year lease extension, according to CRDA, calls for UConn to pay $174,000 in rent for each game in the upcoming season, game day expenses for special promotions and events and a $3 per ticket surcharge. UConn keeps all ticket revenue, suite sales, permanent ad revenue in the building and broadcast rights. The stadium and UConn split the proceeds from the sale of UConn merchandise.

In fiscal 2023, UConn revenue is estimated to account for 70% of all overall stadium revenue, compared with 35% in fiscal 2022, CRDA said.

A UConn spokesman, citing a recently released NCAA report, said operating revenues from the university’s football program was about $4.7 million for the 2021 season, the latest statistics available.

The tentative lease extension for Rentschler must still be approved by UConn’s Board of Trustees and the state Office of Policy and Management.

UConn Athletic Director David Benedict had no comment on the lease extension. But Benedict echoed earlier comments that UConn supports the decision to make major deferred maintenance investments at Rentschler Field.

“These necessary upgrades will unquestionably be a benefit for our student-athletes and UConn fans,” Benedict said in an email.

‘We’ve been chasing it’

The 150-page report from Atlanta-based Populous, the consultant that studied Rentschler, made recommendations that go well beyond routine, yearly maintenance and requires the largest investments since Rentschler opened. The renovations, the report said, would bring the stadium into the 21st century and prepare it for the next 10-15 years. The study, at a cost of $330,000, noted Rentschler had been well maintained, but more was now needed.

Since 2012, the state has approved $7 million in bond funds for improvements at the stadium, $1.9 million, the largest single item, for a new scoreboard, according to CRDA. These figures do not include about $11 million tied to the construction of grass parking lots around the stadium.

In addition, the venue has an annual repair budget, which is $440,000 in the current fiscal year, that covers maintenance and equipment repairs.

“It’s not a lot for 165 acres because it’s not just the building — it’s the parking lot, the light poles, if someone hits a light pole,” Kim Hart, CRDA’s venue director, said, during a tour with the Courant of the stadium last week. “It’s not a lot for a 20-year-old building.”

If approved, the $24 million is expected to pay for, among other things, a new roof on the tower building that contains the suites and The Club. The roof has been patched and has seen more wear and tear than first expected. The roof has become a favored vantage point for parking managers and police during game days.

Hart pointed to patches on the roof’s membrane during a tour for the Courant last week. Hart also noted that it’s not as easy as it may seem to replace the roof because massive heating and cooling units, also being replaced or updated, will likely need to be removed first. In addition, cell towers, which generate income for the stadium, must also be temporarily relocated.

“It’s not just get everybody off and roll it out,” Hart said. “It’s complicated moving equipment around.”

Other priorities are expected to be repairs to the stadium’s concrete and the installation of miles of silicone sealant along every row of seats to plug worsening leaks. Because the majority of the stadium is open to the weather, the sealant was designed to funnel water to drains. But the alternating hot and cold weather has cracked and damaged it, allowing water to flow into places it shouldn’t — in some cases, near electrical boxes.

There are signs of leaks throughout the the stadium, with stains visible under rows of seating and on supporting columns in the concourse and elsewhere.

“It’s structurally sound,” Hart said. “It’s just the leaks, and the longer you leave the leaks, it could start to impact the structure.”

On the tour, Derek Miles, the assistant general manager at Rentschler, stopped and pointed toward brown stains on a half dozen ceiling tiles in The Club.

“We’ve been chasing it,” Miles said. “We don’t know where it is coming from — honestly. We think part of it is coming from inside one of the HVAC units. So when it’s pumping in the a/c, it just drips, drips, drips.”

Some of the mechanical systems are so old, replacement parts are no longer manufactured, making repairs difficult, Hart said.

The $24 million also would start sorely needed upgrades in technology, including security systems, that was highlighted as a major deficiency in the Populous report. Television broadcast operations must arrive a couple of days before a game to set up fiber optic systems, stringing cables rather than just plugging into the building. The stadium’s public spaces also do not have wi-fi and wireless access, now expected by fans attending sporting events.