Norwich considers labor agreement for school construction project

Claire Bessette

Norwich ― As the $385 million school construction project gets underway, city officials are considering whether to enter a project labor agreement with local trade unions that would mandate a percentage of Norwich workers be employed on the project.

The proposed agreement with the Norwich-New London Building Trades Council faces staunch criticism from Republican Mayor Peter Nystrom and by the Connecticut Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.

Trade union leaders and the director of the Connecticut State Building Trades Training Institute, BTTI, gave a lengthy presentation to the Norwich School Building Committee on Dec. 19 on how project labor agreements work. They discussed training high school graduates and the success of projects in 19 Connecticut cities and towns, including New London, Windham and Killingly.

Chris Fryxell from the Connecticut Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, requested to address the School Building Committee at its Jan. 23 meeting to counter their claims. Nystrom complained that the agreements would stifle bidding competition, raise costs and delay projects.

During their presentation, labor leaders said the opposite has been the experience in projects throughout the state, with projects finishing under budget, on time and with residents earning top wages and spending their money locally.

The School Building Committee is working on designs for the first two of four new elementary schools. The Greeneville and John B. Stanton schools will be built first at an estimated total cost of $126 million.

The School Building Committee and the City Council would have to approve the project labor agreement with the Norwich-New London Building Trades Council. School Building Committee Chairman and Democratic Alderman Mark Bettencourt said the committee should be ready to seek construction bids by the end of 2024, so an agreement would need to be approved before then.

Joe Toner, executive director of the Connecticut State Building Trades Council, told the School Building Committee that the agreement would set a percentage of project workers who are Norwich residents. An initial proposed agreement would have 25% Norwich residents required, with another 5% from New London County.

The Norwich-New London Building Trades Council has lists of members in 13 construction trades who live in Norwich. Union trade workers often travel to jobs, so a Norwich PLA would give them the chance to work close to home with the money they earn spent locally on housing, food, entertainment and other purchases, Toner said.

Skills training and apprenticeships programs are key to the agreement, said Toner and Yolanda Riveras, director of the Connecticut State Building Trades Training Institute. The institute trains apprentices aged 18 to 24 in the building trades at no cost to the students.

The institute will work with Norwich Free Academy and Norwich Regional Technical High School to identify students interested in learning trades. The high school graduates would earn pay as they train, splitting time between work and classes, Riveras said.

Toner said after four years, an apprentice typically earns $75,000 to $100,000 per year plus benefits in the various trades, free of college debt.

“We focus on making sure the workforce development piece is in every PLA,” Toner told the building committee. “The BTTI will come into your community and work with NFA and Norwich Tech to identify students.”

The presenters reject claims that the agreements prevent non-union shops from bidding and raise costs. Toner said state law requires bidders be on a pre-approved bid list and meet prevailing wages equal to the union wages, regardless of whether they are unionized. The PLAs add the required percentage of local workers.

Bettencourt and Board of Education Chairman Mark Kulos, both Democrats, said they support using PLAs for the new schools project. Both touted the guarantee of local workers and the emphasis on training local high school graduates for what could be lifelong careers in skilled trades.

“Unions obviously get members out of it, and I don’t have a problem with that,” Bettencourt said. “I’m concerned with the ancillary benefit, where people get job training and careers out of this and those are forever things.”

New London Mayor Michael Passero, also a Democrat, sent a letter of support to the Connecticut State Building & Construction Trades Council included in its Norwich presentation. Passero said Friday that New London has used PLAs since he was a council member more than a decade ago. The city now uses them for all major city and school construction projects, including the recent $110 million renovation of New London High School and the current construction of the $40 million new recreation center.

“We’ve had great luck,” Passero said. He said requests for proposals specify the projects have PLAs and the construction manager ensures they are followed.

Passero said PLAs have become polarized along political party lines with most Democrats supporting them and virtually all Republicans against them. He said he has not seen any evidence that PLAs raise costs and said municipalities should not be trying to save money by cutting wages and benefits.

The Norwich City Council now has a majority four Democrats and three Republicans, including Nystrom. In his State of the City address Tuesday, Nystrom warned against project labor agreements.

“Such a decision concerning the first two schools to be built will limit the number of small businesses located here in the City of Norwich from participating,” Nystrom said. “This will drive the cost of schools up and it will limit the workforce pool. This is the last thing we want to do when you consider that our state delegation worked so hard to get an increase in our state reimbursement levels.”

CT's speed camera program tracks 2.8M vehicles, issues 25K warnings and over 700 fines

Kayla Mutchler

Out of the nearly 2.8 million cars counted in construction zones in last year's new speed camera program, nearly 25,000 drivers received written warnings, and more than 700 of them got fined at least $75, according to state data.

Officials said the first year's results is a good sign for the pilot Know the Zone speed safety program, which aimed to get drivers to slow down in work zones. The Department of Transportation, which is already looking to do it again, placed cameras from April through December at three major projects: on the Westport, Norwalk line and East Lyme on Interstate-95 and in Waterbury on Interstate-84. 

"It’s the first time that automobile traffic enforcement devices were used on Connecticut's highways," said Josh Morgan, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, which oversaw the program along with the state police. 

The program came out of state legislation in 2021 and in hopes of getting drivers to slow down and prevent construction site accidents.

The department reported 2,566 crashes and 10 fatalities in work zones between Jan. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2022. Over the years, DOT has heard from its construction workers about how fast drivers go through their zones, Morgan said. 

"It's a dangerous job out there," he said. 

He added drivers typically hit barriers or large pieces of equipment, which can damage vehicles, be unsafe for workers  and harm drivers and passengers.

The legislation allowed the department to add three cameras at work zones across the state at a time to track drivers' speed and create a safety initiative campaign called "Know the Zone."

Signs were posted 300 and 100 feet before each construction zone, notifying drivers about the camera program in place there. 

Anyone going at least 15 miles per hour over the speed limit received a letter in the mail from the state police with a photo of their license plate, warning them about their speed in the construction zone, and that they will receive a fine if they do it again. 

After the written warning, the second offense was a $75 fine and every one following was $150. 

Morgan said 2,774,478 drivers drove through construction zones during the campaign with drivers counted for each trip through the zone. This means the same person could be included multiple times in the total figure. 

Of those, 541,920 went one to 15 miles per hour over the speed limit, while 24,875 went at least 15 miles per hour over the speed limit, resulting in 724 fines. The department did not give a breakdown of how many of these were $75 or $150 fines.

The money from the fines is going back to the state, which funded the campaign, including the cameras, billboards and social media and radio advertisements, Morgan said.

In general, Morgan believes the department accomplished its goals of getting drivers to slow down and make construction zone conditions safer. It was not meant to generate revenue, he added. 

"Working with DOT to initiate a program to keep workers safe in work zones has been a priority for the Connecticut State Police," State Police Sergeant Christine Jeltema said.

Jeltema added state troopers have been affected by unsafe drivers in construction zones.

"In any highway construction zone, the main goal is to protect the safety of road workers, troopers and the motoring public," Jeltema said. "Our message to all drivers is to slow down for work zones so that everyone arrives home at the end of the work day."

Though three cameras were only allowed to be positioned at a time, each was located in a small SUV, so they could be moved to other smaller projects when not in use at one of the three main ones, Morgan said. 

The mainstay locations were chosen because DOT already had speed data sensors in those areas that showed high speeds there, Morgan said. 

Morgan added the short-term construction areas are dangerous, as drivers may not know about them as much as long-term projects.

Of the data the department reviewed so far, about 80 percent of vehicles followed the posted speed limits. 

"It gives us some optimism that the program really made a difference for those 24,000 drivers that got that warning," Morgan said.

The department also talked with the construction zone workers during the campaign, and many said they noticed drivers slowing down and felt safer, he said.

Since the legislation only lasted for 2023, the DOT will have to create new legislation to keep the program going. Officials are preparing a report for future legislation based on the data they received in 2023, Morgan said. 

Morgan added the department will know where it wants to put the cameras if the program continues as that legislative discussion happens. 

The department also doesn't yet know which construction zones had the most drivers speeding, though one driver in Westport/Norwalk was reported going over 100 miles per hour, Morgan said. 

Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect that the state issued 24,875 written warnings and 724 fines to motorists.

Lamont touts Meriden transit district, but local leaders say housing challenges persist

Mary Ellen Godin

MERIDEN — Gov. Ned Lamont touted the city as a model of what transit-oriented development looks like during a stop at the Meriden train station Thursday, as local leaders turn to new investment sources in hopes of promoting more market-rate housing.

The city was praised for successfully transforming a dingy vacant lot into a 14-acre park with a brook and amphitheater for concerts, alongside the new train station, and more than 250 units of new mixed-income housing.

But as Lamont sought to appeal to other cities and towns along the rail line to build similar developments and more affordable housing, Meriden officials have turned away from adding affordable units and toward market-rate alternatives to fill its still empty storefronts and often barren streets. 

Lamont said more housing is needed overall to bolster incentives for investors.

“It goes back to housing,” Lamont said. “More housing is needed to accommodate restaurants, and businesses and a developer taking out building permits.

Thirteen percent of Meriden’s housing stock is considered affordable, second only to New Haven in the county. Much of that affordable housing was funded through low-income tax credits and is located downtown. Despite Meriden’s spot along the Hartford Line, business owners have said it’s difficult to find investors to build restaurants and breweries downtown because of the area’s income demographic. 

Lamont and others Thursday pointed to Build for Connecticut as a possible solution for financing market-rate housing. The program is administered by the state Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.  

Build for Connecticut is a $800 million bond investment in the creation and preservation of housing covering a wide spectrum of need. The program was signed into law this year and promises to fund low- to middle-income rental housing, and home ownership. The plan uses the efforts and resources of private financial institutions to cultivate and promote the acquisition and development of market-rate housing that will serve middle income residents. 

So far, Meriden officials have met with representatives from DOH and CHFA to help move market-rate housing projects along in the city’s transit-oriented district. A 90-unit project Silver City Apartments at 289 Pratt St. is the first contender. According to Mayor Kevin Scarpati the developers are not interested in low-income tax credits for project financing.

“We have to look away from low income tax credits as construction costs climb,” Scarpati said. “We need to find other answers.”

State Rep. Jack Fazzino, D-Meriden, and his family moved from Berlin to the city last spring. He describes himself as one of the young home buyers the city needs to attract more of. Fazzino works in Bridgeport and travels to the Capitol. He selected the city because most of his district is in the city and it is more accessible by highway and rail.

“As we continue in housing investment, accessibility should be front and center,” Fazzino said. 

Apartment development around CT park set to boom. See the projects, what you might pay to live there

KENNETH R. GOSSELIN 

In 1990, downtown’s Parkview Hilton — so named for the park just across Ford Street — was demolished to make way for ill-fated redevelopment, leaving a vast parking lot as its legacy for more than three decades.

Now, the owner — Chase Enterprises — is exploring the potential for housing to replace at least some of that Hartford surface lot. If a project emerges, it could join plans for hundreds of new apartments in the next few years around Bushnell Park, considered to be one of the city’s largest recreational assets.

In the last decade, more than 3,000 apartments have been added to the downtown area as the city seeks to better balance office workers — slow to return after the pandemic — and those who live in the city. But development directly around Bushnell Park — its roots stretching back to the 1850s — has progressed more slowly but is now picking up momentum. The first new apartments are expected to be ready later this spring.

“Somewhere a light bulb went off that this was not only a spectacular urban amenity, but it was a defining anchor in downtown,” Michael W. Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, said.

CRDA, created a decade ago to help finance housing projects in the downtown area, has been in discussions with family-owned Chase since last fall about the future of the parking lot at 10 Ford St., Freimuth said.

“They’ve started to take some shape as a residential tower of some sort,” Freimuth said. “We haven’t figured the math out, but we have been talking with them. It’s starting to stir a bit as to what could go there.”

Last fall, Chase withdrew the Ford Street parking lot as a potential location for a new federal courthouse. Chase said it was looking at developing “a bigger project on the property” and the courthouse would have eliminated “co-development possibilities.”

Cheryl A. Chase, Chase’s general counsel, declined to elaborate late last week. In an email, Chase said, “We are still evaluating all options.”

Bushnell Park has not always been viewed as the invaluable amenity that it is today.

In the 1960s, a focus on urban renewal ignited a push to demolish a then-deteriorating state Capitol building. The thought was to replace it with the “Connecticut Capitol Center,” to be built between the Capitol and the Travelers tower.

“The plan, as published, would have leveled Bushnell Park and covered much of its area with the proposed government office block,” according to a history of Bushnell Park by the late historian and preservationist Wilson H. “Bill’ Faude.

There was also a plan to extend the Whitehead Highway through the heart of Bushnell Park, one option via an underground tunnel.

Both plans were eventually abandoned. In the 1980s, the Bushnell Park Foundation — renamed the Bushnell Park Conservancy last year — was founded to tackle the physical decline of the park.

The idea of housing around Bushnell Park is not necessarily a new one.

The views on an urban green space were likely at least part of the inspiration of the 27-story, Bushnell Tower, completed in 1969 and designed by noted architect I.M. Pei. In the early 2000s, there was the conversion of the former SNET building on Trumbull Street and a new apartment building, Trumbull on the Park — now, Spectra on the Park — the latter developed by the late Marty Kenny. Both capitalized on views of Bushnell Park.

Mary Zeman, manager of the Bushnell Park Conservancy, said she welcomes the addition of more residents living right along the park.

“We want them to enjoy the park,” Zeman said. “We would love for them to attend the free events. We would love for them to join our volunteer committee. We would love for them to financially support us in any amount, whether it’s a small fundraiser, or becoming a member at the carousel.”

Zeman said the developers will naturally use the park as a marketing tool for leasing apartments. She also hopes they will take a stake in the park and become event sponsors.

“These events have to happen with funding,” Zeman said. “If the developers want us to make the park a bit more active during the week, we need the financial support.”

Buzzing with workers

The first of the new wave apartments around Bushnell Park to come up for lease is likely in the converted former office building at 55 Elm St., most recently the headquarters of the state’s Constitutional officers, including the Attorney General.

South Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate Partners expects the first of 160 apartments to be available in late spring in the 4-story annex. The annex was a later addition to the main, 7-story structure rising above Pulaski Circle and the park.

In a tour Friday, the building was buzzing with workers. A backhoe scooped up dirt to make way for a new retaining wall and a future courtyard. Inside, apartments in the annex are nearing completion with vinyl tile flooring that looks like slate and quartz kitchen countertops. A ground floor microbrewery or beer garden also is planned in the annex.

In the 7-story building where units are expected to be ready by the fall, some apartments will have soaring, 15-foot ceilings. A massive first-floor event space — created by removing part of an upper floor — is taking shape. Amenities also will include co-working space and a fitness center with specific areas for yoga and spinning.

An event space with soaring ceilings is taking shape on the first floor of 55 Elm along Bushnell Park in Hartford. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)

All the improvements are with an eye to the required preservation of historic details in the 1926 structure. Those include the exposed brick, ornate door moldings and rich, wood paneling. The former office of the attorney general is becoming a library for residents.

Spinnaker’s Allysa Kent said she believes the wide range of apartment offerings, from the more compact units in the annex to some that incorporate the paneling and original fireplaces will help Spinnaker carve out a niche in the market.

Kent said the project differs from new construction where there is a set number of apartment layouts and kitchen types.

“I actually think the lease-up is going to be remarkable here because we have so much different inventory,” Kent said. “The idea is having a lot of different options for the renters to come in. I’m excited to see the quality of the community that comes out of that, and then you attract a diverse group of people. Young people — it’s their first apartment. You might have downsizers, or if there are people working in government or using this as part-time housing.”

‘Hit that tipping point’

How quickly development around Bushnell Park unfolds in the next few years will depend largely on the trajectory of overall downtown apartment leasing.

Even with the addition of thousands of new apartments to the downtown since 2013, occupancy in the new projects has remained steady, above 90%.

Hartford-based Lexington Partners plans to convert former, outdated office space at 15 Lewis St., which borders Bushnell Park, into apartments in a nearly $27 million project.

Chris Reilly, Lexington’s president, said the downtown apartment market remains robust in all Lexington properties, including the recent rental conversion at 99 Pratt St. Those 97 units leased in just five months, Reilly said, giving the development company confidence to embark on the Lewis Street project.

“We still feel very good about downtown, even with more residential in town, we’ve almost hit that tipping point of being a ‘living’ city,” Reilly said. “The challenge here for a long time was if you lived here you were very much the pioneer. There wasn’t a whole lot of residential. There’s quite a bit now and more to come. As owners, we welcome it. More people, it’s just healthy for city, people living in the (central business district).”

Rent increases appeared to have slowed a bit recently, Reilly said. But it isn’t clear if that is seasonal or part of a longer-term trend, Reilly said.

Pulling together financing packages for apartment projects also is expected to remain difficult in the coming year. Interest rates on loans remain high, although there could be some easing by the Federal Reserve and the cost of construction materials remains high. Supply-chain delays in the aftermath of the pandemic have begun to ease, experts say.

Navigation difficulties

With more people living near Bushnell Park, a planned reconfiguration of Pulaski Circle to improve safety may draw more attention — and affect nearby development.

Pulaski Circle has five approaches with a mix of stop and yield signs that make the area difficult and confusing to navigate.

The Whitehead Highway traffic enters the circle at high speed without a clear transition to a city road. There have been 109 crashes at this location between 2018-2022 with more than half of them classified as rear-end collisions that can be attributed to navigation difficulties. The high speeds and non-traditional controls make pedestrian crossings uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe.

The state Department of Transportation has included a reconfiguration of Pulaski Circle in its recently-released mobility study, at an estimated cost of up to $20 million.

DOT has moved ahead with preliminary designs, but there are still three years of study, outreach to the community and seeking approvals. Construction isn’t expected to start until 2027, DOT said.

Here are key properties around Bushnell Park, some proposed for new housing:

Second phase of development

Address: 17 Wells St.

Developer: Spectra Construction & Development Corp., Hartford and New York City

Cost: $32.5 million

The details: A  proposed, 8-story apartment building with 126 units — 20% of them at affordable rents — and 58 parking spaces would be built on an existing parking lot to the rear of 525 Main Street. Spectra is now converting 525 Main, across from city hall, into apartments and the new structure, facing Bushnell Park, would represent a second phase of the project, if approved. Spectra has an option to the purchase the lot from the city.

Projected monthly rents: $1,150 for studios to $2,800 for two bedrooms

Where it now stands: Construction, partly financed with a proposed, publicly-backed loan of $9.5 million from CRDA, could begin later this year.

The Jewell

Address: 15 Lewis St.

Developer/Owner: Lexington Partners/LAZ Investments/Shelbourne Global Solutions, Hartford and Brooklyn. N.Y.

Cost: $26.7 million

The details: A conversion of the 5-story, 1920s office building with storefronts at 15 Lewis St. would add 73 apartments to downtown. Plans call for 10% of the apartments to be pegged to affordable rents. The structure’s main entrance would be relocated from Lewis to Jewell Street. The building’s new name —”The Jewell” — would reflect the change and a new orientation to Bushnell Park.

Projected monthly rents:  $1,600 for studios to $3,500 for two-bedrooms.

Where it now stands: CRDA has approved a $5 million loan and $2 million equity investment for the project. Other financing is still being lined up, but construction could start later this year or early in 2025.

A historic company’s headquarters

Address: 55 Elm St.

Developer: Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, South Norwalk

Cost: $67 million

The details: Long considered a prime candidate for housing because it faces Bushnell Park, the 1920s structure at 55 Elm was originally built for the Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. and designed to resemble a 15th-century, Florentine palace. Most recently, it was occupied by Connecticut’s Constitutional officers, including the Attorney General. Financing includes a $13.5 million loan from CRDA and tax breaks from the city.

A second phase of apartments is planned on the parking lots around 55 Elm. The new construction would build on the conversion of 55 Elm, both projects considered part of the Bushnell South redevelopment area.

Projected monthly rents:  $1,200 for studios to $3,000 for three bedrooms, including loft units

Where it now stands: A conversion of 55 Elm into apartments began early in 2023. The first of 160 rentals are expected to be available in late spring, with the conversion completed by late summer.

Former state offices

Address: 30 & 18-20 Trinity St.

Developer: Pennrose LLC and The Cloud Co., Philadelphia and Hartford

Cost: $45 million

The details: The redevelopment would tackle two difficult to convert buildings. Originally, the structures were built for insurance companies but for years served as state offices. Plans call for 108 residential rentals between the two buildings. 20% pegged to affordable incomes. Designs also include a restaurant in 30 Trinity and a rooftop lounge atop the neighboring 18-20 Trinity. A landscaped plaza in between would visually connect the two converted structures, both built early in the last century.

Projected monthly rents: Market-rate units will range from $1,750 for studios to $2,400 for 2-bedroom units. Affordable units from $910 for studios to $1,150 for two bedrooms, all of which will be income-restricted to households earning 50% or less of the area median income.

Where it now stands: The developers have agreed to pay the state of Connecticut $1.1 million for the two Trinity Street properties, a sale that must be completed by Feb. 12. CRDA has approved $6.5 million loan for the project. Construction could begin late this year or early in 2025. The project is included in the  Bushnell South Redevelopment area.

Vacant YMCA complex

Address: 160 Jewell St.

Owner: Northland, Newton, Mass.

The details: Northland, once downtown Hartford’s largest commercial landlord, purchased the former YMCA building in 2008. Northland, the developer of the Hartford 21 apartment tower, had an ambitious vision for the YMCA: a $120 million, 40-story tower — first a mix of 200 condominiums and 100 apartments and later, exclusively 250 condos. But financing never came together as the nationwide housing market nosedived.

Where it now stands: In 2015, Northland floated a $70 million plan that would have replaced the YMCA building with 200 apartments in a 7-story structure, the first two floors devoted to parking. The plan called for a heavy state investment of $25 million and tax breaks from the city. The plan went nowhere. Conversion of the existing building is hampered by floor configurations that are not easily translated into apartments.

Once the Parkview Hilton

Address: 10 Ford St.

Owner: Chase Enterprises, Hartford

The details: In 1990, the Parkview Hilton was demolished to make way for redevelopment that did not materialize. A parking lot has existed on the property for more than 30 years, but the property has long been seen as ripe for residential redevelopment given potential views to Bushnell Park.

Where it now stands: Late last year, Chase Enterprises withdrew the parking lot from consideration as the site for a new federal courthouse in Hartford. Chase said it was looking to do a “bigger project on the property” and the courthouse ” would have eliminated other co-development possibilities.” Chase has had preliminary discussions with CRDA about housing, but says all options still on the table.

The Hollander

Address: 410 Asylum St.

Developer/Owner: Contour Housing Partners, Philadelphia

Cost: $350,000 in repairs and upgrades

The details: In 2009, the New York-based nonprofit Common Ground, now known as Breaking Ground, converted this building to apartments, focusing on workforce housing.

Where it now stands: Contour, an affiliate of Pennrose LLC, purchased the 70-unit, Hollander in November. Contour, which focuses on preserving existing affordable housing, plans to begin upgrades by the end of March. The city has approved tax breaks for the property.

Strategic parking lot

Address: 71 Elm St.

Developer: Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, South Norwalk

The details: This parking lot, on the north side of West Street and adjacent to Spinnaker’s 55 Elm project was one of three surface lots acquired by the developer when it bought 55 Elm.

Where it now stands: This parking lot is targeted for future development and faces Bushnell Park.

Pearl Street firehouse

Address: 275 Pearl Street

Developer: Spectra Construction & Development Corp., Hartford and New York City

Cost: $9.5 million

Projected monthly rents:$1,150 for studios to $1,800 for one bedrooms

The details: This historic firehouse, built more than a century ago, is being converted to 35 apartments over storefronts that will include a pizzeria.

Where it now stands: Hartford closed the firehouse on Pearl Street — just a short walk to Bushnell Park — in 2020 and agreed to sell it for redevelopment in late 2022. The first rentals are expected to become available this summer.