CT Construction Digest Monday July 24, 2023
What's going on with offshore wind projects in New England?
The offshore wind market in North America has attracted global developers and equity partners as state and federal policies finally align to encourage investment in domestic clean energy.
But at the same time, developers face challenges as inflation, supply chain bottlenecks, the high cost of materials, competition for vessels and ports, and workforce shortages threaten to slow progress.
With news from the industry shifting on a regular basis, it can be hard to keep track of the projects, the players, and the issues. Don't worry. Here's a cheat sheet.
What are some of the major projects planned off the coast of southern New England?
Commonwealth Wind is proposed by Avangrid Renewables, a division of the Spanish multinational Iberdrola. The 1,232-megawatt project would serve Massachusetts and be staged from the Salem Wind Terminal, site of a former coal plant.
Park City Wind is proposed by Avangrid Renewables. It has contracted to provide 804 megawatts of capacity to Connecticut. The project would be staged from Salem, Massachusetts. The offshore wind port is being developed by Crowley Maritime, with its administrative office in Providence.
Revolution Wind I is proposed by Ørsted (the former Danish Oil and Natural Gas) and the New England-based Eversource Energy. The project has utility contracts in place to provide 400 megawatts of capacity to Rhode Island and 300 megawatts to Connecticut.
Revolution Wind II is proposed by Ørsted and Eversource. The 884-megawatt project could serve Rhode Island if it gains a utility contract. Ørsted plans to stage all of its New England projects from the Connecticut State Pier in New London.
South CoastWind I, headquartered in Fall River, was formerly known as Mayflower Wind. It's a project of Shell and Ocean Winds, itself a joint venture of EDP Renewables and ENGIE, a French multinational. The 1,200-megawatt project aims to serve Massachusetts.
Vineyard Wind, a 50-50 project of Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, is now under construction and being staged from the Port of New Bedford. The 800-megawatt project (first developed by Erich Stevens) has Massachusetts utility contracts in place to finance construction.
South Fork Wind, an Ørsted/Eversource project, is now under construction with plans to devote 132 megawatts of capacity to Long Island. The same developers are behind Sunrise Wind, a 924 MW project on track to deliver energy to New York in late 2025.
Ørsted and Eversource also own the small, five-turbine 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm, an asset they procured from Jeff Grybowski, the Providence-based founder of Deepwater Wind, a company he sold to Ørsted. His Block Island project went live in 2016 as the nation's first commercial offshore wind farm.
And in case anybody asks, the infamous Cape Wind is long dead. After a 16-year struggle, developers pulled the plug on the Nantucket Sound project in 2017.
I've heard that some of the projects are facing financial trouble. What's the problem?
No offshore wind project can realistically be built in the U.S. without first securing long-term power purchase agreements, or PPAs, from electric utilities. The PPAs, funded by ratepayers and approved by regulators, provide revenue to support project finance and attract investment.
In the Northeast, states have partnered with utilities to host competitive clean energy solicitations. An RFP is issued, developers respond with proposals, and a winner is chosen. The winner gets to negotiate PPAs with that state's utilities.
Some projects that negotiated PPAs before inflation and interest hikes changed the economy ended up in a tough spot. In 2022 and 2023 two Massachusetts projects — Commonwealth Wind and South Coast Wind — said those old contracts no longer supported project finance. The companies paid fines to exit the deals and said they would bid into a newer RFP instead.
A separate Rhode Island project — Revolution Wind II — faces a different problem. It was the only company to bid into that state's most recent solicitation. But after months of review, the state's largest utility refused to negotiate PPAs with the developers, saying their proposed energy prices were too high.
A lot hangs in the balance, with some industry players hoping that Biden-era tax credits will help make their projects bankable.
Projects that are currently moving ahead — including Revolution Wind I, Vineyard Wind, and South Fork Wind — managed to lock in most of their capital expenses before the economy took a turn for the worse.
Aren't there other risks and headwinds?
Lowball PPAs aren't the only problem. The offshore wind industry is a global one. That means U.S. projects must compete with developers in Europe and Asia for components, equipment, skilled labor, and special huge vessels that need to be booked years in advance.
U.S. wind developers also need access to large, heavy-lift ports in deep water harbors. Good offshore wind ports are in short supply and expensive to build. As with vessels, developers are booking those port facilities years in advance.
Developers are competing hard for good power interconnection nodes. Offshore wind farms can't operate without plugging their cables into the grid, but getting those permits and finding those tie-in spots isn't easy.
Regulatory risk is another huge consideration. The projects undergo a complicated federal permitting process, but also need state approvals. Ultimately, developers are looking for a final construction and operations plan (a "COP") from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM.
Where will the wind farms be located?
About a decade ago, BOEM started auctioning large swaths of ocean acreage to potential offshore wind developers. The first significant lease sales were off the coast of Southern New England in federal waters.
Since then, BOEM has designated lease areas up and down the East Coast, off the coast of California, and in the Gulf of Mexico.
How much clean energy can the U.S. expect from offshore wind?
It’s not simple math, and it depends upon who you ask.
The U.S. has over 4,200 gigawatts of technical offshore wind potential, triple that needed to meet the nation’s power demand, according to a report from the Department of Energy. But “technical potential” doesn’t always play out in reality.
Closer to home, it’s been said that 1,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity could meet 30% of Rhode Island’s electricity. Revolution Wind 1, under development, would deliver 400 megawatts. Revolution Wind 2, currently stalled, could deliver another 880 megawatts.
To put things in context, the average size of a U.S. coal plant in 2011 was 228 megawatts, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The Biden administration hopes to see 30 gigawatts (30,000 megawatts) of US offshore wind capacity installed by 2030. In total 10 states have combined procurement targets of more than 81,000 megawatts. But again, it remains to be seen how things actually play out.
Does offshore wind actually fight climate change?
There is in fact a carbon footprint associated with the construction, operation, and decommissioning of an offshore wind farm. But those costs are dwarfed by the lifetime benefits of a project, according to Ørsted.
Citing an industry report and government data, Ørsted says switching from coal-fired generation to wind power can reduce the carbon emitted from energy production by more than 99%.
But realizing such benefits will depend upon on continued cost reductions and developing a pipeline of projects that actually get built, according to the journal American Research Letters.
Will offshore wind hurt the commercial fishing industry?
Depends who you ask. There are lawsuits. And government agencies don't even agree.
BOEM admits the wind industry will affect the fishing industry, but says that dedicated mitigation funds will cover any economic harms.
But the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2019 clashed with BOEM, saying its review of Vineyard Wind failed to properly analyze concerns raised by the fishing industry.
Advocates insist the two industries are compatible. “We have been dedicated to the proposition that two industries can coexist successfully,” New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell told WPRI in February.
But Cassie Canastra, director of operations at Base Seafood, begged to differ. “This is the war, and we’re going to lose,” she said.
For those who want to dig, a peer-reviewed report synthesizing the current state of science on the interactions between fisheries and offshore wind is available online.
Is offshore wind killing the whales?
To date, no whale mortality has been attributed to offshore wind activities, according to NOAA Fisheries. The agency has been monitoring a high number of East Coast humpback whale deaths since 2016.
NOAA says of 178 whales that stranded, 40% had evidence of a ship strike or entanglement. Other necropsies either couldn't be conducted or were inconclusive.
The humpback whale population has grown in the Mid-Atlantic. More whales in the water combined with more boats of all sizes increases the risk of vessel strikes, NOAA says.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently responded to a spate of disinformation on the connection between wind development and whale deaths.
"There is no evidence that these early-stage wind development activities have resulted in serious harm to whales," the agency said.
Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, with a price tag of about $25M, on track to be built by spring 2024
GREENWICH — The new Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, projected to cost roughly $25 million, should be mostly built by spring of 2024, and one town official said the exterior of the new building will likely completed soon.
The new facility, named the Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center after its donors from the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation, is replacing the old civic center, which was built in 1950. The foundation donated $5 million to the town in exchange for naming rights.
This new building will be one-story and 35,418 square feet and is being built on the existing footprint of the former civic center, according to the project’s website.
The civic center will include a full-size gymnasium and roll-out spectator seating, an 8,100 square-feet multi-use event space and three 1,000 square-feet activity rooms. Two of these activity rooms will share a partition, so people can open it to create one larger room.
“In general, for most civic centers, we hope the general populace gets a great amount of continued usage and enjoyment of this facility,” said Luigi Romano, superintendent of building construction and maintenance.
Work on the “outer shell” of the new civic center should be completed within the next month, Romano said.
“They’re pretty much wrapping up construction of the outer shell that everyone gets to see,” he said.
The former civic center stopped programming in early 2022 to prepare for the demolition, which was completed in October 2022. The construction of the new facility began in November 2022.
Romano said, after the new civic center is built, electrical, plumbing, painting and other “outfitting” work will follow.
Right now, Romano said the workers are getting the building “weathertight,” which means it will be sealed so that wind and rain and other elements cannot damage the inside.
“That includes the walls, the roof, making sure everything is tight so they can begin more detailed work on the inside,” he said.
Since the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center is still an active construction site, it is closed to the public.
“Those who want to access the tennis courts and playground behind the facility must go around the construction site by walking through the playing fields to the north,” according to the project’s website.
$100M rehab of Hartford's XL Center comes as cities spend big on arenas
Getting hungry at a concert or a game? Pull up an app on your phone, order and pick up your food without standing in line. And we’re not talking just hot dogs and burgers: Choose from a menu of cuisines including Filipino, Senegalese and Thai.
When the game is over, get up from your padded seat in the club section and walk through the spacious corridors for a quick exit, followed by drinks and dinner downtown.
That’s the new standard for spectators at mid-sized sports stadiums and concert arenas across the nation — and a glimpse of the challenges and opportunities facing Hartford’s XL Center.
With $100 million budgeted for an overhaul of the XL Center set to start next year, consultants in the arena business say that Connecticut needs to spend big to just stay in the game as cities around the nation invest in major venues.
Renovation plans full speed ahead
With the $100 million secured at the close of this year’s legislative session, XL Center managers are now in the middle of the design process, sketching out a multiyear, multiphase renovation of the 48-year-old arena, once known as the Hartford Civic Center. An upgraded XL is seen as crucial to continued viability for the arena and key to hopes of attracting an NHL franchise.
Bids on the first part of the XL rehab should go out by the end of August with contracts expected to be signed in early fall, said Michael Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), which manages the arena.
“There’s meetings almost on a daily basis,” Freimuth said of the renovation project. Other key priorities include updating CRDA’s deal with the center’s operator, Oak View Group, along with pacts with the state and city of Hartford.
With much of the renovation happening “at the back of the house” and during the week and slower summer months, XL Center attendees may not notice any changes for months, Freimuth said.
High on the priority list is expanding the loading docks for the arena to allow for quicker setup and breakdown by national acts. Upgrading the electrical and IT grid is also prioritized to allow for easier use of cell phones and other technology inside the XL.
An expanse of brand-new-glass marks the near-completion of the revamp’s first phase — a new sports-betting venue on the west side of the XL Center facing Ann Uccello Street. Run by the state lottery, the sportsbook is on schedule to open for business by the end of next month, Freimuth said. Gamblers can access the sportsbook from the street but will need a ticket to enter the larger arena.
“Operationally we should be a go for September 1,” Freimuth said, adding that major HVAC and electrical work had been completed despite supply-chain delays. “We’re now actually finishing the place up.”
Later phases of the XL revamp include creating more overall seating by pushing back the stage, adding a new concourse and building more luxury-level seats near the floor.
Arenas load up on amenities
Luxury seating, wider concourses and expanded food and beverage options are the bare minimum to keep an arena competitive in the current high-stakes market, said national consultants who have reviewed the XL Center project.
“It’s not the way it used to be where you build a civic center — this is all very competitive in terms of being able to get content providers to bring you events,” said Carl Hirsh, managing partner at New Jersey-based consultant Stafford Sports, LLC. “Hartford is unfortunately behind the curve on that right now.”
The gold standard of new venues that have come online recently is CityPark, a $460 million soccer stadium that opened late last year in downtown St. Louis, said Fred Carstensen, director of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at the University of Connecticut.
“They have a technology to read your credit card when you walk in so you literally simply walk in and pick up whatever you want, and pop back out. There’s no queuing,” Carstensen said of CityPark. “I mean, think about that in terms of convenience.”
In addition to advanced vending technology, CityPark’s “chief flavor officer” picks out local and innovative food vendors, and St. Louis rapper Mvstermind serves as “the director of musical experience throughout any given matchday,” according to the venue’s website.
Other state-of-the-art venues debuting this year include a $335 million soccer stadium in Nashville, a brand-new 35,000-seat arena in San Diego and UConn’s own new 2,600-seat hockey arena on campus, which opened earlier this year.
“Look at the number of cities that are, in fact, creating venues in the hope of attracting a franchise,” Carstensen said.
Carstensen’s team has studied the XL Center over the decades and recommended continuous upgrades. “If they’re going to invest in XL, make sure that you’re not building something that’s out of date.”
“We’re seeing arenas all over the country come up,” said Charles Johnson of Chicago’s Johnson Consulting, which has worked with CRDA on the Connecticut Convention Center. “It’s a national trend to get these things in order, and also make them a better contribution to the community.”
“We want downtown Hartford to experience the same thing every other city’s starting to experience, and that’s modern facilities,” Johnson said. “It’s theaters — the cultural adds are what we’re seeing happen. And arenas are very much a cultural event.”
“You’re the state capital, so you probably want distinction for the state as well as Hartford,” Johnson added.
Lawmakers’ historic reluctance to improve upgrades at the XL Center reflects an underestimation of the importance of tourism and hospitality to the state’s economy, Carstensen said. Officials statistics show tourism creating only about 5 percent of the state’s GDP, but UConn estimates that the sector in fact generates nearly 15 percent of GDP.
Much of Connecticut’s job growth in recent years has come in the tourism and hospitality industries, Carstensen said, highlighting the importance of sustaining and growing attractions like the XL Center that bring people into the state to spend money.
“The legislature and the governor are choosing to underfund what is a very important sector,” Carstensen said. “Tourism is a very significant component of the state’s economy, much more important than is currently being measured… talking about improvements to the XL Center kind of raises this larger framework of how important is tourism.”
Upgrades in recent decades have kept Hartford’s arena operational and able to attract major acts like Lizzo. The XL Center has also survived setbacks like a catastrophic 1978 roof collapse due to heavy snow and flaws in the arena’s original design.
Centerpiece of a new downtown?
The XL Center’s size at 16,000 seats and downtown location actually dovetail with a national trend toward integrating mid-sized arenas into urban areas and using them to spark economic development.
“These projects enliven swaths of urban neighborhoods,” Arizona-based consultant Jesse Zunke wrote in a recent online article on the topic of “Rethinking Stadiums” in SportsTravel magazine. “Smaller venues are friendlier to urban neighbors and easier to build.” He cited a $12 billion stadium project that includes 3,000 housing units, office space and a hotel in downtown Oakland, Calif.
With an arena of the XL’s advanced age and space constraints, knocking it down and starting over on a bigger piece of land is an option that has been long debated. But the cost — likely approaching $1 billion — and logistics of a do-over make it a “bridge too far,” Freimuth said.
“The market does sustain the upgrade program, which we’re working on. But it wouldn’t really justify a billion-dollar enterprise,” Freimuth said. “Then if you were to find a new place, the land assembly that would give you connectivity to hotels and restaurants and retail and parking garages is not readily available.”
Venues like the XL Center will only have increasing importance as cities like Hartford adjust to post-pandemic work-from-home trends and surging office vacancy, Freimuth said. Instead of “downtown business districts,” cities will increasingly need to develop downtown entertainment districts.
“The downtowns are going to become something different,” Freimuth said. Along with theaters, bars and restaurants, a revamped XL Center could play a key role in a new, entertainment-focused Hartford, he added. “For a fraction of the cost of replacing it, we can position it for the next 20 years or so.”
Pedestrian bridge at Merritt 7 train station in Norwalk delayed by supply chain; new platform opens
NORWALK — The new Metro-North train station at Merritt 7 is open for commuters, however, the pedestrian bridge going over the railroad tracks to the office complex is missing some of its needed glass, delaying its debut.
“A lot the glass is missing, so you would kind of have to look closely,” said Josh Morgan, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Transportation. “We can’t open that structure until its fully encased, so there are still openings. Water can still get in there, and we are waiting for some of that material still.”
The delay is due to ongoing supply chain issues that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, Morgan said. Although the bridge looks complete, Morgan said several panels of glass are missing.
“Supply issues, some of it is unique, it’s not a 'go get a 4-foot piece of glass from Home Depot' type of situation,” Morgan said.
Once complete, the pedestrian bridge will directly connect commuters on the Danbury Branch of Metro-North Railroad to the largest corporate park in Fairfield County, according to Merritt 7's website. Until then, commuters must still take a Norwalk Transit District shuttle bus from the train station to the offices.
In addition to the bridge construction, CTDOT will repave and expand the parking lot from 88 spots to 105 spots in August. Demolition on the old platform is expected to start soon, after the June 7 opening of the new platform, Morgan said.
“This is still an active work zone so there are still signs up there are still people out there working, so while the platform is open and is accessible there are some areas that people can’t go,” Morgan said.
The new platform is 500 feet long and heated to prevent snow and ice accumulation. The project, which began in September 2020 and was originally expected to be completed in fall 2022, has been previously delayed due to supply chain, underground utilities and drainage system issues.
Mayor Harry Rilling said previously that this new station aims to create a "village effect" in the northern end of Norwalk.
The train branch runs from Danbury to South Norwalk on the New Haven Line, with some through trains to Stamford and to Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Morgan said CTDOT has seen more riders return to the tracks recently.
“Train ridership is rebounding, depending on the day of the week,” he said. “We are certainly see a lot heavier usage on the rail lines midweek, Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursdays, in comparison to Mondays and Fridays, when there is a lot of people doing remote work.”
The Merritt 7 office complex is home to several large companies, including IBM, Xerox, Frontier Communications, Datto, Hearst Connecticut Media Group and others.
Norwalk celebrates $140 million in state aid for Walk Bridge, new school, nonprofits and more
NORWALK — State and local leaders are celebrating the “unprecedented” $140 million from the state that will go to the city of Norwalk and many community nonprofits.
“The money that is coming to the city is unprecedented over the last few years; that’s thanks to a lot of work and a lot of different people,” state Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said at a news conference Thursday.
Norwalk is receiving $72 million in state grants, $67.8 million in infrastructure grants and $2.6 million for nonprofits. This is a significant increase from the $22 million in fiscal aid Norwalk received in 2022.
The big-ticket items for Norwalk are $45.7 million for continued construction on the Walk Bridge project and $45.6 million allocated to build the new South Norwalk Elementary School.
“Over $45 million for our new South Norwalk school — and the reason that’s important is because that is the first school funded with the new 60 percent reimbursement rate,” Duff said. “That normally would have been 22.5 (percent) and now it’s at 60 percent.”
Board of Education member Janine Rudolph also praised the higher rate of reimbursement from the state to the city for the new school.
“This is really going to help out for us, these grants, we live on grants,” Rudolph said. “We really need these to help us get through. We are excited about the new building that we're going to have coming through with the 60 percent reimbursement. This is really, really important for us and for the city.”
Duff, joined by Mayor Harry Rilling, Norwalk state representatives and nonprofit leaders, gathered to announce the funding on the Norwalk Harbor Loop Trail, which was allocated $6 million.
“That will be an important component for the city and the quality of life, having this Harbor Loop Trail finally finished,” Duff said. “They asked for $6 million; they got $6 million.”
The state delegation attributed their success in securing funding for the city to their team work and communication.
“We know that when we advocate for Norwalk, it’s something that we do with passion, and I believe that we were heard,” state Rep. Dominique Johnson said.
Duff agreed, saying “We are always talking; we are always working together on so many different issues."
Rilling thanked the Norwalk delegation to Hartford for securing funds for the city.
There will be “$140 million to help us grow and develop,” Rilling said. “That is one of the reasons, a big part of the reason, why Norwalk was just named the 29th best place in the entire nation to raise a family.”
With $2.6 million allocated toward local nonprofits, 17 organizations, including the Maritime Aquarium, the Seaport Association, EJ's Heart, The Workplace, Stepping Stones Museum for Children and Person-to-Person, are receiving state grants ranging from $20,000 to $500,000.
“We have announced a lot of exciting investments today, and it's going to touch the lives of every single Norwalker, whether you're young and going to Stepping Stones or enjoying the summer programs at the Maritime Aquarium,” state Rep. Lucy Dathan said.
Among the local nonprofits receiving grants are several Black-run community groups, including EJ's Heart, YL Trapped, the Youth Business Initiative and others.
“We worked really hard to get that funding through the actual budget, so I was granted and blessed with $150,000,” state Rep. Kadeem Roberts said. “So I came back to my community to give back to wonderful nonprofits in the city of Norwalk … EJ's Heart and YL trapped.”
Dajuan Wiggins from the Youth Business Initiative said that although he is thankful for the $20,000 his organization received, more needs to be done to support students in South Norwalk.
“In South Norwalk, we are having a crisis, and most of our students are coming from South Norwalk. And when you look at this board, there is not a lot of representation and not a lot of funds headed toward South Norwalk,” Wiggins said.
And referring to the $6 million allocated to the Norwalk Harbor Loop Trail, he said, “I believe this walkway is going to be a great thing. But when you look at the amount of money that is being spent on this walkway compared to the community, I think it’s a disconnect there.”
Shelton buys Blacks Hill Road land, clears way for Constitution Blvd. extension
SHELTON — The city is adding to its land stock, buying a Blacks Hill Road parcel that will be used as a rental property.
The Board of Aldermen, at its meeting Thursday, approved the purchase of 38 Blacks Hill Road, on which sits a single-family house. Mayor Mark Lauretti’s Administrative Assistant Kellie Vazzano told the Planning and Zoning Commission Wednesday that the city would rent the home. The city last year completed purchases of two other Blacks Hill Road lots needed to allow construction of the Constitution Boulevard extension.
The city will purchase the lot for $310,000, with the funds coming from aldermanic bonding.
“This will be an earning asset,” Vazzano told the commission, which approved the 8-24 referral.
The city presently owns five residences, with only one, 56 Perry Hill Road, still vacant.
City Finance Director Paul Hiller said the other four residences — 279 Soundview at $1,600 per month; 58 Perry Hill Road at $1,750 per month;.27 Old Town Road at $1,600 per month; and 45 Grove St. at $1,600 per month — are presently rented.
Hiller said there are no special qualifications for occupancy.
This newly purchased 0.87-acre site is contiguous to other city property and near the Mas property, which is to be home to what Lauretti has envisioned as a manufacturing hub. Work on the Constitution Boulevard extension — which will give access to the always land-locked Mas property — remains underway.
Lauretti said this latest land buy is in keeping with the city’s goal of adding to its land stock. In this case, the city will be earning revenue from the site.
“This just makes sense,” Lauretti said of the land buy.
This is the latest acquisition of Blacks Hill Road properties.
To complete the Constitution Boulevard extension, the city had to acquire both 55 and 56 Blacks Hill Road.
Stratford approves $18M in upgrades for schools, parks, Shakespeare redevelopment and more
Richard Chumney
STRATFORD — School buildings, tennis courts, playgrounds, and other public facilities are all set to receive millions of dollars in repairs and upgrades next year as part of a town-wide effort to improve local infrastructure.
The Town Council voted unanimously last week to approve Mayor Laura Hoydick’s proposed improvement program for the 2023-24 fiscal year and issue $18 million in bonds to cover the cost of the project.
In a statement, Hoydick said the plan includes crucial upgrades for a wide-range of facilities, including general improvements for parks and replacements for some sidewalks, as well as new safety gear for police officers and other public safety officials.
The council also agreed to set aside $3 million for the yet-to-be-approved redevelopment of the old Shakespeare theater property, a 12-acre town-owned waterfront site off Elm Street where Hoydick is proposing to build a small theater, music pavilion and food truck court.
“This is a necessary blueprint for greater advancements and efficiencies to our town’s facilities and services, providing crucial and beneficial updates across every facet of the town that will prove fruitful both short-term and down the road,” Hoydick, a Republican, said in the statement. “I hope Stratford residents are encouraged and excited as we look toward the future of our town.”
According to town documents, the plan includes about $3.4 million to buy new school equipment and to cover various repairs to school buildings, including $1 million to replace the windows at Stratford Academy Johnson House on Birdseye Street.
Town parks and several other public facilities such as the Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field and the South End Community Center will get nearly $5 million for repairs and renovations. A little more than $2 million will pay for new public works equipment and technology upgrades for some town buildings.
About $3.5 million will be used to resurface aging roads and upgrade the town’s stormwater systems to help prevent flooding. An additional $850,000 will cover the cost of new safety gear for police officers and firefighters as well as other public safety-related equipment.
Council member Kaitlyn Shake, a Democrat who represents District 2 and serves as the 10-member’s body’s minority leader, called the multi-million dollar improvement plan a compromise between fellow members.
“I’m looking forward to seeing many of these projects get up off the ground in the next year,” Shake said.
In addition to appropriating money for various repair projects, the council also set aside $3 million for the future redevelopment of the old Shakespeare theater site. The council has not yet decided on what should replace the theater, which was destroyed by arsonists in early 2019.
But Hoydick is proposing to build an about 500-seat black box theater on the property alongside space for food trucks and a music pavilion. The estimated $11.5 million project would be built in three stages, starting with about $2.5 million in infrastructure upgrades. The state has also appropriated $3 million in grant money to help the town redevelop the site.
Council Chair Christopher Pia, a Republican who represents District 1, predicted the improvement plan, which he noted was backed by a large bonding package, will positively impact thousands of residents for years.
“I love that we were able to get the additional couple million dollars in there to keep moving the Shakespeare project … forward as we keep vetting out the designs for it,” Pia said. “It's going to benefit the entire town and the community as a whole.”
Clear Cutting For Powerlines Between Branford and Old Saybrook has Neighbors Up in Arms
Tim Leininger
Residents of Guilford and Madison as the energy company Eversource has started clearing trees from the 150-foot wide right of way running along transmission lines between Branford and Old Saybrook.
The project is expected to run through the end of the year, said Eversource Manager of Vegetation Management in Connecticut Sean Redding.
The clearing is one of two projects in the area, said Redding, the other focuses on the replacement of poles with sturdier poles and replacing wires with more compact covered wire along roadside distribution lines.
“Both are stronger and help improve reliability in the area,” Redding said.
With the distribution lines project, he said, under state law, property owners have the right to refuse work that alters vegetation on their property.
The same is true regarding trees that aren’t on private property, he said, and if there is a tree the public doesn’t want removed that sits on public property they can appeal to the town’s tree warden to not have the tree removed, as it is the tree warden’s ultimate decision.
But, property owners do not have legal recourse to protect vegetation within the right of way of transmission lines, which are the high voltage wires that deliver power from generation plants out to substations.
Eversource has had these easements for decades, Redding said, and in the past they have conducted regular maintenance around the transmission lines.
“That’s regulated at the federal level,” Redding said. “Somebody owns the property and at some point the company purchased an easement to build, maintain the lines and as well do the vegetation management.”
Eversource is now increasing the maintained right of way and removing incompatible trees up to 100 feet from the wires.
Rebecca Martins, who lives on Stepstone Hill Road in Guilford, said that removing incompatible trees is essentially removing everything.
“When you push Eversource for answers, they’ll say we’re not cutting everything, just incompatible species,” she said. “Anything that can grow to 15-feet. In a wooded area, that’s everything. It’s going to be full of invasive species.
“They are cutting everything in the right of way,” she said. “When we get down to specifics they’re cutting everything. I can’t get them to save anything. They’re saying they’re not cutting everything. Why does a 30-foot tree 100 feet away affect the power lines? It doesn’t. The explanation I got is, the lines are covered by federal law. In certain conditions the line can sag and blow out. They’re clearing for those conditions. If the lines are on a hill, the trees are a bit taller. I understand their reasoning, but it feels drastic. They’re cutting 150-foot wide all the way through the town. They’re cutting down half of my yard. I feel defeated. I can’t stop it.”
Eversource has previously maintained vegetation within its easement, but the decision to clear cut represents a significant change in policy.
“Like many things over time, the conditions and situation evolve,” Redding said. “Reliance on electricity is increasing over time. Reliable power is key for homeowners, businesses and the economy. A few years back, we were evaluating our performance for reliability. With the increase of storms and the intensity of those storms, we were seeing more disturbances and outages on our transmission lines. The primary cause of that were trees within the easements falling into or close to the lines to cause an outage on our transmission lines. Because of the voltages, the tree doesn’t even have to hit the line, it can come close and cause an outage or a disturbance. That hinders our overall restoration. These lines serve tens of thousands of customers. It’s critical these lines stay on. This is a situation we wanted to reduce the risk on.”
He said that with the increased age of the trees in the state and with disease and invasive species, trees are failing and need to be removed from the easements.
The width of the easement through most of the Guilford area, Redding said, is 150 feet, but can vary depending on the agreement at the time the easement was established. And transmission lines don’t necessarily fall directly in the middle of the easement.
According to maps provided by Bill and Susan Wivell of Madison, who have been living on their property within the easement on White Birch Road for about 30 years, the transmission lines are off center with 50 feet of easement north of the lines and 100 feet south.
The Wivell’s property has a long driveway leading up to their home running through heavy foliage. Much of the foliage that leads from the street to their house will be removed by Eversource.
“We have a really cute 8-foot pine that’s in our driveway right now,” Susan Wivell said. “It’s never going to be tall enough for many years.”
In the past, she said, Eversource would come in for a couple days every few years for trimming.
This changed last summer, she said, when Eversource came in and cleared the 50-foot north side of the easement.
“We were shocked by the scope of it,” Susan Wivell said. “We’ve been here for many decades.”
When she spoke to a representative of Eversource in May of this year, she said he told her that was only the beginning.
She said that was the first time she had heard about the project to clear out the additional 100 feet of easement.
Redding said that Eversource had started reaching out to residents in December as part of a multistage effort to notify property owners about the clearing.
“We start with a letter,” he said. “The letters were sent out in December and followed up with direct outreach, trying to make direct contact to inform them of upcoming work. That’s knocking on doors, leaving door hangers, making calls. We include further discussions to explain what’s happening.”
There are residents, though, like the Wivells who didn’t hear about the work to clear out the additional 100 feet until recently.
Martins said she never received the letter in December.
Though a contractor did come to the house in February, she said, Eversource’s concept of making contact with property owners is an overstatement.
“They said I’d met with the arborist and outreach team in February and June,” she said, “but I have no idea who the outreach team is. Saying they ‘met’ with us seems to indicate in person. That didn’t occur.”
The most common complaints among property owners is that the clearing of the vegetation will devalue their property and have a negative impact on the environment.
“The scope of this is beyond reasonable,” said Susan Wivell.
“We understand the legal side of it,” Bill Wivell said. “Our thing is Eversource has always said they have a good neighbor policy, called their Best Management Practices guide. Their own BMP states the importance of maintaining a screen of trees for residential value to lessen the impact. They have a right to cut. The question is why? Do you do it simply because you have the right to? What is the need?”
“There are some great native New England canopy healthy trees that will never be a threat,” Susan Wivell said, “and will be removed.”
Leslie Sude, who lives on Windsor Court in Madison, said the clear cutting will only add to the detrimental effects on the environment.
“It’s going to be exacerbated by the loss of shade, loss of canopy cover, loss of soil, oxygen purification, soil erosion,” Sude said. “This is just a small percentage of a larger swath across New England.”
Considering that only 50 feet on one side of the transmission lines are being cleared, Susan Wivell questioned the necessity of having to clear all 100 feet on the other side.
“That tells me by default if it was so critical to have the full 100 feet, they would be negotiating with homeowners, pleading with them to say they need an extra 50 feet,” she said. “They’re not doing that at all. By default they are saying 50 feet is okay on one side.”
She said they’d be fine if Eversource cleared only 50 feet, but clear cutting 100 doesn’t make sense.
“A 10-foot tree, even a 50-foot tree will never fall 100 feet,” she said.
Kenny Weisman, who also lives on White Birch Road, owns a maple tree in his front yard about 40 to 50 feet tall that sits right on the line of the easement, said Eversource has told him they’re removing the tree.
“I’ll have an arborist come in to trim it,” he said.
“It would have to be lifted up by a tornado and thrown into the lines to come anywhere near it,” said Bill Wivell.
Clearing has already begun in Guilford with the 150-foot cutting of land running up the hill visible from the intersection of West Lake Avenue and Old New England Road.
Nancy Craig Kalin who lives on Wilderwood Drive, can walk into the cleared part of the easement from her backyard.
“If you look at it, there’s literally no way these trees will fall and hit those wires,” she said of many of the trees that haven’t been cleared yet.
She said she and her husband Tom were willing to create an even 75-foot split on either side of the transmission wires, giving up 25 feet on the north end so they could maintain some of the trees they would lose on the south end, but were rejected.
“They aren’t concerned about the lines,” she said, pointing out trees on the north end that she was offering to let them cut down that were within range of falling onto the lines. “I’m all for protecting the power grid. I respect that.”
Another concern for property owners is what will grow back once everything is torn down.
Redding said there is no compensation for the property owners from Eversource for loss of value to the homes, but is offering mitigation planting on a case by case basis based on the impact.
“We’ll come to an agreement about replanting,” he said, “depending on where it is.”
He said that directly below the wires, they won’t plant anything that will grow over 15 feet, and in a to-be-determined range, 25 feet further out. “If we plant outside the easement, it can be taller, typical mature trees,” he said. “If it’s determined that planting is appropriate, we’ll have a landscape designer and work with the property owners and work with them based on what the property owner is interested in having accomplished. Ultimately the property owner has to agree with what’s being planted. We obtain the plant material, work with a contractor to install it.”
It will be up to the property owner to maintain whatever is planted and Eversource won’t plant anything if the property owners are unable to care for it.
After Eversource finished the 50-foot clearing last year, the company never planted new trees or shrubs, said Susan Wivell.
“Originally they said they’d replant into fall, now it’s spring, summer or next fall,” she said. “They haven’t done any maintenance.”
She said she had an arborist come over to inspect the vegetation that has grown and it’s all invasive right now.”
Guilford First Selectman Matthew Hoey said that aside from the responsibilities of the local tree warden with the distribution lines, the town has no control over what Eversource can and can not do regarding the easement.
“These are protocols that have been established,” he said.
Amazon buys former Lowe’s plaza in Orange for $14.5M
E-commerce giant Amazon.com has purchased two vacant retail plazas along the busy Boston Post Road in Orange for more than $14 million.
The site was the subject of a 2020 redevelopment proposal to turn the former Lowe’s center into a 129,000-square-foot delivery station.
It is unclear what Amazon’s plans are for the property.
The two properties at 48-50 Boston Post Road were bought by Amazon.com Services and principal Michael D. Deal on July 5 for $14.5 million, according to town land records.
Deal is Amazon’s general counsel.
Lowe’s closed its Orange location in 2018 as part of a broader nationwide closure of underperforming stores. The property at 48 Boston Post Road includes more than 128,000 square feet of space and was built in 1998.
It sits on 15.3 acres and has a total appraised value of $11.9 million.
The adjacent plaza at 50 Boston Post Road contains 65,000 square feet of retail space and had been home to an Edge Fitness Club and Guitar Center. It sits on 7.5 acres and has a total appraised value of $5.4 million.
The properties were sold by Boston-based Great Island Development Group Orange LLC, and principals Bernard M. Devine Jr and Charles R. Irving III.