Electric Boat secures $9.47 billion Navy contract to build Columbia submarines 

Kimberly Drelich  Groton — General Dynamics Electric Boat has secured a $9.47 billion U.S. Navy contract for two Columbia-class submarines, part of a program that Electric Boat President Kevin Graney called the Navy’s “top strategic priority.”

The funding will support the “construction and test of the lead and second ships of the Columbia class, as well as associated design and engineering support,” the company said in a news release.

Electric Boat officials, union representatives and lawmakers gathered Friday afternoon at a news conference at the south yard assembly building construction site to highlight the funding. The 200,000-square-foot-facility will be completed around the end of 2023 and will be used for the assembly and testing of the submarines.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the day “begins a new era in submarine building for the United States."

“It marks a major milestone in a key part of our undersea warfare and our nuclear deterrence,” he said.

The 560-foot-long Columbia-class submarines are slated to be the largest constructed in the United States and will replace the older Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, EB said in a news release.

The first Columbia-class submarine is slated to be delivered to the Navy in 2027, and the second one in 2029, Graney said.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said the USS Columbia and USS Wisconsin to follow “will arguably be the two most technologically complex machines that have ever been built in this country and to think that they are being built here in Connecticut by Connecticut workers just makes us all so proud.”

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, who helped obtain $8 million in funding more than a decade ago for the initial groundwork on the program to replace the Ohio-class submarines, said in a statement that the “announcement makes the hard work, planning and advocacy for this generational program real.”

“This isn’t just a milestone for the shipbuilders at EB — the Columbia-class program will also be a major opportunity for industry partners up and down the supply chain for years to come, and a foundational piece for our region’s economic future,” he added. “Generations of shipbuilders and manufacturers will get their start working on this multi-decade program, and it’s an exciting time to get more people into the pipeline for the jobs and opportunities that will come with the start of this effort.”

Courtney, Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, also noted in the statement that the funding faced a recent obstacle. He said he helped work with other legislators in Connecticut and Rhode Island to ensure that the continuing resolution, which helped avoid a shutdown of the federal government, included language to allow the Columbia-class funding to continue to move forward.

Graney said EB has been preparing since it was named the prime contractor of the 12-sub Columbia-class program in 2016, and the company said in the release that the design phase is nearly 90% complete.

Advanced construction began around 2017 at EB's Quonset Point, R.I., facility, The Day reported. The first module is slated to be delivered to Groton from Quonset Point around the 2023 timeframe, he said.

“We’re hiring and training and we’re going to continue to hire and train thousands of skilled shipyard workers who will be constructing new ships for the Navy for generations to come,” Graney said. “We’re also making significant investments to expand and upgrade our facilities and we are working diligently with our supply base to help bolster their performance.”

He anticipates Electric Boat’s workforce will grow from 17,000 workers today to 20,000 around 2030.

Blumenthal said EB has a great apprenticeship and training program but called for additional investments in training for submarine building and he is advocating allocating more money for training in the National Defense Authorization Act. He also called for continued bipartisan support of the submarine program.

Gov. Ned Lamont also lauded the news in a statement: “We have always been proud to be the home of Electric Boat, maker of the best submarines in the world, and this announcement cements their future in our great state.”

An imperfect plan, but New Haven ‘is hot now’; housing to rise at former Coliseum site

Mary O'Leary  NEW HAVEN — The deal is done.

But that does not mean a piece of a major plan to bring life to the former Coliseum site is everything the residents wanted.

“New Haven is hot now,” said City Plan Commission member Ernest Pagan, and the Coliseum site was a golden opportunity for the city that he feels is still not realized.

When the land terms were put together six years ago, New Haven was a different place that grabbed contract terms it would not have agreed to in 2020, such as selling the property for $1.

In the broader picture of the city, the idea of the project and the nearby Downtown Crossing infrastructure was to “repair the open wound” that Route 34 created as it cut through downtown, Commissioner Adam Marchand said.

The commission vote was unanimous for the proposed 200 units of housing, a public plaza and a retail lane way that represents part of Phase 1 of the proposal on what is now a 5-acre parking lot.

The plan for the former Coliseum site got the approval it needed to move forward only after intense public scrutiny on one of the most significant city developments, given its size and location at the entrance to the city.

There was a sense of disappointment with the architecture and other elements, but it was clear that the proposal met the narrow scope of site plan requirements.

Many of the neighbors continue to want something different, although some aspects had evolved over the numerous public discussions that were held to give the Wooster Square and Hill neighborhoods a say.

Other features, such as the definition of open space that had been determined when the original land deal for the city-owned acreage was inked in 2013 are now being questioned as it includes the laneway which brings together cars, cyclists and pedestrians.

Commission member Leslie Radcliff said she was a proponent of “not making the perfect the enemy of the good.”

The partners in the development are Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, the Fieber Group and KDP.

Radcliff said she does not expect families with children to live there, but it will have an appeal to singles and couples looking for a walkable lifestyle downtown near restaurants and entertainment.

Radcliff said on the issue of gentrification, “the only thing being displaced were cars.”

The site was cleared in 2007 when the Coliseum was demolished.

As with other officials, she isn’t excited about the design.

“But it is a good project that will bring money to the city” and make it easier to walk from the Hill to the Green, Radcliff said.

The initial developer was Live Work Learn Play, a Montreal company that started the plan in 2013, but after six years could not pull it off given the complications of potentially moving utility lines and putting up a hotel that didn’t cost out.

Spinnaker, a known entity in New Haven, and his partners, took it over in August 2019.

“You could have put that anywhere,” Pagan said of the design of this portion of the plan along Orange Street.

The completed project or the site at Orange, State, George streets and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard could eventually support a 700-unit apartment complex built in several phases.

The commissioner said however, that he is “still hopeful” that it will live up to the neighbors’ expectations.

Much of the discussion in meetings over months dealt with the number of affordable units that will be part of the plan with improvements offered by Frank Caico, vice president of Spinnaker.

At the full build-out, there would be 140 units of affordable housing, with 40 in the first phase of 200 apartments. A total of 20 of the first 40 affordable units will be “deeply targeted” to families at or below 60 percent of Area Median Income.

Commission Chairman Edward Mattison said it was a very important development overall and he praised Caico for his engagement with the community over several months.

“I think his engagement improved the project,” Madison said, and if the company continues to be engaged with the public it will make it even better.

Caico agreed that the process, which included an “unprecedented” number of meetings, did advance it in a positive direction. “Everyone should be proud,” he said of the way the plan evolved. “We tried to be as responsible as possible.”

At this point they are putting together bid documents for the construction with work not starting until mid-2021.

Still Mattison said he is concerned about the open space, the financing of the large amount of retail space and whether the developer can fill them. And then there was the design he thought was ordinary.

He said questions of whether it will be a welcoming space and encourage connectivity among the surrounding neighborhoods or will it be walled off are legitimate.

Mattison said the city won’t know those answers until the second phase is built. After Phase 1, the southern portion remains a surface parking lot in the interim.

Caico said he doesn’t know where concerns about fencing off the development are coming from. As for the criticism that the architecture falls flat, Caico said they don’t feel it does. He also said that additional design work will be done before the construction plans are finalized.

Phase 2 will consist of more retail, restaurants and residences, as well as commercial uses, such as offices and laboratory facilities. There will also be another public plaza that will feature such things as a water element and local art.

Caico said the important thing now in Phase 1 is that “it lays the groundwork in a methodical fashion so we can set up the future phases. It is really important to get the spine road — the retail lane way and the public open space and plaza done — which will set the table for the next steps.”

Marchand

said the development should also tie the medical district to the Hill and Union Station. The new biotech building at 101 College St. encourages pedestrian flow. He wants the former Coliseum site to do the same thing.

Marchand said this week there was a lot of discussion again by engineer Ted DeSantos of Fuss and O’Neill about the safety of the retail laneway, the space that will be shared by slow-moving cars, as well as pedestrians and cyclists. He said it reminded him of the road at the Audubon Street circle that slows cars with its changing surface texture.

The engineer also said on-street parking slows traffic, as do speed bumps, while “vertical elements” such as trees, art, lights and buildings all contribute to slowing traffic. Marchand said the developer put a lot of effort into that and it is on a good path.

Marchand, who is the aldermanic representative to the commission, said he and his sons play sports on West Elm Street and he is not confused by the concept of sharing that space as others have been.

He said there will be plenty of opportunity for more interaction with the developer when the site plan for Phase 1B and then Phase 2 moves to the commission.

Anstress Farwell, head of the New Haven Urban Design League, and a major critic of the proposal, feels the insistence of the public to have its voices heard, will open up discussions on how future land deals will be structured.

She feels planning on any such developments should first involve the street design from which everything flows. She said this Spinnaker plan is also not dense enough for the amount of space.

Farwell said since redevelopment in the 1970s, the approach has been to wait for the “big deals” from outside developers to come in, rather than building around what the public wants, particularly on land the city owns.

Farwell said this approach has not created value for the city. She said there is little increase in local economic opportunity or creation of local wealth, which should be the focus.

She said what the developers offer “is not much different than a Dunkin’ Donuts investment” with the money flowing out of state and their disappearance in five years. Farwell said that approach is “self-defeating.”

Developer’s plan to rent parking spaces in New London municipal lot sparks criticism

Brian Hallenbeck  New London — A downtown property owner objected this week to the city’s renting 50 parking spaces to Oaktree Development, which is seeking to expand Shaw’s Landing by adding 173 apartments to the 35-unit condominium complex it built on Bank Street nearly 15 years ago.

To meet parking requirements, Oaktree would rent spaces in the municipal parking lot at Tilley and Green streets.

Speaking during a Planning and Zoning Commission hearing Thursday night, John Johnson, who lives and works at The Gallery at Fire House Square, 239 Bank St., raised questions about the density of the living units in the Shaw’s Landing expansion and the city’s willingness to accommodate the developer’s need to secure off-site parking.

Johnson, who also laid out his objections in a letter to the commission, said he was concerned that surrendering 50 of the 83 spaces in the municipal lot would hurt Bank Street merchants who rely on the lot, their patrons regularly filling it to capacity “three or four nights a week” before the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed business.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” Johnson said during the hearing, which was conducted online.

Karl Saszik, a commission member, said he could attest to the lot’s heavy use, saying he couldn’t understand how the commission could approve giving up parking spaces to a private developer at the same time it’s seeking to get more businesses to locate downtown.

“I don’t agree with it at all,” he said of the parking arrangement.

City officials who spoke during the hearing, including Mayor Michael Passero and Felix Reyes, director of the city's Office of Development and Planning, signaled support for the Shaw’s Landing expansion.

The project — dubbed Shaw’s Landing Phase II and Phase III — calls for two new, five-story buildings at 330 and 400 Bank St., the latter address being that of Phase I, which rises four stories. Phase II would have 74 units and Phase III would have 99 units. They would have a combined total of more than 100 underground parking spaces.

Susan Marquardt, a civil engineer, described the expansion as a “modification” of a plan approved in 2006 but never pursued. Barry Levine, the commission chairman, clarified that any previously issued permits had expired and that the current plan represented “an entirely new application.”

Sandra Barnes, a resident of Shaw’s Landing Phase I since 2016, spoke during the hearing, joining Johnson in questioning the proposed parking arrangement and the proposed number of units. She said the parking, including the spaces in the municipal lot, appeared inadequate.

Johnson echoed Barnes’ concerns, saying, “It’s too much development on 3½ acres.” In response, Brandon Mitchell, Oaktree's senior development manager, said the developers had considered whether retail would work on the ground floor of the Shaw’s Landing buildings and concluded shops there would hurt existing businesses. He said the number of proposed units was necessary to make the project viable. Investors would not provide financing for fewer units, he said.

Arthur Klipfel, Oaktree’s founder, president and chief executive officer, said municipalities in the Boston area, where Cambridge, Mass.-based Oaktree has developed a number of projects, have been reducing parking requirements.

“People are choosing not to drive,” he said.

His wife and Oaktree partner, Gwen Noyes, said they had hoped Electric Boat, whose “young engineers” are potential Shaw’s Landing tenants, would provide shuttle service from the Groton shipyard to downtown New London, eliminating the need for employees to commute by car.

Frank McLaughlin, chairman of the City Center District, which represents about 160 downtown building owners, said the district assumed the municipal parking lot in question had been developed strictly for the benefit of the downtown merchants in the immediate area. He said he was surprised to learn of Oaktree’s arrangement with the city, which he said seemed like a done deal.

He called losing 50 parking spaces “a serious problem,” and invited Oaktree representatives to meet next week with the district.

Down with the old, up with the new as workers build a new Platt Tech HS in Milford

Michael P. Mayko   MILFORD — Inside, some of Platt Tech’s 850 students are learning the fundamentals of construction and building trades.

Outside their school windows, they can watch those fundamentals taking place.

Since April, construction of a brand new 237,000 square foot, $92 million Platt Tech complex has been ongoing on the 35-acre site. Its athletic fields fields were dug up, foundations poured and steel framing erected.

Once completed, the old building will be demolished and on its footprint, new sports fields will be built.

“We’re right on schedule,” said Larry Garner, project manager for the Morganti Group in Danbury which is overseeing 27 subcontracting companies working on the new school.

Every weekday morning beginning at 7 a.m. some 50 to 80 tradesmen appear on the site: excavators dig trenches, welders join steel sections, masons build walls.

“The quality of subcontractors you hire is very important,” said Garner during a walk around the fenced-in site Nov.5. “We have really good subcontractors. They point out problems before they come up and recommend solutions. That makes my job so much easier.”

As a result he said “we’re about 25 percent complete.”

But Garner said he believes something just as important as the building project, which has been broken into six different sections, will take place soon.

“We intend to have the Platt students visit the site so they can see a major construction project in progress,” he said. “They’ll watch and be able to ask questions of experienced workers in their (studied) trades. That’s important.”

Currently, the steel framing for the two-story academic wing and cafeteria is up and the concrete walls for the gymnasium and fitness facility are in place. Garner said setting up the pre-cast walls for the building housing the trade shops section will begin Nov. 16.

Construction also includes a 15-bay garage to house maintenance equipment and the school’s blue buses which transport students to job sites and its athletic teams to away games

“We’re on schedule to complete the new school by March 2022,” he said. “Good planning makes the project go smooth. Having good partners makes it go smoother.”

An on-time opening means students will begin classes in the new building for the 2022-23 school year, said David Telesca, Platt’s principal. Demolition of the old building and athletic field construction should be finished in time for the 2023-24 school year, he said.

The architectural design of the new complex was done by Drummey Rosane Anderson Inc. of South Windsor; KBE Building Corp. of Farmington is the construction administrator. Morganti which is the construction manager, handled renovations and construction at Bridgeport’s Central High School as well as Brookfield, Newtown and Guilford high schools.

“This (Platt’s) project was not designed for a bigger school, it’s designed for a newer school,” Telesca said. “We’ll have the same number of trades we currently have because each trade can only have 18 students for safety reasons.”

Although the new building will be able to house 988 students, Telesca said he believes the number will be closer to the current 850 and no higher than 900. Currently, its students come from 18 different municipalities as far south as Fairfield and as far north as Branford.

“Every year, we accept 240 students from about 1,100 applications,” he said. “The students we get have a passion to learn. They want to be here. Having them coming into a brand new facility with new equipment will only enhance the positive things already going on here.”

Platt Technical High School was built on Orange Avenue directly across from the Woodruff Family YMCA in 1974, according to state technical high school records.

“It’s a very old building,” Telesca said. “It’s not very energy efficient and there are many facility challenges including things as simple as temperature regulation.”

Site preparation for the construction began in April which included clearing, silt fencing and rock removal.

Concrete foundations began in May followed by underground plumbing and electrical installations, Garner said. As concrete work continued, steel erection began in July.

“Concrete, steel and underground plumbing and electrical are 90 percent complete,” he said. “With the steel erected, concrete can be poured on the second floor and fire proofing sprayed on.”

Garner said once that is complete, mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades can come in and perform their roughing work. Tradesmen can begin roofing, masonry walls and exterior facade work. Site work and infrastructure for utilities is, so far, ahead of schedule.

He said the warm weather and the shift to Eastern Standard time has been a help. Now it’s light when the workers begin showing up in the morning.

“Steel workers can’t work in high winds or rain,” Garner said. “But they can work in very cool temperatures.”

He said masons can’t build walls if it’s raining unless they are under cover.

As winter creeps in, Garner said he doesn’t anticipate any stoppage.

“We would never completely shut down,” he said. “Some individual trades may feel they can’t perform in very cold weather. But in many cases, we can erect tents and install heaters for temperature sensitive work like masonry or spray-on fireproofing. The use of materials such as adhesives, caulking, roofing ... that are designed for cold weather is important. By next winter (December 2021) the whole building will be heated, so it won’t be a problem.”

And Telesca said he expects to see hundreds of excited students entering the new school in late summer 2022.

“For them as well as the staff, it’s going to be an exciting time,” he said.

Torrington building committee to choose an architect for new school project

Lance Reynolds  TORRINGTON – Getting married and seeing his two children born are three days Ed Arum, business director for the city’s school district, said he will always remember.

The fourth best day of his life? Election Day 2020, when city voters approved the $159.6 million Torrington Middle/High School building project, Arum told the project’s building committee last Thursday.

“The last two days the sun has shined so brightly which means we did the right thing. The city did the right thing,” Arum said. “It’s a new day. It’s a turning point and a new start for the city of Torrington and the children of Torrington.”

Requests for quotations for architectural services were sent out Friday, Arum said. Those requests will be returned Nov. 17 before the building committee next meets Nov. 19 to determine their top four architects. Interviews will then be conducted with those four architects, with the top architect being determined Nov. 24.

From January 2021 to February 2022, the building committee will work with its selected architect, construction manager and owner’s representative on developing a schematic design, construction documents and permits. Construction on the grade 7-12 school, which will cost the city $74.6 million after an $85 million state reimbursement, is slated to begin in April 2022 and end in August 2024.

Arum said it also will be important for the building committee to assist the city’s Economic Development Commission in looking for ways to bring in new development to complement the new school.

Arum said he and building committee co-chair Mario Longobucco have communicated with the translator for Ying Bao, a New York businessman who purchased the former Stone Container property along Summer Street. Bao is looking to buy an adjacent property for manufacturing, which could provide an opportunity for the district’s college-and-career pathways program.“We feel confident that (Bao) will work with us,” Arum said.

Cathy Awwad, executive director of the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, has told the district she would like to provide additional internship opportunities in the healthcare and manufacturing fields with the new school, Superintendent Susan Lubomski said.

“A lot of things are already in motion,” Lubomski said. “We are ready. We are chomping at the bit.”

Memorial Boulevard Intradistrict Arts Magnet School project coming in under budget 

Susan Corica  BRISTOL – The Memorial Boulevard Intradistrict Arts Magnet School project is coming in at about $2 million under budget, according to Deputy Superintendent Michael Dietter, chairman of the project’s building committee.