CT Construction Digest Thursday January 12, 2024
DEEP Looking to Public For How to Spend Billions in Federal Money
The Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) is requesting public comments from Connecticut residents by midnight Friday, Jan.12, regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Program, which was established under the 2022 federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Under this program, Connecticut received $3 million from the EPA to research emission and pollution reduction programs. The federal agency has $4.6 billion (though the table below accounts for only $4.3 billion) available for state and local governments to compete for by submitting Implementation Grant proposals due April 1, 2024. The EPA notes that it will prioritize projects in “disadvantaged communities” as designated by this IRA map.
DEEP is considering 14 total measures in its proposal the EPA, in 4 categories:
Transportation:
School Bus Electrification: replace Connecticut’s 2000 diesel school buses in “environmental justice areas” with zero emitting electric buses.
Transit Bus Electrification: replace diesel transit buses with electric transit buses.
Establish electric Vehicle Incentives: expand the existing CHEAPR program, which offers rebates for fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Deploy Electric Vehicle Chargers statewide: install electric vehicle chargers for cars, SUVs, small and medium pick-up trucks, delivery vans, and other medium sized vehicles.
Install “idle reduction systems” in Connecticut Dept. of Transportation Crash Unit trucks, which protect road construction crews from traffic.
Expand Shared Ride Program: increase access to on-demand and accessible shared-ride services by expanding the Microtransit program (small buses), focusing on rural areas.
Buildings:
Support Adoption of Residential and Commercial Heat Pumps to replace gas and fuel oil heating systems.
Expand Funding for Residential Energy Preparation Services (REPS), weatherization of buildings.
Expand Energy Efficiency Programs to help homes and businesses save energy and money with rebates, financing, and other services for energy efficiency and clean energy improvements.
Networked Geothermal Heating Systems to replace gas and fuel oil heating systems.
Electric power:
Energy Storage with batteries and Demand Response, in which residences/businesses can reduce electricity usage and receive a rebate
Hydrogen For Port Operations and Storage: replace diesel trucks with zero emission hydrogen fueled trucks at ports.
Miscellaneous:
Food Scrap Diversion: fund cities and towns to implement food scrap diversion programs.
Plant trees in urban areas to reduce pollution, increase shade, and store carbon.
Since I joined Yankee Institute back in April, DEEP has been something of an enigma to me, creating news headlines with the frequency to suggest that they were almost a fourth branch of state government by themselves (albeit one far more insulated from public sentiment and pesky elections). This interest peaked a few months ago when DEEP brazenly insisted that there was broad public support for a ban on gas and car truck bans, despite all evidence to the contrary. So when I heard about this survey, I was intrigued.
I began filling out the survey, which laid out what the 14 benefits could achieve. When asked to “tell us about how important these emissions reductions are to you” I prioritized “affording a reliable vehicle,” and “access to a good paying job” which to me are both more important than a “lack of trees that provide shade,” among other options. Of all of the “benefits,” I am most skeptical of the potential for this program to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions to warm the planet,” since Connecticut contributes a pittance to global emissions.
After that I was asked about the “potential benefits of reducing climate pollution” for each of the 14 proposals. Of course, this assumes these benefits will actually be realized from the program. The program will indeed create “new job opportunities” (the number of jobs created from massive federal infusions of money easily creates government jobs, but doesn’t have a great track record in the private sector) until the federal money dries up. If this happens, then Connecticut may have to use state taxpayer money to fund these jobs because there is no demand for such jobs outside of federal government grants. I would love to see “decreasing energy costs” but given the rapid increases in energy costs that have coincided with adoption of green policies (like the Renewable Portfolio Standard), I’m a little skeptical this will happen.
Despite these very leading questions about the benefits of such proposals, DEEP did surprise me at two points toward the end of the survey.
“Tell us what you think are the NEGATIVE IMPACTS (disbenefits) of these measures are.” Ah yes, “disbenefits.” Or as we plebians call them “costs.” Still, this was more than I was expecting from DEEP. Perhaps the overwhelming negative response to the gas car ban made them a little more self-reflective.
I selected “Transit Bus Electrification” and wrote the following:
“Lithium ion battery fires place passengers and drivers at risk, as was seen in the Hamden electric bus fire of 2022. More research is necessary to weigh the costs and benefits of adopting electric vehicles, most especially electric buses.”
I then selected “increased adoption of heat pumps statewide” to write:
Heat pump technology is not at a point where it can replace standard heating options, like heating oil and natural gas. Forcing disadvantaged communities to rely on this technology risks the health (and perhaps even the very lives) of low-income individuals if they rely entirely on electricity to heat their homes (especially in the event of electric blackouts, which could become more frequent).
Finally, the survey asked about potential barriers to these 14 policies, which was another surprise.
Was it worth my time? That remains to be determined. These types of surveys tend to be flooded by climate zealots eager to let their voice be heard. But perhaps a few voices of reason will let money flow to the most beneficial proposals and less to the more ill-conceived ones.
You can fill out the survey here yourself until 11:59 pm on Friday, Jan.12. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CT_CPRG
Footbridge bridge at Merritt 7 train station opens to public: 'Much-needed pedestrian connection'
NORWALK — Train riders getting off at Norwalk’s Merritt 7 station are now steps away from Main Avenue and the Merritt 7 office complex, thanks to the opening of a new pedestrian bridge.
After months of delays due to supply chain issues, the pedestrian bridge opened on Wednesday, according to Connecticut’s Department of Transportation spokesperson, Josh Morgan.
“Sustainable Streets Norwalk is excited to see the bridge completed,” said Tanner Thompson, Sustainable Streets Norwalk organizer and member. “Not only will it make it substantially more convenient for employees at Merritt 7 to take the train to work, but it also gives the entire Glover Ave neighborhood a much-needed pedestrian connection to the businesses along Main Ave.”
Prior to the bridge’s opening, Merritt 7 riders took a shuttle to Main Avenue and the offices. The business complex includes Hearst Connecticut Media's offices.
“This is the first of many steps we look forward to along the way to making the entire area a walkable, transit-oriented neighborhood where Norwalkers can live car-light or car-free,” Thompson said.
To celebrate the bridge’s opening, Sustainable Street Norwalk is hosting a car-free dinner excursion on Friday. Community members, activists, and local leaders plan to meet at the South Norwalk train station to take the 6:15 p.m. train north to Merritt 7, and then head over to Brasitas on Maine Avenue for dinner.
“Sustainable Streets Norwalk is a group of Norwalk residents who believe in making Norwalk more environmentally, societally, and fiscally sustainable by reducing our reliance on automobiles,” Thompson said. “We do that by promoting walkability, bicycle transportation, public transit, urban and transit-oriented development, and urban greenery.”
Along with the pedestrian bridge, a new 500-foot, heated platform at Merritt 7 opened in June 2023.
The glass enclosed bridge’s opening was stalled because of missing glass panels that enclose the bridge and equipment for the elevators that connect people to the bridge and platform. Construction on the bridge wrapped up in December, but CDOT was waiting on official sign-offs before opening access to the public.
Supply chain issues slowed progress throughout the entire project since the groundbreaking in 2020. Originally slated to be complete by fall 2022, both the material for the platform and bridge were tied up in supply issues. Underground utilities and drainage system issues also stalled the projects.
The new platform and footbridge provide a key connection for the Merritt 7 village, according to a statement from Mayor Harry Rilling in 2021.
On one side of the track are several apartment buildings. Stamford’s Harbor Point Developers, BLT plan to add another 1,300 units along Glover Avenue in the next few years.
Merritt 7 office complex is sandwiched between the train tracks and Main Avenue. The bridge will better connect employees who commute by train to Merritt 7 offices, which is the biggest office complex in Fairfield County, according to the complex’s website.
Crews begin installing barrier at damaged Bozrah dam
John Penney
Bozrah ― Crews on Thursday morning began installing a temporary barrier at the Fitchville Pond Dam to allow for the inspection of the damaged structure ahead of Saturday’s incoming storm.
Contractors and heavy equipment were staged across from Stockhouse Road where they expected to spend the next two days constructing a cofferdam, a waterproof enclosure made of industrial-sized sandbags that will safely allow inspectors to view a section of dam that failed Wednesday.
Charles Lee, assistant director of dam safety for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the cofferdam’s placement will also relieve water pressure being exerted on the approximately 180-year-old dam.
“Trees will be cleared today to allow a crane to get in there and hoist the sandbags into place in the water,” Lee said on Thursday. “We hope to have that cofferdam in place by Friday.”
Leaks discovered in the left abutment of the Yantic River dam led officials to issue evacuation orders to about a dozen area businesses on Wednesday.
Under state order, the dam’s owner, Seymour’s Sand and Stone of Bozrah, laid a pile of support stones as a stop-gap measure next to the damaged section of the dam and Bozrah firefighters monitored the dam overnight.
Bozrah First Selectman Glenn Pianka on Thursday said the river water had receded and there were no further reports of dam leakage.
State officials said the dam owners have a history of not complying with state regulations to inspect the dam every two years and have not filed a recent required emergency action plan.
Pianka said he expected certain “pressure would be exerted” on the dam’s owner to address the barrier’s condition, which is listed as a “high hazard potential” structure, the worst of five categories that indicate the potential for a dam failure, after the DEEP inspection concludes.
Seymour Adelman, owner of Seymour’s Sand and Stone, could not be reached to comment on Thursday.
As the cofferdam work progressed, town and state officials were tracking another round of heavy rain expected to hit the area on Saturday morning.
“The only thing in our favor about that storm is we don’t expect it to be as heavy as there’s no more snowmelt,” Pianka said.
The National Weather Service is calling for up to 2 inches of rain on Friday night for the Norwich area with an additional chance of showers Saturday morning.
Assessing flood damage in Norwich
A few miles away in Norwich, sandbags were still piled up in front of stores located in the flood-prone Norwichtown area.
At the Details Hair Studio off New London Turnpike, owners Heidi and Parris Duff were assessing the damage their store sustained after the Yantic River crested its banks and flowed into the Norwichtown Commons plaza on Wednesday.
On an exterior wall of the salon, Parris Duff had etched a “high water” mark about 5 feet from the silty ground and marked it with Wednesday’s date.
Inside, Heidi Duff took inventory of the water-blighted space. She pointed to a portable “door dam” barrier she bought in 2021 but kept boxed until this week.
“By Wednesday morning, the waters were crashing over the barrier, through the door and coming up to my thighs,” she said.
The Duffs moved into the storefront in 2009 and recently completed a basement renovation. The couple planned to wash and rinse the floors on Thursday ahead their landlord conducting a more thorough clean-up job after the Saturday storm.
“Then we’ll get a dumpster and start pitching equipment and going through the rental equipment we got for our hairdressing classes,” Heidi Duff said.
The Yantic River levels hit 14.2 feet in Norwich on Wednesday, approaching the all-time record of 14.9 feet, as parking lots began to resemble swimming pools.
On Thursday, the standing water was gone, replaced by a thick slurry of mud and leaves. A trio of ducks placidly paddled in a section of river fronting the Stop & Shop Supermarket off Town Street.
Mayor Peter Nystrom said the river levels were expected to continue dropping Thursday night.
“Which is important as we’re expected to get more rain over the weekend,” he said. “And we’re grateful we’ve got a couple of days before that happens – and there’s no more snowmelt. There were towns upstream that had up to 6 inches of snow to contend with.”
Fire Chief Tracy Montoya, the city’s emergency management director, said the river level was at 6.4 feet as of 10:45 a.m. on Thursday and expected to decline over the next 24 to 30 hours.
“Then it’s predicted to pick-up again Friday night and Saturday morning and peak at 7.5 feet, which is well-below the action stage,” he said, noting 11 feet marks the “major flood stage” for the river.
Flooding concerns prompted the evacuation of roughly 500 residents and businesses on Wednesday from the Yantic River flood zone. That order was lifted Wednesday afternoon. Nystrom said the city employs a reverse-911 system to automatically alert residents to such emergencies.
“That same system let people know when it was safe to go back home,” Nystrom said.
He said the city is “keenly aware” of the damage suffered by local business owners, including those in a West Town Street plaza that houses the popular Dixie Donuts shop.
“The first step is for businesses to contact their insurance companies, but I plan to go out myself and gauge the damage,” he said, adding U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, is expected to tour the damage on Friday.
Nystrom said Norwich officials are keeping a close eye on the cofferdam construction and praised Pianka’s response to the emergency.
“Our towns did the right thing yesterday,” he said
Bridgeport lawmakers seek state money for soccer stadium, but Lamont isn't convinced
ALEX PUTTERMAN, BRIAN LOCKHART, KEN DIXON
A Connecticut businessman wants state money to fund a new waterfront professional soccer stadium in Bridgeport, and local lawmakers say they're firmly behind the project.
At least one important decision-maker, however, isn't quite convinced — Gov. Ned Lamont.
Asked Thursday about the prospect of public funding for the new stadium, which would host a team in MLS Next Pro, a feeder minor league associated with Major League Soccer, Lamont sounded skeptical.
"I am pretty cautious about that," Lamont said. "But look, if the (private investors) really think that this is an amazing thing, and they’ve got the rights to professional soccer, they want to do that in Bridgeport, that’s wonderful, and go for it."
The governor is a Democrat, as are the members of Bridgeport's legislative delegation and the city's mayor, Joe Ganim.
On Tuesday, tech entrepreneur Andre Swanston announced he'd been awarded an MLS Next Pro franchise, as part of a long-term plan to bring high-level professional soccer to Bridgeport first announced in October. The team, called Connecticut United Football Club, would play in a new stadium Swanston hopes to build on the lower East Side along along the Pequonnock River, currently home to the vacant Winners Shoreline Star off-track betting facility.
Swanston says the stadium will be mostly privately financed, but that the project "absolutely needs" state support as well. In an interview earlier this week with Hearst Connecticut Media Group he wouldn't say how much funding he was seeking, but noted the state has helped finance similar projects, including stadium renovations for Hartford Athletic, another minor-league soccer team.
In announcing the new team, Swanston cited an estimate from the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at the University of Connecticut that the proposed stadium would generate over $4 billion in economic impact over the next 25 years, creating more than 2,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs.
"What I can say confidently is that this project would be a higher percentage of private funding than any other recent kind of sports or entertainment project in the state and based on UConn's analysis would have the highest economic impact," Swanston said.
In a statement Tuesday for Swanston's announcement, Lamont said the new team would "invigorate our economy, inspire our youth, and unite our diverse soccer-loving population" but did not commit to state funding for a stadium.
Economic research has often cast doubt on the wisdom of public money for sports stadiums, which have been found to cost cities and states more than they generate in revenue, while creating few full-time jobs and driving far less economic activity than is typically promised. In many cases, economists argue, money spent on tickets and concessions is money that would otherwise be spent elsewhere in the economy, making a stadium's economic impact largely illusory.
Supporters of new stadiums counter that sports teams generate civic pride and improve a city's image, while providing entertainment for local residents.
In an interview Thursday, Sen. Herron Gaston, a Democrat representing Stratford and Bridgeport, said a new soccer team would "help revitalize Bridgeport, and it's going to put Bridgeport on the map, not just regionally, but I think globally." The subject of public funding for the project could come up during a legislative session set to begin next month.
"I am just incredibly enthusiastic and geeked about this unique opportunity that's going to be housed right here at Bridgeport," Gaston said.
Ganim has vocally supported the stadium project, appearing with Swanston Tuesday and calling the proposal "a great thing for Bridgeport."
John Gomes, a former supporter and ex-employee of the mayor’s who will face Ganim again in a primary rematch later this month, said Thursday he also welcomes the idea but still wants to hear more details.
"There’s a lot of things that need to be put in place," Gomes said, noting Bridgeport, particularly under Ganim, has a history of trumpeting new projects that eventually fall through. "You have to bring some meat to the project for it to be treated [as] viable and not just a stunt."
While a new concert amphitheater has been built since Ganim's 2015 election to office, major proposals he touted during reelection campaigns, including private developers renovating a pair of shuttered downtown theaters and a downtown ice skating complex, quietly died.
State Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport, said the city's legislative delegation was "dedicated to help as much as possible" with the effort to bring soccer to Bridgeport. Felipe said he knows how much money Swanston would likely seek from the state, but declined to share specific figures without the developer's authorization.
"It all depends on where we’re going from here," he said. "If we’re talking MLS Next Pro it wouldn’t be that huge a number. But once we commit at some point to a larger venture of a Major League Soccer team, then we’re asking for some really big dollars. But I think the transformational impact of what those dollars will bring is well, well worth it."
Felipe, whose district includes the proposed stadium site, said funding could come from state bonding or the state's Community Investment Fund, depending on the preference of legislative leaders. The CIF is an $875 million pot of money established by Connecticut lawmakers in 2021 to funnel aid to projects that benefit underserved and marginalized communities. Felipe, who sits on the CIF board, said his preference would be for Swanston to look elsewhere.
State funding for the new stadium will likely face pushback from lawmakers who either don't support public money for sports venues or who believe Bridgeport has already received enough state support in recent years. Felipe acknowledged Bridgeport has in the past year seen significant state investment to help plug a sizeable municipal budget hole, renovate the indoor entertainment/sports arena, and demolish the shuttered coal-fired power plant. Plus amphitheater developer Howard Saffan late last year said he wants state aid to build a new, smaller Bridgeport music venue.
"I know the governor has been very gracious in giving us good amounts of money for a lot of big projects," Felipe said. But, he continued, that shouldn't stop the city from seeking further resources.
"Bridgeport should definitely ask for everything we deserve," Felipe said. "We need to form this new identity as the entertainment capital of Connecticut, and I think we’re on track to do that, but we need the state to recognize that."
Bridgeport sets aside prime site for proposed soccer stadium park
BRIDGEPORT — A prime but contaminated piece of East Side municipal property where a city-based developer has been hoping to erect housing and a restaurant would instead be re-purposed as a park in a new plan for a possible soccer stadium.
In 2021 the city's economic development department issued requests for proposals for the former AGI rubber factory site at 141 Stratford Ave., prominently situated on the edge of downtown along the Pequonnock River and just over Interstate 95 from the Steelpointe harborfront redevelopment. Abandoned for years the AGI building became well known for catching fire.
Partners Anthony Stewart, an East End developer, and Zulfi Jafri of Darien responded with a vision for a 10-story building with 200 units of market-rate and affordably priced apartments, plus retail, including an International House of Pancakes or IHOP restaurant.
“It’s a beautiful project,” Stewart had said in an interview two years ago.
But on Wednesday Economic Development Director Thomas Gill confirmed that effort is dead. He said his office is now focused on incorporating the 141 Stratford Ave. parcel into a proposed professional soccer stadium next door that was announced in October by a different developer, Andre Swanston.
Gill said it would be used as a "community green area" and also provide easier and more direct pedestrian access to the sports complex from Stratford Avenue and the downtown train and bus stations. The stadium would go on privately owned land behind AGI along Kossuth Street where the former Winners Shoreline Star off-track betting facility operated before closing in September 2021.
"That's the direction we're moving in now," Gill said. He said Stewart had previously been apprised of the decision.
But as of Tuesday Stewart said in an interview that he understood the soccer project to be "hypothetical" and thought his proposal remained in play. That was the same day Swanston held a press conference announcing he had been awarded a minor league team to call Bridgeport home should the stadium, which he wants to eventually be associated with Major League Soccer, get built. Stewart said he was not aware of or invited to that announcement.
Then in a subsequent interview Wednesday Stewart said he had been contacted earlier that day by economic development and given the news that the city would not be partnering with him.
"I'm happy that they're trying to bring the stadium in because I think that's for the greater good for all of us here in Bridgeport," Stewart said, while admitting his disappointment.
"I'm a businessman. I wanted to build a building. I wanted to do the deal," he said.
"We did try to work on that project," Gill said. "It just wasn't coming together and we advised him."
While Stewart said he just this week learned that the AGI land was included in the soccer stadium proposal, documents filed last fall with the zoning department indicated as such. On Nov. 27 the zoning commission approved the redevelopment plan for the sports complex submitted by Swanston, a tech entrepreneur.
Swanston's zoning application specifically notes the incorporation of 141 Stratford Ave. Swanston, who still needs to purchase the necessary Kossuth Street land, would also need to acquire AGI from the city.
"There's various options," Gill said Wednesday about that possible arrangement. "It could be a lease with an option to buy. It could be an outright purchase."
He said whatever the decision, it will require a vote of the City Council.
“We've been working with the economic development department in the city for a couple of years now, in terms of figuring out how to incorporate that, and that's the part that we would turn into a community green," Swanston said in an interview this week on AGI. "So we would have a mini pitch (sports field) where neighborhood kids could play soccer as well as open green space."
He continued, "And what that does is it more connects that neighborhood with downtown and cuts the walk to the train station. So even just forgetting the stadium and the project and the convenience that would bring for fans, it is also just a big benefit to the neighborhood as well.”
As for Stewart's alternative apartment building and IHOP, Gill said, "We had numerous meetings on it and things just did not materialize relative to it." He noted negotiations were never finalized to the point where there was any sort of contract prepared for the City Council to review and approve.
Gill also insisted that turning the AGI acreage into a park is not a missed development opportunity for the city because Swanston is also proposing eventually erecting housing, restaurants and a hotel adjacent to the stadium.
"It really makes sense to develop this as a whole ... as opposed to having a smaller parcel in front with a totally different architectural aspect to it and so forth," Gill said.
Either way, there is still the matter of preparing the contaminated former rubber factory land for any type of improvement, even just open space.
In late 2022 the city was denied a request for $8.1 million in state funds to prepare the AGI land for construction by: completing the environmental cleanup there; raising the land so it will not flood when the Pequonnock overflows; building a seawall; and constructing a public accessway along the water.
Gill on Wednesday said even if the property is now going to be a park, "You still have to do all those things to bring the site clean of contamination, bring it up to standards. ... We certainly would continue to try to get funding to do this and, depending on the amount, it could also be part of negotiations with the soccer people."
Stewart admitted Wednesday he "wouldn't be too surprised" if some issues he has had with another high-profile project may have also impacted his effort to strike a deal with the economic development office for AGI.
He was tapped by the city in 2018 to revitalize a portion of Stratford Avenue in the East End between Newfield and Central Avenues into a mix of residential and retail, including a supermarket. That project, dubbed Honey Locust Square, has faced significant delays and cost overruns, the latter of which the state provided $3.5 million last spring to rectify. Stewart has blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and is now aiming for an "April-ish, May-ish" completion date.
"But by the same token, when I deliver (Honey Locust Square) I put all that concern to rest," Stewart said. "Now you become really strong in the eyes of the city because you did a really hard thing."
In contrast, he said, redeveloping AGI for him would have been easier because "it's a good location." And, he added, having a soccer stadium next door "makes my plans even more realistic, more plausible.”
But, he concluded, he will remain focused on his work in the East End and getting Honey Locust Square finished and open.
"I'm not stopping," Stewart said.
West Haven officials approve 150-unit mixed-use project for Boston Post Road
WEST HAVEN — The city's Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday approved a mixed-use development project on Boston Post Road that would include 150 residential units and ground-level retail space.
A similar proposal was rejected in summer 2021, when commissioners declined to allow for an Incentive Housing Zone that would have made the project easier to fund for the developer. Commissioners and Allingtown neighborhood residents said they felt adding housing was inappropriate on the retail corridor and would not comply with the city's Plan of Conservation and Development.
The proposal approved Tuesday did not request any incentive housing and will add 150 units of market-rate housing in addition to retail space closer to the Boston Post Road. Currently, a liquor store and a vacant former nightclub sit near the street on either end of the lot while Universal Hotel Liquidators sits at the back of the lot, far from the road and with a large parking lot in front. Under the plans approved Tuesday, the rear building would remain operational, but two L-shaped buildings, connected above a double driveway, with residential and retail units would be built closer to the road over some of the vacant and abandoned lot space.
Engineer Robert Wheway told commissioners that the development would take place on about one-third of the site.
Yisroel Teitelbaum, a member of developer 855 Orange Avenue LLC, said the housing would be a benefit to residents seeking different housing options, such as downsizing retired couples. However, he said the development is intended to be especially attractive to retail clients. Teitelbaum said he would be "flexible" on commercial clients and is working to find tenants.
“The city has to be attractable” for commercial clients, he said. "I think this will provide an opportunity."
Although Commissioner John Biancur noted that the city's POCD does not call for housing density on the Boston Post Road, some commissioners said they felt the proposed development would meet the city's development needs.
Commissioner Greg Milano said that, although the POCD does not specifically call for or encourage residential development, the plans nevertheless support the city's vision of commercial development and promote all of the city's goals.
"It fits in with the character of the area as far as I'm concerned," said Commissioner Michael Todd Taylor. "I think it can bring enhanced development."
Commissioner Gene Sullivan said he believed the project, as proposed, would "enhance the Boston Post Road" and visually ties in well with the University of New Haven.
Brian Miller, the city's planning consultant, said retail development is on the wane for various reasons, and mixed-use development has been an attractive and effective solution in many other cities.
Sullivan inquired how soon after an approval construction might begin; architect Sam Gardner said there is at minimum six months of planning that would need to take place before construction could begin.
The proposal passed by majority, with Biancur abstaining.
Canton approves development of 54 new multifamily residential units on Dowd Avenue
CANTON — Canton is moving forward with a development that includes 54 new multifamily residential units and will be located on the north side of Dowd Avenue.
After an hours-long public hearing on Jan. 10, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved two separate site plans for the 3.1-acre site at 38 Dowd Ave. and 42 Dowd Ave.
The first plan, which was submitted in October, is solely residential, with 30 one-bedroom units and 24 two-bedroom units.
The second plan contains an option for 6,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor of the frontage buildings, and is in line with zoning regulations that prohibits residential uses on the ground floor in any Canton Village building that fronts a state route. The plan includes 2,400 square feet of retail space and 3,600 for office space. This mixed-use option also includes a total of 54 apartment units, with 40 one-bedroom units and 14 two-bedroom units.
But in November, the original plan was modified to include a zoning text amendment that would limit the prohibition of ground floor residential uses to Route 44 properties, and therefore allow the residential-only site plan on Dowd Avenue to be in line with regulations.
The amendment was approved at the meeting, and because of the November modify date, the purely residential development would be subject to the town's affordability requirement, commission member Michael Vogel said at the meeting. The requirement went into effect on Oct. 10 and requires 15 percent of units in new residential developments to be income restricted.
The mixed-use development is not subject to the affordability requirement, according to Town Planner Neil Pade.
“The application is providing the P&Z the option of approving a mixed-use development, within the residential portion of Dowd Avenue, or approving a pure residential development within the primary residential area," according to the application.
And because both plans comply with regulations, either could be built, according to the town planner.
The property is owned by Canton resident Frank Zacchera, who also owns and lives on the abutting land to the north.
He indicated that the project will be up for sale so there is no timeline or schedule for construction at this time, according to the town planner, and it will be up to the developer to decide which one to build.
The development will comprise three buildings, two facing Dowd Avenue and one interior building behind the front buildings.
The properties that would be affected by this proposal are located in Canton Village (Canton Village Design Village District), and identified as “Mixed Use Opportunity Areas” and “Potential Opportunity Locations," according to town documents.
The site, which is unoccupied and undeveloped land, is bounded on the east by the Canton Village Condominiums, on the south by Dowd Avenue and on the west and north by single family homes.
“The multifamily housing use will act as a transition to single family homes further west," according to the application, "and the commercial will, per the zoning requirement, extend the use westward on Dowd Avenue."
At Wednesday's public hearing and over the past few months since the project was proposed, multiple residents have expressed concerns with the proposed development, citing issues like traffic, overdevelopment and stormwater drainage.
“It seems that all of a sudden we are building a very large amount of apartment complexes in a very short amount of time,” wrote Gregory Evans in an email to the town on Oct. 21.
Some residents said at the public hearing that Dowd Avenue was at risk of becoming more congested and unsafe.
“Once a nice quiet residential street, it is now a traffic laden thruway to and from Collinsville to Route 44, to Canton Village and to Commerce Drive,” wrote Patricia Gorecki on Dec. 12.
Vogel said during the meeting that the traffic concerns brought up mainly had to do with the existing situation, and that it didn’t seem like the development would materially add to that.
He also talked about compliance with the town's plan of conservation and development, and that this project was exactly the sort of development that was contemplated in this area.
"Canton Village is an important economic center of the town," according to town documents regarding the application. "Infill and redevelopment have been encouraged in this area to support its buildout as a Village Center under the CVDVD."
Dominion seeks to extend licenses to operate Millstone power plant until 2055-65
Lee Howard
Waterford ― More than a decade before its licenses are set to expire for the two Millstone nuclear stations it owns locally, Dominion Energy has filed a notice with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it intends to seek approval to run the plants for many years to come.
In a letter to the NRC dated Dec. 20, Dominion’s vice president of nuclear engineering and fleet support, James E. Holloway, stated that the company, along with partners Green Mountain Power Corp. and Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co., plans to apply for a license extension of 20 years for both Millstone 2 and Millstone 3.
The older Millstone 2 plant’s license currently runs through July 31, 2035, while the newer Millstone 3’s license will not expire until Nov. 25, 2045. The plants currently account for about a third of the town’s tax revenue, or about $36 million a year, according to Dominion calculations.
Michael O’Connor, site vice president of Millstone Power Station, said in an email that Dominion’s notification to the NRC does not necessarily commit it to running the power stations through the licensure periods, which would extend to 2055 for Millstone 2 and 2065 for Millstone 3.
“Although we have no plans to do so at this time, the plants can be removed from service permanently any time during this period,” he said. “Currently, we have no plans to close the plant as long as it is economically feasible to operate it. It is critical for both the New England region and our company.”
O’Connor went on to explain that the license-renewal process will include assessments of the plants’ key safety systems to ensure the “ongoing viability” of the nuclear plants, which are regularly overhauled and maintained.
“Components needed to safely and reliably generate electricity are in a life cycle management process,” he said. “As equipment ages or becomes obsolete it is replaced with new components."
According to the NRC’s website, license renewal applications must address a wide range of potential issues, including environmental effects and safety compliance.
“An applicant must address the technical aspects of plant aging and describe how those effects will be managed,” the website said. “The NRC will renew a license only if it determines that a currently operating plant will continue to maintain the required level of safety.”
O’Connor said the notice to the NRC came early to allow the agency sufficient time to review all the materials about the plant that have to be provided by Dominion in the license-renewal process. No formal license renewal application will be submitted until 2025 at the earliest, he added, and a decision could come as late as 2035.
“The applications are a significant effort for the station because the internal review and documentation that will be supplied to the NRC with the application is extensive,” he said.
Dominion said in its letter to the NRC that it will inform the agency of any changes in the expected license renewal filing. O’Connor said the public will have multiple opportunities to weigh in on the license renewal.
First Selectman Rob Brule could not be reached to comment about a possible Millstone license renewal.
“Shortly after the NRC receives a renewal application, a public meeting is held near the plant,” the NRC’s website said. “Additional public meetings are held by the NRC during the review of the renewal application. NRC evaluations, findings and recommendations are published and posted on the NRC’s website when completed.”
Also, the public may petition the NRC to take into consideration factors other than aging as the renewal process is still going on. More information about the process can be found at NRC.gov.
Dam at Middletown's Pameacha Pond breaks during storm, officials say
MIDDLETOWN — A section of the Pameacha Pond dam broke open Tuesday night during a storm that battered the state with heavy rain and wind, officials said Wednesday.
City Public Works Director Chris Holden said a 4- to 6-foot section of the wall broke along the approximately 80-foot dam. He said they were getting equipment together to patch it up Thursday, including concrete road barriers they would use to replace the missing section.
Holden said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was notified of the break.
Notably, the storm Tuesday night also caused the dam holding Fitchville Pond on the Yantic River in Bozrah to fail, causing evacuation orders downstream in Norwich, as well as school closures.
As for the partial break in the Pameacha Pond dam, "I don’t believe there’s going to be any substantial flooding," Holden said.
Howard Weissberg, the city's deputy director of public works, noted the city already had approved the replacement or restoration of the 150-year-old dam earlier this year. He said they are requesting $5 million for the construction component of that work, and design will cost more.
Weissberg said the city has sought federal and state funding for the project, but it has not been approved thus far.
The brownstone dam was privately built for the former Wilcox, Crittenden & Co. factory, city officials said, adding a 1980 report by the Army Corps of Engineers estimated the structure was built in 1870. At the time, the dam was the factory's primary source of water power.
“Repair would be the ideal,” Mayor Ben Florsheim said in April, “but it’s not likely that that’s going to be feasible. This is a dam that is far gone and needs to be fully replaced,” referring to advice from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which issued the city a consent order to do the dam work in 2018.
Residents have voiced support for replacing the dam in order to bring the water line up to their historical levels in order to make it a more viable public park.
Construction’s biggest staffing struggles for 2024
Construction’s labor struggles will continue in 2024, and it’s not just due to the number of new jobs set to break ground. The reasons for a lack of skilled applicants this year are many.
For instance, even as the industry’s workforce ages, it fails to draw in new workers to train. Hard-to-reach jobsites create challenges for workers in need of transportation or childcare, and some craftworkers fail drug tests, making them ineligible for work.
Here are some of the top hurdles to staffing in construction in 2024, and what experts say to do about them.
A lack of experience
One of the top issues facing hiring managers is that many candidates do not have the right skills or experience to work in the construction industry, according to a survey conducted by Associated General Contractors of America last year.
In addition, many of the industry’s experienced, trained workers will soon age out. The median age of construction workers has risen, and nearly half of construction workers are older than 45, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Contractors cannot find qualified workers to deliver projects
Percentage of AGC respondents who said why they are having a hard time filling available positions.
To mitigate that in the long term, industry leaders have turned to advocating for construction as a career alternative to college for young students.
“We need to get construction as a very good career opportunity into the minds of elementary age children, junior high, high school,” said George Pfeffer, CEO of Redwood City, California-based DPR Construction. Pfeffer said DPR has begun visiting third-grade classrooms, as studies indicate 9- and 10-year-olds make decisions on their future that early.
But in the meantime, getting workers up to speed may mean shortening training windows and focusing on technology.
“I see some changes too in the speed to training. That’s where I see the shift happening,” said Jacob Snyder, chief operating officer of Cincinnati-based industrial contractor Enerfab. “It takes time, but we’ll develop that workforce. It’s being able to do it where we might have had a four-year apprenticeship before figuring out how to do it in two years.”
A way to get there, Snyder believes, is relying on digital tools for training, easier-to-read 3D models and advanced tools that can curb human error.
Transportation challenges
Over a quarter of respondents to the AGC survey said potential employees reported difficulty acquiring transportation to and from work. With the nature of construction work requiring physical presence on the job to deliver the final product, that poses a real problem.
Snyder said large infrastructure and manufacturing projects bolster the industry, but the location of them poses a great challenge.
“Those jobs require lots and lots of people and we’re finding that local markets typically can’t support that alone. We’re having to bring people from other places, and that’s not as easy as it used to be to get people that are willing to be away from home,” he said.
Some employers have tried incentivizing carpooling or providing shuttles, but even then, a long commute can be a roadblock to retaining workers — especially when jobsites change from project to project.
In the Bay Area, it’s not uncommon for workers to commute two hours each way, Pfeffer said. Nonetheless, DPR has offered fuel incentives and less stringent scheduling as a means of alleviating the pressure of getting to work.
Childcare woes
Another major factor that limits workers is the need for flexible, quality childcare. Available services don’t always meet the needs of construction workers, who may need to arrive early or stay late. One in four respondents to the AGC survey reported workers needed flexibility with work schedules to help them with childcare or care of another family member.
Danielle Harshman, executive director of the Iron Worker Employers Association of Western Pennsylvania, said she had heard examples of major projects implementing onsite childcare, but they were often a one-off and not a one-size-fits-all solution.
For office workers, hybrid or remote options have grown more prevalent since the COVID-19 pandemic — some employees see the option to work from home as more valuable than an 8% raise — but for tradesworkers, it simply isn’t an option.
Drug use
As the industry continues to deal with the opioid epidemic and construction in particular faces a mental health crisis where workers often turn to both legal and illegal substances, finding workers that can pass drug tests can pose a challenge, too.
“Drug testing can be a hurdle sometimes,” Harshman said. “It’s a real thing.”
In fact, one-third of respondents to the AGC survey said their potential workers often can’t pass drug tests.
Regulations legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use have put employers in a tricky position, Harshman said. Owners or contractors may mandate drug tests if they choose, but they are not required to do so. Even though federal government contractors performing work for $100,000 or more must have a drug-free workplace policy, that doesn’t require drug testing.
And drug testing isn’t about monitoring workers’ activity in their free time, but rather maintaining workplace safety. Until there’s a solid measure of current impairment — how high a person is at a given moment — a drug test is the only metric, so it can be a deal breaker, Harshman said.
She said it’s a safety issue.
“It’s just no different than you can’t be drunk on a jobsite or using other opiates and things like that,” Harshman said. “So it’s hard when people say, ‘Well, I picked this over working.’ I’m not sure sometimes how that mindset goes, but it is a hurdle.”
Contractors can’t change the location of jobsites, can’t control what workers do in their private time and can’t instantly train new employees to bring them up to speed. So, in 2024, what can employers do?
The short answer is higher pay and attractive culture, said Aaron Faulk, construction practice leader at Seattle-based accounting firm Moss Adams.
“The baseline is you got to have a competitive fee pay structure,” Faulk said. “First and foremost, if you’re hiring in this market, you say, ‘Look, I gotta be competitive on just the overall benefits package. And I have to be able to educate people as to what my package looks like in comparison to the rest of the industry.’”
From there, Faulk said, employers need to articulate the culture of the organization and opportunities for advancement. Every industry will have challenges to overcome when it comes to hiring, so building an organization that workers can believe in and will make an impact will make a big difference.
Pfeffer said DPR carried out a major cultural shift recently. After COVID-19 had altered so many aspects of its business, Pfeffer said he spent nearly four full months in 2022 on the road talking to office and craftworkers employed by DPR to better understand their needs, and beginning this year, the company revamped its benefits package.
“On [Jan. 1] we revamped our entire benefits program and gave paid PTO, paid holiday time, bereavement leave, so our benefits are extremely similar, whether you’re admin or craft, or no matter where you are in the country,” Pfeffer said.
Asked if the shift had worked, Pfeffer said, “I’m just embarrassed we didn’t do it earlier.”