CT Construction Digest Thursday May 12, 2022
New Canaan couple donates $20 million for Norwalk Hospital expansion
NORWALK — Carol Bauer described Norwalk Hospital as “the health care monument on the hill,” and with a $20 million donation from her and her husband George, the facility is about to see a monumental expansion.
The New Canaan couple’s contribution will help Norwalk Hospital construct and renovate the new 188,000-square-foot Patient Pavilion, the largest expansion project in the hospital’s history. The project is the centerpiece of “Building Our Future. Together. The Campaign for Norwalk Hospital,” a $250 million investment over the next five years by Nuvance Health for the Norwalk Hospital community.
“It positions us well for the future. It’s such a great reflection of the Bauers’ longstanding commitment to the community,” Dr. John Murphy, president and CEO of Nuvance Health, said Wednesday at an event to announce the donation. “I also think it will serve as a catalyst to a lot of other donors in the community to come forward and commit to the hospital’s bright future.”
Carol Bauer echoed his sentiments, also seeing Wednesday’s announcement as a kick-off for the community to take part in the campaign.
The new patient pavilion will feature 60 single-bed private rooms, a new labor and delivery unit, a 17-bed postpartum unit and a new newborn intensive care unit (NICU), a state-of-the-art intensive care unit (ICU) and step-down unit, and the latest medical equipment and technology, according to Nuvance Health.
The campaign will also support renovations through the hospital and its outpatient facilities, and a deeper investment in staffing and community-based health care programs, according to Nuvance Health.
George Bauer noted that some of the buildings date back to the 1920s and “really are in bad need of repair.”
“It’s oftentimes better to replace than repair and that’s what we’re doing,” Bauer said of the hospital’s initiative to re-balance its inpatient and outpatient services across the facility.
In past years, the Bauers helped to establish the Jeffrey Peter Bauer Newborn Intensive Care Unit in memory of their infant son, the Bauer Emergency Care Center, and the Carol Bauer Nursing Scholarship.
Carol Bauer also served on the hospital’s Board of Trustees for 19 years and was the first woman elected as board chair. She has volunteered at the hospital for over 40 years and is a certified chaplain. George Bauer serves on the Board of Directors for the hospital and both have served on the Norwalk Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.
“We are forever grateful to Carol and George Bauer, who have dedicated their lives to serving others. They continuously take action to ensure their neighbors have access to the best possible health and wellness services,” Peter R. Cordeau, president of Norwalk Hospital, said in a statement.
The Bauers’ gift will directly benefit the hospital departments of cardiovascular, cancer, emergency medicine, surgery and women’s health services, according to Cordeau.
“We are incredibly honored by the Bauers’ incredible investment in health care for this community. We’re only able to make this expansion a reality through the generosity of our community, and their leadership gift will set the stage for others to follow. They’re not only incredibly generous philanthropists, they truly believe in this community,” said Grace Linhard, chief development officer of Nuvance Health.
Other community members committed to supporting the Bauer Family Patient Pavilion project through philanthropy and leadership include Nancy and Eugene Beard, Len DiNardo and family, Christian J. and Eva Trefz, and Gregory D. Smith, who is the campaign co-chair with George Bauer.
Stamford, Norwalk gain big in ‘earth-shattering’ change to how CT refunds new school buildings
STAMFORD — Stamford and Norwalk elected officials have long demanded greater state funding for school projects without much luck, so it’s not surprising they were floored when they heard the state changed the rules and gave them a huge bump in school project reimbursement rates.
“The fact that this has happened is unbelievable,” said Stamford Superintendent Tamu Lucero during a news conference outside Westhill High School Wednesday afternoon.
Lucero was surrounded by a large congregation of elected officials from both Norwalk and Stamford, almost all of whom said the increase in state funding would be a huge boon for the area.
While the most commonly used word was “transformative,” Richard Freedman, chairman of the Stamford Board of Finance, used another word: “earth-shattering.”
Representatives spent much of the event — called to formally announce the change — patting each other on the back for the work. But the people most commonly mentioned as the two leading the brigade in Hartford were State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and State Sen. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford.
Through their advocacy, they were able to convince Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, to include three provisions into a budgetary bill that was passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont this week, the officials said.
Two of the provisions target specific projects in both Norwalk and Stamford, granting an 80 percent state reimbursement rate for new buildings.
But the one that got much of the praise was a change to the state’s base construction reimbursement rate that now includes the size of the district in calculating how much money the state will reimburse a district for upgrading and building its schools.
Under the new rules, the state’s reimbursement rate for new school construction in both Stamford and Norwalk will be 60 percent for the next 25 years, much higher than the 20 percent rate in Stamford and the 23 percent in Norwalk currently in place.
State funding for construction projects is based on a formula tied to a municipality’s wealth. In essence, the poorest municipalities in Connecticut get the highest reimbursement rates while wealthier communities receive a smaller reimbursement percentage.
The new framework will provide much more funding for Stamford’s ambitious master plan to build or expand four schools, including a potential new K-8 school in south Stamford, and make improvements to many others. The estimated cost to implement the full plan is more than $500 million over 12 years.
In Norwalk, where no new school has been built in 50 years, the story is about the same. Officials there are working on a 25-year school facilities plan that would cost about $500 million as well.
In a separate section of the bill, the reimbursement rate for a new Westhill High School was set at 80 percent. The cost of construction is estimated at $258 million, according to figures from the state’s Department of Administrative Services. At the 80 percent rate, Stamford would receive a contribution of roughly $206 million.
That’s a far cry from the 20 percent rate the state had agreed to pay late last year, which would have covered $51.6 million of the work.
The current 50-year-old Westhill High School has had a variety of problems, including water damage from leaky roofs, windows, doorways and the exterior. The plan is to build a new school on the same site and then demolish the existing building once the new one is complete.
Multiple schools in Stamford have dealt with mold issues in the past four years, with one school — Westover Magnet Elementary School — even shuttering for two years.
“Can you imagine coming to school every day and there’s mold, things are falling apart,” Miller said. “Now these students are going to be able to go to a good, healthy school.”
The last of the three items is an increase in funding for Norwalk High School, which was approved for 80 percent funding in 2020, but the cost of the project has since grown. State officials agreed to pay an increased amount to account for the growing price tag for the school.
After the news conference, Looney said the reason state legislators were able to approve the higher reimbursement rates for Norwalk and Stamford was due to the state’s current financial situation.
“The obstacles in the past were the huge deficits we were experiencing in the last 14 years or so,” he said. “We were in cutting-and-scaling-back mode rather than advancing. We recognized the need for some time, but we were finally able to meet it this year.”
He described this year’s state budget as a chance to “catch up” to the postponed spending.
“It’s a matter of equity here for both Stamford and Norwalk and we needed to get this done because these schools are so critical for the future of the state,” he said.
According to Miller, the idea to ask for a 60 percent reimbursement rate for both cities was the brainchild of Duff.
“I think Westhill is probably about in the same condition as our high school is, which is tired and old and really in need of a new facility and this is going to be so great for so many students over the years,” Duff said.
Among cities with a population of at least 80,000, Norwalk and Stamford’s reimbursement rate is well below that of other municipalities. Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford and Waterbury have rates that range from 67 to 70 percent. Danbury has a rate of 53 percent for new construction.
“No community, especially urban communities in this state, can build new schools or renovate schools as new with a reimbursement rate that is so low,” Duff said.
He later added, “This will impact generations of students and give them the schools that they deserve and taxpayers will save hundreds of millions of dollars in each community and they will see their property values rise at the same time.”
Lucero spoke briefly during the event and at one point turned to Duff.
“Senator Duff, I don’t know you, but I love you,” she said.
City finalizing property acquisition for South Norwalk school
NORWALK — The new South Norwalk neighborhood school could have its permanent home secured as soon as next month.
The city is finalizing terms with the property owner, who has requested the location be kept confidential until the sale is complete, according to Alan Lo, Norwalk Facilities and Building Manager. Lo anticipates the city will bring the final contracts for Common Council review and approval next month.
“I think early June, I would be requesting a special meeting,” he told the Land Use and Building Management committee last week.
The property was submitted to the state and “reviewed with no outstanding comments,” according to Dan Phillips, the project manager with Construction Solutions Group. Phillips said the first phase of an environmental study has been completed and a second phase study is underway.
Lo also plans to ask the Board of Estimation and Taxation for a special appropriation of $4 million for the project, which would appropriate the remainder of the $76 million the city recaptured from closing out two previous school construction projects in January.
The property was submitted to the state and “reviewed with no outstanding comments,” according to Dan Phillips, the project manager with Construction Solutions Group. Phillips said the first phase of an environmental study has been completed and a second phase study is underway.
Lo also plans to ask the Board of Estimation and Taxation for a special appropriation of $4 million for the project, which would appropriate the remainder of the $76 million the city recaptured from closing out two previous school construction projects in January.
The city is assembling the necessary documentation to submit a grant application to the state for the project by June 30. If approved, the state would reimburse the project at a rate of 22 percent or $16 million.
Lo told the Common Council in January that he expected the project to be completed in three years from June 30. He anticipated the school to open in time for the 2025-26 school year.
Norwalk Public Schools and the city are still working to find a way to fund the South Norwalk school incubation at the existing CMS building starting in the fall. The incubation process would allow the district to start building the grade levels one at a time before they move into their new school building.
The district needs $1.8 million to fund the incubation. The costs would provide for a principal, two pre-K teachers, four kindergarten teachers, three paraeductors and 10 other staff positions at a full or part-time bases. The funding would also cover the cost of bus service, utilities and other necessary supplies and equipment.
State proposes removing Route 10 bridge over Route 322 in Southington
Jesse Buchanan
SOUTHINGTON — State officials are finalizing plans to remove a nearly century-old bridge carrying Route 10 over Route 322, replacing it with a regular intersection and traffic light.
The change is part of a larger state Department of Transportation project that will reconfigure the Route 10, Route 322 and Old Turnpike Road area. State officials hope to begin construction next year and have a virtual public information session scheduled for Monday.
Among the biggest changes is the removal of Norton Street, which DOT project manager Jeffrey Pfaffinger described as a “defacto on and off ramp for Route 10.” With an at-grade intersection replacing the bridge, Pfaffinger said there would no longer be a need for Norton Street.
Bridges carrying Route 10 and Route 322 over the Tenmile River will be replaced under the plan. The y-shaped intersection of Route 10 and Old Turnpike Road will be reconfigured so that Old Turnpike Road will be a distinct right-hand turn. The $11 million project will also add sidewalks and widen the Old Turnpike Road and Route 322 intersection to allow better turning.
Long in the making
State leaders have wanted to reconfigure the complicated Route 10 and Route 322 intersection since at least 2008, according to Town Manager Mark Sciota.
Pfaffinger expects the design to be complete by July. Construction could begin in the fall of 2023.
Work removing the bridge, widening intersections and removing Norton Street will mean detours for a few weeks.
Town Council members were concerned about the impact on area residents and businesses.
“We have a car wash there, we have a restaurant there, other smaller business in that area,” said Victoria Triano, Town Council chairwoman.
Pfaffinger said construction won’t keep people from being able to reach homes or businesses.
“Access will be maintained throughout construction for all businesses and residents. It may be a little bumpy at times, but the contractor will be required to maintain access at all times,” he said.
Concerns about traffic
Jack Perry, a Town Council member, was concerned about replacing the Route 10 overpass with an intersection and a traffic light. He’s worried traffic could back up around the new traffic light and cause problems on Route 10 and Meriden Waterbury Turnpike.
“I don’t know if that’s going to be in the best interest of our community,” Perry said. “My concern is everything bottle-necking.”
He mentioned the 140-unit Stone Bridge Crossing development approved last year just south of the town line in Cheshire.
“We know that’s going to be an increase to traffic,” Perry said. “Route 322 is (also) going to have more growth over time.”
Pfaffinger said the state’s plan eliminates Norton Street and its intersection with Route 10. The two traffic lights at Route 10 and Old Turnpike Road will be synchronized to prevent back-ups, he said.
“Every traffic analysis we’ve done has shown it’s going to work out well,” Pfaffinger said.
Other council members were in favor of the plan.
“That’s a big area that really needs to be done,” said Councilor Val DePaolo.
Paul Chaplinsky also supported work in the area.
“I think we all know that that intersection has been notorious over the years for accidents,” he said.
Public information session
State leaders sent letters to area businesses and residents notifying them of the March 16 information session.
A link to that session and more information on the project can be found at https://portal.ct.gov/DOTSouthington131-190.
Legislation would allow Millstone to expand
A bill passed in this spring's legislative session would exempt Millstone Power Station from a state nuclear power facility construction moratorium.
The bill is meant to allow the state’s existing nuclear power facilities — Millstone — to expand to other nuclear technologies on-site, but not to build a third full-scale reactor.
As Dominion Energy New England Policy Director Mary Nuara wrote in public testimony on the bill, “Dominion Energy supports the state’s efforts to explore all options available, including advanced nuclear technologies like small modular reactors, to achieve its long-term decarbonization goals.”
Nuara said there are no immediate plans by Dominion to add a small modular reactors to the Millstone site, as the commercial viability of the technology is "many years away." But Dominion supports the new bill.
"(Dominion) supports Connecticut taking this first step to allow exploration of all forms of clean energy generation to see how they could contribute to the state’s clean energy economy, today and in the future,” Nuara added.
The bill was supported on a bipartisan basis in both the state House and Senate. Senate Bill 10, also passed this past legislative session, requires the state to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from electricity supplied to Connecticut customers by 2040.
“That doesn’t happen without nuclear,” state Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, a co-sponsor of the bill, said. “Renewables are all fine, but they’re never going to be a reliable source of base load power. The price of battery storage and other kind of storage is still so high that it becomes economically unviable, particularly if you’re looking at ratepayer impact.”
Cheeseman said she and other legislators, as well as Millstone, see “incredible potential" in the small nuclear reactors.
“They’re called small modular reactors, and they’re basically what powers small nuclear submarines,” Cheeseman said. “It’s not a huge plant. It’s much less waste. It has a much less elaborate cooling system. … These are seen as a way of adding to our base load power without the expense of building traditional nuclear reactors like Millstone 1 and Millstone 2.”
State Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, the Senate chair of the Energy & Technology Committee, described the logic behind the bill.
“We want to keep Millstone alive, and we need to meet all of our clean energy goals,” Needleman said.
Legislators were originally going to nix the moratorium entirely, but Needleman said legislators compromised to restrict the bill only to the Millstone site.
"It’s not a blank check to Dominion to build anywhere,” he said.
Cheeseman, Needleman and state Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, noted that there is federal movement on designating a nuclear waste repository. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, 2nd District, told state legislators as much during consideration of the bill.
“We got a letter from Congressman Courtney to say there’s some money to study the issue of a national repository for nuclear waste," Formica said. "We felt that finally the federal delegation is stepping up. Waterford First Selectman Rob Brule has sent letters of concern about having nuclear waste in Waterford, and I share that concern and hope we can move it out of there, but for the time being, look what’s happening to the costs of fuel and power.”
The federal government had originally committed to taking possession of nuclear waste from facilities like Millstone but later reneged, meaning Millstone stores its used fuel on site.
In addition to spent fuel pools, Millstone has dry storage in metal canisters encased in concrete, which can be stored for decades.
On Wednesday, Courtney said there are federal efforts to find a national repository underway, with $20 million allocated in the federal budget both last year and this year for a Request for Information process where the federal government seeks localities that would welcome such a repository. Courtney said the budget for 2023 contains $53 million to that effect.
“The comment period for the RFI closed out early March, and that was for communities to respond to the RFI in terms of interest in this program,” Courtney said. “We’ve heard from the Department of Energy that 225 responses came in. Again, they’re not an actual bid on the program, but it’s a request for information, they want to learn more, which is good. That shows that people put their hands up and at least want to find out more.”
Courtney said the plan is for the DOE to issue a report this year describing the RFI response.
"There’s going to be additional funding, and I think bigger funding, in the 2023 budget once we finish that, which is months and months away," Courtney said.
Kevin Hennessy, a senior policy director and spokesperson at Dominion Energy, said this week that the company’s position in the public testimony submitted months ago remains the same: there are no plans in the near term to build for more nuclear power in the form of small modular reactors.
“We’re excited about the prospect, so as a company we’re engaged with some of the folks involved in that technology,” Hennessy said. “We’re bullish on the future, so while we don’t have any current plans right now, the possibility of the future is always appealing.”
Dominion views Millstone as “the clean energy hub of New England, and we’d like to build that out," Hennessy said.
“Right now, it’s conventional nuclear, but the sky’s the limit essentially when you think about solar, wind, hydrogen, small modular reactors, all of those would be zero-carbon and add to Millstone’s value,” Hennessy said.
Cheeseman also noted that the company is looking to offer more power in other New England states and could need to expand for that reason as well.
Hennessy confirmed that if Millstone decides to build and there is still no federal site for nuclear waste designated, it would have to continue to store the spent fuel on site, whether that be large-scale or small-scale modular units.
Gov. Ned Lamont's office said he was reviewing the bill and did not indicate whether he was leaning for or against signing it into law.
Developer plans supermarket, 41 duplex units off Shelton’s River Road
SHELTON — River Road could soon be home to a development that would include more than three dozen duplex units, a supermarket and a medical office building.
Developers 740 River Road, LLC recently received approval from the Inland Wetlands Commission for its plans to redevelop land at 740 River Road, presently home to three structures that would be demolished to make way for the new project.
Attorney Dominick Thomas, who represents the developer, said an application seeking to turn the 10-acre site — which sits next to the long-vacant Autoswage Products, Inc., — into a Planned Development District (PDD).
The plans call for construction of 41 duplex units overlooking the Housatonic River. Facing River Road would be two structures — a three-story, 30,000-square-foot building listed on the plans as a medical office building and a 13,500-square-foot building marked as supermarket.
The property would include 420 parking spaces — two for each of the duplex units, with the remainder for the two structures.