Hartford Line construction will cause temporary schedule changes for rail passengers

Jamila Young

Train schedules for the Hartford Line will be disrupted from May 28 to Nov. 1 due to several planned construction projects.

According to the state Department of Transportation, construction is set to take place weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with further details on schedule changes expected to be released next month on its website.

The projects include an upgrade to the Windsor Locks station with high-level platforms, new lighting fixtures, and features that will be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the installation of new interlockings. Maintenance will also be done to the existing rail grade crossings that will include additional safety features.

The DOT says that due to the construction, select weekday trains will be replaced by bus service.

"Work is planned to occur outside of peak train times to limit impact to customers. This amended service plane will expedite these critical projects and save a year on construction and significantly reduce cost uncertainties," DOT Bureau Chief of Public Transportation Benjamin Limmer said. "We appreciate the public's patience as these needed station and track improvements occur on the Hartford Line." 

In November, the DOT announced it had received $105 million in federal funding, with $41.9 million in matching funds, that would bring additional tracks to the Hartford Line, as well as improve signals and grade crossings. There are also plans to start construction on an Enfield station next year.

A groundbreaking was held at the Windsor Locks station in 2022, and the project is expected to be complete next summer. 

Proposed increase in barge traffic in Norwalk Harbor sparks debate: Trying to reduce heavy industry

Katherine Lutge

NORWALK — Concerns about the future of Norwalk Harbor have arisen since O&G Industries proposed expanding its use of barges to transport construction supplies in the area.

More than 1,000 turn out for 'March for a Free Palestine' in downtown New HavenMore than 1,000 turn out for 'March for a Free Palestine' in downtown New Haven

“The benefit of this particular mode of transport is that it would remove trucks from I-95,” said Elizabeth Suchy, an attorney representing Torrington-based O&G Industries during the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on April 3. “It’s a more feasible, economical and faster method of transportation for this construction material that is essential for the construction industry in this section of the state.”

But the rowing community along with environmental activists have protested the pending change, which, if allowed, would mean more barges in Norwalk Harbor.

“We’re here to express our deep concerns with the pending O&G application to expand their industrial use on the Norwalk River. As you all know as its leaders, we are trying to reduce the impact of heavy industry on the river,” Lisa Shanahan said on behalf of the Norwalk Land Trust during the Harbor Management Commission on April 24.

Several rowing clubs also protested the proposed increase in barges on the river, which they all share when taking part in the sport.

“Increased barge traffic, tenfold on the river, is going to possess a substantial danger to our rowers and the whole rowing community. There are multiple rowing clubs that are utilizing the river daily,” said Roman Vengerovskiy, director of operations at Maritime Rowing Club.

The river is already crowded with hundreds of athletes on rowing teams, and the presence of more barges would make him “extremely concerned,” Vengerovskiy said. 

“We were surprised and disheartened to see the harbor commission approved the O&G application as consistent with the harbor management plan with seemingly no review or commentary on the safety factors considering around the use of the barges on this river,” said Jim Sweitzer from the Connecticut Boat Club.

The application from O&G Industries, which has facilities across the state, was already approved by the Harbor Management Commission, which is considering the rowing and environmental concerns again.

“We wanted to discuss again based on new information that’s come forward some of the aspects of the that O&G project,” said John Pinto, a member of the Harbor Management Commission.

Pinto noted concerns about multiple barges in the harbor blocking the way for smaller boats. 

O&G noted that its application was deemed acceptable by the Harbor Management Commission and said its supports the rowing community and will continue to work with it.

“We certainly support the rowing that does occur in the Norwalk River,” said Richard Warren from O&G Industries.

In all, O&G hopes to bring 10 to 12 barges a year up the Norwalk Harbor. The change in the use of the property is still up to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Here’s how a once-rundown Portland quarry is being transformed into an upscale Nordic-style spa

Michael Puffer

ACanadian hospitality company planning to build a chain of Nordic spas in unique settings across the U.S. has paid $2.5 million for a Portland brownstone quarry that dates back to the 1600s.

The 6.3-acre site, at 311 Brownstone Ave., was part of a larger quarry — much of it now flooded and underwater — near the Connecticut River. It was a major supplier of the rich brown sandstone that reached the height of its popularity in the late 1800s.

Major quarry operations shut down after much of the site flooded in the 1930s. A one-man operation quarried one corner for about 18 years until 2012.

Contractor Dean Soucy and his wife, Darlene M. Rice, bought the property in 2019 for $300,000. After spending more than four years reviving the rundown site, they sold it in early April to Pomeroy Lodging.

It was a nice return on investment, but it wasn’t easy money. They spent considerable funds, and even more sweat equity, reviving the rundown and littered site, which is now poised to become a spa facility that will offer a unique hydrotherapy experience.

Sweat equity

Soucy said he originally bought the property as a place to park his foundation repair business’ heavy equipment, including bulldozers, an excavator and truck.

The quarry originally listed for $1 million, but the asking price had dropped to $375,000 by the time Soucy went to see it, he said. He offered $300,000 to buy it as-is, with no extensive inspection.

The property had an open area where he could park his vehicles, but most of it was covered by a mixture of thick brush, thorns and literally tons of garbage, most of which had been pushed over a roughly 50-foot cliff running along a border with neighboring properties. The quarry’s rear was flooded and swamped with water leaching off the cliff sides.

On one of the couple’s early visits, it took them about two hours to fight through the thicket to a point where they could get a clear view of the flooded quarry below.

Despite the wall of brush and garbage, Soucy and Rice were certain they had found a diamond in the rough.

“We were awestruck,” Rice said. “We knew we had something. We just didn’t know what we had.”

Soucy, now 65, shuttered his foundation repair company shortly after the purchase to focus on improving the quarry. The bureaucracy of a state program assisting homeowners with defective foundations had left him frustrated and stressed, he said.

The quarry gave him a passion project on which to focus. Soucy began improving the property without a clear concept or end-goal.

“It was almost like this land popped up in front of us and said: ‘Well, you have an opportunity to work,’” Soucy said.

Soucy spent months cutting brush and restoring drainage channels, as well as building pathways, small bridges and Stonehenge-like arrangements out of brownstone slabs. He worked with neighbors to clean surrounding slopes.

Soucy said he carted away dozens of tires and shopping carts, along with 1,400 pounds of milk crates, 800 pounds of glass and 22,000 pounds of other trash.

He also repaired and improved drainage structures, drying out much of the property and restoring a constantly flowing waterfall off the lower cliff. New sewer and water pipes were installed from the road.

Soucy said he “begged for and borrowed” materials to perform his renovations, including soil to level or raise portions of the site.

Meantime, Rice kept her day job as a collections manager for a local fuel company, covering the cost of groceries, insurance and other household bills. Rice visited the quarry daily after work to check on progress and help out.

The cleared brush revealed a spectacular view of the flooded quarry along one entire side of the property, prompting Rice to name the site “Quarry View.” Today, it looks like a rustic and unique park.

Landscaped terraces allow visitors to see turtles and carp swimming dozens of feet below the lip of the cliff.

Soucy and Rice eventually began generating revenue from the property by hosting events, like drum circles, craft fairs and even weddings, asking for donations and charging $10 for parking. They also rented out campsites for $100 per night.

Quarry View even hosted a funeral for a fan of the site who was killed in a car crash. Soucy made a special brownstone shelf to hold her urn and photographs during the memorial.

Soucy said he hasn’t tallied up his costs for upgrading the property. He is confident expenses far exceeded any revenue from the site. After the sale, Soucy and Rice paid off a $245,000 line of credit against their house, much of which had gone toward renovations, he said.

In 2022, Soucy and Rice added a 2,800-square-foot building near the front of the parcel. It was going to offer public bathrooms and wash facilities for campers, as well as an 800-square-foot apartment.

Soucy and Rice said they poured their hearts into upgrading the property, but didn’t want to pass the maintenance burden to their children. So, they put it up for sale in 2022.

Mark Riesbeck, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway New England, said Pomeroy Lodging representatives visited the quarry in summer 2022, then again that fall. It was under contract by November or December 2022, less than a year after it was listed.

“The Pomeroys were the only ones who wanted to preserve the natural beauty of the land,” Riesbeck said. “Their plan is built around incorporating the quarry, leveraging every aspect. There wasn’t a better buyer than them.”

Pomeroy Lodging hired Soucy and Rice as consultants, to help preserve the cut stone slabs that will be incorporated into the day spa.

First of many

Pomeroy Lodging is a hospitality company with a diverse portfolio that includes hotels, resorts and Nordic spas, mostly located in Canada. Its brands range from the more upscale Pomeroy Inn & Suites and Pomeroy Hotel Conference Centre, to a Ramada, Holiday Inn Express and even a Motel 6.

The company’s history stretches back to 1941, when founder Ralph Pomeroy purchased a hotel in Fort St. John, British Columbia.

Work will begin in May on the Nordic spa in Portland, which will offer a type of health therapy pioneered in Canada, where participants move through cycles of hot, cold and rest.

The spa will be built around a 20,000-square-foot main bathhouse, and feature a 6,000-square-foot bistro restricted to spa customers. It will offer a waterfall, steam room, cold-plunge pools, saunas, fire pits, saltwater relaxation pools and more.

These experiences will be spread across the property in stations and structures ranging from 250 square feet to about 700 square feet, all joined by heated pathways.

“We love the environment,” said Chris Puchalla, Pomeroy’s executive vice president of real estate. “Part of the Nordic-spa experience is unique experiences in unique environments, immersed in nature.”

Puchalla said the Portland development will cost in the “double-digit millions, and not the low double-digits.” The company is self-funding the expansion, he said.

Pomeroy built its first Nordic spa at its Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Canada, a hotel it purchased in 2014, then refurbished. It opened a second spa in 2022, at the Alyeska Resort, 40 miles outside Anchorage, Alaska.

The Quarry View site in Portland was a “lucky find,” a late addition to a 2022 site tour focused on the greater New York area, Puchalla said. Company representatives liked the site’s natural beauty, as well as the quality shops and restaurants found in nearby downtown Middletown, he said.

Puchalla said the Portland Nordic spa is scheduled to open in early fall 2025. It will be the first of Pomeroy’s Nordic spa locations in the lower-48 United States.

The company has acquired a Colorado site, he said, and is in “active pursuit and design” of 15 to 20 additional sites in seven states.

The Portland spa will be a day-trip experience, drawing guests from diverse backgrounds. Prices will vary by time and day, generally ranging from $110 to $135, Puchalla said. Evening “twilight soaks” will be discounted up to 40%.

“This is an experience that caters to anyone that wants to come in and have a hydrotherapy experience, and relax, and be with friends,” Puchalla said.

Pomeroy purchased the Portland site, shortly after the town approved the project.

Puchalla said town officials were supportive, and the approval process was among the smoothest he’s experienced in his career.

Town Planner Dan Bourret said officials see this as an economic development draw for Portland.

“It’s pretty cool, we are all really excited here in town,” Bourret said. 

There’s new hope for a significant CT greenway. It comes after decades of complex debate.

KENNETH R. GOSSELIN

A push to convert a desolate, 4-mile stretch of rail line into a Connecticut greenway with trails for pedestrians and bicyclists has run headlong into the state’s stance that the rails remain a viable freight transportation corridor.

But a new study shows for the first time that it is possible to combine the two uses in Hartford.

A draft of a new study by the Capitol Region Council of Governments, a regional planning agency, is breaking new ground in the decades-old debate over the long-term future of the state-owned Griffin Line.

The study concludes that a trail system could safely and logistically run along one side of the active, single-track rail line, from Hartford’s Asylum Hill neighborhood to the University of Hartford and the Bloomfield town line. five years

The estimated construction cost could be between $30 million and $39 million. CRCOG said the project would likely have to be heavily financed by federal transportation grants.

The study comes as the future of the Griffin Line, built in the late 1800s and which some say reached its heyday in the 1920s, is again stirring debate.

The Griffin Line is seen as a key component to the $65 million Hartline pedestrian and bicycling path that would run from Hartford’s Riverside Park on the Connecticut River to Bloomfield. And it also is seen as a viable option for filling a crucial gap in Hartford in the East Coast Greenway, which runs from Florida to Maine.

The Hartline is part of the expansive Hartford 400 vision for reconnecting Harford to its riverfront by moving, burying or capping highways.

The iQuilt Partnership, whose goal is to make Hartford a more walkable city and which is the architect of Hartford 400, has pushed for the rail line no longer to be used and for the Hartline to be built next to or on the Griffin Line track.

“This doesn’t preclude the Hartline vision from happening,” said Caitlin Palmer, CRCOG’s director of regional planning and development. “But it does allow it to start gaining momentum and become a recreational connection.”

Should the rail fall out of use, the study suggests that the trail can be expanded to include parks with more paths and amenities, or it could be used for a new spur for buses, an option that has been discussed in the past.

Tool for economic development

CRCOG’s study focused primarily on the feasibility of combining the trail and rail line, with the premise that the rail line would remain active, at least for the foreseeable future.

But FHI Studio in Hartford, the lead consultant on the study, said dealing with the active rail line makes the project more complex — and expensive. It requires a whole system of fencing and other measures to protect the safety of those on the trail, FHI said.

But those barriers run counter to another goal of the Hartline.

At its core, the Hartline is certainly for recreation, but it also has a larger purpose.

The 7-mile Hartline is framed as a way to better connect city neighborhoods and spur sorely needed economic development along its path by increasing foot traffic. Similar projects in Atlanta, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., have met with success and have drawn private investment along their routes, iQuilt has said.

Jackie Mandyck, iQuilt’s executive director, said the fences that would be needed to combine the trail with an active rail line would place another barrier to connecting a half dozen neighborhoods along the trail’s route.

“This is just not good urban design,” Mandyck said. “This is not stitching things together. If you can take something that connects rather than builds more fences, that’s where we want to go.”

Mandyck said CRCOG’s study was well done, and the state Department of Transportation has shown willingness to consider a trail system along the Griffin Line.

“But the trail is not a park,” Mandyck said. “It might have pocket parks along its way. But this is a connector. This is a tool and asset that you can use for economic development.”

The city of Hartford declined to comment on CRCOG’s draft report, saying it will wait until a final report is issued.

How the trail would fit into the economic development puzzle along the Homestead Avenue corridor through which the rail line runs could soon become clearer.

The city of Hartford is launching an economic development study on the corridor. In recent years, the city has acquired properties — many of them industrial — along Homestead Avenue, preparing for future development.

‘Project is feasible’

For its part, the Connecticut Department of Transportation said it remains supportive of a “trails-with-rail” connection.

“While the project is feasible, the safety of the public, with the continued operation of the freight line, must be ensured,” DOT spokesman Josh D. Morgan said, in a statement. “This active freight line moves goods and services to and through Connecticut.

“Any modification to the Griffin Line would undergo a federal review process where existing commercial use would be weighed heavily in that review,” Morgan said. “We look forward to continuing these conversations in the future.”

The DOT also has shown support for the Hartline, including it among its priorities in the Greater Hartford Mobility Study.

Taking the Griffin Line out of service would have implications for the current lease with the Central New England Railroad, as well as a potential decommissioning. Decommissioning can take years.

But Mandyck said she is not advocating decommissioning. There may be other options to take the rail out of active service.

Railbanking, for instance, is an agreement between a rail line owner and a trail sponsor to use an out-of-service rail corridor as a trail until the railroad might need the corridor again.

The option was established in federal law in 1983 as a change to the National Trails System Act.

Gap in East Coast Greenway

CRCOG launched its look at the Griffin Line last year as part of a larger study examining how notable gaps in the East Coast Greenway in the Hartford region could be filled.

In Greater Hartford, critical breaks in the 3,000-mile trail from Maine to Florida exist in Simsbury, Bloomfield, Hartford and East Hartford.

The Griffin Line corridor now becomes a viable option for a greenway link in Hartford. If it were chosen, it could be one and the same as the Hartline.

“One of the things that we were balancing was the long regional connection with really providing amenities in the neighborhood,” Kenneth Livingston, a principal at FHI, said. “We try to create as many for people to interact — intersect and interact — with the trail throughout Hartford.”

FHI’s preferred alternative called the construction of the trail on the south and then west side as the track curves north out of Hartford.

Another option would locate the trail on the north and then east side of the tracks. But this option would mean moving tracks, pushing up the project costs.

The preferred option would run from Garden Street to Plainfield Street, crossing over the train tracks at Plainfield and continuing north to Tobey Road in Bloomfield.

In a route that is narrow overall, one of tightest spots is where the track passes under the bridge at Woodland Street.

The plan calls for punching a new culvert in the bridge so the trail could be built through it. Alternatively, the trail could — at least temporarily — follow a route up the street and back down on the other side of the bridge.

“That was challenging, but it was all a challenge,” Livingston said.

Connecticut's ARPA Funding Has Led to Downtown Revitalizations in Many Towns

On a recent weekday at La Stella Pizzeria, tucked into a flatiron building at Main Street and Market Street in Norwich, Conn., lunch hour was buzzing. Many of the city's other historical storefronts along its downtown thoroughfares were empty and quiet — in some cases for over two decades — but nearly all hinted that some kind of transformation was under way.

But adjacent to La Stella, Water Street Lofts, a residential conversion of a 19th-century building, is nearly complete, and interior construction is visible through several storefront windows along Main Street and Franklin Street. People stop to lounge in pocket parks, and brightly painted murals call out from all corners of the city's commercial district.

"It's coming alive again," said Kevin Brown, executive director of the Norwich Community Development Corp., as he stood at the Marina at American Wharf, where three rivers — the Yantic, Shetucket and Thames — converge.

Like many Connecticut cities and towns, Norwich has directed a small portion of federal COVID-19 relief funds, via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), to breathe new life into its hobbled Main Street businesses, CT Mirror, a nonprofit online news service, reported April 24.

The pandemic accelerated a shift to remote work, dealing a blow to downtowns across the state that were already struggling to manage earlier losses of commerce to big-box stores and online retailers.

"We're in some ways living with a legacy of neglect," said Michelle McCabe, executive director of the Connecticut Main Street Center, adding that now, "with workplace habits changing, we need to adjust. Businesses need help."

She noted, though, that two pandemic-era trends, the rise in entrepreneurship, and new public and private housing investments in downtown districts, are beginning to drive change on Main Streets. Putting a small amount of ARPA funding toward things like helping commercial landlords bring their street-level properties up to code, so as to be ready for new storefront tenants, can be transformational.

With just over $4 million in ARPA funds, the Norwich Revitalization Program is working to aid 17 small businesses and contributing to four larger special projects in its downtown. Those efforts have attracted over $25 million in private investment and will result in nearly 200,000 sq. ft. of refreshed space.

"We're turning the lights back on," Brown told CT Mirror.

Of the more than $615 million in ARPA funds spent so far on addressing the pandemic's "Negative Economic Impacts" in Connecticut, roughly $45 million was distributed directly to businesses and nonprofits, including rehabilitating commercial properties.

The $1.9 trillion ARPA funding included $350 billion in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) which must be obligated by the end of this year and spent by the end of 2026.

Connecticut state and municipal officials have budgeted over $3 billion in SLFRF projects, obligated $2.3 billion, and spent nearly $1.8 billion, according to the U.S. Treasury. Within the "Negative Economic Impacts" category, the state's project budget is nearly $1 billion with $850 million obligated as of the beginning of 2024, CT Mirror noted.

"All these Main Streets are coming back to life with the funds to do wish-list items that aren't just idealistic, but have a huge impact," McCabe told the online news source.

Places like Norwich already have the "incredibly gorgeous bone structure" of historical buildings, she said, with "the bandwidth and resources to pull in entrepreneurs — that's where you start seeing that new vibe going on."

Establishing the ‘Ecosystem'

Elsewhere in the state, the town of Windsor used $100,000 in ARPA funds to help launch two new co-working spaces: one in a retrofitted industrial building near the train station downtown and another in a former bank in Windsor's commercial district.

"By establishing these facilities in the community, we're hoping that folks with the entrepreneurial spirit will get some technical assistance and bump into other like-minded people who are entrepreneurs, want to get businesses launched that will someday move from their space to spaces in our downtown brick-and-mortar locations," said Patrick McMahon, Windsor's economic development director.

"Anything that we can do to build that sort of entrepreneurial ecosystem in the town is beneficial, helps create jobs, and creates vibrant neighborhoods," he added. "We thought that was a really good use of ARPA funding."

Several other towns and cities in Connecticut used ARPA funding to modernize aging infrastructure in their downtowns and commercial business districts to improve safety and usability for visitors and businesses.

For example, the town of Fairfield is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to mitigate flooding around its central business district, while Bristol is slated to spend up to $1 million to install a retaining wall and refurbish a railroad overpass to accommodate more pedestrian activity in its Centre Square district. And Norwalk has put nearly $200,000 it received from ARPA funding toward a program called "Complete Streets," aimed at improving pedestrian safety and accessibility.

Additionally, city leaders in Waterbury identified a pressing need to update the century-old sewer and water infrastructure below Main Street and Bank Street downtown in preparation for a streetscape improvement project. Over $10 million in ARPA was budgeted for those upgrades.

Given that the city's historical downtown structures already require a heavier lift, along with more money, to outfit for modern tenants, that kind of below-the-surface improvement is key to attracting businesses, Dan Pesce, the director of Main Street Waterbury, said in speaking with CT Mirror.

"It's a real benefit to us because we don't have to worry about any infrastructure under the ground that's aging," he explained. "We won't need to address the underground infrastructure in downtown Waterbury for a very long time. That's going to be huge for us moving forward."

Promoting ‘Strolling in Downtown' Connecticut Cities

Since indoor spaces presented risks for many residents and visitors in Connecticut during the pandemic, development went outside toward recreation spaces, small urban parks, al fresco dining and a statewide expansion of public art installations.

In New London, for instance, city leaders are leaning into an aspect of the city's identity that has the potential to draw a crowd with the construction of a new, $150 million National Coast Guard Museum, slated to open on the waterfront late this year or early in 2025. The museum is expected to attract 300,000 visitors a year to the area.

ARPA funds also have gone toward improving infrastructure to enable the city to accommodate more people, such as street lighting and wayfinding signage.

"We're looking for foot traffic, that walkability, that sense of a place to be talked about," said Elizabeth Nocera, economic development coordinator for New London.

The city also assisted in repairing the roofs and facades of downtown buildings as well as helped with code correction. The goal is to get historic storefronts to a state known as "vanilla box," where a new tenant can come in and establish a personal footprint without having to worry about mechanical or structural issues.

Officials in both New London and Norwich have sought to multiply the impacts of ARPA funding by seeking out collaborators and additional sources of investment, both public and private, thus increasing the scale of the projects and their reach.

Rise of Mixed-Use Community

The recent wave of thousands of new hires each year at submarine manufacturer General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton means nearby cities like Norwich and New London are managing an influx of not just tourists but hundreds more permanent residents in its downtown districts.

"That's where the downtown and the Main Streets start taking advantage," said Felix Reyes, director of New London's Office of Development and Planning. "Once people live by where they work, then you get all that indirect and induced [economic activity]. You get small businesses, and you start getting markets [because] you need eggs and milk and gas and entertainment and restaurants for those people."

Bridgeport was already seeing that transition before the pandemic, and it has only accelerated in the last four years, Lauren Coakley Vincent, president of the city's Downtown Special Services District, told CT Mirror.

She added that, in the downtown neighborhood, several former commercial buildings have been converted for residential use.

"There's a big shift toward what would be called a mixed-use community," she said. "That does influence the type of uses you see at the ground floor level."

At the same time, Bridgeport was making ARPA-funded grants available to hundreds of small businesses throughout the city for storefront improvements or expansion.

Roughly 30 downtown Bridgeport businesses received grants, resulting in the district successfully retaining so many of its ground floor storefront businesses that the city's turnover rate actually declined, Coakley Vincent noted.

Now, she added, the downtown "is much more geared toward sort of a 24-hour use than it had been previously."