Biden taking bipartisan infrastructure deal on the road

JOSH BOAK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will look to sell voters on the economic benefits of the $973 billion infrastructure package while in Wisconsin on Tuesday, hoping to boost the bipartisan agreement that is held together in large part by the promise of millions of new jobs.

Biden will travel to La Crosse, population 52,000, and tour its public transit center, followed by a speech about the infrastructure package announced last week.

The president presented his message to Democratic donors on Monday that the agreement was a way for the United States to assert the principles of democracy and the economic might that can come from dramatic investments in the country's economic future.

“This infrastructure bill signals to the world that we can function, we can deliver," Biden said. "We can do significant things, show that America is back.”

White House officials issued an internal memo that highlights how the largest investment in transportation, water systems and services in nearly a century would boost growth. The memo notes that the total package is four times the size of the infrastructure investment made a dozen years ago in response to the Great Recession and the biggest since Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s.

It also emphasizes an analysis suggesting that 90% of the jobs generated by the spending could go to workers without college degrees, a key shift as a majority of net job gains before the pandemic went to college graduates.

“This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America,” the memo says.

Potential economic gains were a shared incentive for the group of Democratic and Republican senators who agreed to the deal on Thursday. But the process briefly fell into disarray late last week as Biden suggested the deal would be held up until he also received a separate package for infrastructure, jobs and education that would be determined solely by Democrats through the budget reconciliation process.

Biden said Saturday that this was not a veto threat, and by Sunday the package appeared back on track.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Biden is “eager” for both bills to be approved by Congress and that the president is going to “work his heart out” to make it happen.

“The president intends to sign both pieces of legislation into law,” Psaki said at her daily briefing.

Approval of both bills by Congress remains a long haul with this summer's initial votes expected in July. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell questioned the legislative process ahead and mounted fresh obstacles while speaking Monday in Kentucky.

McConnell said he has not yet decided whether he will support the bipartisan package, but he wants Biden to pressure House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to say they will allow the bipartisan arrangement to pass without mandating that the much larger and broader follow-up bill be in place.

“I appreciate the president saying that he’s willing to deal with infrastructure separately, But he doesn’t control the Congress,” McConnell said at a press conference in Louisville.

The two bills had always been expected to move in tandem, and that is likely to continue as Biden drops his veto threat but reaches across the aisle for the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan package as well as his own broader package. The Democratic leaders are pressing ahead on the broader bill, which includes Biden's families and climate change proposals, as well as their own investments in Medicare, swelling to some $6 trillion.

The prospect of additional economic gains might be a way to garner public support and soothe partisan tensions. Biden also faces pressure from Democrats such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who told NBC's “Meet the Press” that the spending isn't as huge as it might seem because the sums are spread out over multiple years.

The eight-page White House memo comes from Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, and senior adviser Anita Dunn. It indicates that the $110 billion for roads and bridges would help relieve traffic and congestion that costs the economy over $160 billion annually. The memo justifies the $48.5 billion planned for public transit by citing studies that link light rail and buses to increased earnings and employment for workers. It defends the $66 billion for repairs and upgrades for rail lines by saying that current delays and disruptions weigh on growth.

The bipartisan agreement also would help nurture the market for electric vehicles, improve broadband access, repair water lines and create resilience against damage from extreme weather events.

Meanwhile, the White House and Congress are pushing ahead on separate infrastructure legislation, a top priority of the administration that is shared by many lawmakers interested in securing federal funds for long-sought road, highway, bridge and other construction projects back home.

This week, the House is scheduled to vote on a highway, transit and water infrastructure bill that would invest up to $715 billion over five years. It overlaps parts of the bipartisan agreement and could become a building block toward the Democrats' broader package coming later this summer or fall.

The bill contains many of the priorities that Biden has set, including $45 billion to replace lead water service lines throughout the nation and $4 billion for electric vehicle charging stations, as well as a big boost in spending for transportation programs focusing on repairing existing roads and bridges.

It also opens the door to nearly 1,500 requests from lawmakers that would fund specific projects back in their congressional districts, moving Congress a step closer toward a return to earmarked spending.

Work begins on New Fairfield's Early Learning Academy, with construction soon starting on high school

Kendra Baker

NEW FAIRFIELD — The town’s school building projects are moving ahead, with construction on the Consolidated Early Learning Academy breaking ground Monday and work on the high school slated to begin later this summer.

“It’s very exciting that we’re going to see contractors, equipment and construction at the (early learning academy) site in just a few days,” the school district’s business and operations director, Rich Sanzo, said late last week.

Funding for a $29.2 million early learning academy and $84.2 million new high school were approved by taxpayers back in October 2019, with some being offset by state funding.

The new school facilities will not only address infrastructure problems, Sanzo said, but enhance education in New Fairfield.

“It creates opportunities for us to introduce new educational programs, such as robotics and engineering, that we have not had in the district because our facilities have not allowed us to have the spaces needed to accommodate those types of programs,” he said.

“With buildings to support such programs, we can introduce new opportunities for our students that would not be possible without these new schools.”

Although some came in higher than expected due to supply chain constraints and construction material impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanzo said the sum of the construction bids for Consolidated came back within the total allocated project budget.

Not only that, but the bonding interest rate for the two-school building project turned out to be significantly lower than the 3.25 percent originally anticipated.

“For the latest bonding the town completed, the rate received was half that — about 1.6 percent,” he said. “The reduction in the interest rates from what we originally anticipated when these projects were put forth for referendum is going to save taxpayers millions of dollars in interest costs in the long run.”

Sanzo said the Permanent Building Committee has approved all the early construction packages needed to begin work on the Consolidated Early Learning Academy, and he expects the remaining packages to be awarded sometime next month.

Although the high school’s design phase fell about a month behind schedule, the project is currently out to bid with construction expected to begin sometime in late August or early September.

“The bids are tentatively due July 8 — although that may get extended by a few days by our construction manager — but by the middle of July, our construction manager should be able to report on the results of the bids for the construction,” Sanzo said.

He said the time frame for the high school construction will be finalized once the bids are in and the Permanent Building Committee awards the initial packages needed to start the work.

Whenever construction on the new high school does begin, Sanzo said it will not be disruptive to students’ in-school experience.

“Since it will essentially be built next door to the existing building, there will be no disruption to internal school operations,” he said.

There will, however, be some traffic pattern changes as a result of the construction work.

“We’ll be communicating with the community, families, and students about those anticipated traffic pattern changes as we get closer to the start of construction,” Sanzo said.

The original plan for the high school project changed last year after the town purchased a 2-acre property at 78 Gillotti Road, which allowed for what Permanent Building Committee member Anthony Yorio described as an “optimal building design” and more cost-efficient plan.

The town used $325,000 from its unappropriated capital and non-recurring account to acquire the property.

“The parcel was bounded by town-owned property on all four sides, so it was a logical purchase for us,” First Selectman Pat Del Monaco said. “The new high school will be partially located on that parcel and for that reason, the Permanent Building Committee reduced the high school construction budget to offset the purchase of the property.”

With 78 Gillotti Road, the new high school will be constructed on a total of three parcels — the others being 54 and 74 Gillotti Road.

The Consolidated Early Learning Academy is expected to be finished by the start of the 2022-23 school year, and the new high school is anticipated to open the following year.

'Transformational': Fairfield University breaks ground on new athletics center

Donald Eng

FAIRFIELD — It was a chance encounter in Austin, Texas, that drove home the vision that Fairfield University President Mark Nemec has for the school.

“Our commitment to athletics is a commitment to national prominence,” Nemec said Monday at the ceremonial groundbreaking for Fairfield’s new Convocation Center. He cited a comment from a passerby while he was in Texas with the school’s baseball team, which was in the midst of a historic 2021 season.

“I was in Austin, walking down the street, and someone saw that red “F” and said, ‘Fairfield? You guys are doing well,’” Nemec said. “That, to me, is invaluable. It speaks to who we are. That is, we are an institution on the rise, aiming to make a difference in this world, and want that to be more and more known.”

The Convocation Center will replace Alumni Hall as the home of the school’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and the women’s volleyball team, plus the Fairfield Prep basketball team. The $45 million facility will seat 3,500 and will feature a state-of-the-art broadcast and media center, luxury seating and lounge areas. The center will also host convocations, concerts, and gatherings for the university community and the neighboring community at large, according to the school.

The building is expected to open in November 2022.

Taj Benning, a member of the men’s basketball team, said the school’s athletes were excited about the new building. Benning, who has already graduated and plans to play next season as a graduate student while earning an M.S. in management, said the building would provide a new home and “vastly improved” student athlete experience, in addition to creating an unrivaled sense of school spirit on game days.

Benning’s enthusiasm for the new arena, though, is mostly excitement for his teammates.

“I know what you all are probably thinking, that I won’t even be here to utilize this soon-to-be-built arena,” Benning said. “But I think giving this speech goes to show just how much of an impact Fairfield University has had on me. Although this campus is already great, I truly believe it’s getting even better with this new arena on campus. I’m excited for my younger teammates and student athletes. I’m excited about the direction of Fairfield University and I can’t wait to come back and visit.”

But the Convocation Center is expected to do more than simply provide a nicer home court than the 62-year-old Alumni Hall did. Athletics Director Paul Schlickmann said the new building would be a “transformational competitive venue” for the school.

“It provides a state-of-the-art facility to attract, retain and develop our student athletes as we continue our journey to be a premier Division 1 athletics program,” he said. “This modern facility will be a shining example of the individual and collective passion and care that all of you share for our program, for its place in your hearts, and for your recognition of its value in your community.”

University Provost Christine Siegel said the Fairfield community extended beyond the campus borders.

“The modern word convocation means to assemble or convene for a special purpose,” Siegel said. “In the future, this site will house a center for assemblies of all kinds. One that will call the campus together, and the local community together to root for our athletic teams. To mark the opening of the academic year. To be entertained by performing artists, and to learn from renowned speakers.”

But the most important of all the center’s uses, Nemec said, was to serve as a facility for learning, noting that learning “takes place across our students’ experience.”

Nemec, a former collegiate rugby player, said he is always struck by the connections between himself and his former teammates whenever they gather.

“What we learned together shaped who we are today,” he said. “Athletics is not an extracurricular, but in fact is fundamental to the education of our student athletes. Nothing is more ennobling than pursuing one’s best against all odds and all challenges.”

Bristol gets a $2 million state grant to remediate J.H. Sessions building

Brian M. Johnson

BRISTOL – A $2 million state grant will enable the city to remediate the J.H. Sessions building, and convert them into 91 market rate apartments. Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz along with other state and city leaders gathered Monday at the building to celebrate.

The funding comes from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD)’s Brownfield Remediation Program. It is part of 19 million in state grants to assist with assessment and remediation costs for 31 blighted properties in 23 towns statewide.

The 80,000 square foot J. H. Sessions & Son Co., located at 273 and 296 Riverside Ave., was the site of a trunk hardware manufacturing business which used heavy metal compounds in the painting and plating operations. Since the Sessions Company ceased operations in 1984, the building has remained owned and operated by members of the Sessions family. Some of the space has been leased to other industrial companies over the years such as Armaloy and Plymouth Spring.

Bysiewicz said that the renovated building will help to provide housing for the local and regional workforce. The apartments will be available for those making 80% to 120% of median income.

“This is an investment that will help the landscape of the city of Bristol,” she said. “It will have a tremendous impact on people in the workforce.”

Bysiewicz praised Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu for her leadership in working with the state to redevelop Bristol’s downtown and other areas. She also thanked state senators and local legislators for their work to secure Federal and state funding to assist municipalities with renewal projects.

Zoppo-Sassu said that the restoration of the J.H. Sessions building has been 15 years in the making. She said that Bristol intends to become better stewards of its historic buildings than it has been in the past.

“This building will be used to help revitalize our downtown,” said Zoppo-Sassu.

DECD Deputy Commissioner Alexandra Daum, said that while the DECD has to say “no” to funding for a lot of projects, this was one that she was glad to say “yes” to. She praised the public-private partnerships that will make the new apartments possible.

“It is a huge priority for our program to have private developers at the table,” she said.

Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said that since Gov. Lamont designated construction workers as essential workers at the start of the pandemic, this allowed the state to leverage $175 million in state resources into $1 billion in construction projects. Among these, she said, is the creation of 4,000 total housing units, half of which should be completed by the end of the year.

“As a developer I can say that this is a beautiful building and I can’t wait to see it looking even better,” she said.

Lamont said that when Zoppo-Sassu told him about the history of the J.H. Sessions building, it stood out as “remarkable” to him how specialized manufacturing was in 1907. The state, he said, was an “industrial center” at the time.

“They built things to last back then and we now have some extraordinary work ahead of us to bring this building back to life,” he said. “These housing units will allow young families to be able to afford to stay here, which will help to bring Main Street back to life.”

Lamont also spoke about the current status of the state. He said that, for the first time in decades, tens of thousands of people – mainly young people, have been moving to the state. The renovation of old, industrial sites to provide housing for them, he said, is a “big priority” of his administration.

New Colony plans to buy the building for $1 from J.H. Sessions & Son, settle tax liens of almost $1 million with the city, and arrange for relocation of the current occupants, while the city reimburses the costs of the cleanup. Once the pollution is cleaned up, the property will be transferred to Vesta/BHA Joint Venture, to begin construction on the apartments. The construction partner for the project will be D’Amato Construction and the architect will be Quisenberry, Arcari and Malik of Farmington.

Wind power and renewable energy are big growth opportunities for CT

Peter Denious, David Campbell

As Connecticut emerges from the pandemic, clean technology can catapult the state’s economy for years to come.

Gov. Ned Lamont seeks to attain 100% zero-carbon power by 2040. He’s proposed a $200 million “Greentech Fund” to jump-start a boom in areas like battery technology and recycling, which could create 2,000 jobs.

Pivotal to these efforts are the state’s offshore wind projects, Revolution Wind and Park City Wind, representing 1.2 gigawatts in currently contracted power, enough juice to light 110 million LEDs or propel 9,000 Nissan Leafs.

Revolution Wind is being developed by Eversource Energy and Ørsted. Its land base will be State Pier in New London. Through a $235.5 million public-private partnership with Eversource and Ørsted, State Pier is being transformed into a state-of-the-art hub for wind turbine staging and assembly.

Park City Wind is being developed by Vineyard Wind LLC in Bridgeport. The developer is leasing space at Barnum Landing for construction and staging, and will locate its Connecticut headquarters in Bridgeport, too.

Both projects are spinning forward. Construction in New London is expected to commence this summer. The U.S. Department of the Interior recently issued final approval to the Vineyard Wind I project, which is adjacent to Park City Wind.

With these two projects, Connecticut is off to a great start to capture a share of the 83,000 new jobs forecast to be created by offshore wind projects nationally by 2030.

Offshore wind farms generate valuable ancillary jobs, too. For every $1 spent on manufacturing, another $2.79 is added to the economy. For every worker in manufacturing, another five employees are hired elsewhere.

Construction workers will erect dockside staging and assembly facilities. Manufacturers will produce the component parts of the wind turbines. Technicians will perform ongoing maintenance and repair. Software and IT experts will engage in the provision of sensors, monitoring systems, and performance optimization software.

Let’s leverage the state’s skilled workforce and rich manufacturing base to fill those jobs in-state.

Eversource and United Illuminating have a vital role in assisting with interconnection, managing the integration of renewable power into the grid, and mitigating intermittency. Both companies are focused on bringing the economic benefits that come with building a new industry.

Finally, we have a great opportunity to recast the state’s deep-water ports as cutting-edge facilities with updated infrastructure and heavy-lift capabilities.

These enhancements will increase the attractiveness of the docks, enabling the state to accommodate a wider range of cargo and handle more vessel calls, and to collect more revenue.

The State Pier upgrade could revitalize the region, leveraging Southeastern Connecticut’s manufacturing and technology base to spur business development, coupled with New London’s expanded Foreign-Trade Zone.

A similar renaissance is envisioned for Bridgeport.

Our mission at AdvanceCT is to help Connecticut companies grow and expand while also recruiting new companies. To support state action on renewable energy, we are meeting with in-state manufacturers to discuss tapping into emergent supply chains, recruiting clean technology companies, and disseminating marketing materials to showcase the state’s strengths.

The state’s offshore wind projects are a win-win proposition. We stand ready to support their ongoing development.

Peter Denious is the CEO of AdvanceCT and David Campbell is the vice president of business development of AdvanceCT.