United Illuminating to rebuild transmission lines along rail corridor between Milford and New Haven 

Luther Turmelle

The United Illuminating Co. is preparing for a multi-year, $300 million transmission line upgrade along a 9.5-mile stretch of the railroad corridor between Milford and New Haven, officials with the Orange-based electric utility said.

The project, which will begin in late 2023 and run until late 2028, will serve two purposes, company officials said in announcing the plan.

One is to rebuild 115-kilovolt lines to conform to current utility industry standards. The other is to separate those transmission lines from their current spot along railroad catenary structures which power electrified Metro North commuter trains.

Because UI’s transmission lines are part of a regional network and the work is being done to improve reliability of the delivery of electricity, the project will be funded by ISO-New England, the operator of the grid, company spokesman Gage Frank said.

Frank Reynolds, UI’s president and chief executive officer, said the so-called Milvon to West River Transmission Line Rebuild Project will “improve the resiliency of our electric grid.” The railroad line is controlled by the state Department of Transportation.

“This project will also ensure we can provide safe and reliable power to help meet the growing energy demands of our customers,” Reynolds said.

The project takes its name from electric substations that UI has in Milford’s Devon section and New Haven’s West River neighborhood. Substations take the very high voltages at which electricity travels on transmission networks and convert it to a lower voltage for use by residential and business customers.

As part of the project, UI’s rebuilt transmission lines be placed on their own dedicated, double-circuit monopole utility towers. The rebuilt transmission lines will be able to withstand extreme weather conditions, such as Category 3 hurricane winds, UI said.

Milford to New Haven project is part of a larger effort by UI to separate the company’s transmission lines from the railroad’s electrification network, where some of towers and poles were installed over 100 years ago. The project is designed to have a service life of about 40 years.

During this project, UI will install approximately 160 galvanized steel transmission poles rising from a single footing. The poles will vary in height from 70 feet to 170 feet, depending on their location and the existing environment.

The typical span length between the poles ranges from approximately 300 to 400 feet. But UI officials said that in some locations, spans as long as 800 feet will be needed to minimize impacts to the environment as well because of nearby land uses like parking lots, roadways and railroad spurs.

The final segment is expected to be completed by the fall of 2028, but final restoration activities along the transmission line are expected to extend into 2029. UI customers should not experience any power outages as a result of this construction, Reynolds said

“We are meeting the community’s growing energy demands while working closely with town officials, local tree wardens and with residents and customers,” he said, to avoid or minimize disruptions to the environment or Metro-North rail service.

UI officials anticipate that the majority of construction will be scheduled for daytime hours. But in certain instances, nighttime work or around-the-clock construction may be necessary to accommodate the construction schedule and the needs of the railroad.

The project will require that UI acquire new permanent easements from adjacent landowners. Officials with the utility will also need new temporary easements during construction to install work pads and access roads that will be needed to safely remove the existing transmission network infrastructure replace it with newer equipment.

The Milvon to West River rebuild project is the second in a series of transmission line projects UI is announcing this year. The company announced an upgrade of transmission lines in Derby, Shelton and Ansonia in mid-March and a project in the city of Bridgeport will be announced later this year, according to Frank, the UI spokesman.

Residents and business owners seeking more information on the project should call (888) 848-3697 during regular business hours. The utility serves 341,000 customers in 17 communities in the New Haven and Bridgeport areas.

Shelton developers seek expanded Petremont Lane development

Brian Gioiele

SHELTON — The development group that received approval for a 47-apartment development on Petremont Lane are back looking to more than double the size of that project.

Good Guys Development, LLC, is seeking a major modification to the approved Planned Development District on the property, listed as 0 Petremont Lane, that would bring the apartment total to 100. The Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this year approved plans to construct a building with 47 units and 93 parking spaces.

Attorney Stephen Bellis, representing Good Guys Development, said the developers purchased an abutting property on the corner of Coram Road, which increases the lot size to some 4 acres.

“Good Guys was able to buy the additional land,” Bellis said, “So there is an application to modify the approval and allow 100 units total in light of the additional land.”

Bellis said the proposal is for a “high-end luxury apartment building with parking below the building.”

Among the amenities would be a lobby with a gym, golf simulator, Amazon package room, and a computer/study room along with a dog park and two rooftop lounges that would overlook the Housatonic River.

The parking will be on the ground level, with four stories of apartments — 40 studios, 32 one bedrooms, and 28 one bedrooms with an office. Bellis sais the developers are voluntarily designating 10 units as affordable under the state statute 8-30g. Bellis also said there will be two parking spaces per unit.

According to the submitted plans, the project site is undeveloped and consists of 3.52 acres of wooded area and a single-family home. The site is bounded by Petremont Lane to the west, an undeveloped, wooded area to the east, commercial development to the south, and Coram Road to the north.

The structure, according to the submitted plans, will be 59-feet high, below the permitted 60 feet. The plan states that the “stone-faced lobby and brick clock tower (are) intended to provide an aesthetic enhancement of the streetscape and the architectural shingles and clapboard will blend in with the neighboring buildings.”

Traffic engineer Kermit Hua of KWH Enterprise, LLC, stated in his report that the traffic impact from the project would be “limited.”

One issue during the original approval for the site was the possible impact on Petremont Lane, which is a tight roadway connecting Coram Road to River Road. Petremont Lane’s intersection with Coram Road is close to the intersection with Constitution Boulevard South, an already congested traffic area.

The new plan eliminates that issue, according to Bellis. The proposal has a driveway and sewer and water to Coram Road, with nothing done on Petremont Lane.

The commission will hold a public hearing on this application on a future date.

Petremont Lane is just off River Road. The property abuts a nonresidential area and a residential area, and, according to the application, the purpose of the PDD is “to allow the construction of an apartment building to accomplish a transition between single-family use and an established nonresidential area.”

Spring 2022 roadway resurfacing is on the horizon in Bristol

Dean Wright

BRISTOL – As weather gets warmer, Spring 2022 roadway resurfacing is on the horizon, said city officials.

Beginning April 21, streets will be milled and resurfaced. Residents can anticipate work on Daniel Road, Holley Road, Carriage Road, Country Lane, Artisan Street, Marine Court, Root Avenue and High Street from the Queen Street intersection to the cul-de-sac.

Road efforts will be completed in two phases with the first consisting of mill actions to remove bituminous pavement. Crews in the second phase will install new bituminous roadway surfaces quickly after. The city will repair any damaged driveway aprons after the resurfacing.

City officials noted there may be minor traffic delays during the process, but streets will continue to be open for local traffic, emergency vehicles and mail delivery. No parking signs will be placed temporarily during the resurfacing process. 

Those with questions should contact the Public Works Engineering Division at 860-584-6125.

Preston wetlands commission approves RV park near Avery Pond

Claire Bessette  

Preston — A proposed RV park and campground cleared its first hurdle Tuesday, with the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission voting 3-2 to approve the scaled-down but still controversial project on 65 acres of land owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation at the junction of routes 2 and 164 and abutting Avery Pond.

Maryland-based Blue Water Development Corp. has proposed the RV park and campground resort under the name Blue Camp CT LLC, on three parcels owned by the Mashantuckets at 451, 455 and 495 Route 2.

Commission Chairman John Moulson specified that he was not voting “in favor,” but voting to approve the project because it met wetlands regulations. The commission set several conditions, including requiring a $600,000 bond to be held by the town in case problems arise or the project becomes abandoned. Other conditions give town Wetlands Agent Len Johnson authority to issue a cease-and-desist order on all activities if violations are discovered.

Once the project is completed, the town wetlands agent will continue to have authority to inspect the property during business hours and with advanced notice. If violations are found, the officer could issue notices of violation and cease and desist orders if necessary.

Commission members Doug Fox and Rebecca Hayes voted in favor, and Commissioners Paul Andruskiewicz and Henry Wrigley voted against.

The project has been revised several times in response to concerns from residents and the town’s consulting engineers and was estimated in March to cost $18.5 million. The plan originally called for 304 campsites, a T-shaped dock in Avery Pond, an elevated boardwalk leading to tent camping sites along the pond, three bathhouses, paved roads and parking areas and several other amenities.

Blue Water has downsized the project to 280 campsites, eliminated the dock, boardwalk, tent sites along the pond and one bathhouse. All roadways and parking areas will be gravel-based, except at the main entrance and welcome center area.

Moulson said the revisions made a difference for him. When the project started, he said, activity was within 4 feet of wetlands, with potential for campers, especially kids, to trample wetlands plants and compact soils.

"At the beginning, Avery Pond was being invaded by the boardwalk and activity that was less than 50 feet from the pond," Moulson said. "Moving it to 100 feet, I think made a big difference, as far as I'm concerned. I think it's reached a point where I don't really like it, but I think it meets our requirements."

Earlier in the meeting, Andruskiewicz commented on the many revisions and said, "the place it ended was probably the place it should have started," with no dock, boardwalk or paved roads. He said the proposed use itself — with 1,000 people, 270 sites, campfires and propane tanks —poses the greatest threats to the wetlands.

Preston — A proposed RV park and campground cleared its first hurdle Tuesday, with the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission voting 3-2 to approve the scaled-down but still controversial project on 65 acres of land owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation at the junction of routes 2 and 164 and abutting Avery Pond.

Maryland-based Blue Water Development Corp. has proposed the RV park and campground resort under the name Blue Camp CT LLC, on three parcels owned by the Mashantuckets at 451, 455 and 495 Route 2.

Commission Chairman John Moulson specified that he was not voting “in favor,” but voting to approve the project because it met wetlands regulations. The commission set several conditions, including requiring a $600,000 bond to be held by the town in case problems arise or the project becomes abandoned. Other conditions give town Wetlands Agent Len Johnson authority to issue a cease-and-desist order on all activities if violations are discovered.

Once the project is completed, the town wetlands agent will continue to have authority to inspect the property during business hours and with advanced notice. If violations are found, the officer could issue notices of violation and cease and desist orders if necessary.

Commission members Doug Fox and Rebecca Hayes voted in favor, and Commissioners Paul Andruskiewicz and Henry Wrigley voted against.

The project has been revised several times in response to concerns from residents and the town’s consulting engineers and was estimated in March to cost $18.5 million. The plan originally called for 304 campsites, a T-shaped dock in Avery Pond, an elevated boardwalk leading to tent camping sites along the pond, three bathhouses, paved roads and parking areas and several other amenities.

Blue Water has downsized the project to 280 campsites, eliminated the dock, boardwalk, tent sites along the pond and one bathhouse. All roadways and parking areas will be gravel-based, except at the main entrance and welcome center area.

Moulson said the revisions made a difference for him. When the project started, he said, activity was within 4 feet of wetlands, with potential for campers, especially kids, to trample wetlands plants and compact soils.

"At the beginning, Avery Pond was being invaded by the boardwalk and activity that was less than 50 feet from the pond," Moulson said. "Moving it to 100 feet, I think made a big difference, as far as I'm concerned. I think it's reached a point where I don't really like it, but I think it meets our requirements."

Earlier in the meeting, Andruskiewicz commented on the many revisions and said, "the place it ended was probably the place it should have started," with no dock, boardwalk or paved roads. He said the proposed use itself — with 1,000 people, 270 sites, campfires and propane tanks —poses the greatest threats to the wetlands.

Litchfield proposes $10 million for Batntam school

JOHN MCKENNA 

LITCHFIELD – The town facilities review committee Tuesday issued a recommendation that a $10 million renovation of the former Bantam School is warranted so the facility could continue to serve the town for decades to come.

Committee Chairman Samuel Olmstead presented the recommendation to the Board of Selectmen during its meeting at the old school, which is used by several town departments and the Bantam post office.

“There’s solid interest in the committee in bringing this building back,” Olmstead said. “It is an architecturally significant and gracious building, and we believe a plan to upgrade it would be in keeping with Litchfield’s values.”

Selectmen tabled action on the request and plan to consider it May 3.

Public comment was supportive of the idea of renovating the building. John Langer of Bantam said the town facilities committee could go one step further and recommend the building be converted into a town hall to replace the current Town Hall.

“This is a town hall, for real,” Langer said “There’s potential here for a town hall and $10 million is not a lot of money to spend on something that will last for another 50 years.”

Patty Dauten, who serves on the Board of Finance, agreed with Langer’s assessment. Several other residents who spoke expressed support for investing in a renovation.

Selectman Jeffrey Zullo, a member of the committee, said it would be a waste to use the building as a town hall. Zullo instead favors a diversity of municipal and community uses, and a more creative approach in determining the future of the building.

The committee’s recommendation includes a request to hire an architectural and engineering consultant to study the nearly 70-year-old building to determine how it could be renovated to best serve the town and what the cost of an upgrade would be.

A consultant likely would cost about $200,000, Olmstead said. The committee recommends the fund that is used to maintain the building be tapped to pay for the consultant. The fund has a little less than $450,000 in it, First Selectman Denise Raap said.

An upgrade could be carried out in phases over a number of years to ease the financial burden on taxpayers, Olmstead noted.

“It would be a solid investment that I don’t think would be overwhelming,” he said. “We think it would be money well-spent.”

Located on 10 flat acres, the building has potential for expanded municipal and community uses, Olmstead said.

“It’s time to bring in a professional to vet the options and determine what it would take to bring the building up to modern standards,” he said of the request to hire a consultant.