CT has $138.5 million set aside for school air quality. Why are there no plans to spend it?

Alex Putterman, Jacqueline Rabe Thomas,

Connecticut will not offer a third round of school air quality grants due to "funding constraints," the state says, despite $138.5 million remaining in a fund intended for that purpose.

Created in 2022 after years of advocacy to improve school air quality amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut's HVAC grant program has so far distributed $178 million to local school systems for new ventilation systems and other improvements, allowing districts to update infrastructure that was, in some cases, decades old.

Still, the money spent through the program represents less than half of what state lawmakers have allocated for it over recent years. Some of the money once intended for air quality projects has since been redirected for other uses, while much of it simply remains unspent.

Following one round of funding in spring 2023 and another earlier this year, Connecticut's Department of Administrative Services emailed superintendents and other stakeholders in August informing them there would be no additional grants.

"I know many of you have been waiting on details regarding the third round of the grant program for fiscal year 2025," Commissioner Michelle Gilman said in the email, obtained by CT Insider. "At this time, a third round of applications and awards is not scheduled due to funding constraints."

Gilman promised her agency would push during the coming legislative session "to include the program as a permanent category within the school construction grant program," which would allow districts to access air quality funds more regularly.

Asked this week about the decision not to distribute more grants, a Department of Administrative Services spokesperson repeated Gilman's assertion about funding constraints. A spokesperson for Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management said "additional allocations must be balanced with other capital needs" and said the state is constrained somewhat by a cap on bonding.

Records from the treasurer's office show the state plans to issue hundreds of millions in general obligation bonds for other priorities over the coming months.

Joe DeLong, executive director of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said he hears fewer complaints about school air quality than he used to, a possible sign the grant program has met districts' needs. Still, he said he suspects there would be more applicants if the state offered another round of funding.

"I'm sure that there probably would be," he said. "But I don't know how many."

During the most recent round of school air quality grants, the state rejected 17 applications spread across six districts, either because districts could not secure local funding by the state's deadline or because the state determined they lacked the proper paperwork, such as professional cost estimates. Those projects together would have cost $28.4 million in state aid, state records show.

DeLong said he'd strongly support an effort to include air quality projects within the state's broader school construction grant program, which he said is "really what should have been done to begin with."

Including HVAC system replacements under the school construction program — as roof replacements are, for example — would make money available for all qualifying projects, without restrictions based on availability of funds. Efforts to bring air quality under that program have made little progress in recent years, however.

Leslie Blatteau, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, said she's frustrated the state hasn't distributed more money for air quality projects. Despite receiving nearly $3 million to upgrade HVAC systems at a pair of schools, New Haven continues to have buildings that are sweltering in warmer months and frigid in winter, she said.

"We have buildings in New Haven that need HVAC repairs, and then I see that the state of Connecticut (has) billions of surplus, billions of rainy-day fund, and they're saying that there are budget constraints," Blatteau said. "It doesn't add up. It doesn't make sense."

Connecticut's air quality grant program began in 2022, after years of back and forth between advocates, local officials and Gov. Ned Lamont, who initially objected to spending state money on school HVAC upgrades, even as the COVID-19 pandemic magnified concerns about air quality in Connecticut schools.

In early 2022, a review conducted by the state Department of Education found that only 40 percent of school facilities for which responses were submitted had central air conditioning for their entire building and only 53 percent had HVAC or high efficiency boilers no older than their expected useful life.

Once Lamont eventually came around on the idea of an air quality grant program, the legislature authorized $75 million in funding for the 2023 fiscal year, plus an additional $75 million in federal money. Lawmakers later allocated another $150 million each for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, making $450 million in total.

The state released $56 million in grants during the program's first round in 2023 but drew criticism for denying districts over minor mistakes in their applications and for failing to distribute the money equitably among wealthy and poor school systems. Earlier this year, the state announced another $122 million in grants to 48 districts, including some that were denied the first time.

The legislature later clawed back the $75 million in federal funds to use for other purposes.

As of August, the air quality fund had a balance of $150 million, state documents show. Last month, the state authorized $11.5 million from the fund for the University of Connecticut construct and install individual classroom air filters, bringing the total available in the fund to $138.5 million.

Blatteau said she considers air quality essential in providing students a suitable education.

"Children will learn best when the conditions are appropriate for learning," she said. "At a minimum, there should be an expectation that the rooms where kids are learning and where teachers are teaching are safe, welcoming, well-maintained spaces where temperatures are appropriate for human beings to be in."

Aquarion closes section of Route 106 in Wilton to install water main that also serves Norwalk

WILTON — A section of Route 106 will be closed on weekdays as Aquarion Water Co. installs a critical new utility pipe. 

The closure between Old Boston Road and Old Kings Highway in Wilton began Monday and is expected to last for three to four weeks, according to the town's Department of Public Works. Road work will occur from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, the department said. One lane of alternating traffic is permitted through the intersection during the closure, according to Public Works. 

Aquarion is finishing the installation of a 36-inch water main that will replace two aging 18-inch cast iron pipes, the company said. These 1905 South Norwalk Electric & Water pipes supply drinking water to a "significant" portion of Norwalk, Aquarion said. 

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"Given the pipe age, material and limited availability of 18-inch diameter pipe and fittings, failure of these pipes during or after construction of Aquarion’s project presents an unacceptable risk," Aquarion said in an October statement. 

Architectural firm to pay back $600K in New London community center overruns

John Penney

New London ― A prominent city-based architectural firm has agreed to pay nearly $600,000 to cover cost overruns ― ranging from site work to crew toilets ― at the new community center after its subcontractor failed to secure crucial state permits in the early stages of the project.

The City Council on Monday approved a settlement that calls for Silver Petrucelli + Associates to pay $585,000 for “work not done by its subcontractor, Stadia Engineering Associates, Inc.”

The permitting issues delayed the start of the project by six months, with crews finally breaking ground in July of 2023.

The settlement money will be used to replenish a community center project contingency account, said Felix Reyes, the city’s director of planning and economic development. He said the project’s $40 million total expected price tag was not affected by the delay costs.

Stadia Engineering, which operates from a Vauxhall Street office in New London, bills itself as a full-service survey and engineering consultant firm whose portfolio includes work at Mohegan Sun and Mystic Seaport.

In addition to land surveying and environmental planning, the company handles a variety of construction-based work, including those related to pollution control plans and permitting documents, according to its website.

Change order documents from the Downes Construction Company, which is overseeing the entire construction project on the Fort Trumbull peninsula, list several instances of unplanned spending due to the failure of a Stadia engineer to obtain a state flood management certificate along with storm water and wastewater discharge permits.

The extra costs are described by Downes as being the result of “design miscoordination.” Change orders beginning in November 2023 and running through this past summer list several instances of unplanned costs, from winterizing the site and re-trimming overgrowth to increased labor and material prices.

A June 4 change order notice requesting $476,195 listed $382,469 in extra staff costs due to the construction delay. Among those costs were $25,000 for storage containers; $15,000 for a field office trailer; $12,000 for toilets; and $1,200 for water and coffee.

Downes said it “worked diligently to reduce the impact of the delays through resequencing of work” and other strategies.

The company stated the project is expected to be substantially completed by April 24, 2025 with site improvement and landscaping finished by May 30.

A copy of the proposed settlement, which is not finalized, was not available Tuesday.

The project’s initial $30 million price tag, approved by the council in 2021, jumped by approximately $10 million as more detailed cost figures emerged, with the gap later filled with a combination of state and federal funding. The city was also awarded a $1.2 million grant through the state’s Brownfield Remediation program for pre-construction site work.

The community center, which will house a two-court gym, fitness center and eight-lane pool, along with office and community space, is scheduled to open in July 2025.

Norwich to buy bank building, seek voter support for $49 million police station

Claire Bessette

Norwich ― The City Council voted 6-1 Monday night to purchase the Chelsea Groton Bank building on Main Street for $800,000 with a plan to seek voter support in November 2025 to renovate and expand the building for a new police station.

Monday’s vote, which followed a lengthy council discussion and a contentious public hearing, involved only the purchase of the bank property at 300 Main St. and parking lots at 13 Arcadia St. and 17 Arcadia St.

The meeting was peppered throughout the night with angry comments back and forth between several residents and council members.

After the hearing, Police Chief Patrick Daley said the architectural firm Hughes & Cronin of Old Saybrook has estimated the cost at $49 million to renovate and expand the building, the least expensive of three potential sites reviewed for the project. The design is expected to meet the department’s needs for the next 50 years, Daley said.

Daley pledged to hold regular public meetings over the next 11 months to explain the project and receive public input on the plan before the planned referendum next November. He said the city also will pursue state and federal grants to offset the local taxpayers’ cost for the project.

Alderwoman Shiela Hayes cast the lone dissenting vote. Hayes questioned why the city needed to purchase the building nearly a year before the police station referendum. She asked how likely it would be that the building would be sold to another buyer before the referendum.

She also questioned what the city would do if residents reject the police station.

“It is about the building,” Hayes said, “not about supporting a new police station.”

City Manager John Salomone said the bank lowered the price from the initial $1.4 million asking price to $800,000 if the building could be sold before Dec. 31. Salomone said that price is only good through Dec. 31.

The bank plans to relocate its administrative offices to its facility in Groton and will seek leased space downtown to open a new bank branch.

Salomone acknowledged the process is a bit unorthodox. He said he is very confident the city could find a developer to purchase the bank building if residents reject the police station. Owning the building would give the city control over what is developed there in the future.

Residents worried about rising taxes

During the public hearing, angry residents complained the police station proposal will come in the wake of sharp tax increases last July.

Nicholas Casiano, a recent Republican state representative candidate, complained the proposal comes after huge bonding measures, including the $385 million to build new schools and $145 million to bond the city’s pension debt.

“And now this,” Casiano said.

He said property taxes keep rising as the council continues to increase spending and bonding large projects. Referring to comments by police that the department heating system is faulty, Casiano said residents are forced to lower the thermostats in their homes, because they cannot afford high taxes.

“I got a text from woman this morning asking, ‘Who’s going to pay for this police station after all the working people have left?’” Casiano said. “We have a larger and larger tax burden on fewer and fewer people.”

Resident Joanne Philbrick expressed frustration at repeatedly trying to obtain information about the police station project and other measures and running into roadblocks. A frequent critic of the council, Philbrick complained that aldermen refuse to look at her when she speaks at meetings.

Later, the meeting decorum broke down several times as speakers shouted at the council, tried to speak on items not on the agenda and tried to re-address the police station issue after that vote had taken place .

Mayor Peter Nystrom repeatedly attempted to assuage speakers or to enforce council protocols.

“How in the hell are any of you not ashamed of yourselves,” resident David Attis said during the bank public hearing.

Nystrom defended the council for taking bold actions in recent years to acquire the dilapidated former YMCA property on Main Street and securing developer, Mattern Construction, to build its new headquarters there, to support a developer for the Reid & Hughes building on Main Street after decades of failed attempts and to purchase the blighted and long-vacant Marina Towers building that at Norwich Harbor.

“This council had the nerve to do things,” Nystrom said.

Mixed-use redevelopment proposed for iconic Republican American newspaper HQ in Waterbury

Michael Puffer

Featuring a 245-foot-tall clock tower adorned with gargoyles, the roughly 70,000-square-foot brick headquarters of The Republican American newspaper in the center of Waterbury is among the most recognizable buildings in Connecticut. 

Now, the family-run company that owns the Meadow Street property and newspaper is proposing to transform the iconic, century-old building into a mix of 38 luxury apartments, office space and retail, potentially including a high-end restaurant. The daily newspaper would continue to occupy 10,000 square feet of the building. 

City officials say the project by the American Republican Inc., which is helmed by newspaper publisher William B. Pape, will complement other ongoing transformations of historic downtown buildings into a mix of apartments and commercial space. It also fits well with the city’s years-long efforts to redevelop dozens of underutilized and polluted industrial acres along nearby Freight Street. 

“We’re thrilled with the proposal that came through,” Waterbury Economic Development Director Joseph McGrath said. “It’s going to be a total asset to the mission of reviving downtown and making Freight Street accessible to development.” 

The current plan, McGrath said, would have the family that owns the newspaper continue to own the redeveloped property. 

The American Republican Inc. has teamed up with Parker Benjamin Real Estate Services LLC, a Farmington-based investment and real estate services firm with expertise in renovation of historic properties. 

Parker Benjamin was involved in the transformation of an 1860-vintage nut-and-bolt factory in Farmington into the Upson Market Place, which includes luxury residences, shops, galleries, restaurants and offices. It also worked on the transformation of an 1852-era mill complex in Winsted into a mix of shops, galleries, eateries and offices. 

Parker Benjamin has been working with city and state officials quietly for more than a year to prepare the estimated $12 million proposal. The project team has spent more than $100,000 advancing plans. 

Now, the Waterbury Development Corp. is asking the city’s Board of Aldermen to endorse an application for $250,000 in state grant funds to pay for detailed architectural and site planning. The request is scheduled to go before the board on Dec. 9.
 
The city would be applying for funds through the state’s Community Investment Fund 2030 grant program. This state legislator-led initiative launched in 2022 with a mission to invest up to $875 million in development projects in distressed communities over five years. Applications for the latest round are due Dec. 13.
 
According to a draft application, the development team is also seeking state and federal historic tax credits to fund development. There have been meetings with city staff regarding zoning compliance, as well as with the State Office of Historic Preservation concerning the historic implications of the project. 

Completed in 1909, the “Union Station” building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co., according to the Society of Architectural Historians. The tower’s design was adapted from the 14th-century Torre del Mangia tower in Siena, Italy. 

As railroad ridership declined following World War II, the building was slated for demolition, according to the Society of Architectural Historians. The Pape family purchased it in 1952 and retrofitted the building to house their growing newspaper organization, according to the society. 

Today, the Republican American building sits along a commuter rail line running between Waterbury and Bridgeport, and right next to a passenger train platform. Officials see this as a perfect opportunity for transit-oriented development. 

Woodbury’s Transylvania Road set to reopen after flooding collapse

 STEVE BIGHAM 

WOODBURY – Heavily traveled Transylvania Road could reopen as early as Friday after having been closed since a section of it collapsed 15 weeks ago during the historic flooding Aug. 18.

Workers were paving the new section of road Tuesday and guardrails were scheduled to go up Thursday, weather permitting.

A busy secondary route between Southbury and Woodbury, Transylvania Road was one of dozens of heavily damaged roads in the wake of the flooding. Southbury’s Old Field Road is the only other road that still has a closure.

Woodbury public works Director Rich Lamothe said repairing Transylvania Road took longer than expected due to a lengthy permitting process that included both the state Department of Environmental and Engery Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Lamothe also noted the project required more engineering and design work because the damaged section acts as a dam between a wetlands area and nearby Raney Pond, which lies at the foot of Woodlake condominium complex.

First Selectman Barbara K. Perkinson said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also has been involved with the project because of the protected bog turtles in the area.

Woodbury sustained an estimated $1.1 million in flooding damage, though Perkinson said she’s not expecting to receive the full 75% from FEMA.

Southbury, facing an estimated $91 million in damage, is expected to receive up to 75% reimbursement.

Old Field Road remains closed because a pair of culverts failed. A project to rebuild the road already was in the engineering phase before a section of the road was destroyed. Southbury officials said they are moving ahead with the project just as they would have had there not been any flooding. The road is expected to reopen in the spring.