CT Construction Digest Wednesday December 8, 2021
Millions of dollars in federal grants and matching funds were awarded Monday for improving the Long Island Sound watershed, with projects slated for Connecticut to reduce pollution, build green infrastructure and restore habitats for birds, fish and other wildlife.
State and federal officials announced federal grants totaling $5.4 million to state and local government, nonprofit organizations and community groups from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund. The grants are matched by $4.8 million from the recipients, for a total of $10.2 million for projects.
In Connecticut, those projects include more than $1.3 million for stormwater management and other green infrastructure technologies to improve water quality around Hartford, Bridgeport and Stonington.
In Groton, the federal grants will help fund a $150,000 project to develop a coastal resiliency plan for the Mystic waterfront, while in Fairfield they will aid a $255,750 restoration of coastal forest at the Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary.
A $192,936 project undertaken by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, N.Y., will remove abandoned fishing gear and other marine debris from waters in both New York and Connecticut.
Three projects totaling $287,988 will help install or renovate fishways and other migration channels for eels, herring, alewives and other fish that spawn upstream in Connecticut. The Connecticut Audubon Society will also oversee a $226,372 project to improve habitats for American oystercatchers and other shorebirds.
Oyster reefs will be the subject of a $262,193 restoration project in Mystic and Groton undertaken by the University of Connecticut.
The complete list of grant recipients includes dozens of other projects in Connecticut, New York and Vermont.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D- Conn., hailed the grant awards as a “gigantic achievement” and the largest annual investment in the Sound since the LISFF was created in 2005 as a partnership between the bi-state Long Island Sound Study, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
“Every one of these dollars is a force multiplier; it will have ripple effects throughout Long Island Sound and Connecticut,” Blumenthal said.
According to the NFWF, this year’s grant awards will treat 353,000 gallons of stormwater, remove 97,700 pounds of marine debris and restore 25 acres of habitats in the Sound’s watershed.
Funding for this year’s round of grants was approved by Congress as part of national spending in the 2021 fiscal year, said Mark Tedesco, director of the EPA’s Long Island Sound Office. The recent passage of a $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill — which included $106 million for the Sound — could result in more grants awarded through the LISFF next year.
U.S. Rep. Tom Souzzi, D-N.Y., referred to the Sound as “our national park,” during a press conference Monday announcing the grants. Over nearly two decades, previous grants from the LISFF have had a noticeable impact on the environment, fisheries and tourism, he said.
“We can actually see more sea life, that the water’s clearer, that more people are using the Sound,” Souzzi said.
Long Island Sound is one of the largest estuaries in the United States and is also one of the most-densely populated, with more than 23 million people living within 50 miles of its waters. The larger watershed, which includes rivers and streams flowing into the Sound, covers more than 16,000 square miles in five states.
Wilton Center pedestrian bridge next grant-funded project to be built
WILTON — The town’s next major grant-funded project will be the pedestrian foot bridge set to span from the Wilton Train Station over the Norwalk River to Merwin Meadows Park, giving the town greater connectivity to Wilton Center.
“We are very close to getting authorization” for “getting that out bid,” Smeriglio said of the pedestrian bridge, which will be funded by a $1.4 million Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program grant. According to the town engineer, the design is complete and construction is slated to start in 2022.
Town officials discussed the status of numerous grants Monday totaling over $19 million, expected to be used for other bridges and trails in the coming years.
Assistant Director of Public Works and Town Engineer Frank Smeriglio outlined the status of nine grants — eight that have either been accepted this year or in prior years, and one that is pending.
Each grant is earmarked to aid in the construction cost of bridge or trail renovations. There are no bridges that must be completely demolished and rebuilt, Smeriglio said.
The grant tied to a project nearing completion is the $1.2 million DEEP grant approved in 2018 for the Wil Walk section of the Norwalk River Valley Trail. The project began this year and the designs were “paid for by the friends of NRVT,” Smeriglio said Monday. The project is expected to be completed in January 2022.
Another foot bridge is expected to start construction in 2023, per the town, to the tune of $3.6 million on Arrowhead Road just off of Danbury Road. Of the estimated cost, the grant approved in 2019 for the project will cover just under $2.9 million.
The grant that received the most recent approval is for the Wilton Loop North section of the NRVT trail approved by the Western Connecticut Council of Governments in November.
“We’ll be heavily involved” in extending the trail roughly one mile north when construction starts, Smeriglio told the selectmen.
One of the grants encompasses the construction cost of five separate bridge repairs — the Old Mill Road Bridge, Old Ridgefield Road Bridge, Middlebrook Farm Road Bridge, River Gate Drive Bridge and Seeley Road Bridge.
All five bridge repairs are estimated to cost roughly $2.1 million. The LOTCIP grant will cover $1.8 million of that total.
On Monday, the contractor hired to do those repairs, WMC Engineers, was approved unanimously by the BOS, which featured its two newest members Kim Healy and Bas Nabulsi.
“Yes,” Vanderslice said. “We definitely see them.”
District Energy, Fuel Cells Paving the Way for a Greener Bridgeport
Alex Fischer
As the historical home for a number of large fossil-fired power plants, Bridgeport has been making a tremendous transition into what many statewide know as Connecticut’s “green” city. The use of fuel cells throughout the city has contributed to much lower emissions from power generation. Northeastern renewable energy leader, NuPower, gained approval from the Connecticut Siting Council to break ground on their second low emission fuel cell and district energy system.
District energy, called the “most desirable way to heat cities and institutions” by NuPower Partner Scott Guilmartin, helps achieve global climate goals and reduces pollution by creating synergy between the production of heating, cooling, domestic hot water and electricity to enhance energy and resource efficiency.
The recently approved project will join three existing fuel cells, one at the Cherry Street Lofts complex, one on the University of Bridgeport’s campus, and another at State Street near the Chaves Bakery. These fuel cells provide electricity with little to no emissions, making for a very efficient and environmentally positive way to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, and ultimately natural gas, too.
Currently, natural gas is the only source of the hydrogen that the fuel cells use to create electricity. As the country becomes more hydrogen-based, however, NuPower will be one of the few generation sources that can immediately replace natural gas with hydrogen.
At the NuPower Cherry Street project, the fuel cell provides continuous, clean power to 174 affordable housing apartments and a 70,000 sq. ft. charter school, making electricity less expensive and environmentally conscious for all those living and attending school there.
“Every single one of the buildings that we connect to the district heating system means that those buildings are no longer having to rely on their own fossil fuel-based boilers. This means these buildings are no longer generating individual emissions, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions significantly,” Guilmartin said.
The district heating system will largely serve the Bridgeport south end, and the fuel cell will provide electricity to the Bridgeport distribution system.
“We are using a small half acre site with little development value to create a highly efficient, cutting-edge energy facility and one of the highest property tax payers for the City of Bridgeport on a per square foot basis. Located next to the highway and across from Metro North tracks, the project generates virtually no emissions or noise,” Daniel Donovan said, partner at NuPower.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Jim Himes are among the officials who have continually been supportive of NuPower’s mission, along with Bridgeport icon, Rep. Ezequiel Santiago who tragically passed away in 2019.
Santiago, a key member and leader in the Bridgeport community, was one of the organization’s biggest supporters, Donovan said. The organization hopes to in some way honor his memory once the project is up and running.
“Stanford [University], MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology], as well as the cities of Seattle and Nashville among others have all transitioned to district energy systems. Bridgeport is going to be truly cutting-edge in terms of having this kind of system, and I think it will enhance Bridgeport’s reputation as a green city.” Guilmartin said.”NuPower’s mission to develop renewable energy and efficiency through the city will allow Bridgeport the opportunity for a more environmentally conscious future,” Guilmartin said.
For more information about district energy and NuPower, visit www.nupowerllc.net.
Stonington commission approves $100 million expansion of Perklins Farm project
Mystic — The Stonington Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday night unanimously approved plans for a $100 million expansion of the Perkins Farm project, which calls for a 72,000-square-foot expansion of the Hartford HealthCare medical building and a second 124-unit, four-story apartment complex.
After closing a public hearing that began last month, the commission granted the five approvals needed for the project — with stipulations including that a large berm along the front of the property be extended and modified and meet the requirements of the town engineer.
The expansion will make the Jerry Browne Road development the town's largest taxpayer, eventually generating an estimated $1.8 million to $2.8 million a year in tax revenue for the town. In 2018, residents overwhelmingly approved a seven-year tax break for the project's first phase, which Lattizori said was essential in order to secure private financing and build the costly infrastructure.
At a public hearing session last month, a large group of residents, medical professionals and members of the businesses community had spoken in support of the application by local developer David Lattizori.
The commission had continued the hearing to Tuesday night so Lattizori's team could provide additional details, such as a view of the project from Jerry Browne Road and the current design of the large berm, which commissioners say was not built according to the approved plans for phase one.
The expansion is the second and final phase of the project, which preserves 35 acres of the 70-acre site as open space.
After the decision Tuesday night, Lattizori, whose family had worked for decades to develop the site, said he was looking forward to building the second phase and bringing more quality medical care and housing to the town.
The first phase of the project, valued at $85 million, contains a 50,000-square-foot Hartford Health Care medical building that opened in January 2020, as well as 121 luxury apartments known as Harbor Heights and 50 townhouses. It generates $1 million a year in tax revenue for the town and created 100 permanent jobs.
The new medical building would be attached to the current one by a walkway and would stretch along the border with Interstate 95. The new apartment building would resemble the current one, known as Harbor Heights, which contains upscale amenities. Lattizori will need to obtain approval for the apartments' site plan before beginning construction.
The project also needs to gain permission to send sewage to the Mystic treatment plant. There is a moratorium on new sewer connections in Mystic because the plant has reached the limit of sewage it can treat each day under its permit. Town officials are trying to find a solution so they can lift the moratorium and recently identified and corrected a major source of infiltration into the system.
South Windsor PZC to take up contentious warehouse site plan Tuesday
The South Windsor Planning & Zoning Commission will meet Tuesday night to discuss a site plan for a proposed 359,000-square-foot warehouse, a project that has drawn scrutiny from some neighbors who say the sprawling building and operations there would negatively affect their quality of life.
UW Vintage Lane II LLC of Glastonbury is seeking permission to build the facility on 30.3 acres of land bordered by Talbot Lane and Governors Highway, in accordance with plans first submitted to the town in July and updated several times since. Aside from the 359,640-square-foot building, the proposal also outlines space for loading docks and numerous parking spaces for trailers and cars.
According to town records, the Planning and Zoning Commission will have until Wednesday to act on the site plan.
The principal of UW Vintage Lane is Horseshoe Lane Associates LLC, which consists of Robert and Gianni Urso of South Windsor.
The property owner has yet to say who would occupy the warehouse, but it is no secret that e-commerce companies, including Amazon, are rapidly building or renting distribution space in the Hartford region due to its ready access to I-91 and I-84 and its position between New York City and Boston.
The project has encountered opposition from some neighbors, who claim the warehouse’s presence will worsen traffic in the area and introduce significant light and noise pollution.