“It’s going to be a move in the right direction,” said By Carrier Developer and Co-owner Ryan Carrier of ongoing downtown development efforts. “I think it’s going to spark a lot in Bristol. That lot has been vacant (for several years). It’s going to be nice to see some more buildings open up over there. I think people are going to start looking at Bristol in a more positive way because right now there’s talk that this lot has been sitting there and nothing’s happening and so many empty promises. I think that the Carriers are finally going to fulfill that promise.”

By Carrier, a local development company signed a letter of intent to the city in March for four parcels to create residential and commercial spaces in Centre Square. This is in effort to increase foot traffic and overall business health to the area.

“We’ve still got a lot of design and planning that’s got to happen,” said Carrier. “We’re still meeting with public works… I would say maybe the end of next year or the beginning of the following year that would be best case scenario (to begin construction in Center Square parcels).”

Carrier said project completion would be dependent upon cost of materials and ongoing development processes moving as planned.

“Any projects we have, we’re going to complete but we don’t want to start anything new until construction costs normalize a little bit,” said Carrier. “We’re lucky we started in March of last year with (Residences on Main) otherwise it could have cost much, much more.”

By Carrier’s Residences on Main has targeted July 1 as a completion date for its second building. Some exterior landscaping will still be in the works. The first building saw families moving into the facility in February. When everything is done, 32 units will provide space for families.

In March of last year, By Carrier demolished the previous structure where Residences on Main now sits and started framing the first structure in June 2020.

An estimated 90 apartment units are anticipated to be constructed on the Center Square parcels with roughly 15,000 square feet of retail space. 

“There are Bristol ties with Carrier,” said Bristol Economic Development Director Justin Malley. “From a community perspective, most folks know the Carrier name and associate that with quality and a name that can be trusted. It’s always important on the local development side to work with good partners and have that trust.”

Bristol Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu said that “For people who had any level of skepticism about what was going to be happening downtown, especially after 50 years of tumultuous downtown development dating back to urban renewal in the 60s, we really needed to have credible people come to the table to do projects downtown and Carrier fits that bill.”

The mayor and economic development director said that combined with the recent announcement of Wheeler Clinic moving its headquarters to the downtown area in Centre Square, increased foot traffic driven by new businesses and residents would serve downtown’s economic health well.

 Offshore wind partners ink deal for use of turbine installation vessel in New London

Greg Smith

Offshore wind partners Ørsted and Eversource announced on Tuesday they had reached a deal with Dominion Energy for use of a first-of-its-kind wind turbine installation vessel in New London during construction of two planned offshore wind farms in the Northeast.

The Charybdis will be the nation’s first Jones Act-qualified vessel for use by the offshore wind industry. The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, known widely as the Jones Act, is a federal statute that requires all vessels shipping goods between two U.S. ports be American-built, owned and flagged.

The $500 million, 472-foot-long vessel is being constructed in Brownsville, Texas, and is expected to appear on New London’s waterfront by the end of 2023 to start work on transportation and installation of turbines in conjunction with Ørsted and Eversource’s Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind projects. Revolution Wind is a planned 704-megawatt wind farm 15 miles off  the Rhode Island coast expected to provide 304 megawatts to Connecticut. Sunrise Wind is a proposed 880 MW wind farm under development in New York.

Ørsted and Eversource have joined with the state and Connecticut Port Authority to fund the $235 million overhaul of State Pier for use as a staging area for work on the wind farms.

Eversource President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Nolan, in an interview with The Day, called Charybdis a major milestone that will help speed construction of the wind farms. The vessel can transport and install up to six wind turbines — with an estimated diameter of 726 feet each — to the lease areas. The alternative is use of smaller U.S.-built feeder barges to move the turbines to European installation vessels.

The Charybdis, which is 184 feet wide, will feature a crane with capacity for 2,200 tons and boom length of 426 feet.

Charybdis will operate as part of Dominion Energy’s contracted assets and once completed will be homeported in Hampton Roads, Va. After working with Ørsted and Eversource, the vessel will be used to support Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which is located off the coast of Virginia Beach and expected to be completed in 2026. The farm will feature an estimated 188 turbines and produce 2.6 gigawatts when completed.

Nolan said New London and Virginia are some of the few places where vessels as large as Charybdis can operate, since most ports have obstacles like bridges and hurricane barriers. New London does not.

“New London looks forward to the arrival of the country’s first offshore wind installation vessel to our historic, deep water port,” New London Mayor Michael Passero said in a statement. “This major green energy milestone means local jobs and community investment in our maritime economy, as New London redevelops its port facility and emerges as a premier offshore wind hub for the Northeast.”

Charybdis is being built at the global marine shipbuilder firm Keppel AmFELS’s shipyard using domestically sourced steel. At peak construction, 1,000 U.S. workers will be employed on this project. The vessel is designed to handle current turbine technologies as well as next-generation turbine sizes of 12 megawatts or larger. It also will be capable of the installation of foundations for turbines. Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind turbine sizes are still to be determined but in their permitting applications, Revolution Wind calls for up to 12 megawatts and Sunrise Wind calls for up to 15 megawatts.

“Offshore wind is critical to America’s clean-energy future and the Charybdis plays a vital role in reaching the Biden Administration’s ambitious goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind production by 2030,” Bob Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Ørsted and Eversource on the construction of Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind to continue to grow the offshore wind industry in the U.S.”

“A Jones Act-qualified installation vessel is a game-changer for the development of the U.S. offshore wind industry,” said David Hardy, chief executive officer of Ørsted Offshore North America. “This investment will enable us to unlock the economic benefits of offshore wind, not just for the Northeast, but for the Southern states, as well. We’re proud to partner with Dominion Energy and Eversource on this historic milestone.”

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Connecticut's U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, all applauded the news.

“We are excited about the transformation of State Pier into a state-of-the-art facility and the arrival of Dominion's historic vessel in Connecticut to support Ørsted and Eversource’s offshore wind project work, which includes bringing the state its first offshore wind farm in Revolution Wind,” Lamont said in a statement. “All of this activity assists in advancing our state’s clean energy economy and helps position New London as a hub for the industry, delivering jobs and economic development to the city and Connecticut overall.”

“The Biden Administration is prepared to make long-term investments to ensure America is a dominant and permanent force in the global clean energy economy, and eastern Connecticut has a major part to play for us to be successful,” Courtney said in a statement. “The uptick in offshore wind activity has already brought business and job opportunities to our communities, local suppliers, and other industries through federal grants and public and private investment, and today’s announcement is a signal of all the continued growth and opportunity on the horizon."

Firm outlines plans for two solar energy farms in Stonington

Joe Wojtas

Stonington — A solar energy company outlined its conceptual plans to construct solar energy farms on Jeremy Hill and Lantern Hill roads for the Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday.

The commission, though, would have no jurisdiction over the projects being proposed by Greenskies Clean Energy LLC, as review and approval is through the Connecticut Siting Council. Once Greenskies submits an application to the siting council, town officials and residents can submit written comments on the project and participate in any public hearings. 

Tuesday's meeting also gave the commission a chance to ask questions and voice any initial concerns.

The property at 54 Jeremy Hill Road would involve 28 acres of a 62.5-acre site that is zoned rural residential for single-family homes on a minimum lot size of 80,000 square feet. According to a report by Town Planner Keith Brynes, the land previously was approved as a 20-lot subdivision but that approval has expired and the new owners purchased the property primarily as farmland. Some of the land has since been cleared.

Greenskies representatives told the commission that there are two homes about 250 to 300 feet away from the project that would be able to see the panels. The panels, however, will be elevated 20 to 50 feet above the houses. Geeenskies Project Manager Bonnie Potocki said additional screening would be provided if needed and she has reached out to the homeowners to discuss any concerns. 

She added the plan is to keep using the land not containing solar panels for grazing sheep and other livestock.

Plans call for using 14 of the 71 acres at 229 Lantern Hill Road for solar panels. The land is located in the greenbelt residential zone, which requires a minimum lot size of 130,000 square feet to build a house. Brynes wrote that the land, located across from the entrance to Linda Lane, is mostly cleared agricultural field. The site is bordered to the west by Whitford Brook. The land is also directly adjacent to Aquarion Water property where wells are located, but Greenskies said the solar panel development would not be in the town's Aquifer Protection Area. Potocki said plans are to continue growing sweet corn on the remainder of the site.

Potocki said the exact number of panels on each site has not yet been determined. Commission member Charles Sheehan told Greenskies that he would prefer to see transmission lines that connect the panels to poles along the street instead be buried underground. Potocki said Greenskies has to work with Eversource on that decision.   

Greenskies plans to submit both applications to the siting council within the next four to six weeks. The application process is expected to take about six months, with Greenskies hoping to begin construction next spring.

In February, the siting council approved a Greenskies plan to convert four holes at the Elmridge Golf Course in Pawcatuck into a solar energy facility. It is part of the courses plan to downsize its layout from 27 to 18 holes.

In late 2019, the siting council approved a plan by Greenskies to create a solar energy farm with 16,680 panels on 16.5 acres of an 87-acre piece of farmland off Taugwonk Spur Road.

State aid sought as Plymouth seeks new police station

Lance Reynolds

PLYMOUTH — Town officials are confident residents see the need for a new police station.

The project’s building committee, however, is waiting to learn how state funding will offset the town’s cost before attempting to pitch it to taxpayers.

The current 2,600-square-foot police station in the Town Hall basement would be replaced with a two-story, 16,750-square-foot building on a 2.5-acre lot behind Town Hall where the skate park is located.

Committee members learned last week the project’s initial $11 million cost has jumped to about $12.3 million due to the rising cost of building materials, such as steel and lumber. About $9.3 million of that amount would finance construction; the other $3 million for architectural costs.

Town taxpayers would vote on the project in a referendum.

Building committee Vice Chairman Michael Audette said before the committee further develops and markets the project, it needs to know how much the state’s share would be. That information should be released after state officials set the state’s budget by June 9.

“We’re all anxious to see what the final price tag will be,” Audette said. “That will help us determine where we go in terms of marketing this and trying to sell it to the taxpayers. I think they realize the need is there.”

Finance Director Ann Marie Rheault, who sits on the building committee, said the town’s $1.1 million in federal COVID-relief funding can’t be used to help finance the project. She said taking some funds from the town’s $2.6 million debt service line item could be an option to offset the project’s first interest payment.

Financing the project would occur at a time when the town faces a $7.5 million state-mandated phosphorus upgrade at the water pollution control facility on Canal Street. Preliminary costs for that project indicate a state share of about 20%, or $1.4 million, via a Clean Water Fund Grant from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Rheault expressed concern about bonding both projects simultaneously. The town’s total net debt service is $16.9 million.

“Unless we get some funding from the state for this project, I think a lot of residents would have a hard time taking on both (projects),” Rheault said. “You’d basically be doubling our debt from what we have right now.”

The new police station’s upper level would have administrative offices, interview rooms and training rooms. The lower level would include evidence and armory storage, separated holding cells and be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The building also would have secure and separate parking for police cruisers.

The current station lacks proper office space and evidence storage; separate men’s and women’s locker rooms and bathrooms; additional storage areas for officers’ equipment; separate adult and juvenile cells, and is not ADA compliant.

Mayor David V. Merchant in a video tour of the current station encouraged residents to contact his office to schedule an in-person tour. Residents can access project information on the town website, plymouthct.us/police-building-project.

“I hope that you’re able to see just how far out of compliance our department is and how badly we need to replace this facility,” Merchant said. “This is one of the most important projects that we have lined up in town.”