‘Coming to life’: Construction begins on new Brookfield elementary school

Currie Engel 

BROOKFIELD — With the first perimeter fences erected and construction equipment arriving on site Monday, the town is prepared to start the final phase of a project they’ve dreamed about for decades: construction of Candlewood Lake Elementary School.

The school is expected to open in the fall of 2022, replacing Huckleberry Hill Elementary School. Beautification work and details will be finalized once students are already in the building.

The town will officially announce its groundbreaking for the new school later this spring. But the bulldozers have already arrived.

“I just said today as I dropped my daughter off at school, it’s surreal because this community has been talking about this project for years — I want to say probably close to a decade — and it really started to get traction and get off the ground about four years ago,” Board of Education Chairman Rosa Fernandes said. “Now, it’s coming to life, which is very exciting.”

In a year marked by a global pandemic and remote learning, among other obstacles, the project has stayed on schedule, Fernandes said.

The town voted to approve the $78.1 million plan for the new school in March 2019. With the aid of a $16.7 million state grant, the town will cover the remaining costs.

The school board selected the new name — Candlewood Lake Elementary School — after families were surveyed. Other submissions from students included “Cool School,” “Happy Landings Elementary” and “Friendship Elementary.”

The new building will include classrooms for pre-kindergarten-through-fifth-grade students, integrating school-age populations from Center Elementary School, Huckleberry Elementary, and Whisconier Middle School fifth-graders, and effectively putting all elementary students in the same building.

One of the biggest improvements is the inclusion of fifth-grade classrooms, which, for years, were portable classroom units attached to Whisconier Middle School. The middle school was originally only built to house sixth through eighth grades, according to officials. This is something the town has wanted for a long time, Fernandes said.

Fernandes remembers attending class in the portable units. Now, her daughter will experience fourth and fifth grade in the new school building.

“We’ve never had a permanent structure for fifth-graders,” Fernandes said. “This is something that I think everyone is in favor of.”

Even before John Barile was hired as \superintendent of Brookfield schools, this project was a major focus during his interviews, he said. It was one of the initiatives that drew him to the district.

“We have collaborated as a community and planned this for five years,” Barile said. “It’s just so exciting.”

Barile said he entered the district at a “tumultuous time,” when there was “lots of turnover and lots of controversy,” but this project has helped bring the community together.

Overall, the new school will affect about two-thirds of Brookfield’s students by creating more space, Barile said.

“The plan is so special because it changes the physical part of schooling,” along with other important improvements, Barile said.

Finalized plans include about 10 more classrooms than originally expected. Fernandes said after the district received an enrollment report showing growth, the board wanted to ensure enough space would be in the new building for the additional students. They planned for at least one extra classroom per grade level, she said.

The classrooms will be included at no further cost to taxpayers, since they were added to the project after the town voted, Fernandes said. The cost of additions were handled through the bidding process, so the town included the extra construction costs without having to go back to the voters for more money, she said.

The town’s municipal buildings committee has been in charge of selecting contract bids, which were submitted throughout January. The sitework bid was awarded to Gerber Construction, and other bids for various aspects of the project are still outstanding, Fernandes said.

She called it an “aggressive bidding season” that returned “very favorable” bids.

“It does sound like a very quick turnaround but so far everything with this project has, knock on wood, gone really smoothly,” Fernandes said. “It’s been so seamless so far, so that kind of gives us hope that we can continue on this way.”

Public hearing set for cancer center is ‘next big step’ for $80M Danbury facility

Rob Ryser  

DANBURY - An $80 million cancer treatment center that would use a novel type of radiation to kill more tumor cells and less healthy tissue will be the subject of a public hearing in two weeks.

The state Office of Health Strategy, which is reviewing whether the novel radiation treatment proposed by Danbury Proton is warranted in Connecticut, will conduct the April 1 hearing online over the videoconferencing platform, Zoom.

The Danbury proposal is one of two “proton therapy” cancer centers under review in Connecticut. The second - a $72 million proposed center in Wallingford under a partnership between Hartford HealthCare and the Yale New Haven Health System, has already had an OHS public hearing.

A spokesperson for Danbury Proton says the Wallingford proposal shows how strong the market is in Connecticut for the novel proton treatment, which is being touted as a more precise way to radiate cancer tumors.

“Right now the only other (proton) centers are in Boston and New York City and they are turning patients away because they can’t handle the load,” said Drew Crandall, spokesman. “There is enough of a need for proton therapy in our core region to have two proton therapy centers.”

The public hearing is the second of three hurdles that Danbury Proton must clear to begin construction of a new facility on Wooster Heights Road, near Danbury Municipal Airport.

“On Sept. 15, the state Office of Health Strategy deemed our application complete and that was the first big step forward,” Crandall said. “This public hearing is the next big step.”

The eight members of Danbury’s state delegation agree.

“Over the months, the more we have studied the significant patient care, economic, academic and research benefits of Danbury Proton, the more excited and eager we are to see their (certificate of need application) approved and for construction to begin,” reads a letter signed by state Sen. Julie Kushner, state Rep. Bob Godfrey and six other members of Connecticut’s House who represent Danbury. “During this painful, exhausting and challenging coronavirus pandemic, Danbury Proton is a dose of good news for our state.”

During the public hearing, which could last all day, witnesses from Danbury Proton will testify about the project’s treatment promise, the project’s need in Connecticut, the project’s economic impact, and the project’s contribution to research.

The public is invited to watch the hearing by using credentials that are expected to be posted on the OHS website on Thursday.

Once the hearing is complete, the OHS will make a decision.

Should the state give Danbury Proton its blessing, the project would move to the third step of seeking approval from the city’s land use boards.

If Danbury’s planners and zoners agree, the 14,000-square-foot treatment center would take about two years to build, and could open by mid-2023.

“We’re not assuming anything, but we do feel we have made a good case for Danbury Proton,” Crandall said. “We have already been talking with planning and zoning in Danbury so that when we get our certificate of need approved, we can hit the ground running.”

Residents, officials oppose solar farm proposed in North Stonington

Joe Wojtas  

North Stonington — A Tennessee company is seeking approval from the Connecticut Siting Council to install 28,971 solar panels on one-third of the 157 acres of forested land it owns off Route 184 west of Boombridge Road.

A subsidiary of Silicon Ranch Corp., which is based in Nashville and operates 135 solar facilities in 15 states, plans to clear 47 of the 157 residential zoned acres for the panels, which would measure 6 feet, 10 inches by 3 feet, 5 inches. The site comprises five lots, one of which is north of Route 184 and the other four to the south of the road.

The panels would generate 9.9 megawatts of electricity and the power would be sold to Eversource and United Illuminating. Silicon Ranch officials say the project will not only generate clean, renewable energy at a stable price but create temporary construction jobs and generate tax revenue for the town. Silicon Ranch also uses a procedure called Regenerative Energy, in which it partners with farmers to use land post-installation for cultivation of plants for livestock grazing.

At last Thursday's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, commission member Robert Kappes grilled Silicon Ranch officials about the project, asking why they were clearing forest when they say their purpose is to benefit the environment. He also asked them if they considered brownfield sites across the state and said they were undertaking the project to make a profit.

"Anyone who runs a business, runs it to make a profit," replied Peter Candelaria, Silicon Ranch's chief development officer, adding the company is doing its best to bring the best value to both the utilities it will serve and the community.

"I thought you were doing this for the environment," Kappes shot back. 

Silicon Ranch officials pointed out they purchased the project from another developer who in 2016 had the site preselected by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to construct a solar facility on the land. Additional land to the north was added to the site after the initial DEEP approval but also was approved by the agency.   

"We bought an approved solar facility and are bringing it to fruition," Candelaria said.  

"You bought something, you didn't know what you bought and now you're looking for North Stonington to bail you out," charged Kappes, who said completing the project benefits Silicon Ranch and not the people of the town.  

Commission members questioned why the company could not use the southern portion of the site, which was once home to a gravel pit, for the panels instead of forested areas. Silicon Ranch officials, though, said there are important wetland and vernal pools in the southern area.  

During the meeting, First Selectman Mike Urgo pointed out there are other types of projects that could go on the land that could be more disruptive than a solar farm but urged Silicon Ranch to be open to making changes suggested by residents. He said the town would be submitting comments to the siting council outlining the concerns of the community.      

Resident Catherine Maxwell, who lives next door to the property, said that with the cutting of trees she is concerned about increased wind and noise from the highway, as well as glare from the panels and the view out her back window. She also questioned if Silicon Ranch would try to comply with zoning regulations, such as buffers. Other residents criticized various aspects of the project from the potential effect of the project on water supplies, drainage and views to not wanting Chinese-made panels or sheep on the land.         

The project, though, does not need to obtain local zoning approval. The siting council will determine if the project has a significant environmental impact on the property. If not, a permit will be issued. 

The siting council also could decide to hold a public hearing on the application, although one is not required. Comments from residents and the town can be submitted to the siting council through March 27. Residents also can file to be intervenors in the case.

At the end of the meeting, project attorney Kenneth Baldwin pledged to get answers to questions asked by commission members and residents and said Silicon Ranch was looking forward to working with residents.     

Information about the petition, #1443, can be found at bit.ly/nsctsolarfarm.

If the siting council approves the project, Silicon Ranch said work would begin in the last three months of this year and be completed by June 2022. The company said panels would have a 40-year service life and would be removed and recycled at the end of their life.

Another solar project — with 58,000 panels on a 125-acre site on Ella Wheeler Road — was approved in 2017 but has not yet been built.

Plainfield ready to build on Amazon momentum

John Penney 

PLAINFIELD – When a company like Amazon splashes into town, expect ripple effects.

Plainfield officials say they’re already seeing ancillary benefits from announced planned construction of a 202,044-square-foot Amazon distribution facility on 61 acres at 137 Lathrop Road.

The project, which cleared the Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this month, is expected to bring in a fresh workforce, both for the project’s construction and operational phases, along with dozens of new families who will live and shop in town, First Selectman Kevin Cunningham said.

 “I’ve been told Amazon plans on having about 150 staff members in the facility and those are people that will eat at our restaurants and shop at our stores,” Cunningham said. “But we’ve also seen a recent interest from businesses looking to come into town because of the Amazon project, like trucking and repair operations.”

Planning and Zoning Supervisor Mary Anne Chinatti said developers have called about moving into the former Better Valu Supermarket on Norwich Road, which closed in April 2019.

“It’s the trickle-down effect that comes when a big company comes in,” she said. “That type of development spearheads an explosion of new businesses, some of who are looking to serve the needs of new workers.”

Chinatti said she’s recently fielded calls from several out-of-town companies looking to relocate to the town’s industrial park which still has four lots left for sale.

Cunningham said he will be meeting remotely with Amazon and other project principals Thursday for a wide-ranging discussion on the project.

“I’ll be asking them about their infrastructure needs, including water and sewer tie-ins, and how we can help,” he said. “We’ll also be talking about the possibility of a job fair here at town hall.”

Cunningham said he’d love to see the bulk of new workforce coming from Plainfield, but out-of-town hires would translate to a renewed interest in the town’s housing sector.

“The next boom will be with applications for new housing developments to serve those workers who want to live closer to where they work,” he said. “I expect, between the Amazon facility and other upcoming projects, to see 100 new families coming into town.”

New families will likely mean more school-age children, too, Cunningham said.

“The school system can handle those new numbers,” he said.

Tammy Maynard, manager of The Bakers Dozen coffee and bakery off Norwich Road, said she hopes the Amazon project will lead to new customers.

“More business means I can hire more people,” she said. “It’s definitely great for us. I’m hoping they’ll be stopping in.”

The project will also mean a big, one-time funding windfall for the town from permitting fees. Building Official Richard Martel said a preliminary calculation figured the town will get $400,000 from a project building permit for the Amazon site.

Cunningham said that money will be funneled into the town’s general fund and could be received by the end of the fiscal year on June 30 or soon after. He said he hopes the Thursday meeting will include firmer discussions on a construction start day and a timeline of the planned work.

First phase of Avon Village Center, town’s biggest development in 25 years, likely to be completed this year

Don Stacom 

Avon’s tax base grew by more than 1% last year, and town officials are looking for the Avon Village Center mixed-use project along Route 44 to fuel further growth in the years ahead.

The Avon Village Center’s first phase alone has propelled it to become one of the town’s biggest taxpayers in the course of just a few years.

The Carpionato Group is nearing completion of its first phase, including a 44,000-square-foot Whole Foods and more than 54,000 square feet of other retail and commercial space just north of Route 44.

The Johnston, R.I-based developer six years ago proposed building more than a million square feet of apartments, stores, offices and commercial space, mostly on land bounded by Climax Road, West Main Street and Simsbury Road. The first phase should be done this year, town officials said.

The 45,000-square-foot Whole Foods is likely to open in late spring, and two buildings on the other side of Climax Road — one about 16,000 square feet, the other 12,000 — are on schedule to be completed this year, according to Hiram Peck, Avon’s planning and community development director.

“Work is progressing on other buildings in Phase 1A. Two buildings are nearly complete on the exterior, while two other retail buildings are finishing up with steel framing at this time. The developer will make known the names of other tenants as soon as possible,” according to the town’s progress update from late February.

All told, the Avon Village Center proposal is the biggest development in Avon for at least 25 years, Peck said. This first phase accounts for only about 10 to 15% of the full vision, he said.

Avon hasn’t received plans for the remaining phases. Carpionato over the past few years has talked of a high-density, upscale “lifestyle development” with luxury apartments, medical offices, retail, commercial office spaces and assisted living facilities. The company estimated several years ago that the complete development cost would top $220 million.

 

Currently, Carpionato has 30 office and retail tenants in 15 buildings, and advertises that the property is “walking distance to restaurants, cafes, the Farmington Valley Green Trail and home to the Farmington Art Center” and next door to the Marriott Residence Inn.

The Avon Village Center ranked second on the October 2020 grand list, which measures the value of all taxable property in town. Only Eversource’s property was valued higher.

The value of real estate in town rose by $13.7 million last year, and reached $2.6 billion. That includes 12 new homes, improvements to existing homes and construction at the Avon Village Center, according to Assessor Harry DerAsadourian. That was a 0.6% improvement over the previous year.

Much smaller categories of the grand list grew at a faster rate, but didn’t add as much value because they’re small. Personal property rose by 4% or $3.9 million, driven largely by the addition of 12 new businesses and large equipment purchases by Eversource and Comcast. The value of vehicles went up by 11.5 million or 6.4%, largely because residents bought new cars or upgraded older ones, officials said.

Wastewater facility plan for West Cornwall closer to town vote

Ruth Epstein 

CORNWALL – The proposed wastewater plant for West Cornwall is moving closer to a town vote.

The Wastewater Study Committee has been working for several years on the project along with engineer Steve McDonnell of WMC. Though no site has been designated yet, the committee heard from First Selectman Gordon M. Ridgway last week that a town meeting is set for July 24.

Revitalization of the small village has been a priority of town officials, who have seen it go from a bustling commercial and residential area to empty storefronts and little activity. Many have chosen not to invest there because of substandard septic systems and wells.

The project, with an estimated cost of nearly $5 million, could get up to a 45% grant from the USDA and a low-interest loan for the rest.

Ridgway outlined a schedule that will lead to the vote. A town meeting will take place two weeks before the referendum, which will be adjourned to the vote. An informational meeting will be planned sometime before the town meeting. Absentee ballots for those who are sick or disabled, or will be out of town the day of the vote, can be issued, he said.

“The timing is right,” Ridgway said. “Three businesses have been held up because of limited septic capacity. People are ready to move on this missing piece.”

The committee focused on the wording of a document that will be distributed in town explaining the project. Joseph Fasi, bond counsel, has advised that this explanatory text be circulated. It is to be factual and neutral, with the committee abstaining from expressing any point of view.

Lisa Lansing, who wrote the document with town Financial Director Barbara Herbst, said the USDA aid “is a huge benefit.”

Member Don Bachman, who lives in West Cornwall, wondered if they need to stipulate how many systems don’t meet code because that statement is noted in the document.

“Everyone is under suspicion by the way that paragraph reads,” he said.

Ridgway said in 1980, when Torrington Area Health District compiled a list, those who didn’t have a system on file or had a cesspool were considered to have systems not up to code.

When it was suggested those properties not meeting code should be made known, member David Dolinsky said privacy issues must be respected. Ridgway said he knows of one system on a one-tenth-of-an-acre parcel failed last year.

Member Ian Ingersoll said he thought the estimated cost of the project was lower than what was being said.

McDonnell countered, “No one really knows the costs.”

Some of the sites being looked at now are farther away from the river, where everything would flow by gravity, he said. Now some sites are uphill and may need to be pumped up.

“I think we can absorb those costs,” McDonnell said.

Dolinsky asked if by moving the site, they will get pushback from residents in that area.

“You can’t predict,” McDonnell replied. “In my opinion, a significant number of people are in favor of the project as long as it’s not near them.”

South Windsor voters reject proposed sports complex and relocation of town hall at referendum

Jesse Leavenworth 

SOUTH WINDSOR — By wide margins, voters on Tuesday shot down proposals to move town hall and build a sports complex at Nevers Park, unofficial referendum results showed.

The spending proposals were among five ballot questions with a total price tag of about $19 million. Voters approved road reconstruction and roofing projects for several public buildings and renovation and expansion of the women’s locker room at police headquarters, according to unofficial results.

I am very glad that everyone had the opportunity to have a say and vote on all of the questions,” Town Manager Michael Maniscalco said. “It is our job to put the possibilities out there and to follow the directions of the voters.”

The proposed athletics complex, across Nevers Road from South Windsor High School, would have cost $3.95 million. The development was to include a synthetic playing field, bleachers, lighting, a press box, locker rooms, public rest rooms and parking area.

Advocates said the facilities were sorely needed for a growing student population. Opponents, however, said the complex would destroy the peace of a popular walking, jogging and skiing destination and intrude on a thriving ecosystem. Woodmar Circle resident Dawn Holcombe said no impact studies had been done and no consideration given to the destruction of trails, fields and woods.

Holcombe said after the referendum, “This was not necessarily a rejection of a field or support for sports and will become a chance to go back to the table, explore creative solutions and try again at a different cost in a different location, with open public debate and transparency.”

Voters also turned down a proposal to move town hall offices from the current location at 1540 Sullivan Ave. to a former bank building at 1645 Ellington Road. The total cost of buying, renovating and furnishing the building would have been $5,475,000, according to the question.

The town council voted in December to purchase the 31,170-square foot Ellington Road building, pending voters’ approval. The current, approximately 25,000-square-foot town hall would house the parks and recreation department, now based at a former school.

The proposal, officials said, was driven by the need for more space and the great expense — up to $14 million — of renovating the current building to serve a growing population.

Voters also rejected proposed renovations, including roofing and windows, costing $1.3 million at the current town hall building.

They approved roof replacements and road work totaling $9.34 million. Buckland and Pleasant Valley roads are to be reconstructed and roofs replaced at the Community Center on Nevers Road, the public works facility on Burgess Road, and Timothy Edwards Middle School.

Unofficial results also showed voters approved renovating and expanding the women’s locker room at police headquarters at a cost of $500,000. The locker room has reached maximum capacity as more women have joined the force, officials said.