CT Construction Digest Wednesday October 23, 2024
Bond Commission Approves $1.4 Billion In New Borrowing At Special Meeting
HARTFORD, CT – Housing, schools, and roads were the top priorities during a special meeting of the state Bond Commission on Tuesday at the Legislative Office Building.
Gov. Ned Lamont laid out his spending priorities for the Bond Commission at the top of the meeting.
“In this bonding session, we have $1.4 billion, including a big commitment yet again to housing, including supportive housing, including the Time to Own initiative, which is really key to our economic growth as well as fairness,” Lamont said. “We have $250 million for schools. We had some catching up coming out of COVID and we’re doing that. Transportation – that’s probably by far the biggest piece of what we’re doing right now, making sure that we put up our share of all the federal money coming our way to fix and speed things up.”
The commission’s agenda included 43 items that provided funding for everything from hazardous waste mitigation for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to a study for developing a site in Rocky Hill to house the new State Archives.
Overall, the big winner of the day was the Department of Transportation, which will receive over $650 million for various projects around the state. The Department of Administrative Services will receive $250 million to finance the state’s share of the cost of current payments for the construction of local school building projects and technical high schools. There was also funding for several state agencies to complete renovations and repairs to state facilities.
The one item for which the vote was not unanimous was a $40 million bond allocation for the state’s Time to Own program, which provides forgivable down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. State Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol, expressed concerns that the program does not address the affordability crisis in the state.
“Regarding this program, I have my reservations regarding it in particular,” Martin said. “It is a program that helps people own their homes. However, I don’t see how it helps us in making Connecticut affordable. We have a lack of supply in the state of Connecticut and obviously we have more buyers out there than we have homes on the market. We have a pent-up demand that goes back to 2008. It’s going to take us a while – a long time – to catch up to the demand. I see this program as a contributing factor to that demand in particular.”
Martin also said that he fears that the program will lead to the kind of moral hazard that contributed to the housing crash and Great Recession in 2008, because homeowners aren’t putting in their own earned money to purchase the homes.
State Comptroller Sean Scanlon disagreed with the senator, and read from a letter he received from a state resident who was hoping the program would be funded.
“‘I’m a 25 year old first-time home buyer living in Windsor with my spouse, and our six-month old son,’” the letter said. “‘In early August, we found a charming house in Windsor that fell within a high opportunity zone qualifying for this program. This loan made homeownership financially feasible, comparable to the steadily rising rent in our area which, like many, has been affected by inflation and stagnant wages.’”
Scanlon also discussed Martin’s point about homeowners not putting in their own money, referencing the young family in the letter.
“I won’t disclose how much he said, but they were putting a lot of money into this, and I think a lot of individuals that benefit from this amazing program are in that category where this is the final leg that gets them over the hurdle that they have been facing that made homeownership not possible for them.”
The bonding measure passed, with Martin registering the only “no” vote. So far, the program has been used to purchase 4,800 homes across 140 towns and cities in the state, according to Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno. Half of those who have purchased homes are minorities.
Asked who would be happy with the bond funding passed today in a news conference after the meeting, Lamont said he hoped the whole state would be pleased.
“Honestly, what you see in terms of us putting up our share of transportation, what that’s gonna mean in terms of safety, what that’s gonna mean in terms of speeding up here to be at home, what that’s gonna mean in terms of getting some cars off the road, what that’s gonna mean in terms of fixing up those flooded areas like the Waterbury rail line,” he said. “You know, I care deeply about housing and housing affordability and providing affordable housing funding for thousands of new additional units that are more affordable for people. Workforce housing to bring our cities back to life.”
State Bond Commission approves funding for Gold Star Bridge, local projects
Kimberly Drelich
The State Bond Commission on Tuesday approved funding for the rehabilitation of the northbound span of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, planning for upgraded senior housing and a new substance abuse recovery center in New London among other local projects, state legislators announced.
Gold Star Bridge
The Bond Commission approved nearly $36 million for the northbound Gold Star Bridge renovation, which represents the state’s matching funds for the current phase of the work, which includes testing, replacing, repairing and reinforcing steel under the bridge, said state Rep. Christine Conley, D-Groton. As each step of the construction proceeds, the state will appropriate the matching funds.
The state Department of Transportation said this spring that the $591 million construction project, which includes steel and concrete repairs, the replacement of the bridge deck and bearings, painting, new lights, railing and fencing, will be undertaken with 90% federal funds and 10% state matching funds.
State Rep. Aundré Bumgardner, D-Groton, said in a statement that the funding will be used to “strengthen the Gold Star Bridge and ensure it remains safe for the thousands of motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians that rely on it every day.”
Conley in a statement that the bridge, which sees more than 60,000 vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians cross daily, “is an essential part of our community, and this support will provide everyone the assurance that the bridge is safer and stronger.”
New London projects
The commission awarded New London $250,000 for planning related to the redevelopment of the Gordon Court senior housing units overseen by the city’s Housing Authority.
The authority is planning a $65 million project that calls for demolishing the three 60-year-old state-overseen housing complexes it operates – Gordon Court, the George Washington Carver Apartments on Colman Street and Riozzi Court – and replacing them with single buildings.
The Gordon Court phase of the project would replace 38 existing units, most divided into four-apartment buildings, with a single, three-story structure containing 74 apartments and a community room.
The New London-based Southeastern Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence was awarded $250,000 for the planning of a new recovery center on Coit and Reed streets.
“By supporting our most vulnerable through funding for senior housing and services for those recovering from addiction, all residents of New London will see major benefits that will uplift our community,” state Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, said in a statement.
Just over $1.2 million will go to the Day Devco LLC, a subsidiary of the Maine-based High Tide Capital development company, to help refurbish The Day building at 47 Eugene O’Neill Drive.
High Tide purchased the 117-year-old newspaper building in January for $1.875 million. The state money will help pay for façade and window repairs, energy system upgrades and roof replacement work ahead of the building’s proposed transformation into a residential and commercial complex.
Mystic Aquarium
The commission also approved $500,000 to replace a chiller at Mystic Aquarium. Bumgardner said in a statement that the chiller is “essential for the care of marine animals like the iconic beluga whales,” and ensures the aquarium “can continue its vital work in conservation and marine education while supporting the local economy.”
Norwich
For Norwich, the bond commission approved the Community Investment Fund grants awarded to the city in September, $7.8 million to clean up the dilapidated former Capehart Mill in Greeneville and $4.5 million to continue waterfront improvements at the Howard T. Brown Memorial Park and the marina property.
Mayor Peter Nystrom thanked the city government and the Norwich Community Development Corp. staff who worked on the city’s successful application for the CIF program and local state legislators for supporting the applications. This past summer the city purchased the long-vacant, blighted Marina Towers office building at the marina entrance. Part of the waterfront grant will cover an engineering assessment and partial demolition of the Marina Towers.
“Marina Towers. We took possession of that a couple months ago, and we already have the money to deal with it,” Nystrom said Tuesday. “That doesn’t happen if it wasn’t for the CIF program and the people in the city working hard on the application. We all worked as one team.”
Waterford and Montville projects
State Sen. Martha Marx, D-New London, announced that the commission approved $7 million toward an improvement project at Seaside State Park in Waterford, which initially was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Marx said in a statement that the funds approved by the commission “will support important local projects, ranging from improved public safety in Waterford and important downtown redevelopment in New London, as well as updated work in Seaside State Park and final approval of several key local projects.”
She said the commission also approved $500,000 for an upgraded public safety radio system in Waterford and $250,000 to plan upgrades for Route 32 in Montville.
State Rep. Kathleen McCarty, R-Waterford, said in a statement that the Waterford project will allow the town to join the State of Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network. She said that will align Waterford’s “emergency services communications equipment with surrounding towns and departments to create an even wider safety net for our community and the residents of the Southeastern part of the state.”
Saugatuck River bridge rehabilitation in Westport planned for summer 2025
WESTPORT — More maintenance work is expected to start next summer on the Saugatuck River Railroad Bridge, with construction mainly planned for overnight.
The project's goals are to replace the access ladders, platforms and guy wires on two catenary high towers at the Saugatuck River Railroad Bridge, which carries the Metro North railroad over the river.
The state Department of Transportation is in charge of the project, since the state owns the bridge. This bridge runs parallel to another one, which carries Interstate 95 over the river.
The project aims to replace four access ladders — with one on each leg of the towers — a mid-level platform, an upper-level platform and an upper truss platform; restore safe access to wires and cables on the high towers by replacing ladders and adding grating to mid-level platforms and the upper truss; increase safety for workers by adding a fall protection system to the latter and railings around the mid-level platforms and upper truss; and improve stability of the towers by adding guy wires and replacing the existing, frayed wires that span the river.
The railings and grating will be constructed of fiberglass-reinforced plastic, which weighs less than steel and is corrosion-resistant, project manager Everett Milam said at a virtual meeting about the bridge on Monday.
Other track construction and the close proximity to high-voltage lines adds to the project time, Milam said. It is also north of the Norwalk Walk Bridge project, which could change the schedule.
The Saugatuck bridge project is expected to start summer 2025, lasting about 12 months and costing between $5 million and $7.5 million, with all of that being state funded.
The towers are about 750 feet apart, and 234 feet tall, and were constructed in 1912, and an overbuilt was added in 1994 to support Eversource wires.
The ladders, which are the only safe ways to climb the bridge towers, are rusted and warped.
"In its current condition, the ladder is absolutely not safe to climb," said structural engineer Charles Wilson.
One spot on the ladder is so deteriorated that there is a section missing, he added.
New steel ladders will be added with a cable system to catch climbers in case of a fall, Wilson said. Connections to each tower leg will also be repaired or replaced.
The mid-level platform is used to give climbers a resting spot halfway up the tower. However, the original wood planking is deteriorated or non-existent and not safe to stand on. It also lacks a railing, Wilson said, which doesn't comply with today's safety standards, and needs new supports.
The platform will be restored, with repaired or replaced supporting structures, new rivets and bolts, fiberglass-reinforced plastic grating instead of the original wood deck and an fiberglass railing added.
The upper-level platform — the main access point to get to the truss where the wires are supported — also has original wood and needs new supports, which are deteriorating or missing, without a railing, and is not safe to stand on.
Supporting structures will also be repaired or replaced here, with new rivets and bolts, new grating and an addition of a railing.
The upper-truss platform, which crosses the tracks at the top of the tower, has the same issues with original wood, lacks a railing and needs new supports. Access is required here for catenary wire repairs.
The same work as the upper-level platform will be performed for the upper-truss platform.
The existing guy wires, which span the river, will be replaced. New guy wires will be added to the land side of the towers to improve stability, alleviate overturning movements and improve the safety factor against overturning.
There are not any expected environmental impacts within this project, Milam said.
For safety purposes, scaffolding will be placed overtop a walkway that accesses the train station during construction, Milam added. Much of the work will be overnight, so the DOT doesn't expect an adverse effect to the community.
Another project for the bridge is planned for fall 2025, which aims to rehabilitate its mechanical and electrical systems.
$6M state grant to clear New Britain DPW yard for mixed-use, transit-oriented development
New Britain officials are trumpeting a newly approved $6 million state grant that will be used to demolish buildings at its former Department of Public Works yard on Harvard Street and prepare the 3.1-acre site for redevelopment.
Officials hope to see the former DPW yard at 55 and 70 Harvard St., which sits near a CTfastrak bus stop, become a mix of multifamily housing and other uses that will take advantage of this mass-transit option.
“I am thrilled that we could secure funding for the critical first phase of a long-needed project that will completely transform the area surrounding our East Main Street CTfastrak station,” New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said in a statement released Tuesday. “The residents on the East Side of New Britain deserve this, and I am grateful that we could secure creative funding sources in order to avoid increasing the financial burden on our local taxpayers.”
The state Bond Commission on Tuesday signed off on the $6 million grant. The request was initially endorsed by the state’s Community Investment Fund board in September.
The Bond Commission also signed off on a larger $1.3 billion package of general obligation and revenue bonds supporting dozens of projects across the state, from $17.4 million to fund Department of Economic and Community Development programs to $2 million to support affordable housing development in West Hartford.
New Britain officials have tentatively picked The Day Brothers to pursue a mixed-use development on the former DPW site. The plan is modeled after a project the Massachusetts-based development group is pursuing in Westbrook, Maine.
There, the firm is working on a transformation of a city-owned lot into a 400-space parking garage, 50 affordable apartments and a roughly 52,000-square-foot, seven-story hydroponic farm. The parking garage was recently finished, and the “vertical farm” is expected to be completed early next year.
The roughly $55 million greenhouse construction in the Maine project is being funded and managed by Vertical Harvest Farms, a partner recruited for the development. The apartment portion of the project has not yet launched.
The Westbrook indoor farm is expected to produce about 2 million pounds of produce annually, according to Carla Tracy, a spokesperson for Vertical Harvest Farms. Tracy said Vertical Harvest has not been recruited for the New Britain project.
The Day Brothers did not respond to requests for comment.
Jack Benjamin, New Britain’s director of planning and development, said the city has spoken with The Day Brothers about a potential project somewhere in the city for more than a year. While the Massachusetts company has been selected as the “preferred developer” for the Harvard Street sites, the city has the option to move forward with another partner, Benjamin said.
For now, Benjamin said, officials are focused on arranging a cleanup of the former DPW site and preparing it for redevelopment. The yard currently hosts a 1,392-square-foot car wash building and fuel island; 11,342-square-foot service building; and a 15,311-square-foot office and garage building.
New Britain’s effort to prepare the site for redevelopment will also involve a realignment of East Main Street.
Benjamin said the city will likely seek additional state and federal grant dollars to help cover the realignment cost and provide gap financing for the redevelopment.
“I expect that we’ll be able to execute a great transit-oriented project on that site,” Benjamin said.
CT to give millions to Torrington-area projects to renovate theaters, build affordable housing, more
Four local agencies are set to receive money from the State Bond Commission, which met Tuesday to approve a lengthy list of requests ranging from a designs for a new library, to supporting ongoing renovations and restoration of the Thomaston Opera House and renovations to the Warner Theatre.
Funding allocations and bond authorizations were approved Oct. 22, according to a statement from the commission.
From the Department of Economic and Community Development's Community Investment Fund, Torrington's Warner Theatre is receiving $1.5 million for renovations and improvements to the Art Deco building on Main Street. The money will be used to improve the stage-level dressing rooms and the back of the house, to make it more appealing to national acts, according to theater administrators.
The plan is to renovate the Warner's historic building, lobby, and stage, including the HVAC and electrical systems, and to fix accessibility issues, according to theater co-executive director Stephanie Fried said. The theater will also modernize its sound, lighting, lighting control, security and smoke alarm systems.
The Thomason Opera House is receiving $2 million from the Community Investment Fund to support its continuing renovation and restoration of the historic building. The phased renovation project began in early 2024, and is a collaboration between the town, Thomaston Opera House Commission, Friends of the Thomaston Opera House and Landmark Community Theatre.
According to the theater's executive director, Jeff Dunn, the project includes a new freight elevator, sized and positioned to allow larger scenery for productions, and handicap access to the stage, as well as renovated dressing rooms, a wardrobe room, green room areas, and bathrooms with showers. Structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing improvements as well as fire protection and compliance are also part of the first phase. It will also include "the appropriate repairs and restoration of all the historic finishes in the auditorium," Dunn said. In September, restoration experts were removing layers of paint from the theater's ceiling, revealing the original painted designs.
The Winsted Health Center is receiving $1.6 million to repurpose portions of the Spencer Street building to include affordable housing and a job service center for veterans, as well as an "advanced makerspace project," according to a statement from the bond commission.
According to executive director Kris Griffin, the center's existing infrastructure will be changed into an affordable housing and workforce development hub that will provide vocational training in high demand manufacturing job skills and support for entrepreneurial endeavors. The center will also aim to provide underserved community members — especially veterans, transitioning active-duty personnel and reservists — with industry-relevant manufacturing and entrepreneurial skills by offering customized in-class workshops and hands-on training in manufacturing in Connecticut’s aerospace, defense, medical, and automation industries, Griffin said.
The project is also expected to receive a $1 million federal grant, according to U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal's office.
From the Connecticut State Library's board's grants-in-aid fund to public libraries for construction, renovations, expansions, energy conservation and handicapped accessibility, the Kent Memorial Library is receiving $5 million to build and expand the agency's existing building on Main Street into an adjacent, abandoned firehouse.
Middletown officials urge voters to understand $59 million bond questions before Election Day
MIDDLETOWN — Middletown officials are stressing the importance of being an informed citizen when considering who they want to see in office as well as their opinion on three referendum questions on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Voters will consider whether Connecticut should amend its constitution to permit anyone to vote by absentee ballot, whether to renovate and expand 100-year-old Macdonough Elementary School, and whether to construct a new emergency operations center.
The North End school is in “significant” need of upgrades, Mayor Ben Florsheim has said.
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Some 68 percent of the cost would be reimbursable by the state, which is important to note, Common Council President Gene Nocera has said.
Building a state-of-the-art facility has been a “longstanding priority” for the city and school district, he also said.
Central Communications is the 911 service provider for Middletown and Portland. The anticipated project is a rebuild of the one-room public safety office at the Cross Street firehouse.
If approved, the center would move to the emergency operations facility at 499 Mile Lane and co-located with the old U.S. Army Reserve Center.
With continual advancements in technology, which require a great deal of space, and the volume of emergency calls on the rise, Director Wayne Bartolotta has said the city requires a larger, dedicated space to operate effectively.
Three questions will be on the ballot:
Shall the $10 million appropriation and bond authorization for the planning, design, construction, and equipping of a new public safety 911 center be approved?
Shall the $48.9 million appropriation and bond authorization for the renovation and extension of the Macdonough Elementary School be approved?
Shall the Constitution of the state be amended to permit the General Assembly to allow each voter to vote by absentee ballot?
"There are questions that people need to understand that are going to have an impact on the long-term prosperity and future of our community,” Florsheim said during a news conference Friday at City Hall.
Common Council President Gene Nocera spoke about the timing of the bond requests.
"The council was very concerned about bringing this forward at this time because of the economics we face in Connecticut,” he explained. “We also realized these are extremely important, and to put them off any further really wouldn't be a prudent thing to do.”
Nocera stressed the importance of casting an informed vote. Many people are "misinformed about the purpose, the goals, and the necessity. It's important to seek out information," the council president added.
The mayor has had several conversations with voters on the topic, he said.
"One of the challenges with, especially these questions in past elections, if people don't know (who is) on the ballot, they'll walk into the polling place, see it for the first time when they're standing in front of these booths, feel like they've got to fill out their ballot and move on — either not vote on it or make an uninformed decision that later they second guess," Florsheim said.
Early voting is a chance for people to examine the ballot and take their time deciding whom to vote for as well as if they approve or disapprove of the referendum questions, the mayor said.
Because early voting runs through Nov. 3, people have the opportunity to return another day after doing their research, Florsheim said.
Also Friday, the mayor and others watched the annual naturalization ceremony at the Middletown Elks Club, during which 50 individuals became U.S. citizens. The registrars were at the event providing an opportunity for any of them to register to vote, he said.
"Last year, we had 68 new citizens and every single one of them left having registered to vote," Florsheim said.
Every one, he said, understood the importance of voting that "natural-born citizens, like myself, don't necessarily have for the responsibility that comes with the privilege of being a citizen."
“Voting is not the only part of civic engagement, but it is the fundamental basis for our democracy,” the mayor added.
Explanatory text can be found in the town clerk's office at City Hall during early voting or by emailing Town Clerk Ashley Flynn-Natale at ashley.flynn-natale@middletownct.gov. It will also be at all the polling places on Election Day.
To view a Middletown sample ballot, visit bit.ly/3UhJq0B. Local election information can be found at middletownct.gov.