Connecticut's Political Leaders Secure $125M Federal Grant for Portion of Interchange Upgrade

Tue October 29, 2024 - Northeast Edition CEG

Connecticut political leaders secure $125M federal grant for Interstate interchange upgrade in Meriden. The grant supports phase 3 of the project, aimed at reducing congestion, improving safety, and modernizing the dangerous roadway configuration. Construction to be completed by 2030, with estimated total project cost exceeding $500M. Project funded by bipartisan infrastructure law, creating jobs and enhancing infrastructural development.

A $125 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) was awarded to the Connecticut to support the third phase of a construction project designed to reconfigure the dangerous roadway interchange that connects Interstate 91, Interstate 691 and Conn. Route 15 in Meriden.

The joint announcement was made Oct. 18 through Gov. Ned Lamont and included the state's two Democratic U.S. senators, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District and Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, Congressman John B. Larson, D-1st District, and Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto.

The funding was delivered to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) through President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which he signed into law three years ago.

The interchange is one of Connecticut's most congested, outdated and crash-prone highway corridors — so much so that the state's political leaders have been unified in working to secure the federal monies that will enable the state to complete the major reconfiguration.

Currently, CTDOT is building the second of the project's three phases. The construction's overall goal is to reduce congestion and improve safety by eliminating dangerous weaving points, correcting roadway geometry, and adding multi-lane exits.

Upon completion of Phase 3, expected in 2030, the project will see the replacement and rehabilitation of several bridges and the addition and extension of auxiliary lanes to reduce crashes and improve traffic flow.

In the news release, Lamont said his administration has made the highway reconfiguration a priority "because it's about time that we do something about the backups, crashes and delays that this oddly designed section of roadway causes nearly every day."

He admitted that due to it being in such a heavily traveled part of the state near Hartford, "it's going to take some time to complete, but ultimately central Connecticut will benefit from finally easing the congestion on these highways.

"I applaud Connecticut's outstanding Congressional delegation for not only helping to get this law passed but also working to ensure that our state benefits from it in a major way," Lamont continued. "I thank the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation for working with our administration to secure the funding for this important project."

Murphy noted in his comments, "Getting through the congestion on I-91, I-691, and Route 15 has become a daily headache for Connecticut drivers. This $125 million in federal dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help realign ramps, replace aging bridges, improve drainage and support other long-needed infrastructure upgrades that streamline the flow of traffic, create good-paying jobs and ensure a safer, smoother commute for thousands of people."

Entire Project Likely to Cost Over $500 Million

The cost of the project's first phase totaled $80 million and was entirely funded by Connecticut. The second portion of the work is supported by a combination of $50 million in state funding and $200 million federal funding from the BIL. The third phase will be supported by the $125 million federal grant just announced, as well as additional state funding.

Combined, the expenditure for all three phases is anticipated to be more than $500 million.

CTDOT's I-91/I-691/Route 15 Interchangement overhaul includes a project labor agreement with the building trades, providing good-paying jobs and workforce development training for the next generation of workers, Lamont noted.

The initial phase of work began in early 2023 and is aimed at repairing bridges, adding a lane of traffic to I-91, and making related road improvements. It includes:

Realigning and reconfiguring the ramp to two lanes to meet traffic demand from I-691 eastbound to I-91 northbound (Exit 1A to old Exit 11).

Building a bridge replacement due to the proposed ramp realignment.

Adding an auxiliary lane on I-91 northbound to relieve congestion and improve safety caused by a steep uphill grade.

This past June, the project's second slate of work got under way and includes:

Adding a new two-lane exit ramp from Route 15 to I-91 northbound to reduce traffic congestion on the Exit 68 North/East ramp.

Closing the existing Exit 17 ramp from I-91 northbound to Route 15 northbound and re-routing traffic to Exit 16 to provide a two-lane exit ramp with a right-side traffic merge onto Route 15 northbound.

Reconfiguring the existing Exit 68 West ramp from Route 15 northbound to I-691 westbound to two lanes.

Rebuilding the acceleration and deceleration lanes to provide adequate traffic weaving distances to improve safety.

When the third phase begins, crews will:

Build a new two-lane exit ramp from Route 15 southbound to I-91 southbound to reduce traffic congestion on the existing Exit 67 ramp.

Construct another new two-lane I-91 southbound ramp to Route 15 southbound to cut down on the amount of traffic tie-ups on the existing Exit 17 ramp.

Reconfigure the ramp from I-691 eastbound to Route 15 southbound (Exit 10) to two lanes.

Redo the ramp from I-91 southbound to I-691 westbound (Exit 18) to make it two lanes.

"This redesign will provide relief to the countless motorists who pass through every day and provide much-needed infrastructure upgrades," explained Blumenthal. "I will continue fighting to deliver federal investments to Connecticut that make our roads and highways more safe and secure."

"When my fellow Congressional members and I worked on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, we understood the law's potential to benefit communities throughout the state," noted DeLauro, who added that with the funding now in place for the third phase of work on the Meriden highway interchanges, "we are generating well-paying jobs, fixing bridges, expanding traffic lanes on I-91, making our roads safer and enhancing road conditions."

Officials get tour of Coast Guard museum site, update on construction

Elizabeth Regan

New London ― Local, state and military officials on Tuesday celebrated the imminent construction of the National Coast Guard Museum behind Union Station.

After a decade of derailments, the latest estimates suggest the glass doors to the estimated $150 million museum could open in 2026.

Amid lunchtime nibbles and speeches at the Garde Arts Center, National Coast Guard Museum Association Chief Operating Officer Mark Walsh said steel will begin rising in December from 204 thick concrete mats that serve as the foundation of the 89,000-square-foot, six-story building. The frame of the building is expected to be complete in the spring of next year.

Association President West Pulver, a retired Coast Guard captain, put it this way: “It’s a lot of steel coming.”

Association Board of Directors Chairwoman Susan Curtin credited almost 7,000 private donors with raising $48.3 million so far toward the association’s $50 million goal.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security that oversees the Coast Guard, credited himself with securing a matching $50 million in federal funding to keep the floundering project afloat.

That leaves the museum association with the task of raising another $50 million.

Patti Fazio, the association’s director of marketing and communications, said Tuesday afternoon that the association is investigating financing options.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told the crowd there’s no going back now.

“We’re launched; there’s liftoff. And we see the landing in 2026. It’s within sight,” he said. “There’s still going to be financial challenges, but we are determined to do whatever is necessary for the federal government to meet its obligation to establish this museum. It is long overdue.”

The Coast Guard remains the only branch of the armed services without a national museum.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said federal funding for the museum is another symbol of the importance of maritime pursuits ― historically and in the future ― to the region.

“This is all happening at a time when the southeastern part of our state is really becoming a maritime history center of excellence,” he said.

The association’s Board of Directors on June 12 approved allotting $40 million for the current phase of construction, which includes the installation of the concrete mats consisting of rods drilled into the bedrock 10 feet deep to provide the stability needed to support the building.

The first phase of the museum project involved dismantling a portion of City Pier and installing a bulkhead wall to create land where there was once water.

Fazio said the board of directors plans to allocate funding for the next phase of construction in early 2025 to complete the exterior and interior of the building.

Mayor Michael Passero recognized an infusion of state and federal grant funding that has helped prepare the city to welcome an expected 300,000 museum visitors per year.

He pointed to streetscape improvements on Bank Street, the historic renovation of downtown buildings and the planned expansion of the Water Street parking garage by 400 spaces.

“There is no more appropriate site for this museum than on the banks of this historic harbor in this Coast Guard city,” Passero said.

The sentiment manifested itself after a group tour of the museum site when a driver slowed down to call out “looking sharp!” to several members of the Coast Guard standing next to Union Station in their dress uniforms.

“Thank you for your service,” the driver said.

New Haven Gateway Terminal gets $34 million for green technology and to reduce emissions

Brian Zahn

NEW HAVEN — New Haven will receive $34.03 million in federal funding for zero-emission equipment and energy storage infrastructure for its port as part of President Joe Biden's efforts to improve infrastructure, provide union jobs and address the global climate crisis.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials announced this week that $3 billion in Clean Ports grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act will be disseminated to 55 projects, including New Haven's Gateway Terminal.

In addition to New Haven's $34 million in grant funding for zero-emission technology, the Connecticut Port Authority at the New London Pier will also receive $5.36 million.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said on a call with reporters Monday that ports are "the backbone of our nation's economy," but the environmental impacts to surrounding communities, such as air pollution from exhaust, cannot be overlooked.

“Healthy communities and a strong economy go hand in hand,” he said.

According to the agency, New Haven's $34 million grant will fund the purchase and deployment of zero-emission cargo handling equipment with supporting charging infrastructure, with solar generation and energy storage infrastructure to power the mobile equipment.

Diesel cargo handling equipment will also be scrapped to reduce air pollution at the port and in the surrounding area as part of the project.

Regan said the awarded projects "met a very rigorous process," part of which included demonstrating the projects' ability to ensure they could meet their goals of reducing pollution for neighboring communities.

Regan said the funds would be disbursed in December and January and obligated before the end of the Biden administration this coming January. It will take three to four years to implement the 55 projects, based on the scale of the projects, he said.

Nationwide, it's estimated the Clean Ports program will eliminate more than 3 million metric tons of carbon pollution over the first 10 years of implementation, equivalent to 391,220 homes' energy use for one year, according to the EPA.

The project is projected to support an estimated 40,000 jobs across the nation, including more than 6,500 manufacturing jobs. It was not immediately clear how many of those would be in Connecticut.

Bridgeport soccer project comes with a price tag near $100M, documents show

Brian Lockhart

BRIDGEPORT — While the developers of the proposed minor league soccer stadium have repeatedly declined to offer specifics about its estimated cost, a grant application shows the initial price tag was close to $100 million as of roughly a year ago. 

Businessman Andre Swanston's Connecticut Sports Group did not dispute the figures on a months-old budget form that was part of a partially successful effort to acquire aid from the state's Community Investment Fund. The initial ask was for $30 million and in June the project was instead awarded $8 million.

According to that budget document, recently reviewed by Hearst Connecticut Media Group, the stadium's soft costs for things like architectural work, engineering, land costs and permits added up to $20.7 million, with the hard costs — environmental remediation, demolition of existing structures, construction  —  totaling $75.5 million. Combined those amounts add up to $96.2 million, including a $4.5 million contingency.

"That number seems in the ballpark, in the range," state Rep. Christopher Rosario, D-Bridgeport, a proponent of the stadium, said this week.

"I know the total project cost of the stadium itself was something near that," agreed another supporter, state Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport.

The sports venue would be built on the lower East Side, at Kossuth Street and Stratford Avenue, along the Pequonnock River and near the harbor on a former greyhound racing track and ex-rubber factory. The plan also calls for the eventual construction of housing, a hotel and retail establishments, with the ultimate goal of luring a major league soccer team to Bridgeport.

When he revealed his plan last fall, Swanston's timeline was an aggressive one, with the stadium open by early next year for the start of the 2025 soccer season. And in January he announced the team — the Connecticut United Football Club, which will participate in Major League Soccer Next Pro, a lower-division league associated with Major League Soccer. 

But due to financing and construction delays ground has yet to be broken, and in August Connecticut Sports Group set a new stadium grand opening date of 2026.

All along details about the cost and monetary sources have not been provided. Asked for a comment about the $96.2 million, Swanston in a statement instead reiterated his prior claims about how the stadium and the overall waterfront redevelopment will be "transformative," bring "world-class sports and entertainment to the region," generate $4 billion in economic impact by 2050, create 1,000 new permanent jobs, 1,000 housing units and "further position Bridgeport as a regional hub for tourism."

He concluded, "We look forward to continuing to work with city and state officials, small business owners, corporate leaders, and community members to bring this visionary project to life, contributing to the long-term success of Connecticut."

In an interview earlier this month, before Hearst had obtained more information about the stadium's initial $96.2 million budget, the developer said "my wife and I have already spent millions of our own money." Swanston is a multimillionaire technology entrepreneur who attended the University of Connecticut.

Swanston has also said he has been assembling substantial private backing, but again declined to provide more information.

He said he is unwilling to "say what a final budget will be" because of some uncertainties and "variables." Among those is an issue constructing the stadium's foundation that was cited as one key reason for putting off the opening until 2026.

"I don't want to call it quicksand but it is not sturdy soil," Swanston said, meaning it will take more time, money and effort to install the necessary foundation at the Kossuth Street and Stratford Avenue land.

Swanston did acknowledge that the longer it takes to break ground and build his vision, the higher the price tag.

"Time is money," he said.

Swanston has continually made it clear the stadium will require public investment, though exactly how much is unclear. So far state officials have provided the $8 million from the Community Investment Fund, along with an additional $8 million from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development for cleaning up old and contaminated industrial sites. 

Connecticut Soccer Group said the application to the Community Investment Fund for $30 million "was a particular request reflecting the constraints of that program" and more financial details will be revealed during the upcoming state legislative session early next year.

Felipe said he understands Swanston is seeking public financing to cover "in the ballpark of 50 percent or less" of the project. 

"The number in my head has always been somewhere in the range from 45 to 50 million (dollars)," Felipe said.

Rosario, meanwhile, feels a 40 percent state investment might be more realistic given Gov. Ned Lamont has in prior interviews been hesitant to commit state dollars to the endeavor. Even the $16 million offered so far has been characterized as an investment in cleaning up the property for future economic development, whether for a stadium or another project.

"Generally speaking, I like to see significant private investment for something like this," Lamont said in June, echoing his comments from January. "We’re doing our part ... in terms of environmental cleanup and the brownfields. I think this is going to be a privately initiated endeavor.”

Felipe and Rosario agreed that the 2025 legislative session, when fellow Democrat Lamont and the legislature will craft a new two-year state budget, will be crucial to the stadium's future.

"It absolutely needs to be a priority of the upcoming session," Felipe said. "Eventually if we take too much time and don’t start committing something to this they (Major League Soccer Next Pro) will see this as a non-reality and go somewhere else.” 

Rosario said he is "cautiously optimistic" about state lawmakers providing more funds for the stadium and agreed with Felipe that there is a need for "some real serious progress" in that regard.

"The positive thing Andre's got going for him, we have high level execs from Major League Soccer," Rosario said. "That is real. There is real interest to make this happen."

West Hartford finalizing design of new community center, which could cost $55 million to build

Michael Walsh

WEST HARTFORD — Plans for a new community center are moving along, with the town now looking to hire a construction firm to build the brand new facility.

The Elmwood Community Center, which will bring together the senior center, teen center, a library branch and more into one central building, has been in the works for a few years now, with plans formulating after the town bought the former St. Brigid School at 100 Mayflower St. in 2021.

The town hired GWWO Architects earlier this year to begin designing what the new 82,000 square foot community center would look like. Bob Palmer, the town's director of plant and facility services, said at this month's Public Works, Facilities and Sustainability Committee meeting that those design plans are still in the early stages.

"At this point, we've had three meetings and the schematic design is about 50 percent complete," Palmer said. "We're finalizing adjacencies of where offices are and where different departments that are going to be in the building are going to be located. There's a lot of common shared spaces in this building too. We're looking at all those and how that's going to work, how the building functions, how the flow of people will go. There's a lot going into this at this point... a lot of thought and effort going into laying out the building so that it's going to work for everybody."

Helen Rubino-Turco, the town's director of leisure services, said at last week's Human and Community Services Committee meeting that plans are also materializing for the demolition of the existing structure, as the town has opted to build a completely brand new building rather than renovate and reuse any part of the former school. The building is currently being used by the town's police and fire departments, as well as social services for food distribution. The site is also home to the town's temporary dog park, which will have to vacate once demolition begins. Rubino-Turco said that process could begin in late winter.

According to the town's request for proposal for its construction manager, which Palmer said is who will actually build the facility, the construction portion of the project is estimated to cost around $55 million. Previously, the town had estimated the entire process — including costs expanding beyond the actual construction — would cost around $66 million. The town has also said it will look at using $55 million in bond funding to pay for the construction.

Once complete, the town's new Elmwood Community Center will replace the aging community center on New Britain Avenue that was originally built nearly 100 years ago in 1931. The building, which was used as an elementary school into the late 1970s, was completely renovated in the early 1980s when it was determined that it would become a community center. Currently, the space is shared by the Elmwood Senior Center, the town's teen center and a private daycare. 

The town's proposal for its construction manager said it was seeking to build a new community center as issues at the current center, citing "handicapped accessibility, aging building infrastructure, site access and parking issues, program constraints" as persistent problems.

Simmons, Board Finance on Collision Course Over Stamford School Construction Costs

Angela Carella

STAMFORD – Mayor Caroline Simmons and the Board of Finance are on a collision course over a multi-year, multi-school rebuilding plan that could cost the city $1 billion, and require that the state contribute the same. 

The risk of a crash increased when Simmons obtained an opinion from the law department saying she doesn’t need approval from elected boards to fund the next step for a new Roxbury Elementary School, Board of Finance members said last week during a special meeting called to discuss construction costs. 

Simmons obtained the legal opinion after finance board members rejected her request for $895,000 to begin design work on Roxbury. One reason they turned down the request, board members said, is that the total project cost has jumped from $86 million to $131 million. 

The other reason is their overriding concern about the first school project in the pipeline – reconstruction of Westhill High. That started at $300 million, skyrocketed to $500 million, and most recently landed at $460 million, board members said.

The problem for the Democratic mayor is that she will need approval from the six-member Board of Finance – meaning at least four votes – for upcoming construction phases at Roxbury, and for funding authorizations for Westhill and two new schools planned for south of Interstate-95. The mayor also will need Board of Representatives approvals.

Finance board member Dennis Mahoney said during the meeting that the mayor’s “stunt” to bypass the elected boards jeopardizes the likelihood she will win the votes she needs to move her school plans forward.

“The administration walked right onto a track where a locomotive is coming at them,” Mahoney said. “They clearly are not interested in any sort of collaboration or they wouldn’t have pulled what I call a stunt to find a way to avoid the public scrutiny that interacting with the Board of Finance and the Board of Representatives allows.” 

Days before a heated national election in which former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris charge that democracy is on the line, “this is a microcosm of that,” Mahoney said. “The mayor has taken away the authority of the democratically elected boards to be a check on what she does. She once agreed to this approval process and now, because she hasn’t gotten what she wanted on Roxbury, she’s pulling away from the process. I think she is making a mistake. She should follow the normal course.” 

Opinion without an objective

Now Mahoney and fellow Republican finance board member J.R. McMullen are requesting another special meeting, this one seeking a “non-conflicted” legal opinion about whether Simmons may pay contractors to proceed with the Roxbury design without board approval.

Mahoney and McMullen said they are not seeking advice from Director of Legal Affairs Thomas Cassone, who wrote the opinion for Simmons, or other city attorneys. Cassone is a mayoral appointee and member of the mayor’s cabinet, and the city’s legal staff works for him, so they want an outside opinion, the two board members said.

Cassone’s opinion stated that board approval is not required when “a majority of the funding is provided by the federal or state government.” Roxbury falls under that condition because the state has agreed to pay a majority, 60 percent, or nearly $52 million of the $86 million cost for Roxbury, Cassone wrote.

McMullen’s argument is that the state is no longer paying a majority of the cost because the Roxbury project now is expected to be about $131 million.

McMullen said he wants an outside attorney to discuss the mayor’s “violation” of the city’s purchasing ordinance. Mahoney concurred, saying “it is important to protect the taxpayers from a mayor that wishes to sideline the other democratically elected officials on the largest investment program in the history of the city.”

Democratic finance board Chair Richard Freedman disagreed with Mahoney and McMullen, saying the board rarely approves contracts for professional services such as preliminary design. The Roxbury project will ultimately require approval from the Board of Finance and the Board of Representatives since the capital cost is “going to be way over the currently authorized budget,” Freedman told CT Examiner. 

But during the meeting Mahoney said the city’s school rebuilding plan is different because of the sheer scope and cost.

“The city told us that this is such a large project over multiple decades that they need to have buy-in from all the democratically elected institutions, so they’re going to go the extra mile and make sure everybody has bought into this,” Mahoney said. “I know what the rules are, but the unwritten agreement between the board and the mayor was that we would have real input.” 

The school rebuilding plan, which includes repairing existing buildings, originally was estimated at $1.5 billion and now stands at $2 billion, finance board members said. The state is expected to fund roughly half of that.

Obligation to move forward

In an email to the Board of Finance and Board of Representatives, Simmons wrote that while she respects their involvement in the process, “I have been clear that investing in our school facilities and embarking on this unprecedented school construction building program is one of my administration’s priorities. Given the deteriorating condition of Roxbury, I have an obligation to students, teachers, and parents to ensure the construction of a safe, modern, and high-quality learning environment. Therefore, I will be directing the director of operations to move forward with the schematic design for the Roxbury K-8 project.”

Pending the outcome of McMullen’s request for an outside legal opinion, finance board members are continuing their quest for more details about the massive Westhill project, which motivated their refusal to authorize the spending on Roxbury.  

During last week’s meeting they drew up a list of requests to the mayor’s office for more detailed information on what is driving the cost increase for Westhill. 

Members said that, a couple of hours before their meeting began, they received an email from Director of Operations Matt Quinones with some updates. But it was “the same numbers typed in a different font,” said board member Mary Lou Rinaldi, a Democrat.

Quinones wrote that he directed the design team to reduce the size of the new building by 15,000 square feet. So far a cut of about 10,000 square feet has been identified, Quinones said.

The city is talking with the Board of Education about whether to rebuild the pool at Westhill at a cost of $19 million, he said. The city anticipates “having a proposed alternative option fully vetted by the end of design development,” Quinones wrote.

The city is pursuing a $20 million federal tax credit by including geothermal mechanisms in the design, and seeking other federal money, he said.

The design team is “value engineering,” Quinones said, and so far has cut $800,000 in costs and identified $4.5 million in potential reductions.

Only if ‘you have to pay for it’

Westhill’s original price tag of $300 million meant the city’s share would be $60 million. Quinones said that with the “encouraging” work being done to reduce costs, and the anticipation of federal grants, the city’s share may be $85 million to $95 million.

“That’s not that much more” than the original $60 million, Freedman said.

“It is to the people who have to pay for it,” Rinaldi said.

Rinaldi said the updates from Quinones are fuzzy, and not much different from what the board heard over the summer. She questioned whether making a list of requests is “just a waste of time” for the board.

“If we’re going to go over the numbers as a rationale for why it costs so much, without a real effort to get the numbers down, then my vote to authorize the money will be obvious,” Rinaldi said. “If they come back asking for $460 million again for Westhill, I’m a no vote.”

Freedman agreed.

“I don’t think they’ll get any votes if they come back at $460 million,” Freedman said.

McMullen said his research shows that construction costs have escalated 17 percent since the Westhill project was launched two years ago, but the cost increased three times that.

“Why has our price gone up 50 percent?” McMullen said. “What happened? Did the scope of the project increase? That’s something we should know.”

Rinaldi said the key question is who will pay the difference.

“The state is not saying they will increase their contribution to meet these new costs, so the city is on the hook,” she said. “It will come from the taxpayers of this city.”

Mahoney said that, after the mayor circumvented board approval, trying to “engage the city in dialogue” may not be worth the effort.

“Maybe the city should just come back and ask us for an additional authorization for the extra money, and we can vote it up or down,” Mahoney said. “Then we’ll either have a Westhill project that moves forward, or we’ll have a Westhill project that doesn’t move forward.”

Following property sale, new 42-bed rehabilitation hospital planned in Waterbury

Michael Puffer

A42-bed, 55,000-square-foot inpatient rehabilitation hospital should soon be under construction in Waterbury following the sale Monday of a roughly 4.5-acre building site to a Florida-based developer.

Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate, a Florida-based national development and investment firm, bought a building site at the intersection of Reidville Drive and Harpers Ferry Road in Waterbury’s East End, city officials confirmed Monday.

State officials have already signed off on an application by Pennsylvania-based PAM Health to operate a rehab hospital at this site. Catalyst will build the property for lease to PAM Health, according to a city official.

“We are happy to welcome another new business, Catalyst and PAM Health, to Waterbury,” Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski said Monday. “The new acute care facility will enhance medical care for the people of Waterbury and the region. Strategically located just off I-84, not only will it be a brand-new facility offering 42 beds, but it will also provide 150 full-time and 50 part-time, good paying jobs. We look forward to their opening.”

The site was sold by members of the Napp family. 

Ralph Napp, of Watertown, stopped by the site just after the sale Monday. He said the 4.5-acre property had been in his family for more than 60 years, housing a concrete foundation business started by his father.

“It’s a good thing,” Napp said. “It will bring jobs.”

In December 2021, PAM Health and Waterbury Hospital filed a joint application with the state Office of Health Strategy seeking regulatory approval for the facility. The goal, according to the application, is to provide rehabilitative services to patients leaving acute care hospitals in western Connecticut. At the time, the project was estimated to cost $33 million.

The plan received state approval on Aug. 9, 2023, but Waterbury Hospital backed out this past January. Weeks later, PAM Health sought permission to move ahead independently. The Office of Health Strategy signed off on the modified agreement in July.

PAM Health said it operates a network of more than 100 long-term acute care hospitals, physical medicine and rehabilitation hospitals, as well as wound clinics, outpatient physical therapy sites and behavioral health hospitals across 17 states.

According to the original application, the Waterbury facility will provide specialized, “state-of-the-art” inpatient rehabilitation care to people recovering from a wide array of injuries and illnesses, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputations, orthopedic surgery, cardiac episodes and pulmonary conditions.

All rooms will be private. The facility will also have two therapy gyms, an outdoor therapy area, daily living suite, activities room and various therapy rooms.

“This is the good news we have been anticipating since our first meeting with PAM Health and Catalyst in 2021,” Waterbury Economic Development Director Joseph McGrath said. “This is not only gratifying from an economic development perspective, but it will also provide the residents of greater Waterbury with access to acute care rehabilitative services.”