|
In This Issue:
On The Marble
Municipal Roundup
Federal Focus
CT Agency Corner
This Day in CT history
| |
|
On The Marble
Mike Johnson
| |
|
|
Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk
This week saw two brand new announcements of state agencies “right sizing” their footprint of buildings to be converted into brand new housing.
First, the sprawling and voluminous campus of the Department of Veterans Affairs revealed their plans to develop up to 46 bedrooms for veterans and their families in three existing buildings. The project, which is being funded with $5M in Federal funding from ARPA, will entail door and window replacements, new flooring, bathroom and kitchen remodeling, new furniture and landscaping for their campus which rests in Rocky Hill alongside I-91 and Route 3. This project brings a unique benefit to the state’s veteran population given that the housing is specifically being created to benefit families of veterans who have served the state.
In a larger footprint renovation, the Council on Environmental Quality is looking to convert seven buildings into 71 apartments along Route 10 in Cheshire to create what will likely be the largest renovated area for housing in the greater Southington area of the state. According to a report in the Hartford Courant, the site is comprised of 13.82 acres, but the “development area is limited to approximately 5 acres,” according to the Council on Environmental Quality scoping notice. The council notes it advises other agencies on “the environmental impacts of proposed construction projects.” The agency also noted: “At the scoping stage, detailed information on a project’s design, alternatives, and environmental impacts does not yet exist. Sponsoring agencies are asking for comments from other agencies and from the public as to the scope of alternatives and environmental impacts that should be considered for further study. “
More to come from these developments as the state looks to focus in on finishing the privatization of new housing on Elm Street and Trinity Street in Hartford which used to be the offices for the Attorney General, State Comptroller, State Treasurer and Office of the Secretary of State. The development happens to be in a very premier area along Bushnell Park in Hartford and will likely attract some of the highest priced rents in Hartford which already has been in the news this week for historically high rents and expenses.
Housing is the top priority for the administration and they are demonstrating that through these actions.
| |
Municipal Roundup
Ryan Bingham
| |
|
|
A project that the team here at S&L has worked on diligently got final approval in West Hartford this week. The West Hartford Town Council has approved the redevelopment of the former UConn campus at 1800 Asylum Avenue into Heritage Park, a mixed-use development spanning 33.5 acres. The project, led by West Hartford 1 LLC, will feature 118 new homes—including 25 owner-occupied townhouses—alongside an assisted living facility, grocery store, restaurant, spa, and public spaces. This decision follows extensive discussions and previous failed redevelopment attempts, aiming to revitalize the long-vacant property and address the town's housing needs.
In other municipal news, The Connecticut House of Representatives has approved legislation allowing municipalities to revise motor vehicle tax depreciation schedules, addressing revenue shortfalls caused by previous changes in vehicle valuation methods. This adjustment aims to provide towns with flexibility in calculating car taxes. Governor Ned Lamont has expressed concerns about the fiscal implications of this legislation, particularly regarding the allocation of $40 million for special education funding included in the same bill.
| |
Federal Focus
Zach Dendas
| |
|
|
Medicaid's on the Menu
The last few weeks, the federal government has put a lot of important programs on the chopping block. The chaotic nature that the Department of Government Efficiency has been operating under has many Connecticut stakeholders concerned. What is different about the healthcare conversations the administration is having is that the other branch of government is having those same conversations in lock step - congress. The House of Representatives has proposed serious cuts to the spending the feds do around Medicaid. The House has targeted at least $880 billion in savings from the Energy and Commerce Committee, a task that is expected to require significant reductions to Medicaid spending. Medicaid, which covers more than 70 million people, is the largest health insurance program in the nation, and the largest single source of funding for states. More than 21 million adults who were not eligible for Medicaid under (Obamacare) pre-expansion guidelines received coverage in the last few years. Just under 1 million of those reside in Connecticut. Medicaid spending is vast and those cuts would impact Connecticut at an interesting time- during the legislative budget process which has highlighted proposed spending for Medicaid reimbursement rates. Let’s jump into the uncertain waters.
The core structure of Medicaid financing—a federal-state matching system—has long provided states with a reliable source of funding for healthcare. Connecticut’s rates are some of the lowest in the country for reimbursement, and the legislature has taken up the task of trying to address the reimbursement rates. While these programs are connected, they differ across each state. Connecticut’s legislators have a plan to address the rates, and the Governor has another plan he is working on with other statewide elected officials toward a potential pathway. All of this comes down to one connection we have been discussing this past year: where does the federal government stand on cutting key programs like Medicaid? If the cuts to Medicaid come to fruition from the feds, these plans may be upended. At a key time in the Connecticut legislature’s process, the federal government’s uncertainty around Medicaid cuts are driving a wedge in CT. These next few weeks are critical to the future access to healthcare in Connecticut.
| |
Agency Corner
Lindsay Seti
| |
|
|
After months of seemingly endless back and forth between the utility companies, the legislature, and the Governor – a deal was struck on Thursday of last week to confirm Marissa Gillett to her second term as a Commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).
As part of the deal, Lamont agreed to fill two vacancies on the five-person PURA board and supported legislation to make PURA a quasi-public agency, separating it from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The vacancies will be filled by former State Representative Holly Cheeseman (R – East Lyme), and current State Senator John Fonfara (D - Hartford). Because he is a sitting legislator, Senator Fonfara can’t be appointed to this new role in the executive branch until his term ends in 2027. However – if the legislation passes to make PURA a quasi-public agency, that prohibition will be removed and he could technically keep his seat and serve as a Commissioner.
Although Republican’s have long advocated to fill PURA’s five seats and to move the authority out from under DEEP, they criticized the behind-the-scenes backroom negotiations. While some environmental advocates expressed skepticism about PURA becoming a quasi-public agency, others, including Gillett, see it as a step toward more effective regulation.
Commissioner Gillett’s current nomination is for another four-year term, and her two-year term as Chair of PURA is up in July.
| |
February 28: Fire & Murder- Edward Malley's Very Worst Winter
February 1882 was not a very good month for New Haven businessman Edward Malley. The ambitious son of Irish immigrants, Malley had worked his way up from selling assorted dry goods to Elm City residents out of his aunt’s front parlor to purchasing a modest storefront on Chapel Street in 1852, making home deliveries on a mule-pulled cart. Within four years, Malley’s dry goods shop had expanded to a three-story department store that employed 100 people. By the 1870s, Malley’s department store was hailed as “one of the largest in New England,” and the Malley family was one of the wealthiest in town.
On the morning of February 28, 1882, however, Malley awoke to the news that his now extensive department store complex was completely engulfed in flames. A night watchman had spotted flames coming from the rear of the main building at 4:00 a.m. and sounded the alarm. The flames spread quickly, however, and ended up destroying Malley’s entire store. It was the second time Malley’s department store had caught fire in seven years. Newspapers across the country reported the event and set the loss at $175,000 (several million dollars in today’s money).
News of his store’s total destruction only compounded what was already a difficult month for the immigrant turned department store magnate. At the same time his business was burning, his son and nephew were sitting in jail, awaiting trial for the sensational murder of Jennie Cramer, a beautiful young New Haven girl. In its report on the fire, the New York Times noted that Edward Malley had paid “large sums already to aid the [accused] boys in their defense” — including hiring several private detectives. The paper speculated that the loss of his department store might hinder his efforts to clear their names at their upcoming trial.
Though the Malley boys were eventually found not guilty of murdering Jennie Cramer by arsenic poisoning, the Malley family would face accusations of bribery and witness tampering for years. Malley’s department store, however, eventually fully recovered. Malley’s went on to be an icon of shopping in New Haven through much of the 20th century, despite the worst winter ever for one of New Haven’s wealthiest and most famous families, today in Connecticut history.
Read More Here!
| |
Sullivan & LeShane, Inc.
www.ctlobby.com | (860) 560-0000
| | | | |
