New London The city is working to finalize a project to extend free internet access to hundreds of New London homes, targeting those without the means to afford access on their own.
Mayor Michael Passero outlined those plans during a news conference Tuesday with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who visited the city to promote Gov. Ned Lamont’s House Bill 6442, An Act Concerning Equitable Access to Broadband.
New London’s own plan involves a partnership with the Connecticut Education Network to use the schools and city-owned buildings to broadcast Wi-Fi hot spots and reach nearby homes.
Initially, the plan will include installation of transmitters to cover a two- to three-block radius around city schools as well as the densely populated Huntington Tower and Winthrop Square apartment complexes. The first phase may reach a portion of the Mohican Apartments on State Street.
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New London The city is taking stock of its history, arts scene and cultural assets with the formation of a cultural district that will act as a central hub for the coordination of events, exhibitions and promotions.
The City Council on Monday unanimously approved an ordinance that establishes the district and is likely to lead to the formation of a special commission to provide oversight.
The district will encompass the downtown’s historic district and include Howard, Bank and State streets. It would allow the district to showcase the waterfront and key attractions such as Hygienic Art, Custom House Maritime Museum and Garde Arts Center.
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New London The City Council has rejected the $39.3 million price tag for construction costs associated with the renovation of Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School because of a possible increase in costs to taxpayers, threatening to further delay the project on the eve of the start of construction.
The council voted 5-2 against the so-called guaranteed maximum price, or GMP, acting in part on advice of Finance Director David McBride and Mayor Michael Passero. The move halts the awarding of contracts by O&G Industries, the construction manager, to the trade contractors who bid on the project.
McBride said that while the project is technically within the $49.5 million construction budget, the state has so far deemed too many elements of the proposed project to be ineligible for 80% reimbursement from the state. As a result, McBride said more of the costs than expected would be shifted to taxpayers.