Bond Commission Aproves $3 Million for Broad Street, $1.3 Million for Tech Upgrades at MCC

The state Bond Commission met Friday to approve millions in bonding throughout Connecticut, including two projects that will have a direct impact on Manchester.

The town will get $3 million to help fund between Center Street and West Middle Turnpike, while Manchester Community College will receive about $1.3 million for capital equipment and new technology improvements.

The 10-member commission – made up of the governor, attorney general, treasurer, comptroller, the head of two state agencies and four state legislators – approves funding requests submitted by the governor that have been previously approved by the General Assembly.

The Broad Street reconstruction will establish uniform traffic lane widths along that portion of the road, curb cuts for all properties, sidewalks on both sides of the street, and other improvements to the area. The town will contribute $2 million from an $8 million bond package it approved through referendum in November of 2009 in an attempt to revitalized the Broad Street area of town. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office said the project would create or retain approximately 105 construction jobs.

State Sen. Steve Cassano called the Broad Street funding a “homerun” for Manchester.

“It’s a clear message to the businesses there – if you look, a lot of them have left over the years,” said Cassano. “It shows were serious about developing this area.”

General Manager Scott Shanley hailed the Broad Street funding as “terrific” Friday.

“It means we are going to be able to move forward,” Shanley said Friday. “That road has been in terrible condition for a long time, and we haven’t done anything with it because we were hoping that we would be able to do this major project.”

Director of Public Works/Town Engineer Mark Carlino said that all the necessary permits had been secured for the Broad Street project and some initial design work had been done. Carlino said the town expects to put the project up for public bid in the next several weeks, with the hope of securing a contractor by the end of the summer and starting the project in the fall or early next spring. He said the project should take 15 months, although some aspects of it would have to be halted during winter months, which would delay the project’s completion date.

The bond funding for will be used to purchase telecommunications equipment, such as wireless hardware and software, routers, and servers, and to make related technology infrastructure improvements at the college.

“I taught at MCC for 28 years and I can tell you from firsthand experience the difference that modern equipment makes to both the teaching and the learning experience,” Cassano said. “Just the exposure to this kind of new technology will help prepare students for the modern workforce that they are about to enter.”