Engineering firms hired to design access to proposed Norwich business park in Occum
Norwich — One week after the City Council approved bonding $740,000 to fund engineering designs for access roads into a proposed second business park, the Norwich Community Development Corp. on Tuesday approved the hiring of three contractors to do the work and one to seek federal funding for the project.
NCDC held a special board meeting Tuesday to approve resolutions to start new contracts or continue contracts with firms that had been lined up for the project, awaiting council approval of the funding and NCDC approval of contracts. There was little discussion, and board Chairman Robert Buckley said the group had discussed the contractors at past meetings, and now the board wanted to get started quickly.
The City Council approved the $740,000 funding Sept. 7 to design new access roads off Interstate 395 at Exit 18 that would serve traffic into the proposed business park. The ramps would have dedicated lanes for traffic into the business park and would be similar to ramps at Interstate 95 at Exit 74 in East Lyme for the Costco development.
NCDC has a purchase agreement for a 284-acre tract of former farmland in Occum to create what city officials are calling Business Park North. The purchase agreement with current owners Byron Brook Country Club LLC and M&A Holdings LLC, for $3.55 million for 17 parcels, runs through Dec. 15 with possible extensions through 2022.
Prior to the council vote to fund the access road engineering, Norwich Public Utilities had funded $500,000 to pay for purchase options and early studies for the business park.
NCDC on Tuesday voted to extend its contract with real estate consultant Henry Resnikoff’s firm, RFP LLC. Resnikoff has served as the lead consultant on the project to date and has led tours of the property for city and state officials.
NCDC President Kevin Brown said Wednesday that Resnikoff had researched and recommended the technical firms for the project. NCDC voted to enter into a contract with engineering firm LandTech of Westport and to extend a contract with Bohler Engineering, which has offices throughout the Northeast.
The board also approved entering into a consulting agreement with Washington, D.C., law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld “to seek federal funding sources for Business Park North,” the resolution stated.
Brown said the firm’s task will be to comb through the federal infrastructure bill under consideration in Congress for possible grants NCDC would be eligible for to develop the new business park and to investigate possible funding through the Economic Development Agency within the Commerce Department or the Small Business Administration.
“They are already poring through the infrastructure bill and EDA,” Brown said. “We’re hopeful they can spend the time studying those important documents and hopefully we can find a source of funding for us.”
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