Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 26, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 5 Chase bank, will put it up for auction, according to Mayor Michael Ludwick. The auction will begin Dec. 10 and run for two days on the real estate website LoopNet. The auction calls for an opening bid of $3.8 million, according to the website. According to town and Hartford Superior Court documents, J.P. Morgan Chase has been owner of the property, at 90 Elm St., since Feb. 2016 after the bank foreclosed on a $240 million loan to the mall's former owner Centro Enfield LLC. Centro Enfield had a total unpaid debt of about $67.5 million. According to town records, the current appraised value of the property is $27.5 million, a $6.4 million decrease from its 2015 appraised value of $33.9 million. Tim Leininger | Journal Inquirer Five years in, CT's paint recycling seeing steady growth Connecticut's mandatory paint- recycling program collected 6 percent more unused paint in fiscal 2018, continuing a steady growth trend since it launched five years ago. The Connecticut Architectural Paint Stewardship Program collected 342,350 gallons of unused paint in fiscal year 2018, up from 322,568 the year before, nonprofit overseer PaintCare reported. In all, the program has collected and processed more than 1.5 million gallons since 2013. The program is financed by wholesale fees on paint sales that manufacturers must remit to PaintCare to operate the recycling effort. The fees range from 35 cents to $1.60, depending on the size of the paint container sold. The program falls under the umbrella of "product stewardship" or "extended producer responsibility." Rockville Gen. Hospital staff vote to unionize By a majority vote Nov. 14, support staff at Vernon's Rockville General Hospital agreed to unionize in an election moderated by the National Labor Relations Board. A total of 150 nursing assistants, housekeepers, diet aides, phlebotomists, unit coordinators and other employees of the Prospect- owned Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) will be represented by labor union AFT Connecticut, labor officials said. The union representation allows the support staff to begin their first-ever negotiations with ECHN management. AFT has represented Rockville General Hospital's nurses since 2010, and represents other healthcare professionals at ECHN-managed Manchester Memorial Hospital. Rockville General Hospital staff will begin assembling a negotiations team to represent the workers in contract talks with ECHN management, AFT said. In fiscal 2017, Rockville General Hospital recorded a $5.8 million operating loss, and an overall loss of $8.2 million, according to a financial report filed with the state Office of Health Strategy. Millstone wins "at risk" status After a review of the Millstone Power Station's financials, Connecticut's energy regulator has deemed the nuclear plant to be at risk of retirement beginning in 2023. The recent determination by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) is an interim decision and not yet official, but assuming it holds, it gives the Dominion-owned plant — the largest in Connecticut — a leg up in an ongoing competitive process to win long-term contracts to sell power to the state's utility companies. The state-run procurement of zero- carbon energy (nuclear, wind and solar) drew dozens of bids in September, and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) could select winners before year's end. The stakes are high, as the legislature has authorized DEEP to select as much as 12 million megawatt hours of electricity to proceed with utility contract negotiations (Millstone generates about 17 million megawatt hours a year). Express Kitchens expands in Southington Hartford-based kitchen cabinet and countertop retailer Express Kitchens says it has opened three new locations, including one in Southington. Express Kitchens, which has its corporate office in Hartford at 231 Weston St., hosted three grand opening events recently for new stores in Southington at 956 Queen St., and two Massachusetts locations in Springfield and Holyoke. The retailer now has 16 showrooms, including stores in Newington, Hamden, Waterbury, Bridgeport and Stamford, among others. PDS has been meeting the needs of the construction industry since 1965. Our dedicated team of design and construction professionals welcomes the challenge of serving its past and future customers on their most demanding projects. Foodshare | Bloomfi eld, Connecticut PDS was selected as Construction Manager to build a multi-story addition to the existing Foodshare building. This occupied project entailed an extensive freezer cooler system for all refrigerated food items. The project also included new offi ces, several overhead doors, drywall, ceilings, doors & hardware, steel, concrete, painting, and fl ooring. PDS completed this project on time and within budget. Project Size: 23,000 SF 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfi eld, CT 06002 (860) 242-8586 | Fax (860) 242-8587 www.pdsec.com DESIGN BUILDERS • GENERAL CONTRACTORS • CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS SPOTLIGHT ON: I PDS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, INC. THINK • PLAN • BUILD WE PROVIDE CT BUSINESS LEADERS WITH THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO SUCCESSFULLY RUN THEIR BUSINESS. ARE YOU IN THE KNOW? SUBSCRIBE BY GOING TO WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM CLICK ON "SUBSCRIBE" Connecticut paint stores participate in the state's paint-recycling program. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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