Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • March 13, 2017 www.HartfordBusiness.com What fans, taxpayers get with a $250M XL Center makeover By Patricia Daddona pdaddona@HartfordBusiness.com S tate lawmakers have a difficult decision in the months ahead on whether or not to invest $250 million to renovate the aging XL Center. But the much harder task will be the actual recon- struction of the 42-year-old facility, should the project get the go-ahead. The most demanding chore, state officials say, will be managing the flow of the entire four-year project in a way that bookends sports activity around the late spring and summer con- struction season. Michael Freimuth, exec- utive director of the Capi- tal Region Development Authority (CRDA), and Robert Saint, director of construction services, said in a recent, wide-ranging interview inside the build- ing's newest addition, the "fan club," that everything from acquiring the adja- cent atrium and storefronts so the building can front Trumbull Street, to mov- ing suites to floor level and replacing electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems con- stitutes a challenge. But oversight over four years — from April through August, gradually exposing sports fans and even occasional concert- goers, to new digs — has to flow smoothly and in a way that doesn't disrupt ongoing hockey and basketball seasons, they said. "Doing the work in a short period of time, and having the building meet all the life safety codes and at the end of that period be useable, that's the biggest challenge," Saint said. Opened as the Hartford Civic Center in 1975 and formerly home to the Hartford Whalers, the XL Center has weathered a roof collapse in 1978 and loss of pro hockey in 1997. With a capacity today of approximately 16,000, the venue was upgraded in 2014 with $35 million worth of improvements to mechanical systems, public spaces, locker rooms and a fan club area where people congregate before and after events. It's that new fan club, with its tables and seating well above the hockey rink that doubles as a basketball court, that has demonstrated just how valuable a full- fledged renovation could be, Freimuth said. "There are people in here an hour before game time just partying in this one spot," Freimuth said of the existing fan club area. "They wouldn't have come just to sit in their seats for an hour. There's two things going on there: The socialization and utilization of the build- ing, and there's also money being made." A transformed arena would include new clubs, pre- mium seating, dining options and other amenities, Saint said, to help raise additional revenues for a building that currently loses money annually. XL Center lost about 500 seats to the 2014 renovation, but when access is reconfigured around two concourses instead of one, existing stairwells between the seats will be replaced with seating, boosting capacity to about 17,000 seats for hockey and 18,000 for bas- ketball, Saint said. There will be 28 suites on two levels plus up to eight suites right behind the bench. The majority of the suites, which are high- er up now, will be on the floor, closer to the action. The suites create a living-room environment with a pantry, kitchen and a corridor out into premi- um seats, he added. "That's where the teams come out and go to the ice or the court, so there's that kind of excite- ment [that isn't available now]," Freimuth said. "[Fans] are high-fiving the team members as they run by." The two bowls feeding into a single concourse impedes movement and jams up restrooms and concessions, Saint explained. The "bowl" is the large open area with sloping seats that accommodate sporting events, shows and con- certs. With two concourses, general admission would be at the top and premium seating at the bottom. Payoffs Meantime, acquiring the Hartford 21 retail complex that surrounds the arena, where the atrium, retail space and some parking is located, is key, Freimuth and Saint say. Owned by Northland Investment Corp., the space includes storefronts CRDA would be willing to discount Q&A Startup's sensor tech aims for better bridge inspections Q&A talks to Kevin McMullen, a UConn civil engineering graduate student who founded a startup called NexGen Infrastructure, which provides state-of-the-art bridge monitoring systems. The technology uses force-sensing pads (sensors) to provide con- tinuous electronic monitoring and data collection that allows engi- neers to better evaluate and react to changes in a bridge's perfor- mance over its lifespan. UConn Engineering professor Hadi Bozorgmanesh started a pro- gram at UConn to develop engineering students into entrepreneurs. McMullen took the first experiential tech entrepreneurship course in 2015, where he developed NexGen's technology. His co-founders were UConn professor Arash Esmaili Zaghi and grad student Alexandra Hain. Q: Is this type of bridge monitoring new? It seems like in the not- too-distant past the state had bridge inspectors. Does this automate the process and eliminate the need for them? A: Research projects have been conducted by other universities and companies to inte- grate different types of sensors into bridge bearings to monitor their performance. A majority of these proj- ects have significant concerns regarding cost, constructability and implementation. A current method commonly used to monitor and evaluate a bridge's performance is structural health monitoring. Structur- al health monitoring studies are commonly conducted on bridges of interest or concern to determine how they are functioning under daily traffic. These studies consist of applying vari- ous sensors at several locations on a bridge to monitor force, strain and displacement. This process is tedious, expensive, and is only used to monitor a small number of critical bridges. Bridge inspectors are still required to inspect every bridge at least every two years. This involves visual inspection of every component of the bridge. They look at structural components such as corrosion and cracking. The development of a force sens- ing bridge bearing that can moni- tor a bridge's performance under traffic loads will not eliminate the need for visual bridge inspection. However, it will provide engineers with data to make more informed decisions regarding a bridge's per- formance and justify or reevaluate findings from initial visual inspec- tion of the structure. Unlike visual inspection, this bearing will allow for continuous monitoring. Q: One of the benefits of your new product is determin- ing if a bridge is overstressed and carrying more weight than its design intends. Will there be real-time monitoring of bridges? A: This force-sensing bridge bearing may serve as a tool for engineers to complete real-time monitoring. This may allow engineers to tailor rehabilitation designs and schedules to the current perfor- mance of the bridge. This is a major benefit to assist with inspec- tion techniques as it provides up-to-date performance results as opposed to data being collected every two years. The data collected from these bridge bearings may be used to evaluate bridge designs as well. Bridg- es may be redesigned due to the perfor- mance results. This could be completed by posting a weight limit for the bridge or by rehabilitating the structure. Q: What is the potential impact of your product on bridges? A recent analysis of federal data by the American Road & Transportation Build- ers Association found over 8 percent of Connecticut's 5,300 bridges are deficient. How can your technology help with this problem, particularly at a time when there is limited funds to pay for infrastructure repairs. A. That lack of funding is where our sensors could be most useful. By allowing decision-makers to have more data, they could judge which repairs are most critical. Our product may provide a non-intru- sive, cost-effective method to moni- tor the forces on a bridge bearing. This product does not inher- ently alter the bridges lifespan, rather it gives engineers an addi- tional tool to help them better KEVIN MCMULLEN UConn civil engineering graduate student and founder, NexGen Infrastructure The Capital Region Development Authority's Mike Freimuth (right) and Robert Saint stand in XL Center's "fan club" and describe possible benefits of a renovated arena. FOCUS CONSTRUCTION Continued H B J P H O T O | P A T R I C I A D A D D O N A Luxurious Additions A $250 million renovation would add new suites and luxury seating at the XL Center. Here's a breakdown: • The existing building has a fan club with limited access to the bowl, 15 suites located 76 feet above the rink floor, 31 suites 87 feet above the rink floor, and a club at level 118. • The transformed arena will have eight bunker suites located just above the rink floor, 14 suites located on the main concourse (30 feet above the rink floor) and 14 suites located 40 feet above the rink floor. • In addition, there will be a club located at the rink floor level adjacent to the locker rooms, a loge club located on the east side of the main concourse, and a terrace club located on the west side of the main concourse. • Some of the existing clubs and suites in the are- na's upper levels will be transformed into a con- course bar and two sponsor suites, as well as a sports bar and ledge seats. Continued

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