Hartford Business Journal

4 Hartford Business Journal • February 5, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com Week in Review Briefs CT's Dec. housing permits cap down year Connecticut communities issued more home-building permits in December than a year earlier, yet on an annual basis granted fewer overall permits, new data shows. There were 281 permits handed out in December vs.190 issued a year earlier by 104 communities surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau, the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) said. For 2017, surveyed municipalities issued permits for 3,803 living units vs. 4,095 issued in 2016, DECD said. In 2015, 5,322 permits were granted. Among Greater Hartford communities, Windsor Locks led in 2017, with 181 permits issued vs. 20 granted in 2016; followed by Vernon, with 112 permits last year vs. 111 the previous year; South Windsor, 102 vs. 117; West Hartford, 72 vs. 51; and Simsbury, 64 vs. 250. Bronin names ex-W. Hartford manager as interim COO Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin has appointed former West Hartford town manager Ron Van Winkle to serve as his interim chief operating officer. Bronin also has named Cherese Chery to serve as director of human resources, effective March 1. Van Winkle served as West Hartford's town manager from 2008 through 2017. Before that, he was the town's director of community services, beginning in 1987. Chery came to Hartford from Trinidad and Tobago with her family and graduated from Hartford public schools. She has been chief human resources officer at Norwalk public schools since 2016, and served in the same role at New London public schools between 2012 and 2016. PGA Tour draw McIlroy commits to Travelers tourney Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion with 13 PGA TOUR victories, has committed to play in the 2018 Travelers Championship, tournament organizers said. This will be his second appearance at the tournament. Last year, he tied for 17th place. A 28-year-old from Northern Ireland, he has held the world's No. 1 ranking for 95 weeks, and is currently ranked No. 8. The championship will be held June 18-24 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. BVH unveils larger Bloomfield HQs Building- and site-engineers BVH Integrated Services has relocated its Bloomfield headquarters to larger space, the firm says. Founded in 1958, BVH now houses its 105 employees in 24,000 square feet at 206 West Newberry Road, formerly home to Capital Regional Education Council's (CREC) Museum Academy for preschool and kindergarten. BVH headquarters previously occupied 22,000 square feet at 50 Griffin Road South. The new office space includes an employee café, and an open floor plan. TOP STORY Malloy calls for tolls, gas tax hike, tire fees A s expected, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is going big on transportation funding. With an Election Year legislative session about to start, the lame-duck governor has called on lawmakers to implement electronic tolling on major highways, interstates and routes across Connecticut. Malloy said Connecticut's transportation investment has fallen further behind competing states like Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey, and that additional funding is needed to ensure a competitive economy. "We stand at a crossroads here in Connecticut," Malloy said. "We need to make a decision and we need to do it soon, and quite frankly this year." With the Special Transportation Fund headed toward insolvency, Malloy did not stop at tolls. He is also calling for a 7 cent increase in the state's 25-cent gas tax (higher than the 4-cent hike that Democratic Rep. Jason Rojas has said he will push) over the next four years; a $3 fee on each tire sold in the state; and a faster diversion of new car sales tax revenues to the STF than is currently authorized by the legislature. Republicans have argued that Malloy's 30-year transportation infrastructure plan is too costly and that more study is needed of exactly how much revenue tolls would raise (state officials are currently estimating somewhere between $600 million and $800 million a year, 25 percent to 30 percent of which would come from out-of-state drivers). The governor was joined at a press conference by construction industry representatives and lawmakers, such as Transportation Committee co-chair Rep. Antonio Guerrera, who also recently reiterated his previous support for tolls. The exact number and location of tolls is not yet clear. State Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker said a design plan does not yet exist. Malloy said he would like to see tolls on interstates and routes like the Wilbur Cross Highway and the Merritt Parkway. BY THE NUMBERS $3 The fee Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wants to add to the purchase of each new tire in Connecticut to help shore up the Special Transportation Fund. 76% The increase in Aetna's fourth-quarter profits, which stood at $244 million, mainly due to lower restructuring costs. $114M The amount of money the Connecti- cut Green Bank's C-PACE program has financed since 2013. 4.4% The Hartford Metropolitan Area's jobless rate in November, up from 3.9 percent a year prior. TOP 5 MOST READ On HartfordBusiness.com • 1. Malloy calls for tolls, gas tax hike, tire fees • 2. Pratt geared turbofan engines to power Brazilian aircraft • 3. BVH unveils larger Bloomfield HQ • 4. Foxwoods to add Stony Creek brewpub this summer • 5. $5M STEM grant awarded to CT colleges STAY CONNECTED For breaking and daily Greater Hartford business news go to www.HartfordBusiness.com HBJ on Twitter: @HartfordBiz HBJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HartfordBiz HBJ on Linkedln: www.linkedin.com/company/ the-Hartford-Business-Journal Daily e-newsletters: HBJ Today, CT Morning Blend www.HartfordBusiness.com/ subscribe Weekly e-newsletters: CT Health Care Weekly www.HartfordBusiness.com/ subscribe Electronic tolling gantries like the one shown above could soon hover over Connecticut drivers as they pass through major highways. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Rory McIlroy will play in Cromwell. PHOTO | CONTIBUTED

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