With Gov. M. Jodi Rell asking for towns to be prepared with “shovel ready” projects in case a national economic stimulus plan is approved, the town9 9s Republican Town Committee and others are weighing in on potential projects.
“We applaud the governor’s sense of urgency in identifying these projects. The purpose of this initiative is to boost the economy while creating jobs and, at the same time, improve Connecticut’s infrastructure and services,” said Al Alper, chair of the Republican Town Committee, in a written statement e-mailed to The Bulletin last Friday.

Ms. Rell recently announced she was looking for a list of projects, both infrastructure and other, that might be done if an economic stimulus plan is passed at the national level allowing them to be completed. In an interview earlier this month, First Selectman William Brennan listed a number of local projects, including the high school renovation project and Wilton Commons, an affordable senior housing project, that will be submitted to the governor.

This week, Mr. Brennan released some of the details he was submitting to the governor on the various projects. Wilton Commons and the high school renovation project, for instance, are estimated to employ up to 250 individuals and 144 individuals respectively during construction. Additionally, Wilton Commons will employ 10 people on a permanent staff basis once complete.

Other projects that are being proposed by the town include a walkway connecting the Wilton train station to Wilton Center; new curbing on roads in Wilton Center; school improvements such as replacing windows and skylights; and maintenance to the Wilton train station. Each of these projects is estimated to employ between 20 and 25 people for between six months and a year, according to Mr. Brennan.

But while Mr. Alper applauded the submission of some projects to the gov ernor, he also denounced an effort by Norwalk state Senator Robert Duff to introduce Super 7 as one such project.

“Projects such as Super 7, aside from being controversial or polarizing, are not appropriate candidates for the list at this time, as they are nowhere near ‘shovel-ready’,” said Mr. Alper. Super 7 is a proposed four-lane highway project that would cut through Wilton. The project has been in existence in some form since the 1950s. Over the years it has met with stiff resistance from some Wilton residents with others claiming it’s the only solution to Wilton’s traffic problems.
The project was last defeated in the state legislature in 2007, but Mr. Duff is attempting to revive it once again.
“This is the original shovel ready project from 40 years ago,” said Mr. Duff Monday of why he submitted the project to the governor. “There’s really no better project for southwestern Connecticut to meet our affordable housing needs and help bring the work force to us.”

Responding to questions of whether the project is indeed “shovel ready,” Mr. Duff said the Department of Transportation has had plans for the expressway for some time now.