Mary E. O’Leary, Register Topics Editor - 08/11/2005

NEW HAVEN — If you were planning a party around the implosion of the New Haven Coliseum, push that date back about one month — anywhere from early- to mid-October.

Complications with disconnecting power to the 30-year-old structure have put the massive project off schedule by a month, said Deputy Economic Development Director Tony Bialecki.

Interior remediation on the shuttered Coliseum could not begin until the power source was cut and a temporary source established, both of which are now complete.

"It was a difficult disconnect. It wasn’t just a matter of disconnecting like one line in front of your house," Bialecki said.

The electricity comes off the primary power lines into the Coliseum and then goes back out into underground vaults downtown where it is redirected to a grid, the director said. There are no overhead lines in the center of the city.

Bialecki said United Illuminating spent the last three weeks working on the project.

In addition, there were a lot of other utility lines in the area, including a major old sewer connection under South Orange Street and a fiber optic line owned by an outside company which had to be put on notice.

"They had to coordinate all that. That put us off about one month," he said.

The Coliseum and the former Macy’s building on Church Street are coming down as part of a major development project.

The state has bonded $97 million to construct Gateway Community College on Church Street, where Macy’s and the former Malley’s department stores were located, leaving the Coliseum site cleared for a potential hotel and residential construction.

Construction of the college, which now has more than 5,000 full-time students, is set to begin in 2007 and wrap up in 2010.

Bialecki said the environmental consultants have removed the oil tanks and received clearances to complete the interior work on the Coliseum.

"They should be in there full blast next week," he said, for about three weeks.

Then, around the first of September, Stamford Wrecking should be outside the Coliseum for the conventional demolition stage, which will continue for about a month and take down most of the structure.

What will be left to implode is the steel superstructure and the 2,000-car parking garage that rests atop the Coliseum.

Bialecki said the city hopes to have a firm date next week for the 18.5-second blast that will collapse the structure.

Alderwoman Frances "Bitsey" Clark, D-7, said she will be working with the city on more neighborhood meetings to keep residents and businesses apprised of the situation.

"We feel pretty good because both Macy’s and the Coliseum are pretty much on track," despite the delay, Bialecki said.

The bridges connecting Macy’s to the former Chapel Square Mall are down, the staging is set for asbestos remediation inside the building and the environmental clearances have been secured.

Within a few weeks, the project will be more apparent to the public when banners explaining it will go up, as well as construction fencing and fabric which will wrap the area to control dust.

The city this week also started notifying property owners in the area of the delay to keep them in the loop.

The biggest impact will be felt, quite literally, by the 200 units in the Residences at Ninth Square across from the Coliseum on George and South Orange Street.

Program Manager Shelly Sheehan said the delay wasn’t of particular concern to her.

"We are just anxious naturally to know some of the details as far as what area has to be evacuated," she said of her tenants, who fill four buildings on three blocks.

The property also includes a garage and several parking lots.

Other components of the development plan are also proceeding with the New Haven Development Commission getting an update this week.

Kenneth Braffman, a member of the board, said they listened to an explanation of the complicated parking plan the city has proposed to accommodate businesses as the college construction and additional garages get built in the next few years.

He said it showed more analysis than the last plan, but the commission has delayed approval.

As projects come on line and garages are completed, Braffman said there is a "bubble domino effect" with the parking shifting around the city. "It’s almost like a bubble under a carpet that you stamp out," but the bubble comes back.

Mary E. O’Leary can be reached at 789-5731 or moleary@nhregister.com.