CHAPTER 588z

ADRIAEN'S LANDING AND RENTSCHLER FIELD

Table of Contents


Note: Readers should refer to the 2024 Supplement, revised to January 1, 2024, for updated versions of statutes amended, repealed or added during the 2023 legislative sessions.


Sec. 32-650. Legislative findings.

Sec. 32-650a. “Adriaen's Landing”.

Sec. 32-651. Definitions.

Sec. 32-652. Bond authorization for stadium facility project.

Sec. 32-653. Bond authorization for costs of overall project other than costs of stadium facility project.

Sec. 32-654. Conditions for contracts. Master development plan.

Sec. 32-654a. Validation of master development plan and feasibility and implementation studies.

Sec. 32-655. Powers and duties of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management.

Sec. 32-655a. Project comptroller. Duties. Audits. Consultants.

Sec. 32-655b. Modification of master development plan.

Sec. 32-656. Contracting by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. Stadium naming rights. Contract compliance.

Sec. 32-657. Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund. Accounts and subaccounts. Auditing requirements.

Sec. 32-658. Condemnation of real property for Adriaen's Landing and related infrastructure.

Sec. 32-659. Payment of damages.

Sec. 32-660. Appeal to Superior Court. Reassessment of damages or benefits by trial referees.

Sec. 32-661. Costs in appeals from awards.

Sec. 32-662. Lien for assessed benefits.

Sec. 32-663. Interest payable ninety days after acceptance of agreement.

Sec. 32-664. Jurisdiction over and application for licenses, permits, approvals and administrative actions.

Sec. 32-665. Statutory and other provisions of law not applicable.

Sec. 32-666. Property tax exemption for property leased by state and for private development districts. Grants in lieu of taxes. Convention center facilities deemed state-owned property for purposes of state insurance or self-insurance.

Sec. 32-666a. Fixing of assessments for capital city projects or Adriaen's Landing developments.

Sec. 32-667. Waiver of referendum or similar requirement for certain expenditures.

Sec. 32-668. Liberal construction.

Sec. 32-669. Status report.

Secs. 32-670 to 32-699. Reserved


Sec. 32-650. Legislative findings. It is found and declared that the general welfare, health and prosperity of the people of the state of Connecticut will be promoted by the holding in the vicinity of its capital city of Hartford of university sporting events, other athletic contests, entertainment events and other public activities; that a multipurpose sports stadium in East Hartford for such events and activities will serve the interests of the university, promote tourism, contribute to the economic base of the state and stimulate needed redevelopment in the area in which it is located; that United Technologies Corporation, to commemorate the seventy-five-year history of Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Company and its founder, Frederick R. Rentschler, has offered to donate approximately seventy-five acres of real property at Rentschler Field in the town of East Hartford for use as the stadium facility site and, in connection with such donation, to license for use in connection with stadium facility events for one dollar per year approximately sixty-five hundred additional parking spaces on its campus in the town of East Hartford, which will save the state costs related to securing adequate parking for stadium facility events; that the interests of the university and the state will be served by the acceptance of such offer; that a convention center, related parking facilities and associated housing, entertainment, recreation, retail, hotel and office development in the capital city of Hartford will stimulate the needed redevelopment of said area as envisioned by chapter 588x and will complement other substantial private development activities in downtown Hartford that are contemplated by said chapter 588x; that such activities and development in and near the capital city of Hartford are matters of state-wide concern and the provisions of sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, relating to municipal powers are necessary to effect the purposes hereof; that the success of the convention center and the other public improvements in the city of Hartford provided for in public act 00-140*, and the achievement of the objectives of chapter 588x and public act 00-140*, are dependent upon the integrated development and completion of the associated housing, entertainment, retail, hotel and office development; that the acquisition of property and the preparation of suitable sites for such associated private development, particularly in an urban area, often cannot be accomplished through the ordinary operations of private enterprise, and therefore state participation and assistance in site acquisition and preparation are necessary inducements to such activities and development; that expedited site acquisition, site preparation and construction of such convention center, related parking facilities and associated housing, entertainment, recreation, retail, hotel and office development for such purposes is for the public welfare and is a public use for which the power of eminent domain may be exercised and public land may be made available; that the development and operation of the stadium facility, convention center, related parking facilities and other related public improvements and state participation in and assistance to such associated private development are significant governmental uses and functions for which the exercise of state power may be exercised and are public purposes for which the borrowing power of the state may be exercised; and that, therefore, it is necessary and in the public interest and for the public benefit and good that the provisions of sections 32-651 to 32-668, inclusive, are declared as a matter of legislative determination.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 26, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 5, 40.)

*Note: Public act 00-140 is entitled “An Act Implementing the Master Development Plan for the Adriaen's Landing Project and the Stadium at Rentschler Field Project”. (See Reference Table captioned “Public Acts of 2000” in Volume 16 which lists the sections amended, created or repealed by the act.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 revised the scope and details of the legislative findings in accordance with the substantial changes from the former Hartford Sportsplex project to the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field projects, effective May 2, 2000.

Sec. 32-650a. “Adriaen's Landing”. The use of the term “Adriaen's Landing” in this chapter, subdivision (1) of section 12-412 and subsection (a) of section 12-498 is for convenience and shall not be construed to require that the improvements within the capital city economic development district which are contemplated by this chapter, subdivision (1) of section 12-412 and subsection (a) of section 12-498 bear that name.

(P.A. 00-140, S. 38, 40.)

History: P.A. 00-140 effective May 2, 2000.

Sec. 32-651. Definitions. As used in sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, sections 39 and 40 of public act 98-1 of the December special session*, as amended by public act 99-241 and public act 00-140, and subsection (c) of section 32-605:

(1) “Adriaen's Landing site” means the area of approximately thirty-three acres of land within the capital city economic development district designated in the master development plan as the location of the convention center, the related parking facilities and the on-site related private development.

(2) “Bonds” means the bonds authorized to be issued and sold by the state pursuant to sections 32-652 and 32-653, and, unless the context requires a different meaning, shall include serial, term or variable rate bonds, notes issued in anticipation of the issuance of bonds, and temporary or interim notes or notes issued pursuant to a commercial paper program.

(3) “Capital city economic development district” has the meaning assigned to that term in section 32-600.

(4) “Comptroller” means the State Comptroller or the deputy comptroller appointed pursuant to section 3-133.

(5) “Convention center” has the meaning assigned to that term in section 32-600.

(6) “Convention center project” has the meaning assigned to that term in section 32-600.

(7) “Convention center hotel” has the meaning assigned to that term in section 32-600.

(8) “Costs of issuance” means all costs related to the proceedings under which bonds are issued pursuant to sections 32-652 and 32-653, including, but not limited to, fees and expenses or other similar charges incurred in connection with the execution of reimbursement agreements, remarketing agreements, standby bond purchase agreements, agreements in connection with obtaining any liquidity facility or credit facility with respect to such bonds, trust agreements respecting disbursement of bond proceeds and any other necessary or appropriate agreements related to the marketing and issuance of such bonds and the disbursement of the bond proceeds, auditing and legal expenses and fees, expenses incurred for professional consultants, financial advisors and fiduciaries, fees and expenses of remarketing agents and dealers, fees and expenses of the underwriters to the extent not paid from a discount on the purchase price of such bonds, and fees and expenses of rating agencies, transfer or information agents, and including costs of the publication of advertisements and notices, printers' fees or charges incurred by the state to comply with applicable federal and state securities or tax laws and any other similar costs of issuance.

(9) “Design professional” means each duly licensed architect, engineer or other design professional experienced in the design of comparable facilities and related improvements retained by the secretary from time to time to prepare plans and specifications and perform related professional services in connection with the overall project and related development activities.

(10) “Stadium facility manager” means each nongovernmental service provider engaged by the secretary to provide overall management services with respect to all or a portion of the stadium facility.

(11) “Stadium facility operations” means all activities related to the use, management and operation of the stadium facility including, without limitation, maintenance and repairs, purchases of supplies, the addition or replacement of furniture, fixtures and equipment, safety and security, crowd and traffic control, ticket and premium seating promotion and sales, ticketing and box office operations, event booking, scheduling and promotion, event operations, stadium parking management, marketing, promotion and public relations, advertising sales, media and broadcast activities and merchandising, catering and concessions.

(12) “GMP” means guaranteed maximum price.

(13) “Governmental authorities” means all federal, state or local governmental bodies, instrumentalities or agencies and all political subdivisions of the state, including municipalities, taxing, fire and water districts and other governmental units.

(14) “Governmental permits” means all permits, authorizations, registrations, consents, approvals, waivers, exceptions, variances, orders, judgments, decrees, licenses, exemptions, publications, filings, notices to and declarations of or with, or required by, governmental authorities, including those relating to traffic, environmental protection, wetlands, zoning, site approval, building and public health and safety, that are required for the development and operation of any project or facility.

(15) “Stadium facility capital replacement account” means the capital replacement reserve account within the Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund established by section 32-657.

(16) “Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund” means the separate fund established by section 32-657.

(17) “Infrastructure improvements” means necessary or desirable infrastructure improvements relating to the convention center, the stadium facility, the related parking facilities or the on-site related private development, as the case may be, including, but not limited to, structures over roads and highways, roadway improvements, pedestrian improvements, landscaped plazas, piers, foundations and other structural work on the Adriaen's Landing site or the stadium facility site or off-site as determined by the secretary to be necessary or desirable in connection with the development of the Adriaen's Landing site or the stadium facility site, and whether undertaken by the secretary or any other agency, department or public instrumentality of the state, as more particularly described in the master development plan.

(18) “Internal Revenue Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended, and regulations adopted thereunder.

(19) “Master development plan” means the master development plan for the overall project and the on-site related private development prepared by the secretary and the authority with the assistance of the design professional, in the form filed with the clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives on March 3, 2000, as modified by the secretary after May 2, 2000, in accordance with the provisions of section 32-655b.

(20) “NCAA” means the National Collegiate Athletic Association or its successor.

(21) “On-site related private development” means the convention center hotel and the other housing, entertainment, recreation, retail and office development on the Adriaen's Landing site contemplated by the master development plan. “On-site related private development” includes the second phase of the convention center hotel as described in the master development plan but excludes any other addition to, or any expansion, demolition, conversion or other modification of, any such on-site related private development unless the secretary certifies in the secretary's discretion that such addition, expansion, demolition, conversion or other modification is being undertaken by agreement with the secretary in furtherance of the objectives of the master development plan.

(22) “Overall project” means the convention center project, the stadium facility project and the parking project, or one or more of the foregoing as more particularly described in the master development plan, including all related planning, feasibility, environmental testing and assessment, permitting, engineering, technical and other necessary development activities, including site acquisition, site preparation and infrastructure improvements. As used in sections 32-664, 32-665 and 32-668, and subdivision (1) of section 12-412, subsection (a) of section 12-498 and subdivision (1) of section 22a-134, and section 32-617a, “overall project” also includes the development, design, construction, finishing, furnishing and equipping of the on-site related private development.

(23) “Parking project” means the development, design, construction, finishing, furnishing and equipping of the related parking facilities and related site acquisition and site preparation.

(24) “Preliminary costs” means the costs of the state or the authority, as the case may be, relating to planning, preliminary design, feasibility and permitting of the overall project, whether incurred prior to or following July 1, 1999, including, but not limited to, costs of plans, including plans with respect to alternative or prior designs, budgeting, borings, surveys, maps, title examinations, environmental testing, environmental impact evaluations, appraisals, documentation of estimates of costs and revenue increments to the state or the authority in connection with the overall project and the permitting thereof, including feasibility studies, market and impact analysis, preliminary design costs and costs incidental to investigations, preparation and processing of permit applications and preparation and analysis of any proposed agreement, lease or memorandum of understanding with respect to the overall project, including, but not limited to, the fees and expenses of professional, management and technical consultants, and financial and legal advisors, and the reimbursement to any state agency or department, public authority, political subdivision or private entity which has advanced or advances funds for the payment of any such preliminary costs, provided that in the case of any such private entity such advancement was or is at the request of or with the approval of the state as certified by the secretary and would qualify as a preliminary cost if incurred directly by the state or the Capital Region Development Authority.

(25) “Prime construction contractor” means each general contractor, construction manager or other construction professional with primary responsibility for construction activities with respect to the stadium facility, the convention center, the related parking facilities or any aspect of the on-site related private development, as the case may be.

(26) “Project costs” means and includes all hard and soft costs relating to the overall project, or, in context, any aspect thereof, including, but not limited to, preliminary costs, costs of site acquisition, site preparation and infrastructure improvements, relocation costs, including costs related to interim parking arrangements, costs of issuance, costs of labor and materials employed in the work, fees for project and construction management services, including incentive payments related to timely completion of improvements at or under budget, costs of insurance, including title insurance, the establishment of appropriate reserve funds in connection with the financing of any aspect of the overall project, and costs of accounting, legal, architectural, environmental, permitting, engineering, management, financial and other professional and technical services.

(27) “Project manager” means the development professional selected to supervise and coordinate the development of the Adriaen's Landing site on behalf of the secretary and the authority.

(28) “Real property” means land and buildings and all estate, interest or right in land or buildings, including land or buildings owned by any person, the state or any political subdivision of the state or instrumentality thereof and including any and all easements, rights of way, air rights and every estate, right or interest therein.

(29) “Related parking facilities” means parking structures, facilities or improvements which are necessary or desirable to provide parking for the convention center, the convention center hotel and other on-site related private development, which related parking facilities may also satisfy other public and private parking requirements within the capital city economic development district, or to replace currently available parking which may be displaced by the overall project, other than the stadium facility project, or the on-site related private development, together with equipment, fixtures, furnishings and appurtenances integral and normally associated with the construction and operation of parking facilities, and ancillary infrastructure improvements, all as more particularly described in the master development plan.

(30) “Related private development” means privately developed facilities or projects located within the capital city economic development district and associated with the convention center, including the hotel to be developed in conjunction with the convention center and such other privately developed facilities or projects, which may include housing, hotel, retail, entertainment, recreation, office or parking facilities or projects, including privately developed or financed improvements related to the convention center or such facilities or projects, as contemplated by the master development plan. For purposes of this subdivision, the term “associated” means functionally and economically related to the convention center as part of an integrated effort to develop and revitalize the urban core of the city of Hartford as an attractive destination for visitors and location for new businesses and residents.

(31) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management or the secretary's designee.

(32) “Site acquisition” means the acquisition of real property, by condemnation, purchase, lease, lease-purchase, exchange or otherwise, comprising the Adriaen's Landing site and the stadium facility site, and includes the acquisition of other real property determined by the secretary to be necessary for off-site infrastructure improvements related to the development of the Adriaen's Landing site or the stadium facility site or for temporary use for construction staging or replacement parking during the period of construction, and the exchange or lease, as lessor or lessee, by the secretary or any other agency, department or public instrumentality of the state, of off-site real property to the extent determined by the secretary to be necessary to acquire real property comprising the Adriaen's Landing site, but excludes the acquisition or development by any private party of real property or improvements not on the Adriaen's Landing site.

(33) “Site preparation” means the removal and relocation of utilities, including electricity, gas, steam, water and sewer, the installation and connection of additional required utilities, the construction of necessary drainage facilities, the demolition of existing improvements and the removal, containment or other remediation of any hazardous materials and the restoration and compacting of soil, whether undertaken by the secretary or any other agency, department or public instrumentality of the state, all on the Adriaen's Landing site, the stadium facility site, and on other sites where site preparation is necessary for the development of the Adriaen's Landing site and the stadium facility site as contemplated by the master development plan or for the continuation of a public service facility, as defined in section 32-658, or utility operations.

(34) “Stadium facility” means a multipurpose sports stadium with a minimum of approximately forty thousand seats and with capacity for expansion to a minimum of approximately fifty thousand seats, meeting all applicable requirements for home team facilities for Division I-A football of the NCAA and the college football conference of which the university is expected to be a member, including seating capacity, size and composition of playing surface, locker room and media facilities and other amenities, to be owned by the state on the stadium facility site, together with equipment, fixtures, furnishings and appurtenances integral and normally associated with the construction and operation of such a facility, stadium parking and ancillary infrastructure improvements, all as more particularly described in the master development plan.

(35) “Stadium facility project” means the development, design construction, finishing, furnishing and equipping of the stadium facility and related site acquisition and site preparation.

(36) “Stadium facility site” means the real property located at Rentschler Field in the town of East Hartford designated for such purpose in the master development plan.

(37) “Stadium parking” means improvements, facilities and other arrangements for parking for stadium facility operations and events, including license, lease or other parking use agreements.

(38) “State” means the state of Connecticut.

(39) “State Bond Commission” means the commission established pursuant to subsection (c) of section 3-20 or any successor thereto.

(40) “Treasurer” means the State Treasurer or the deputy treasurer appointed pursuant to section 3-12.

(41) “University” means The University of Connecticut, a constituent unit of the state system of public higher education.

(42) “Work” means the provision of any or all of the work, labor, materials, equipment, services and other items required for a project including, but not limited to, design, architectural, engineering, development and other technical and professional services, construction and construction management services, permits, construction work and any and all other activities and services necessary to acquire, design, develop, construct, finish, furnish or equip any project.

(43) “Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration” means the science center facility constructed and operated in the Adriaen's Landing site.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 27, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 6, 40; P.A. 06-187, S. 83; P.A. 12-147, S. 24; P.A. 18-137, S. 12.)

*Note: Sections 39 and 40 of public act 98-1 of the December special session are special in nature and therefore have not been codified but remain in full force and effect according to their terms.

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 added new definitions for the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field projects and substantially revised or deleted definitions that had been provided for the former Hartford Sportsplex project, effective May 2, 2000; P.A. 06-187 added Subdiv. (43) defining “Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration”, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 12-147 replaced “Capital City Economic Development Authority” with “Capital Region Development Authority” in Subdiv. (24) and made a technical change, effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 18-137 amended introductory language to replace reference to Sec. 32-605(d) with reference to Sec. 32-605(c), effective June 11, 2018.

Sec. 32-652. Bond authorization for stadium facility project. (a) The State Bond Commission shall have power, in accordance with this section from time to time to authorize the issuance of bonds of the state by the Treasurer, pursuant to and in accordance with this section in one or more series and in principal amounts not exceeding in the aggregate ninety-one million two hundred thousand dollars plus additional amounts for costs of issuance to the extent that premium and accrued interest on such bonds are not available to pay such costs of issuance as determined by the Treasurer at the time of issuance, provided, in computing the total amount of such bonds which may at any one time be outstanding, the principal amount of any refunding bonds issued to refund such bonds shall be excluded. The proceeds of such bonds and each series thereof shall be used by or at the direction of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management for the purposes of financing project costs of the stadium facility project, as set forth in a certificate of determination filed by the secretary with the Treasurer and the secretary of the State Bond Commission in respect of such project costs as detailed in said certificate. Each such bond shall bear such title or other designation as may be fixed by the Treasurer prior to issuance. This section shall constitute a bond act within the meaning of section 3-20.

(b) The bonds authorized pursuant to this section shall mature at such time or times not exceeding thirty years. None of said bonds shall be authorized except upon a finding by the State Bond Commission that there has been filed with it a request for such authorization, which is signed by the secretary stating such terms and conditions as said commission, in its discretion may require. Such bonds shall be general obligations of the state and the full faith and credit of the state of Connecticut are pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on such bonds, including temporary or interim notes, as the same become due, and, accordingly, as part of the contract of the state with the holders of such bonds, appropriation of all amounts necessary for punctual payment of such principal and interest is hereby made including with respect to interest on temporary or interim notes and principal thereof to the extent not funded with renewals thereof or bonds, and the Treasurer shall pay such principal and interest as the same become due.

(c) No bonds, notes or other obligations provided for in this section shall be authorized by the State Bond Commission except upon (1) a filing by the secretary with the State Bond Commission of a copy of the master development plan, and (2) a finding by the State Bond Commission that such issuance is in the public interest.

(d) All provisions of section 3-20 and the exercise of any right or power granted thereby which is not inconsistent with the provisions of this section, are hereby adopted and shall apply to all bonds authorized pursuant to this section, and temporary or interim notes in anticipation of the money to be derived from the sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in accordance with said section 3-20 and from time to time renewed provided no filings required by subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of said section 3-20 shall be required.

(e) Any balance of proceeds of the sale of such bonds authorized by this section in excess of aggregate project costs shall be used to meet interest and principal amounts as the same become due on such bonds or to defease or redeem such bonds as may be outstanding, or shall be deposited to the General Fund as the Treasurer shall determine.

(f) Net earnings on investment of proceeds, accrued interest and premiums on the issuance of any of such bonds authorized by this section after payment of expenses incurred by the Treasurer in connection with their issuance, if any, and after compliance with applicable federal tax requirements, shall be used to meet interest and principal amounts as the same become due on said authorized bonds.

(g) After authorization by the State Bond Commission, all securities of the state issued pursuant to this section shall be conclusively presumed to be fully and duly authorized and issued under the laws of the state. Any person or governmental entity shall be estopped from questioning their authorization, sale, issuance, execution or delivery by the state.

(h) For the purposes of this section “state moneys” means the proceeds of the sale of the bonds authorized pursuant to this section or of temporary or interim notes issued in anticipation of the moneys to be derived from the sale of such bonds. Any federal, private or other moneys then available or thereafter to be made available for project costs of the stadium facility project as identified by the secretary may be added to any state moneys available or becoming available hereunder for such project costs and be used for the stadium facility project as if constituting such state moneys, and any other federal, private or other moneys then available or thereafter to be made available for such project costs, if and to the extent from time to time directed by the Treasurer, upon receipt shall, in conformity with applicable federal and state law, be used for the purposes for which such other moneys are received, and otherwise by the Treasurer to meet the principal of outstanding bonds issued pursuant to this section or to meet the principal of temporary or interim notes issued in anticipation of the money to be derived from the sale of such bonds authorized pursuant to public act 99-241*, as amended by public act 00-140*, for the purpose of financing such project costs, either by purchase or redemption and cancellation of such bonds or notes or by payment thereof at maturity. Whenever any of the federal, private or other moneys so received with respect to the stadium facility project are used to meet principal of such temporary or interim notes or whenever principal on any such temporary or interim notes is retired by application of revenue receipts of the state, the amount of such bonds authorized in anticipation of which such temporary or interim notes were issued, and the aggregate amount of such bonds which may be authorized pursuant to this section shall each be reduced by the amount of the principal so met or retired. Pending use of the federal, private or other moneys so received to meet the principal as directed in this subsection, the amount thereof may be invested by, or at the direction of, the Treasurer in bonds or obligations of, or guaranteed by, the state or the United States or agencies or instrumentalities of the United States, or in accordance with the provisions of said section 3-20, and shall be deemed to be part of the debt retirement funds of the state, and net earnings on such investments shall be used in the same manner as said moneys so invested.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 28, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 7, 40; P.A. 06-194, S. 5.)

*Note: Public act 99-241 is entitled “An Act Increasing Certain Bond Authorizations for Capital Improvements, the Capital City Economic Development Authority, and the Convention Center and Sportsplex in Hartford and Associated Development Activities” and public act 00-140 is entitled “An Act Implementing the Master Development Plan for the Adriaen's Landing Project and the Stadium at Rentschler Field Project. (See Reference Tables captioned “Public Acts of 1999” and “Public Acts of 2000”, respectively, in Volume 16 which list the sections amended, created or repealed by the acts.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 reduced the bond authorization from $115,000,000 to $91,200,000, deleted references to former Hartford Sportplex project and made changes to provide for the Rentschler Field stadium facility project, effective May 2, 2000; P.A. 06-194 amended Subsec. (d) to change citation re filings required under Sec. 3-20(g) but not required by section from “subdivisions (1) and (2)” to “subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subdivision (1)”, effective June 9, 2006.

Sec. 32-653. Bond authorization for costs of overall project other than costs of stadium facility project. (a) The State Bond Commission shall have the power, in accordance with the provisions of this section from time to time to authorize the issuance of bonds of the state, pursuant to and in accordance with this section, in one or more series and in principal amounts not exceeding in the aggregate seventy-three million eight hundred thousand dollars plus additional amounts for costs of issuance to the extent that premium and accrued interest on such bonds are not available to pay such costs of issuance as determined by the Treasurer at the time of issuance, provided, in computing the total amount of such bonds which may at any one time be outstanding, the principal amount of any refunding bonds issued to refund such bonds shall be excluded. The proceeds of such bonds and each series thereof shall be used by or at the direction of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management for the purposes of financing project costs of the overall project, other than the stadium facility project, or a grant-in-aid or other financial assistance with respect to any aspect of the overall project, other than the stadium facility project, pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, as set forth in a certificate of determination filed by the secretary with the Treasurer and the secretary of the State Bond Commission in respect of such project costs as detailed in said certificate. Each such bond shall bear such title or other designation as may be fixed by the Treasurer prior to issuance. This section shall constitute a bond act within the meaning of section 3-20.

(b) The bonds authorized pursuant to this section shall mature at such time or times not exceeding thirty years from their respective dates. None of said bonds shall be authorized except upon a finding by the State Bond Commission that there has been filed with it a request for such authorization, which is signed by the secretary stating such terms and conditions as said commission, in its discretion may require. Such bonds shall be general obligations of the state and the full faith and credit of the state of Connecticut are pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on such bonds, including temporary or interim notes, as the same become due, and, accordingly, as part of the contract of the state with the holders of such bonds, appropriation of all amounts necessary for punctual payment of such principal and interest is hereby made including with respect to interest on temporary or interim notes and principal thereof to the extent not funded with renewals thereof or bonds, and the Treasurer shall pay such principal and interest as the same become due.

(c) The secretary is authorized to use amounts available pursuant to the bond authorization in this section to provide grants-in-aid or financial assistance in such other forms as the secretary deems to be in the public interest to the authority or any other public instrumentality of the state or any private party developing or operating any aspect of the overall project, other than the stadium facility project, as defined in section 32-651, upon a finding by the secretary that such grant-in-aid or financial assistance is necessary, in connection with any otherwise authorized revenue bond financing or private investment, to induce the development of such aspects of the overall project. Such grant-in-aid or financial assistance shall be on such terms as may be established by the secretary, and the secretary is authorized to enter into such commitments and agreements with respect thereto as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.

(d) No bonds, notes or other obligations provided for in this section shall be authorized by the State Bond Commission except upon (1) a filing by the secretary with the State Bond Commission of a copy of the master development plan, and (2) a finding by the State Bond Commission that such issuance is in the public interest.

(e) All provisions of section 3-20 and the exercise of any right or power granted thereby which is not inconsistent with the provisions of this section are hereby adopted and shall apply to all bonds authorized pursuant to this section and temporary or interim notes in anticipation of the money to be derived from the sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in accordance with said section 3-20 and from time to time renewed provided no filings required by subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of said section 3-20 shall be required.

(f) Any balance of proceeds of the sale of such bonds authorized by this section in excess of aggregate project costs shall be used to meet interest and principal amounts as the same become due on such authorized bonds or to defease or redeem such bonds as may be outstanding, or shall be deposited to the General Fund as the Treasurer shall determine.

(g) Net earnings on investment of proceeds, accrued interest and premiums on the issuance of any of such bonds authorized by this section after payment of expenses incurred by the Treasurer in connection with their issuance, if any, and after compliance with applicable federal tax requirements, shall be used to meet interest and principal amounts as the same become due on said authorized bonds.

(h) After authorization by the State Bond Commission, all securities of the state issued pursuant to this section shall be conclusively presumed to be fully and duly authorized and issued under the laws of the state. Any person or governmental entity shall be estopped from questioning their authorization, sale, issuance, execution or delivery by the state.

(i) For the purposes of this section “state moneys” means the proceeds of the sale of the bonds authorized pursuant to this section or of temporary or interim notes issued in anticipation of the moneys to be derived from the sale of such bonds. Any federal, private or other moneys then available or thereafter to be made available for project costs of the overall project, other than the stadium facility project, as identified by the secretary may be added to any state moneys available or becoming available hereunder for such project costs and be used for the overall project, other than the stadium facility project, as if constituting such state moneys, and any other federal, private or other moneys then available or thereafter to be made available for such project costs, if and to the extent from time to time directed by the Treasurer, upon receipt shall, in conformity with applicable federal and state law, be used for the purposes for which such other moneys are received, and otherwise by the Treasurer to meet the principal of outstanding bonds issued pursuant to this section or to meet the principal of temporary or interim notes issued in anticipation of the money to be derived from the sale of such bonds authorized pursuant to public act 99-241*, as amended by public act 00-140*, for the purpose of financing such project costs, either by purchase or redemption and cancellation of such bonds or notes or by payment thereof at maturity. Whenever any of the federal, private or other moneys so received with respect to the overall project, other than the stadium facility project, are used to meet principal of such temporary or interim notes or whenever principal on any such temporary or interim notes is retired by application of revenue receipts of the state, the amount of such bonds authorized in anticipation of which such temporary or interim notes were issued, and the aggregate amount of such bonds which may be authorized pursuant to this section, shall each be reduced by the amount of the principal so met or retired. Pending use of the federal, private or other moneys so received to meet the principal as directed in this subsection, the amount thereof may be invested by, or at the direction of, the Treasurer in bonds or obligations of, or guaranteed by, the state or the United States or agencies or instrumentalities of the United States, or in accordance with the provisions of said section 3-20, and shall be deemed to be part of the debt retirement funds of the state, and net earnings on such investments shall be used in the same manner as said moneys so invested.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 29, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 8, 40; P.A. 06-194, S. 6.)

*Note: Public act 99-241 is entitled “An Act Increasing Certain Bond Authorizations for Capital Improvements, the Capital City Economic Development Authority, and the Convention Center and Sportsplex in Hartford and Associated Development Activities” and public act 00-140 is entitled “An Act Implementing the Master Development Plan for the Adriaen's Landing Project and the Stadium at Rentschler Field Project”. (See Reference Tables captioned “Public Acts of 1999” and “Public Acts of 2000”, respectively, in Volume 16 which list the sections amended, created or repealed by the acts.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 increased the bond authorization from $50,000,000 to $73,800,000, deleted references to former Hartford Sportsplex project and made section applicable to the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field projects, effective May 2, 2000; P.A. 06-194 amended Subsec. (e) to change citation re filings required under Sec. 3-20(g) but not required by section from “subdivisions (1) and (2)” to “subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subdivision (1)”, effective June 9, 2006.

Sec. 32-654. Conditions for contracts. Master development plan. (a) Except with respect to the payment by the secretary and the authority of certain limited amounts of preliminary costs pursuant to section 64 of public act 99-241*, no contract may be awarded, obligation incurred or amount expended by the secretary or the authority with respect to costs of the overall project to be funded with the proceeds of the bonds, no principal amount of bonds, notes or other obligations of the state or the authority authorized with respect to the overall project may be allotted or encumbered, and no amount available in the Adriaen's Landing construction account established by section 39 of public act 98-1 of the December special session*, as amended by public act 99-241 and public act 00-140, may be expended, unless and until the following conditions have been met:

(1) The Governor shall have filed with the house and senate clerks, who shall transmit the same to the joint committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding and appropriations, a master development plan, which shall include at least the following:

(A) An overall design concept and description of the overall project and the integration of the on-site related private development, including conceptual drawings, preliminary site plans and estimated project schedule;

(B) An estimate of total costs for the stadium facility project, the parking project, the convention center project, the convention center hotel, as applicable, and each other major element of the on-site related private development;

(C) The feasibility and implementation studies for the convention center, the stadium facility and the related parking facilities, as applicable, conducted by the authority pursuant to section 32-604 together with the determination of the authority required by said section;

(D) A plan for the assembly and acquisition of the stadium facility site, the parking facilities site, the convention center site and the sites on which the convention center hotel and the other on-site related private development is to be located, as applicable, for relocation of existing uses on such sites and for site preparation, including identification of such sites, estimated costs of the site assembly and acquisition, relocation and site preparation, including necessary environmental remediation, the proposed ownership and lease arrangements with respect to such sites, with copies of any available site acquisition documents, and the proposed sources and amounts of public and private financing of the cost of site assembly and acquisition, relocation and site preparation including the portion of such costs, if any, to be paid as project costs pursuant to sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive;

(E) A description of required governmental permits and approvals required in connection with the overall project and the on-site related private development, including a report of the status of permit applications and approval, with copies of any available permit applications;

(F) Copies of the environmental impact evaluations prepared by the authority and the Office of Policy and Management pursuant to subsection (j) of section 32-663;

(G) A description of the proposed convention center hotel, including number of rooms, other amenities, site acquisition arrangements and proposed ownership, management and financing arrangements, and arrangements with respect to use for hotel purposes of spaces in the related parking facilities, including related parking charges;

(H) Revenue and expense projections for operation of the convention center, the stadium facility and the related parking facilities, as applicable, to the extent not included in the feasibility and implementation studies provided pursuant to subparagraph (C) of this subdivision;

(I) Sources and uses of committed public and private financing for the overall project and the on-site related private development, including projected amounts of tax-exempt and taxable general obligation bonds and revenue bonds;

(J) A financing plan for the overall project and the on-site related development, including the planned sequence and schedule of public and private investment, setting forth requirements for appropriate minimum levels of public and private investment at various stages of development as the overall project and the on-site related private development proceed;

(K) A memorandum of understanding with the university setting forth the material terms of proposed lease, license or other use arrangements regarding university events at the stadium facility, including at a minimum the material terms of the commitment of the university regarding the playing of home football games at the sportsplex, including arrangements with respect to the allocation of event revenues and expenses, other revenue derived as a result of the university's upgrades to Division IA football status, rental or use charges, day of game expenses, event scheduling, ticket operations, event management and operations and responsibilities for maintenance, repair and insurance and sources of revenue to be used by the university to cover capital and operating expenses resulting from the university upgrade to Division IA football; and

(L) A description of the proposed revenue allocation from the related parking facilities; and

(2) The Governor shall have filed with the Treasurer and the State Bond Commission a certificate of determination to the effect that the state, through the authority or the secretary, has received commitments by agreement, contract or other legally enforceable instrument with private investors or developers for minimum private investment in the related private development of two hundred ten million dollars, of which a minimum of forty million dollars shall be private investment in the convention center hotel, which certificate of determination shall include findings by the Governor to the effect that (A) such commitments are enforceable by the secretary or the authority by an action at law or in equity, (B) such commitments relate to projects that will constitute related private development, as defined in section 32-651, and (C) the related private development that is the subject of such commitments would not have occurred but for the development of the convention center and the related parking facilities and the investment by the state in site acquisition, site preparation and infrastructure improvements associated with the Adriaen's Landing site. Such certificate of determination and findings by the Governor, when filed with the Treasurer and the State Bond Commission, shall be final, conclusive and incontestable for all purposes.

(b) Not later than thirty days after the filing by the Governor of the master development plan pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding and appropriations shall hold a joint public hearing for purposes of the evaluation and consideration of the master development plan and any other information submitted by the Governor in connection therewith. Said committees shall submit a report of their findings, conclusions and recommendations to the General Assembly, through the clerks of the house and the senate not later than forty-five days after the date of filing by the Governor of the master development plan pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 30, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 36, 40.)

*Note: Section 64 of public act 99-241 and section 39 of public act 98-1 of the December special session are special in nature and therefore have not been codified but remain in full force and effect according to their terms.

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 deleted provisions re former Hartford Sportsplex project and made section applicable to the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field projects, effective May 2, 2000.

Sec. 32-654a. Validation of master development plan and feasibility and implementation studies. Upon May 2, 2000, (1) the master development plan in the form filed with the clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives on March 3, 2000, is validated and shall be deemed to have satisfied and met the requirements of subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 32-654, and (2) the feasibility and implementation studies for the convention center, the related parking facilities and the stadium facility filed with the clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives as part of such master development plan are validated and shall be deemed to have satisfied and met the requirements of section 32-604.

(P.A. 00-140, S. 34, 40.)

History: P.A. 00-140 effective May 2, 2000.

Sec. 32-655. Powers and duties of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. (a) Except as otherwise limited by sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, the secretary may:

(1) Acquire, by condemnation, gift, purchase, lease, lease-purchase, exchange or otherwise, the real property comprising the Adriaen's Landing site and the stadium facility site and such other real property determined to be necessary by the secretary for off-site infrastructure improvements related to the development of the Adriaen's Landing site or the stadium facility site or for temporary use for construction staging or replacement parking during the period of construction as contemplated by the master development plan, including the exchange of real property acquired by the secretary under authority of this chapter for other real property in circumstances where the secretary determines that such exchange will better conform site boundaries to final plans or otherwise facilitate the layout, development or financing of the public and private improvements contemplated by the master development plan;

(2) Select, engage and compensate surveyors, appraisers, engineers, architects and other providers of professional, management, financial or technical services and undertake or arrange for engineering, architectural, environmental, legal, fiscal and economic investigations and studies, surveys, designs, plans, working drawings, specifications, procedures and other activities incidental thereto;

(3) Lease or sublease, as lessor or lessee or sublessor or sublessee, convey, and grant temporary or permanent easements and rights-of-way and enter into access, support, common area maintenance and similar agreements with respect to, any real property in connection with the overall project and the on-site related private development, including leases or subleases, as lessor or lessee or sublessor or sublessee, of off-site real property in connection with site acquisition arrangements, on terms to be determined by the secretary;

(4) Enter into agreements, pursuant to which the state may be obligated, among other things, to (A) acquire or provide the stadium facility site, or all or any portion of the Adriaen's Landing site, (B) provide bond proceeds or other state moneys with which to pay project costs, and (C) plan, undertake, perform or otherwise provide for the site preparation, the implementation of the infrastructure improvements and the development of the overall project, and, upon completion or at such other time determined by the secretary and the authority, transfer to the authority ownership of, and any other rights and obligations of the secretary with respect to the related parking facilities;

(5) Plan, design, develop, construct, finish, furnish, equip, replace, alter, restore, reconstruct, improve or enlarge and enhance the overall project and engage in other activities incidental thereto, including the coordination of public and private parking facilities, and, subject to section 32-656, enter into such construction, development, project management, construction management, design-build or other types of contracts or arrangements with respect to the overall project and, subject to the proper allocation of costs, all or any portion of the on-site related private development including provisions with respect to incentive fees for timely completion of improvements at or under budget and such requirements with respect to GMP, adherence to the project schedule, assumption of force majeure and completion risk, surety and performance bonding, insurance, letters of credit and financial guarantees and other assurances of performance and completion as the secretary determines to be appropriate in order to assure adherence to the project budget or may otherwise deem prudent, expedient and in the best interests of the state, provided that the development or project management agreement with the project manager shall require that construction contracts for all major elements of the overall project for which the project manager is responsible be awarded on a GMP basis at prices consistent with the project budget unless the Secretary determines that a waiver of the GMP requirement is in the best interest of the state;

(6) License or manage any retail or commercial areas within the stadium facility and engage in other activities incidental thereto;

(7) Undertake, perform or otherwise provide for stadium facility operations, establish and carry out booking and scheduling policies, marketing and promotional programs and box office and ticketing operations, fix rental, usage, license, event-related and parking fees and charges, enter into lease, license or other agreements with respect to university and other events at the stadium facility and related uses, which shall give priority in scheduling to university home football games and which may give priority in scheduling to other university-sponsored events, enter into management contracts with respect to the overall management and operation of the stadium facility and stadium parking, and enter into other agreements with respect to stadium facility operations including, but not limited to, event leases, licenses or similar arrangements, the sale of naming rights, ticketing, advertising, media, broadcast, concessions, merchandising, marketing, facility maintenance, common area maintenance, safety, security, utility, service, supply and similar contracts, easements and rights-of-way for stadium facility access, and lease, license, rental or other use agreements for stadium parking, including the parking license agreement with United Technologies Corporation contemplated by section 32-650, and arrangements for off-site parking and shuttle service, sufficient to satisfy projected peak stadium facility parking demand;

(8) Coordinate the overall project and stadium facility operations with other departments or agencies of the state, any municipality, political subdivision, quasi-public agency, public authority or other public body including, but not limited to, the university, the Metropolitan District Commission and the authority, each of which, notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, may enter into a written agreement with the secretary and, if necessary, any private party respecting the coordination, funding, performance and completion of such work and activities;

(9) Coordinate the overall project with any developer, private investor, general contractor, construction manager or other participant with respect to all or any part of the on-site related private development, enter into such agreements with such developers, private investors, general contractors, construction managers or other participants as may be necessary or appropriate to facilitate the coordinated development of the overall project and the on-site related private development, including with respect to site assembly, site preparation, common area maintenance and security and similar arrangements, or to secure private investment commitments for related private development, including agreements with respect to the sequence and schedule of public and private investment in the overall project and the on-site related private development;

(10) Arrange for, participate in, pay for or contribute to and procure directly or through the authority or a private entity or private entities, such policy or policies of insurance with respect to the overall project and stadium facility operations as the secretary shall determine is appropriate, necessary or desirable, including, but not limited to an owner-controlled insurance program or an insurance program consolidated in such manner as the secretary, the authority and such private entity and entities determine is appropriate with respect to general liability, environmental liability, professional liability, casualty, property, title, business interruption, business risk, force majeure, completion and other insurable risks including extra expense or other insurance coverages associated with and available for such risks in connection therewith, including in lieu of any of the foregoing such financial guarantees as may be available for such risks. The costs of any such insurance program or financial guarantees allocable to any aspect of the overall project are confirmed as within the meaning of project costs;

(11) Make and execute any other contracts and all other instruments necessary or convenient or desirable for the exercise of the powers and functions of the state and coordinate, delegate, implement and complete any or all of the overall project;

(12) Delegate or assign to the authority or any other agency, department or public instrumentality of the state, including any quasi-public agency, such rights, interests, activities, responsibilities and obligations of the secretary as, in the opinion of the secretary, are appropriate, necessary or desirable in order to effectuate the overall project or to provide for stadium facility operations;

(13) Accept gifts, grants of funds, property or services for the overall project, stadium facility operations or any aspect thereof from any source, public or private, and comply, subject to the provisions of sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, with the terms and conditions of such gift or grant, provided nothing in sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, shall be construed to authorize the expenditure for project costs of the overall project of other state funds not authorized, appropriated or otherwise designated for such purpose pursuant to sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, or otherwise identified for such purpose in the master development plan as filed with the clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives on March 3, 2000, and further provided nothing in said sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, shall be construed to authorize the expenditure for project costs of the stadium facility project of any state funds other than those authorized under section 32-652;

(14) Pay or reimburse the Office of Policy and Management, the authority, the university and other affected state agencies and political subdivisions of the state and any third parties incurring such costs at the request or with the approval of the state as certified by the secretary, for project costs of the overall project including, without limitation, preliminary costs arising prior to July 1, 1999, or costs under subsection (c) of section 32-605 or sections 32-654, 32-654a, 32-655a, 32-655b and 32-666a; and

(15) Do any and all other things necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of and exercise the powers expressly granted pursuant to the secretary under sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive.

(b) The secretary, through the chief elected official of the town of East Hartford, shall establish an ongoing process for community input to the secretary and the stadium facility manager as to matters of local concern relating to the operation of the stadium facility. Such process shall include the establishment of a local advisory committee for the purpose of identifying, discussing and formulating recommendations with respect to ongoing relations between the stadium facility and the town of East Hartford. Such advisory committee shall be chaired by the chief elected official of the town of East Hartford and shall include two residents of the town of East Hartford living in the vicinity of the stadium facility and representatives of the stadium facility manager, the party furnishing the stadium facility site, the police department and the fire department of the town of East Hartford, the Office of Policy and Management and the university. Such advisory committee shall meet as needed as determined by the chief elected official of the town of East Hartford. Members of such advisory committee shall serve without compensation. The agreement with the stadium facility manager shall include such limitations on types of events and hours of operation at the stadium facility as the secretary shall determine to be reasonable and appropriate in light of the public purposes of the stadium facility and the impact of stadium operations on neighboring areas in the town of East Hartford. The secretary shall enter into an agreement with the town of East Hartford and any other affected town providing for the reimbursement of the reasonably determined incremental costs to such towns of additional public safety personnel required prior to, during and following events at the stadium facility as a result of expected crowds, traffic and other event-related activities. Such costs may be allocated by agreement between the secretary and the university and other event sponsors.

(c) The secretary shall designate a stadium facility operations contract compliance officer from the Office of Policy and Management to monitor compliance of the stadium facility operations with the provisions of state law applicable to such operations, including, but not limited to, subsection (c) of section 32-605 and sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, and with applicable requirements of contracts entered into by the secretary, relating to set-asides for small contractors and minority business enterprises and required efforts to hire available and qualified members of minorities, as defined in section 32-9n, and available and qualified residents of the town of East Hartford and the city of Hartford for jobs in such operations. Such officer shall file, each year during the period of stadium facility operations, a written report with the secretary as to findings and recommendations regarding such compliance.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 31, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 9, 40; P.A. 02-103, S. 50; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 61; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2, S. 42, 43; P.A. 12-147, S. 25; P.A. 18-137, S. 13, 14.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 deleted provisions re former Hartford Sportsplex project, revised the secretary's powers and added provisions re the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field stadium facility projects and made technical changes, effective May 2, 2000; P.A. 02-103 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(14); June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (a)(5) to add provision authorizing secretary to waive GMP requirement when a waiver is in best interests of state, effective August 20, 2003; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2 amended Subsec. (a)(1) to authorize exchanges of real property in the assembling of property for the Adriaen's Landing site and the stadium facility site, and amended Subsec. (a)(3) to authorize certain conveyances of property and easements and to authorize certain agreements regarding real property, effective May 12, 2004; P.A. 12-147 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(14), effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 18-137 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing reference to Sec. 32-605(d) with reference to Sec. 32-605(c) in Subdiv. (14), and amended Subsec. (c) by replacing reference to Sec. 32-605(e) with reference to Sec. 32-605(c), effective June 11, 2018.

Sec. 32-655a. Project comptroller. Duties. Audits. Consultants. The secretary shall take reasonable steps designed to ensure that the expenditure of public funds for project costs of the overall project is subject to adequate financial controls and that construction of the overall project conforms to applicable construction standards and approved plans and specifications. Such steps shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) (A) The secretary shall designate a project comptroller from the secretary's senior staff. The project comptroller shall review, certify and authorize any amount due for payment by the Treasurer on warrants issued by the State Comptroller and otherwise oversee the expenditure of all state funds made available for purposes of the overall project pursuant to public act 00-140*, and shall be responsible for monitoring the project budget, including cost estimates for site preparation, infrastructure, improvements and project construction, the review of all invoices for project costs for conformance to contracts and budgets, and the receipt and review of all reports from the independent auditing firm selected by the secretary and the State Building Inspector, the State Fire Marshal, the architects and environmental consultants as provided for in this section. The project comptroller shall be responsible for obtaining all necessary information and shall monitor all aspects of the planning and implementation of the overall project, including on-site inspections. The project comptroller shall prepare and submit to the secretary, the authority and the Auditors of Public Accounts as of the end of each quarter during the period of project development a summary of the reports received by the project comptroller during such quarter and a summary, by major category, of all expenditures of state funds for project costs during such quarter, noting any significant variances against budget.

(B) In order to assure accountability regarding the construction aspects of the overall project by the project manager and other contractors and professionals retained directly or indirectly by the state, the secretary shall obtain the services of a person or persons experienced in construction oversight. The secretary shall obtain such services (i) by agreement with the Department of Administrative Services or the Department of Transportation; (ii) by direct hire; (iii) by contract; or (iv) by any combination of (i), (ii) or (iii) of this subparagraph.

(2) The secretary shall select an independent auditing firm in accordance with applicable procurement procedures to review all invoices, expenditures, cost allocations and other appropriate documentation related to all elements of the public improvements managed by the project manager in order to reconcile all project costs and verify conformance with the project budget, cost allocation agreements and applicable contracts. The independent auditing firm shall file a written report quarterly with the secretary, the authority and the project comptroller reporting the results of such review and shall assist in the reconciliation of any discrepancies between the records of the project manager and the records of the project comptroller designated by the secretary.

(3) All contracts entered into by the secretary or the authority related to the construction of the overall project, including contracts with the project manager and each construction manager, shall require the maintenance of complete accounting records relating to all expenditures of state funds, including detailed support for all cost allocations, on an open book basis providing for access to such records, including records in electronic form, by the secretary, the authority, the independent auditing firm selected by the secretary and the Auditors of Public Accounts.

(4) All allocations of costs between public and private improvements shall be pursuant to written agreement and consistent with the project budget.

(5) A construction manager or managers for all major elements of the public improvements shall be selected by the secretary and the authority in accordance with applicable procurement procedures and shall make reports to the project comptroller as requested. The construction managers shall be responsible for day-to-day management of all such construction activities in accordance with written agreements with the secretary or the authority.

(6) All construction plans and specifications shall be subject to the review and approval of the State Building Inspector and the State Fire Marshal. The State Building Inspector and the State Fire Marshal shall conduct periodic inspections of the overall project as construction proceeds and shall immediately notify the secretary, the project comptroller and the authority of any material variance between approved plans and specifications and actual construction. The State Building Inspector and the State Fire Marshal shall provide quarterly reports to the secretary, the project comptroller and the authority regarding conformance of actual construction to approved plans and specifications.

(7) Each contract for architectural services entered into by the secretary or the authority with respect to the overall project shall include a requirement that the architect monitor conformance of actual construction with the plans and specifications approved by the State Building Inspector and the State Fire Marshal and promptly report any material variance to the secretary, the project comptroller and the authority, with copies to the State Building Inspector and the State Fire Marshal.

(8) An environmental consultant or consultants shall be selected by the secretary in accordance with applicable procurement procedures to monitor conformance of actual environmental remediation of the stadium facility site and the Adriaen's Landing site with any approved remediation plans and promptly report any material variance to the secretary, project comptroller and the authority.

(P.A. 00-140, S. 32, 40; P.A. 02-103, S. 51; P.A. 11-51, S. 90; P.A. 13-247, S. 200.)

*Note: Public act 00-140 is entitled “An Act Implementing the Master Development Plan for the Adriaen's Landing Project and the Stadium at Rentschler Field Project”. (See Reference Table captioned “Public Acts of 2000” in Volume 16 which lists the sections amended, created or repealed by the act.)

History: P.A. 00-140 effective May 2, 2000 (Revisor's note: In Subdiv. (5) a reference to the project “controller” was changed editorially by the Revisors to project “comptroller” for consistency with references elsewhere in the section); P.A. 02-103 made a technical change in Subdiv. (1)(A); pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Department of Public Works” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Construction Services” in Subdiv. (1)(B)(i), effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 13-247, “Department of Construction Services” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Administrative Services” in Subdiv. (1)(B), effective July 1, 2013.

Sec. 32-655b. Modification of master development plan. The master development plan may be modified by the secretary after May 2, 2000, to the extent determined by the secretary to be necessary or desirable in light of unforeseen conditions or circumstances, including, without limitation, economic or market conditions or development or cost constraints, provided (1) no such modification shall be inconsistent with any requirements of subsection (c) of section 32-605 or sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, and (2) in the event that the secretary determines that any such modification in the master development plan would result in a material change in the purpose or character of the stadium facility, the related parking facilities or the convention center, such modification shall not become effective unless and until (A) the secretary has filed with the house and senate clerks, for transmittal to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding, a description of such modification in reasonable detail, and (B) such committee shall either have (i) approved such modification, or (ii) failed to reject such modification within thirty days of the date of filing by the secretary of the description of such modification with the house and senate clerks.

(P.A. 00-140, S. 35, 40; P.A. 12-147, S. 26; P.A. 18-137, S. 15.)

History: P.A. 00-140 effective May 2, 2000; P.A. 12-147 made a technical change in Subdiv. (1), effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 18-137 amended Subdiv. (1) by replacing reference to Sec. 32-605(d) with reference to Sec. 32-605(c), effective June 11, 2018.

Sec. 32-656. Contracting by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. Stadium naming rights. Contract compliance. (a) In the exercise of the powers and authority of the secretary pursuant to section 32-655, the secretary may utilize private parties, by contract, to carry out the overall project and stadium facility operations and otherwise to effectuate the purposes of sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive. The terms and conditions of such contracts shall be determined by the secretary, as shall the fees or other similar compensation to be paid to such private parties, provided that such contracts shall be structured or contain such terms and conditions as will enable the secretary to retain overall supervision and control of the stadium facility and stadium facility operations. The secretary shall require, in connection with the development by or pursuant to agreement with the secretary of any aspect of the overall project or the on-site related private development, that each prime construction contractor shall either comply with the prevailing wage laws or enter into a project labor agreement and shall make reasonable efforts to hire or cause to be hired (1) in the case of the stadium facility project, available and qualified residents of the town of East Hartford and the city of Hartford, and available and qualified members of minorities, as defined in section 32-9n, for construction jobs at all levels of construction activity, and (2) in the case of all other aspects of the overall project and the on-site related private development, available and qualified residents of the city of Hartford and available and qualified members of minorities, as defined in section 32-9n. The secretary shall require, in connection with stadium facility operations, that the stadium facility manager shall make reasonable efforts to hire or cause to be hired available and qualified residents of the town of East Hartford and the city of Hartford and available and qualified members of minorities, as defined in section 32-9n, for operations jobs at the stadium facility at all levels of stadium facility operations. Contracts entered into by the secretary with respect to the overall project, the on-site related private development or stadium facility operations or otherwise pursuant to the powers and authority by the secretary under section 32-655 shall not be subject to the approval of any other state department, office or agency except as otherwise provided in sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive. Copies of all such contracts shall be maintained by the secretary as public records, subject to the proprietary rights of any party to the contract. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to restrict the discretion of the secretary to use the staff and work force of the Office of Policy and Management or of other available state departments, offices or agencies for the performance of any of the secretary's responsibilities and functions whenever, in the secretary's discretion, it is necessary, convenient or desirable to do so. Notwithstanding any provision of this subsection, the state or a public instrumentality thereof, in the exercise of a governmental function, shall be and remain the owner of the stadium facility and all furniture, fixtures, equipment and other appurtenances purchased as an integral part thereof with the proceeds of bonds, other state moneys or moneys from the stadium facility capital replacement account, including having title to such real and personal property in the name of the state or a public instrumentality thereof.

(b) The provisions of sections 4-212 to 4-219, inclusive, regarding the award of personal service agreements through competitive negotiation shall be applicable to all contracts and agreements for professional, technical, consulting, financial or management services entered into by the secretary in connection with the overall project and stadium facility operations, including contracts with the design professional and the stadium facility manager and any other contracts and agreements entered into by the secretary with respect to the planning, design, feasibility or permitting of any aspect of the overall project, the management of site acquisition or site preparation, or the management of, or provision of services in connection with, stadium facility operations. For purposes of this section, all such contracts and agreements shall be deemed to be personal service agreements for purposes of sections 4-212 to 4-219, inclusive, without regard to whether or not such contracts and agreements relate to contractual services, as defined in section 4a-50.

(c) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes applicable to a state facility or public works project to the contrary, the secretary may select any prime construction contractor on a negotiated basis, provided that the secretary shall invite not less than three qualified general contractors or construction managers with current construction experience with major projects of comparable scope to submit proposals to act as a prime construction contractor, which invitation may include minimum requirements established by the secretary pursuant to subdivision (5) of section 32-655.

(d) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes applicable to a state facility or public works project to the contrary, except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of this section, all construction contracts entered into by the secretary with respect to the overall project shall be entered into on an open-bid or negotiated basis, except that in the discretion of the secretary, where the estimated expense of any such construction contract is more than one hundred thousand dollars, the secretary may determine that selection of a contractor for a particular construction contract through the prequalification and public letting process provided for in subsection (e) of this section is warranted, is expected to be cost effective and is in the public interest of the state.

(e) (1) With respect to any construction contract that is to be publicly let pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, the secretary shall identify a list of potentially responsible qualified bidders for the particular contract, to which list the secretary may add additional names. Thereafter, the secretary shall give notice to those on the list of the work required and of the invitation to prequalify. The invitation to prequalify shall contain such information as the secretary shall deem appropriate and a statement of the time and place where the responses shall be received. Upon receipt of such responses, the secretary shall select each bidder which has shown itself able to post surety bonds required by such contract and has demonstrated that it possesses the financial, managerial and technical ability and the integrity necessary and without conflict of interest for faithful and efficient performance of the work provided for therein. The secretary shall evaluate whether a bidder is responsible and qualified based on its experience with projects similar to that for which the bid is to be submitted, and based on objective written criteria which shall be approved by the secretary and included in the request for prequalification with respect to such contract. In lieu of such prequalification process, the secretary may deem to be prequalified those bidders listed on any list of qualified bidders maintained by the Department of Administrative Services or the Department of Transportation if the secretary determines that such list is appropriate in light of the scope and type of contract to be let.

(2) The secretary shall thereafter give notice to those so prequalified of the time and place where the public letting shall occur and shall include in such notice such information of the work required as appropriate. At the time and place as set forth in the notice, the secretary shall publicly open and read the bids. The secretary shall not award any construction contract after public letting except to the responsible qualified bidder submitting the lowest bid and in compliance with the bid requirements. The secretary may, however, waive any informality in a bid, and may either reject all bids and again advertise for bids, or, enter into such construction contract on a negotiated basis.

(3) The invitation to bid and the construction contract awarded shall contain such other terms and conditions, and such provisions for penalties, as the secretary may deem appropriate.

(f) Any other agency or department of the state undertaking work related to the overall project, including work pursuant to subdivision (8) or (12) of section 32-655, may select and engage professionals, consultants and contractors in the same manner as provided in this section in the case of the secretary, notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes.

(g) The naming rights with respect to the stadium facility shall be subject to the control of the secretary, provided the secretary is authorized to enter into an agreement with the party furnishing the stadium facility site which agreement provides (1) that for a period not in excess of fifteen years from the date of the first event at the stadium facility the secretary shall agree not to offer such naming rights for commercial or other purposes and that the stadium facility shall be known as “Rentschler Field” to commemorate the seventy-five-year history of Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Company and its founder, Frederick B. Rentschler, (2) for a donation by such party to the secretary of two million dollars for use by the secretary for any traffic and road improvement in the vicinity of the stadium facility deemed necessary or desirable by the secretary to facilitate stadium facility operations, (3) if, at the expiration of the period of fifteen years referred to in subdivision (1) of this subsection, the secretary offers the naming rights with respect to the stadium facility for commercial or other purposes (A) such party shall have a right of first refusal with respect to the purchase of such naming rights, (B) the naming rights shall be offered on the condition that the name of the stadium shall include the phrase “at Rentschler Field” following the name selected, and (C) such party shall have a right to approve any name selected, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

(h) Subject to the limitations of any agreement with the party furnishing the stadium facility site entered into pursuant to subsection (g) of this section, at such time as the secretary is permitted by such agreement to offer the naming rights with respect to the stadium facility for commercial or other purposes, the secretary is authorized to offer and sell such naming rights on the basis of a request for proposals and a process of competitive negotiation, subject to the advice of bond counsel to the state with respect to any private activity or similar restrictions that would result in an event of taxability with respect to any bonds issued or to be issued on a tax-exempt basis.

(i) The secretary and the authority shall jointly select and appoint an independent construction contract compliance officer or agent, which may be an officer or agency of a political subdivision of the state, other than the authority, or a private consultant experienced in similar public contract compliance matters, to monitor compliance by the secretary, the authority, the project manager and each prime construction contractor with the provisions of applicable state law, including subdivision (1) of section 12-412, subsection (a) of section 12-498, sections 12-541 and 13a-25, subdivision (1) of section 22a-134, section 32-600, subsection (d) of section 32-602, subsection (c) of section 32-605, section 32-610, subsections (a) and (b) of section 32-614, sections 32-617, 32-617a, 32-650, 32-651 to 32-658, inclusive, 32-660 and 32-661, subsection (b) of section 32-662, section 32-663, subsections (j) to (l), inclusive, of section 32-664, sections 32-665 to 32-666a, inclusive, sections 32-668 and 48-21 and sections 29 and 30 of public act 00-140*, and with applicable requirements of contracts with the secretary or the authority, relating to set-asides for small contractors and minority business enterprises and required efforts to hire available and qualified members of minorities and available and qualified residents of the city of Hartford and the town of East Hartford for construction jobs with respect to the overall project and the on-site related private development. Such independent contract compliance officer or agent shall file a written report of his or her findings and recommendations with the secretary and the authority each quarter during the period of project development.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 32, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 10, 40; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-6, S. 6, 85; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-1, S. 112; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 240; P.A. 11-51, S. 90; P.A. 12-147, S. 27; P.A. 13-247, S. 200; P.A. 18-137, S. 16.)

*Note: Sections 29 and 30 of public act 00-140 are special in nature and therefore have not been codified but remain in full force and effect according to their terms.

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 deleted provisions re former Hartford Sportsplex project, revised the state's powers and responsibilities and added provisions re the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field stadium facility projects and made technical changes, effective May 2, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-6 amended Subsec. (i) to make a technical change, effective July 1, 2001; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-1, effective August 16, 2003, and June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, effective August 20, 2003, both amended Subsec. (i) to delete reference to Sec. 32-305(f); pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Department of Public Works” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Construction Services” in Subsec. (e)(1), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 12-147 made technical changes in Subsec. (i), effective June 15, 2012; pursuant to P.A. 13-247, “Department of Construction Services” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Administrative Services” in Subsec. (e)(1), effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 18-137 amended Subsec. (i) to replace reference to Sec. 32-605(d) with reference to Sec. 32-605(c), effective June 11, 2018.

Sec. 32-657. Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund. Accounts and subaccounts. Auditing requirements. (a) The secretary is authorized to establish with the Treasurer and administer a separate nonlapsing enterprise fund to be known as the “Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund”. All revenues received by the secretary with respect to the use, operation and management of the stadium facility, including revenues from stadium parking and the sale of naming rights and including any General Fund appropriation or other moneys received from federal, state, municipal and private sources for purposes of stadium facility operations, shall be deposited with the Treasurer to the credit of such fund, except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of this section. Earnings on investments of amounts on deposit in the Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund shall be retained in and used for purposes of such fund. The secretary is authorized to pay, and the resources of such fund shall be available for and applied to, the costs and expenses of stadium facility operations, to the extent not otherwise paid as provided in subsection (c) of this section. Such payments shall be made by the Treasurer on warrants issued by the Comptroller, upon order of the secretary or a designee.

(b) A capital replacement reserve subaccount shall be established within the Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund, to be known as the “stadium facility capital replacement account”. Any surplus remaining in the Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund at the end of any fiscal year, to the extent not required, in the judgment of the secretary, to be reserved for the purpose of scheduled or other future maintenance or repairs, the addition or replacement of furniture, fixtures and equipment, working capital, or the funding of projected operating deficits or similar contingencies, shall be transferred to the stadium facility capital replacement account. Any General Fund appropriation or other moneys received from federal, state, municipal or private sources for purposes of capital additions or replacements at the stadium facility, other than the amount made available to the secretary by United Technologies Corporation for traffic and road improvements pursuant to the authority granted in subsection (g) of section 32-656, shall be deposited with the Treasurer to the credit of such subaccount. Moneys in the stadium facility capital replacement account shall be available and used for the costs of capital replacements, restorations, alterations, improvements, additions and enhancements to the stadium facility, including the costs of maintenance and repairs for which funds are not otherwise available in the Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund. Requisition and payment from the stadium facility capital replacement account shall be in accordance with the procedures established in subsection (a) of this section with respect to the Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund generally, except that the order of the secretary with respect thereto shall include a certification that the costs for which payment is requested are capital costs in accordance with the current capital budget or are capital costs not anticipated in the current capital budget but necessary in order to repair, restore or reconstruct the stadium facility following a casualty loss, to preserve the structural integrity of the stadium facility, to protect public health or safety, or to avoid an interruption in stadium facility operations.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, (1) the secretary is authorized to enter into agreements including, but not limited to, lease, license, management, marketing, ticketing, merchandising or concession agreements, which provide for the collection, retention or sharing of facility revenues by the university, the authority or other public or private entities, provided (A) such arrangements are not inconsistent in any material respect with the operating budget, are otherwise on terms not materially less favorable to the state than the terms customary in the industry for similar facilities and arrangements, except in the case of the university or the authority to the extent otherwise contemplated in the master development plan, and (B) such arrangements do not result in private business use of the stadium facility for purposes of Section 141(b) of the Internal Revenue Code to an extent that would result in an event of taxability with respect to any bonds issued on a tax-exempt basis, and (2) in order to facilitate stadium facility operations on a day-to-day basis, with the approval of the Treasurer and the Comptroller the secretary is authorized to establish, or cause to be established under agreements with the stadium facility manager, at a bank or banks in this state, a box office account to receive and hold ticket receipts and event specific escrow accounts to hold rental, security and similar deposits pending the occurrence of an event and event reconciliation and from which such receipts and deposits may be disbursed in accordance with industry standard practices, a revenue account for the purpose of collecting revenues from stadium facility operations on a daily basis, and an operating expense account for the purpose of paying reasonable and prudent expenses of stadium facility operations on a daily basis, and such subaccounts within the revenue account and the operating expense account as the secretary deems appropriate to segregate and account separately for the revenues and expenses of catering, concessions, parking or other ancillary activities, and the secretary may transfer amounts in the revenue account to the operating expense account as necessary to provide for the payment of expenses of stadium facility operations in accordance with accounting and payment procedures approved by the Comptroller, and the stadium facility manager may, in accordance with accounting and payment procedures approved by the Comptroller, pay expenses of stadium facility operations directly from the operating expense account; provided, if at the end of any calendar month there is on deposit in the revenue account and the operating expense account amounts in the aggregate in excess of the projected expenses of stadium facility operations for the next succeeding three calendar months, such excess shall be promptly transferred by the secretary to the Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund. The determination of what constitutes reasonable and prudent expenses of stadium facility operations shall be made with due regard for customary practices at comparable facilities hosting similar events.

(d) Moneys in the box office account and any event specific escrow account, and any interest thereon, shall not be deemed to be state moneys for purposes of sections 4-32 and 4-33 until recognized as revenues of stadium facility operations upon event reconciliation in accordance with standard industry practices.

(e) The establishment of the revenue account, the operating expense account and any other account holding state moneys associated with the stadium facility, and any cash management and overnight investment features of such accounts, shall be subject to the approval of the Comptroller and Treasurer pursuant to sections 4-32 and 4-33. The interest and earnings on any such investments of funds in the revenue account, the operating expense account and any other account holding state moneys associated with the stadium facility shall be treated as revenues from stadium facility operations. Any such investments or investment arrangements shall be made or approved by the Treasurer.

(f) The Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund, the revenue account, the operating expense account and any other account holding state moneys associated with the stadium facility shall be subject to the provisions of sections 3-112, 3-114, 4-32 and 4-33, except to the extent inconsistent with express provisions of this section, and shall be audited as provided in section 1-122 by the Auditors of Public Accounts.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 33, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 11, 40; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 69; P.A. 08-185, S. 2; P.A. 14-227, S. 3; P.A. 22-118, S. 168.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 deleted provisions re former Hartford Sportsplex project, revised the secretary's duties and powers and added provisions re the Rentschler Field stadium facility projects, changed the name of the fund from “Hartford Sportsplex Enterprise Fund” to “Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund” and made conforming and technical changes, effective May 2, 2000; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions re submission of the budget to the Comptroller and submission of comments by the Comptroller to the secretary, amended Subsec. (b) to delete provision re amounts available to the secretary by United Technologies Corporation, add references to Subsec. (d) and add exception re retention of earnings of amounts on deposit in the Stadium Facility Enterprise Fund, amended Subsec. (c) to replace “deferred” with “scheduled or other future” and add provision re deposit of moneys to credit of subaccount, amended Subsec. (d) to add reference to Subsec. (b), make technical changes and add provisions re establishment of a box office account, event specific escrow accounts and a revenue account and subaccounts, and added new Subsecs. (e) to (g), inclusive, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 08-185 amended Subsec. (g) by deleting provisions requiring independent auditing firm to conduct comprehensive annual audit and requiring Auditors of Public Accounts to conduct such audit, effective June 12, 2008; P.A. 14-227 amended Subsec. (g) to replace provisions re audit on a comprehensive annual basis at sole expense of Auditors of Public Accounts and with advance notice to secretary with provision re audit as provided in Sec. 1-122; P.A. 22-118 deleted Subsec. (a), redesignated Subsecs. (b) to (g) as Subsecs. (a) to (f) and made conforming changes, effective May 7, 2022.

Sec. 32-658. Condemnation of real property for Adriaen's Landing and related infrastructure. (a) The secretary may take all or a portion of the real property comprising the Adriaen's Landing site, and such off-site real property as may be determined by the secretary to be necessary to implement related infrastructure improvements. The owner or owners of such real property shall be paid by the state for all damages, and the state shall receive from such owner the amount or value of all benefits, resulting from such taking or development of the Adriaen's Landing site, including related site preparation and infrastructure improvements. The assessment of such damages and of such benefits shall be made by the secretary and filed by the secretary with the clerk of the superior court for the judicial district in which the real property is located. The assessment shall include the name and address of each person having an interest of record in the property. The clerk shall give notice of such assessment to each person having an interest of record in the property by mailing to each a copy of the same, postage prepaid. No entry fee shall be charged for the filing of such assessments. At any time after such assessment has been made by the secretary, the physical construction of the convention center, the related parking facilities, the on-site related private development and related site preparation and infrastructure improvements may be started.

(b) If notice cannot be given to any person entitled to such notice because such person's whereabouts or existence is unknown, notice may be given by publishing a notice at least twice in a newspaper published in said judicial district and having a daily or weekly circulation in the town and city of Hartford. Any such published notice shall state that it is a notice to the last owner of record or such person's surviving spouse, heirs, administrators, assigns, representatives or creditors, if such person is deceased, and shall contain a brief description of the property taken. Notice shall also be given by mailing to each such person at such person's last-known address, by registered or certified mail, a copy of such notice. If, after a search of the land and probate records, the address of any interested party cannot be found, an affidavit stating such facts and reciting the steps taken to establish the address of any such person shall be filed with the clerk of the superior court and accepted in lieu of service of such notice by mailing the same to the last-known address of such person.

(c) Upon filing an assessment with the clerk of the superior court, the secretary shall forthwith sign and file for record with the town clerk of the town and city of Hartford, a certificate setting forth the fact of such taking, a description of the real property so taken and the names and residences of the owners from whom it was taken. Upon the filing of such certificate, title to such real property in fee simple shall vest in the state, except that, if it is so specified in such certificate, a lesser estate, interest or right shall vest in the state. The secretary shall permit the last owner of record of such real property upon which a residence is situated to remain in such residence, rent free, for a period of one hundred twenty days after the filing of such certificate.

(d) The assessment of such damages or such benefits may, and any reassessment thereof by the trial referee shall, take into account any evidence of environmental condition and required environmental remediation.

(e) The secretary may take or purchase real property abutting or near the Adriaen's Landing site or any related infrastructure improvements for the purpose of protecting the functional characteristics of the convention center, the related parking facilities or the on-site related private development or such infrastructure improvements or to protect public safety or to implement such infrastructure improvements and may take or purchase any public service facility on or off the Adriaen's Landing site to the extent determined by the secretary to be necessary in the public interest to insure that no interruption in service results from any removal or relocation from the Adriaen's Landing site of any generation plant or other integral component of any such public service facility, in each case without regard to any other existing public use of such property. Such taking or purchase shall be in the same manner and with like powers as authorized and exercised by the secretary in taking or purchasing real property for the Adriaen's Landing site. In the event of any such taking or purchase of a public service facility, the secretary may sell such public service facility to, or make such other arrangements for the use and operation of such public service facility by, any qualified private or public entity, including the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority, on such terms as the secretary determines to be in the public interest.

(f) As used in sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, “public service facility” means all privately, publicly or cooperatively owned lines, facilities and systems, and related real property interests, for producing, transmitting or distributing communications, cable television, power, electricity, light, heat, gas, oil, crude products, water, including heated or chilled water, steam, waste, storm water not connected with highway drainage and any other similar commodities, including fire and police signal systems and street lighting systems which directly or indirectly serve the public. Whenever the secretary determines that the construction or reconstruction of the convention center, the related parking facilities or the on-site related private development or related site preparation and infrastructure improvements necessitates the readjustment or relocation of any public service facility located within, on, along, over or under any land comprising the right-of-way of a state highway or any other public highway within, or removal of any such public service facility from, such right-of-way, the secretary shall issue an appropriate order to the company, corporation or municipality owning or operating such facility, and such company, corporation or municipality shall readjust, relocate or remove the same promptly in accordance with such order; provided an equitable share of the cost of such readjustment, relocation or removal, including the cost of installing and constructing a facility of equal capacity in a new location, shall be borne by the state. Such equitable share, in the case of or in connection with the construction or reconstruction of the convention center; or the related parking facilities shall be the entire cost, less the deductions as provided in this subsection. In establishing the equitable share of the cost to be borne by the state, there shall be deducted from the cost of the readjusted, relocated or removed public service facilities a sum based on a consideration of the value of materials salvaged from existing installations, the cost of the original installation, the life expectancy of the original public service facility and the unexpired term of such life use. When any public service facility is removed from the right-of-way of a public highway to a private right-of-way, the state shall not pay for such private right-of-way, provided, when a municipally-owned public service facility is thus removed from a municipally-owned highway, the state shall pay for the private right-of-way needed by the municipality for such relocation. If the secretary and the company, corporation or municipality owning or operating such public service facility cannot agree upon the share of the cost to be borne by the state, either may apply to the superior court for the judicial district within which such facility is situated for a determination of the cost to be borne by the state, and said court or such judge, after causing notice of the pendency of such application to be given to the other party, shall appoint a trial referee to make such determination. Such trial referee, having given at least ten days' notice to the parties interested of the time and place of the hearing, shall hear both parties, shall view such facility, shall take such testimony as such trial referee deems material and shall thereupon determine the amount of the cost to be borne by the state. Such determination shall, subject to right of appeal as in civil actions, be conclusive upon both parties.

(g) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, when the secretary finds it necessary that real property, the title to which is in the state or any municipality, political subdivision, public authority, district, quasi-public agency or other governmental entity and which is under the custody and control of any state department, commission or institution, municipality, political subdivision, public authority, district, quasi-public agency or other governmental entity, be taken for the purpose of constructing the convention center, the related parking facilities, the on-site related private development or related site preparation and infrastructure improvements, the secretary shall present a petition to such an entity having custody and control of such real property that custody of the real property be transferred to the secretary or the authority and such entity shall transfer the custody and control of such real property to the secretary or the authority for the purposes required.

(h) The secretary or an agent may enter upon private real property for the purpose of conducting surveys, inspections, appraisals, or environmental and geological investigations for the location or construction of the convention center, the related parking facilities, the on-site related private development or related site preparation and infrastructure improvements. After giving reasonable notice to the real property owner or owners affected, the secretary or an agent may also enter such property for the purpose of performing borings, soundings or other tests required to accomplish any of the foregoing objectives with respect to the convention center, the related parking facilities, the on-site related private development or related site preparation or infrastructure improvements. The secretary or an agent shall use care so that no unnecessary damage shall result and the state shall pay damages to the owner of any real property for any damage or injury the secretary causes such owner by such entrance and use. If entry to any real property for the purpose of performing borings, soundings or other tests is refused to the secretary or an agent after the secretary has given reasonable notice to the owner or owners thereof, the secretary shall assess damages in the manner provided by this section and, at any time after such assessment has been made by said secretary, may enter said property for the purpose of performing borings, soundings or other tests. If the real property owner accepts such assessment of damages, such owner shall notify the secretary in writing, and said secretary shall pay such sum to said real property owner within thirty days or, after the expiration of said thirty days, shall pay such sum with interest at six per cent. If the real property owner is aggrieved by such assessment such owner shall notify the secretary in writing and may appeal to any court within its jurisdiction for a reassessment of such damages within six months from the date said secretary forwarded such assessment to such owner. This section shall not limit or modify rights of entry upon property otherwise provided for by the general statutes.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 35, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 12, 40; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-1, S. 22, 46; P.A. 14-94, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 deleted provisions re former Hartford Sportsplex project and revised the secretary's powers and duties and added provisions re the Adriaen's Landing project, effective May 2, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-1 amended Subsec. (d) to delete former provisions re purchase of property by secretary in connection with convention center or related facilities or activities and settlement by secretary of claims by persons claiming to be aggrieved by construction and to add provision re assessment of damages or benefits and evidence of environmental condition and remediation, effective June 21, 2000; pursuant to P.A. 14-94, “Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority” in Subsec. (e), effective June 6, 2014.

Sec. 32-659. Payment of damages. After the assessment of damages and benefits provided for in subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of section 32-658 has been filed with the clerk of the superior court, the property owner affected may file with said clerk written acceptance thereof. Said clerk shall thereupon notify the State Comptroller and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management of such acceptance. If the amount to be paid by the state for such real property, after deducting any benefits which have been assessed, does not exceed fifteen thousand dollars, said clerk shall send a certified copy of the assessment and the acceptance thereof to the secretary and the Comptroller, and the Comptroller shall, upon receipt thereof, draw an order on the Treasurer in favor of such property owner for the amount due the owner under such assessment. If the amount of such assessment, after deducting any such benefits, exceeds fifteen thousand dollars, said clerk shall not certify the same to the Comptroller until the assessment has been approved as reasonable in amount by a trial referee. If such trial referee approves the assessment, the clerk shall thereupon send a certified copy of the assessment and the acceptance and a certificate that the same has been approved to the secretary and to the Comptroller, and the Comptroller shall, upon receipt thereof, draw an order on the Treasurer in favor of such property owner for the amount due the owner on such assessment. If the trial referee does not approve such assessment, the clerk shall notify the Attorney General and the secretary and the latter may file an amended assessment.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 36, 66.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999.

Sec. 32-660. Appeal to Superior Court. Reassessment of damages or benefits by trial referees. Any real property owner claiming to be aggrieved by the assessment of such damages or such benefits by the secretary may, not later than six months after the same has been filed, apply to the superior court for the judicial district in which such real property is located for a reassessment of such damages or such benefits so far as the same affect such applicant, and said court, after causing notice of the pendency of such application to be given to said secretary, shall appoint a trial referee to make such reassessment of such damages or such benefits. Such trial referee, having given at least ten days' notice to the parties interested of the time and place of hearing, shall hear the applicant and said secretary, shall view the real property and take such testimony as the trial referee deems material and shall thereupon reassess such damages and benefits so far as they affect the applicant. If the amount of the reassessment of such damages awarded to any such property owner exceeds the amount of the assessment of such damages by the secretary for the real property, the trial referee shall award to the property owner such appraisal fees as the trial referee determines to be reasonable. If no appeal to the Appellate Court is filed within the time allowed by law, or if one is filed and the proceedings have terminated in a final judgment finding the amount due the real property owner, the clerk shall send a certified copy of the assessment of the secretary and of the judgment to the Comptroller, who shall, upon receipt thereof, draw an order on the Treasurer in favor of the real property owner for the amount due such owner as damages. The pendency of any such application for reassessment shall not prevent or delay the construction of the convention center, the related parking facilities, the on-site related private development or related site preparation or infrastructure improvements. As used in this section and sections 32-658 and 32-659, “trial referee” means a referee appointed pursuant to subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 52-434 and designated a trial referee pursuant to subsection (b) of said section 52-434.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 37, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 13, 40.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 deleted provisions re former Hartford Sportsplex project, added provisions re the Adriaen's Landing project and made a technical change, effective May 2, 2000.

Sec. 32-661. Costs in appeals from awards. In any appeal to the Superior Court taken under and by virtue of sections 32-658 to 32-663, inclusive, when the appellant obtains an award from the court greater than that awarded by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, court costs shall be awarded the appellant and taxed against the state in addition to the amount fixed by the judgment.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 38, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 14, 40.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 incorporated internal reference to sections as amended by act without changing substantive provisions, effective May 2, 2000.

Sec. 32-662. Lien for assessed benefits. (a) The amount of benefits assessed by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management under the provisions of subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of section 32-658 or reassessed by the court shall constitute a lien upon the real property against which such benefits were assessed from the date such assessment was filed with the clerk of the superior court until the amount thereof has been paid by the owner of such real property to the state, with interest at four per cent per annum, which interest shall commence to accrue from the date of the filing of such assessment. No such lien shall continue against such real property unless notice of the same is filed by the secretary in the office of the town clerk for the town and city of Hartford, or with respect to infrastructure improvements, the town clerk of the municipality in which the real property is located, within sixty days after the filing of such assessment or after the acceptance by the court of such reassessment.

(b) The provisions of this section, subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of section 32-658 and sections 32-660 and 32-661 shall not apply in the case of any construction of the convention center, the related parking facilities, the on-site related private development or related site preparation or infrastructure improvements for which the town and city of Hartford is liable to pay to the owner any damages or to receive from the owner any benefits except as provided in sections 32-658 to 32-663, inclusive.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 39, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 15, 40.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting provisions re former Hartford Sportsplex project and adding provisions re the Adriaen's Landing project, effective May 2, 2000.

Sec. 32-663. Interest payable ninety days after acceptance of agreement. When the secretary desires to take property comprising all or a part of the Adriaen's Landing site and has entered into an agreement to purchase at a stipulated amount any real property with the owner or owners thereof and the amount agreed to be paid for such real property or interest is not paid within ninety days from the date when the owner or owners of such property file with the secretary a notice in writing of acceptance of such agreement, interest at four per cent per annum shall be paid on such amount by the state unless the property owner fails to furnish clear title within such ninety-day period. Such interest shall commence to accrue at the end of such ninety-day period, whether or not an assessment has been filed as provided in subsection (a) of section 32-658. Whenever the state enters into possession of real property being condemned prior to the date of execution of such an agreement, such interest shall commence to accrue from the date of actual taking of possession by the state.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 40, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 16, 40.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 deleted reference to former Hartford Sportsplex project, added provision re the Adriaen's Landing project and made a technical change, effective May 2, 2000.

Sec. 32-664. Jurisdiction over and application for licenses, permits, approvals and administrative actions. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any permit or approval required or permitted to be issued and any administrative action required or permitted to be taken pursuant to the general statutes in connection with any work supervised by a department, board or agency of the state for the overall project shall be in accordance with the procedure set forth in this section to the extent not inconsistent with the state's delegated authority under federal law. Whenever the secretary or the authority enters into a written agreement with any public entity for work in respect of any aspect of the overall project including without limitation, permit, license, governmental approval, acquisition of real property, construction of sewer, water, steam or other utility connections or the like, any administrative action to be taken by such public entity shall also be in accordance with the procedure set forth in this section unless inconsistent with such entity's delegated authority under federal law or in conflict with any contract by which such entity is bound, provided the procedure for review of environmental impact evaluations and statements required by sections 22a-1a to 22a-1c, inclusive, and for licenses, permits, approvals and administrative actions by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall be in accordance with the procedures set forth in subsections (j) to (l), inclusive, of this section. As used in this section, “commissioner” means commissioners if more than one commissioner has jurisdiction over the subject matter and their designees, if any.

(b) Each license, permit and approval required or permitted to be issued, and each administrative action required or permitted to be taken pursuant to the general statutes in connection with the overall project, shall be issued or taken upon application to the particular commissioner or commissioners having the jurisdiction over such license, permit, approval or other administrative action or such other state official as such commissioner shall designate. No agency, commission, council, committee, panel or other body whatsoever other than such commissioner shall have jurisdiction over or cognizance of any licenses, permits, approvals or administrative actions concerning the overall project. No notice of any tentative determination or any final determination regarding any such license, permit, approval or administrative action and no notice of any such license, permit, approval or administrative action shall be required except as expressly provided in this section. No ordinance, law or regulation adopted by, or authority granted to, any municipality or any other political subdivision of the state, other than the authority, shall apply to the overall project, or to the operation of improvements in the private development district to the extent such matters of operation are otherwise governed by this chapter, chapter 588x or other applicable provisions of state law, except that the stadium facility and the stadium facility project shall comply with the provisions of any local noise ordinance that embraces the ambient noise standard, as provided in section 22a-69, except that such local noise ordinance shall not apply to The University of Connecticut sporting events. Any enforcement action shall be based on objective scientific measurements. No municipality shall impose, as a condition of the availability of any state or federal funds under a program administered by such municipality, any requirement that such municipality would not have the authority to impose directly by operation of this subsection, except as otherwise mandated by federal law.

(c) All applications, supporting documentation and other records submitted to the commissioner and pertaining to any application for any license, permit, approval or other administrative action, together with all records of the proceedings of the commissioner relating to any license, permit, approval or administrative action, shall be a public record and shall be made, maintained and disclosed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200.

(d) All applications for licenses, permits, approvals and other administrative action required by any applicable provision of the general statutes shall be submitted to the commissioner as provided in subsection (b) of this section. The commissioner shall adopt a master process to consider multiple licenses, permits, approvals and administrative actions to the extent practicable. Each license or permit shall be issued, approval shall be granted and administrative action shall be taken not later than ten business days after the date of submission of any application for such license, permit, approval or administrative action to the commissioner. Each application for a license or permit shall be deemed to have been issued, approval shall be deemed to have been granted and administrative action shall be deemed to have been taken as requested unless such application has been denied or conditionally issued prior to the close of business on the tenth business day after either the date of submission of such application, or a hearing is held on such application pursuant to this section. Any requirement for permits or inspections by the State Building Inspector or State Fire Marshal shall be satisfied if the secretary obtains a certification from an engineer or other appropriate professional duly certified or licensed in the state, to the effect that such work, to the extent such work is subject to approval by the State Building Inspector or State Fire Marshal, is in compliance with state building or fire laws and regulations, as applicable.

(e) Any hearing regarding all or any part of the overall project provided for by this section shall be conducted by the particular commissioner having jurisdiction over the applicable license, permit, approval or other administrative action. Legal notice of such hearing shall be published in a newspaper having a general circulation in an area which includes the municipality in which the particular part of the overall project is proposed to be built or is being built not more than ten nor less than five days in advance of such hearing.

(f) In rendering any decision in connection with the overall project, the commissioner shall weigh all competent material and substantial evidence presented by the applicant and the public in accordance with the applicable statute. The commissioner shall issue written findings and determinations upon which the decision is based. Such findings and determinations shall consist of evidence presented, including such matters as the commissioner deems appropriate, provided such matters, to the extent applicable to the particular permit, shall consider the nature of any major adverse health or environmental impact of the overall project. The commissioner may reverse or modify any order or action at any time on the commissioner's own motion. The procedure for such reversal or modification shall be the same as the procedure for the original proceeding.

(g) Any administrative action taken by any commissioner in connection with the overall project may be appealed by an aggrieved party to the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford in accordance with the provisions of section 4-183. Such appeal shall be brought within ten days of the date of mailing to the parties to the proceeding of a notice of such order, decision or action by certified mail, return receipt requested. The appellant shall serve a copy of the appeal on each party listed in the final decision at the address shown in such decision. Failure to make such service within the ten days on parties other than the commissioner who rendered the final decision may not, in the discretion of the court, deprive the court of jurisdiction over the appeal. Not later than ten days following the service of such appeal, or within such further time as may be allowed by the court, the commissioner who rendered such decision shall cause any portion of the record that had not been transcribed to be transcribed and shall cause either the original or a certified copy of the entire record of the proceeding appealed from to be transmitted to the reviewing court. The record shall include the commissioner's findings of fact and conclusions of law, separately stated. If more than one commissioner has jurisdiction over the matter, such commissioners shall issue joint findings of fact and conclusions of law. The appeal shall state the reasons upon which it is predicated and, notwithstanding any provisions of the general statutes, shall not stay the development of the overall project. The commissioner who rendered the decision shall appear as the respondent. Appeals to the Superior Court shall each be privileged matters and shall be heard as soon after the return date as practicable. A court shall render its decision not later than twenty-one days after the date that the entire record with the transcript is filed with the court by the commissioner who rendered the decision.

(h) The court shall not substitute its judgment for that of the commissioner as to the weight of the evidence presented on a question of fact. The court shall affirm the decision of the commissioner unless the court finds that substantial rights of the party appealing the decision have been materially prejudiced because the administrative findings, inferences, conclusions or decisions of the commissioner are: (1) In violation of constitutional or statutory provisions; (2) in excess of the statutory authority of the commissioner; (3) made upon unlawful procedure; (4) affected by an error of law; (5) clearly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative and substantial evidence on the whole record; or (6) arbitrary, capricious or characterized by abuse of discretion or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion.

(i) If the court finds material prejudice, it may sustain the appeal, and upon sustaining an appeal may render a judgment which modifies the decision of the commissioner, orders particular action of the commissioner or orders the commissioner to take such action as may be necessary to effect a particular action. The commissioner may issue a permit consistent with such judgment. An applicant may file an amended application and the commissioner may consider an amended application for an order, permit or other administrative action following court action.

(j) The Capital Region Development Authority shall be considered the state agency responsible for preparing the written evaluation of the impact of the convention center project and the parking project on the environment, and the Office of Policy and Management shall be responsible for preparing the written evaluation of the impact of the stadium facility project on the environment, in accordance with the requirements set forth in section 22a-1b and the regulations adopted thereunder. The scope of each such written evaluation shall include each related activity, facility or project which the authority or the Office of Policy and Management, respectively, determines should be considered part of the same sequence of planned activities as the convention center project, the parking project or the stadium facility project, as the case may be, for purposes of section 22a-1c, including any housing, retail, entertainment, recreation, office, parking or hotel project or facility proposed to be integrated with or developed or used in conjunction with the stadium facility or the convention center, and any public service facility proposed to be constructed or relocated, either on or off the Adriaen's Landing site, as a result of or in connection with the overall project. The authority is authorized to assist the city of Hartford in the preparation and processing of any environmental impact statement with respect to such sequence of planned activities or any part thereof required to be undertaken by the city of Hartford on behalf of any federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Office of Policy and Management is authorized to assist the town of East Hartford in the preparation and processing of any environmental impact statement with respect to such sequence of planned activities or any part thereof required to be undertaken by the town of East Hartford on behalf of any federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act. Such assistance may include the expansion of the scope of the environmental evaluation undertaken by the authority or the Office of Policy and Management to the extent necessary to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and assistance with such additional procedural requirements as may pertain thereto. The authority, the city of Hartford, the Office of Policy and Management and the town of East Hartford may enter into memoranda of understanding with respect to such assistance, which may include provisions for an appropriate allocation of any additional costs incurred by the authority or the Office of Policy and Management, respectively, in connection therewith. To the extent that any activity, facility or project of any other public or private entity is included in any environmental evaluation undertaken by the authority, or the Office of Policy and Management, the authority or the Office of Policy and Management, as the case may be, shall be entitled to receive payment or reimbursement of such entity's allocable share of the costs incurred by the authority or the Office of Policy and Management, respectively, in connection therewith. Each such evaluation shall include a description of the permits, licenses or other approvals required from the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection for the overall project. The authority and the Office of Policy and Management, as the case may be, shall submit their evaluations and a summary thereof, including any negative findings to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection and the secretary and shall make the evaluations and summaries available to the public for inspection and comment at the same time. Notwithstanding the regulations adopted pursuant to section 22a-1a, the authority and the Office of Policy and Management each shall hold a public hearing on its evaluation and shall publish notice of the availability of its evaluation and summary in a newspaper of general circulation in the city of Hartford and, with respect to the stadium facility project, the town of East Hartford not less than fourteen calendar days before the date of such hearing. Any person may comment at the public hearing or in writing not later than the second day following the close of the public hearing. All public comments received by the authority and the Office of Policy and Management, as the case may be, shall be promptly forwarded to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection and the secretary and shall be made available for public inspection. Nothing in subsection (b) of section 22a-1 shall be deemed to require that any such written evaluation of environmental impact be completed prior to the award of contracts, the incurrence of obligations or the expenditure of funds in connection with the acquisition of the Adriaen's Landing site or the stadium facility site, planning and engineering studies for site preparation or preliminary site preparation work not requiring permits or approvals not yet obtained, or the planning and design of the stadium facility and the related parking facilities or the convention center. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to require that applications for licenses, permits, approvals or other administrative action in connection with all aspects of the overall project be submitted or acted upon at the same time if not otherwise required by law.

(k) The secretary shall review the evaluations, together with the comments thereon, and shall make a written determination as to whether such evaluations satisfy the requirements of sections 22a-1a to 22a-1c, inclusive, which determination shall be made public and forwarded to the authority no later than ten days after the close of the hearing. The secretary may require the revision of either evaluation if the secretary finds that the evaluation is inadequate. In making a determination, the secretary shall take into account all public and agency comments.

(l) In exercising jurisdiction over any license, permit or approval required in connection with the overall project, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall take into consideration all public comments received in connection with the evaluations submitted by the authority or the Office of Policy and Management, as the case may be, pursuant to subsection (j) of this section if and to the extent available at such time and shall make written findings with respect to any such comments which are relevant to the issuance or denial of any such license or permit or the grant or denial of any such approval. For applications to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection requiring a public hearing and to the extent practicable in light of the development schedule for the overall project, there shall be a single submission date. The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall adopt a master administrative process for any licenses, permits or approvals or administrative actions which would otherwise have required a public hearing pursuant to statute or regulation, which, to the extent practicable in light of the development schedule for the overall project, shall include a single public hearing for the convention center project and the parking project, and a single public hearing for the stadium facility project. Any such public hearing shall be limited to considering issues or factors not included in the related environmental evaluation. The provisions of subsection (d) of this section regarding deadlines for administrative action shall not apply to any license or permit issued or any approval granted by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection. The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall issue a notice of sufficiency concerning the completeness of any application within fourteen days of receipt. The master process shall provide for department review, public comment and the holding of a public hearing within thirty days of the notice of sufficiency. The commissioner shall have thirty days from the close of a public hearing to issue a decision. For licenses, permits, approvals and administrative actions not requiring a public hearing, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may issue a decision or take administrative action at any time as may otherwise be permitted by applicable laws and regulations, but in no event later than thirty days following the completion of any public hearing relating to the same aspect of the overall project.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 41, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 17, 40; P.A. 01-136, S. 1; P.A. 08-185, S. 8; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 12-147, S. 28; P.A. 14-122, S. 157.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 amended Subsecs. (j), (k), and (l) to delete provisions re former Hartford Sportsplex project, add provisions re the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field stadium projects and made conforming and technical changes, effective May 2, 2000; P.A. 01-136 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provisions re compliance with local noise ordinance; P.A. 08-185 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provisions limiting applicability of municipal ordinances to private development districts and prohibiting municipality from imposing any requirements as a condition of state or federal funding, other than those authorized by subsection or by federal law, and by making technical changes, effective June 12, 2008; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 12-147 amended Subsec. (j) to replace “Capital City Economic Development Authority” with “Capital Region Development Authority”, effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 14-122 made technical changes in Subsec. (a).

Sec. 32-665. Statutory and other provisions of law not applicable. (a) Except as otherwise provided in sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, the following provisions of the general statutes, including regulations adopted thereunder, shall not apply to the overall project: Section 3-14b, subdivisions (13) to (15), inclusive, of section 4-166, sections 4-167 to 4-174, inclusive, 4-181a, 4a-1 to 4a-59a, inclusive, 4a-63 to 4a-76, inclusive, title 4b, section 16a-31, chapters 97a, 124 and 126, sections 14-311 to 14-314c, inclusive, 19a-37, 22a-16 and subsection (a) of section 22a-19. For the purposes of section 22a-12, construction plans relating to the overall project shall not be considered construction plans required to be submitted by state agencies to the Council on Environmental Quality. Notwithstanding any provision of any special act, charter, ordinance, home rule ordinance or chapter 98, no provision of any such act, charter or ordinance or said chapter 98, concerning licenses, permits or approvals by a political subdivision of the state pertaining to building demolition or construction shall apply to the overall project and, notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the State Building Inspector and the State Fire Marshal shall have original jurisdiction with respect to the administration and enforcement of the State Building Code and the Fire Safety Code, respectively, with respect to all aspects of the overall project, including, without limitation, the conduct of necessary reviews and inspections and the issuance of any building permit, certificate of occupancy or other necessary permits or certificates related to building construction, occupancy or fire safety. For the purposes of part III of chapter 557, the stadium facility project, the convention center project and the parking project shall be deemed to be a public works project and consist of public buildings except that the provisions relating to payment of prevailing wages to workers in connection with a public works project including, but not limited to, section 31-53 shall not apply to the stadium facility project, the convention center project and the parking project if the project manager or the prime construction contractor has negotiated other wage terms pursuant to a project labor agreement. The provisions of section 2-32c and subsection (c) of section 2-79a shall not apply to any provisions of public act 99-241*, as amended by public act 00-140*, or chapter 588x concerning the overall project. Any building permit application with respect to the overall project shall be exempt from the assessment of an education fee under subsection (b) of section 29-252a.

(b) The operation of the convention center, the stadium facility and the related parking facilities shall be subject to applicable ordinances, laws or regulations relating to state facilities, provided the operation of the convention center, stadium facility and the related parking facilities shall not be subject to the following provisions of the general statutes, including any regulations adopted thereunder: Sections 4a-1 to 4a-59a, inclusive, title 4b, chapter 97a, and sections 14-311 to 14-314c, inclusive, and 17a-818.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 42, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 18, 40; P.A. 01-136, S. 2; P.A. 11-8, S. 8; P.A. 15-61, S. 7.)

*Note: Public act 99-241 is entitled “An Act Increasing Certain Bond Authorizations for Capital Improvements, the Capital City Economic Development Authority, and the Convention Center and Sportsplex in Hartford and Associated Development Activities” and public act 00-140 is entitled “An Act Implementing the Master Development Plan for the Adriaen's Landing Project and the Stadium at Rentschler Field Project”. (See Reference Tables captioned “Public Acts of 1999” and “Public Acts of 2000”, respectively, in Volume 16 which list the sections amended, created or repealed by the acts.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 added responsibilities of the State Building Inspector and the State Fire Marshal under this section, deleted provisions re former Hartford Sportsplex project, added provisions re the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field stadium projects and made conforming changes, effective May 2, 2000; P.A. 01-136 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting provision deeming the stadium facility to be sanctioned by the state for purposes of Sec. 22a-68(g); P.A. 11-8 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective May 24, 2011; P.A. 15-61 made a technical change in Subsec. (a).

Sec. 32-666. Property tax exemption for property leased by state and for private development districts. Grants in lieu of taxes. Convention center facilities deemed state-owned property for purposes of state insurance or self-insurance. (a) Any land on the Adriaen's Landing site leased by the secretary for purposes of site acquisition for an initial term of at least ninety-nine years shall, while such lease remains in effect, be deemed to be state-owned real property for purposes of sections 12-18b and 12-19b and subdivision (2) of section 12-81 and the state shall make grants in lieu of taxes with respect to such land to the municipality in which the same is located as otherwise provided in sections 12-18b and 12-19b.

(b) Any land that comprises a private development district designated pursuant to section 32-600 and all improvements on or to such land shall, while such designation continues, be deemed to be state-owned real property for purposes of sections 12-18b and 12-19b and subdivision (2) of section 12-81, and the state shall make grants in lieu of taxes with respect to such land and improvements to the municipality in which the same is located as otherwise provided in sections 12-18b and 12-19b. Section 32-666a shall not be applicable to any such land or improvements while designated as part of the private development district.

(c) For purposes of state insurance or self-insurance, the convention center facilities shall be deemed to be state-owned property and the state insurance and risk management board shall be authorized to determine, purchase or otherwise arrange for such insurance or self-insurance with respect to the convention center facilities, as otherwise provided in section 4a-20 with respect to other state-owned property.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 43, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 19, 40; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 62; P.A. 08-185, S. 9; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-7, S. 167; P.A. 15-244, S. 204.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 deleted former provisions and added provisions re property tax exemption for property on the Adriaen's Landing site leased by the state and grants in lieu of taxes to the host municipality, effective May 2, 2000; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 deleted requirement that land on site be leased from the party owning such land on May 2, 2000, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 08-185 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) deeming private development districts to be state-owned real property, effective June 12, 2008; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-7 added Subsec. (c) deeming convention center facilities to be state-owned property for purposes of state insurance or self-insurance, effective July 1, 2010; P.A. 15-244 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by replacing references to Sec. 12-19a with references to Sec. 12-18b, effective July 1, 2016.

Sec. 32-666a. Fixing of assessments for capital city projects or Adriaen's Landing developments. The city of Hartford, upon approval of its legislative body, may negotiate and fix assessments on improvements for retail, commercial and housing purposes during the period of construction of such improvements and for additional periods of up to fifteen years from the completion of such improvements, which improvements either (1) constitute a capital city project, as defined in subdivision (2) of section 32-600, receiving five million dollars or more in financial assistance from the authority, (2) are within the Adriaen's Landing site, including the on-site related private development, or (3) constitute a capital city project, as defined in subdivision (2) of section 32-600, receiving three million dollars or more in financial assistance from the authority for purposes of creating downtown housing units with ancillary commercial or parking facilities for which project the authority makes a financial commitment in the year ending June 30, 2003.

(P.A. 00-140, S. 33, 40; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-5, S. 15.)

History: P.A. 00-140 effective May 2, 2000; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-5 made a technical change in Subdiv. (1) and added Subdiv. (3) re downtown housing units, effective August 15, 2002.

Sec. 32-667. Waiver of referendum or similar requirement for certain expenditures. Notwithstanding any provisions of any statute, special act, charter or ordinance, no referendum or town meeting or similar vote shall be required in connection with the expenditure of public moneys by any city, town, district, metropolitan district, metropolitan district commission, borough, public community, ecclesiastical society, municipal corporation or municipal or political subdivision in connection with the overall project to the extent the secretary or the authority has entered into an agreement providing for the payment or reimbursement of such expenditures.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 44, 66.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999.

Sec. 32-668. Liberal construction. Sections 32-650 to 32-667, inclusive, and section 39 of public act 98-1 of the December special session*, as amended by public act 99-241** and public act 00-140**, being necessary for the welfare of the state and its inhabitants, shall be liberally construed, so as to effect their purposes. In connection with the overall project and stadium facility operations, the secretary, the Treasurer, the Comptroller, the authority, the project manager, the prime construction contractor, the stadium facility manager and all other persons shall be governed by public act 99-241**, as amended by public act 00-140**, and chapter 588x, which shall control in the event of any inconsistency between public act 99-241**, as amended by public act 00-140** and chapter 588x and any other public or special act of the state or any agreement.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 46, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 21, 40.)

*Note: Section 39 of public act 98-1 of the December special session is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force and effect according to its terms.

**Note: Public act 99-241 is entitled “An Act Increasing Certain Bond Authorizations for Capital Improvements, the Capital City Economic Development Authority, and the Convention Center and Sportsplex in Hartford and Associated Development Activities” and public act 00-140 is entitled “An Act Implementing the Master Development Plan for the Adriaen's Landing Project and the Stadium at Rentschler Field Project”. (See Reference Tables captioned “Public Acts of 1999” and “Public Acts of 2000”, respectively, in Volume 16 which list the sections amended, created or repealed by the acts.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 revised section to account for termination of former Hartford Sportsplex project and establishment of the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field stadium projects, effective May 2, 2000.

Sec. 32-669. Status report. (a) On or before February 1, 2003, and annually thereafter, until five years after the opening of the convention center, the Capital Region Development Authority shall prepare a report regarding the status of the Adriaen's Landing project and The University of Connecticut football stadium project. Such report shall be made, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the majority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the Senate and the minority leader of the House of Representatives and to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to finance, revenue and bonding. The report to said committee shall be presented at a meeting of said committee held during the regular session of the calendar year in which such report is due.

(b) Such report shall be separated into a section on the Adriaen's Landing project and a section on The University of Connecticut football stadium project and shall contain the following information: (1) A detailed estimated budget for the overall project; (2) the current timeline for the entire project, with significant milestone events, from inception to projected completion date; (3) for each project component, including, but not limited to, the science center, (A) a description of the component, (B) its current budget in detail, comparing it to the budget presented to the General Assembly prior to May 2, 2000, (C) projected completion date, (D) any change made in the course of planning and execution over the prior calendar year and reasons for such change, and (E) status at the end of such calendar year; (4) problems encountered in the prior calendar year and potential problems in the future; (5) status of the project's compliance with the provisions of section 32-605, including, but not limited to, (A) a description of each contract entered into during the prior calendar year, (B) whether any contractor is a woman-owned business enterprise, a minority business enterprise or a small business enterprise, as those terms are defined in section 4a-60g, (C) the value of such contract, (D) any subcontractors under such contract, the value of the subcontract and whether any subcontractor is a woman-owned business enterprise, a minority business enterprise or a small business enterprise, as those terms are defined in section 4a-60g, (E) the number of jobs associated with such contract, including the number of jobs held by residents of Hartford and East Hartford and the number of jobs held by women and minorities, and (F) any steps being taken for affirmative action and corrective measures for any deficiencies; (6) a detailed projected annual operating budget for each facility, including information regarding how much funding the state will be required to provide and how much the municipality will be required to provide; (7) a timeline showing when operating expenses may be incurred prior to the project's completion, including how much of such expenses will be provided by the state in each year and how much will be provided by the host municipality; (8) current estimates for funding from all state and private sources for each component of the project for each fiscal year in which the funding is made available; (9) a summary of the total funding for the project from each of the following sources: (A) General obligation bonds, (B) funding from the General Fund operating surplus, (C) revenue bonds issued by the Capital Region Development Authority, with the associated General Fund costs, including, but not limited to, General Fund debt service reimbursement for the parking garage and utility plant, (D) tax exemptions or credits granted to any part of the project, (E) payments in lieu of taxes made to any municipality for any component of the project, (F) the operating subsidy for the convention center and the science center, (G) private investments, and (H) any other sources; and (10) detailed financial information regarding the income and expenses of any public entities operating at Adriaen's Landing.

(May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-5, S. 19; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-1, S. 20; P.A. 12-147, S. 29.)

History: May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-5 effective July 1, 2002; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-1 amended Subsec. (a) to provide for reports until five years after opening of the convention center, and amended Subsec. (b) to include the science center as a component for which reporting is required in Subdiv. (3) and add Subdivs. (8) to (10), inclusive, re additional information to be included in report, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 12-147 amended Subsec. (a) to replace “Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management” with “Capital Region Development Authority” and amended Subsec. (b)(9)(C) to replace “Capital City Economic Development Authority” with “Capital Region Development Authority”, effective June 15, 2012.

Secs. 32-670 to 32-699. Reserved for future use.