Approval of road-raising contract for Beach Street delayed

WEST HAVEN — Members of the state Municipal Accountability Review Board said Thursday they are awaiting more information on an engineering contract to raise

Beach Street, primarily for administrative reasons.

The construction project to increase the elevation of Beach Street, a key economic corridor along West Haven’s shoreline that has been languishing with the closure of multiple longtime businesses, first began in 2015 but has stalled for years over permitting concerns.

The first phase of the project, elevating the street near the city’s wastewater treatment plant, is completed, and the city has received the funds for its second and third phases. However, the project most recently encountered a road bump when a protected species of grass was discovered, requiring a preservation plan to be submitted to the state.

Since the city first entered into a contract with Diversity Technology Consultants for engineering services, West Haven has come under the authority of the MARB — which was formed in 2017 — and has subsequently been placed under Tier IV, the MARB’s highest level of oversight. Kimberly Kennison, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Jeff Beckham’s designee to the board and chairwoman of the Thursday meeting, said the MARB wished to review the contract as it has not been fully executed and there have been several amendments since it was first signed.

However, officials said they wanted clearer information to inform their understanding of the contract history.

“This is a critical project,” said city Finance Director Scott Jackson. However, he said the city recognizes the MARB would need more narrative documents to describe the contract.

In 2020, the city’s state delegation secured $5 million for the second and third phases of the road-raising project. The following year, developers began buying key businesses, such as the former Chick’s Drive-In and the Debonair Motel. However, developers for both projects have said they are awaiting the city to begin raising Beach Street before they will develop new businesses in those sites. The city has told developers it expects to begin the project in April.