Volume CXV No. 20 Friday, September 24, 2010 www.dailycampus.

com

» INSIDE Low bidder on $17M contract faces civil suits

By Jay Polansky
Associate News Editor
A contractor who has been
named as one of the defen-
dants in civil lawsuits over the
Kleen Energy Project explosion
is currently the lowest bidder
on a nearly $17 million dollar
UConn contract.
Torrington-based O & G
Industries recently submitted a
‘Last chance’ is base bid of $16,740,000 for a
reclaimed water facility.
king’s first The university is likely to
award O & G the contract if they
Author discusses first
continue to be the lowest bidder.
“The university almost always
goes with the lowest responsible
bid,” said UConn spokesman
Michael Kirk.
Kirk added the university con-
ducts a “line-by-line” review of
the lowest bidder before decid-
ing whether or not to award a
given contract.
The planned facility will recy-
cle water from the university’s
waste water treatment plant.
Water from the plant could be
used for non-potable applications
like process water for the co-gen-
eration plant and irrigation.
The facility would be next
to the existing water pollution
control facility on the Storrs
campus, according to university
documents.
Suits filed in Middletown
Superior Court allege that
Kleen Energy Systems and
some of its contractors failed
to take precautions to prevent
a February blast that killed six
workers and injured 50 oth-
ers. Following the explosion,
OSHA imposed $16.6 million
in fines against Kleen and
its contractors, according to
NBC Connecticut.
On Thursday, Gov. M. Jodi
Rell issued an executive order
to ban the “gas blow” pro-
cedure that the construction
companies used at the time of
the explosion.
“It has become clear that no
one entity or policy – at the
local, state or federal level – had
singular jurisdiction over the
‘gas blow’ process,” Rell said in
a press release. “This needs to
be remedied and until it is, I am
banning the practice to protect
workers and citizens.”
The lawsuits have not changed
the university’s decision to
review O&G’s bid.
“The charges are alleged,”
said Colleen Schuh, associate
director for Capital Projects
and Contract Administration.
“It wouldn’t preclude the uni-
versity in reviewing the bids
for them being the lowest
responsible bidder.”
Four other contractors are
vying for the contract.
O & G’s bid is the lowest
bid by a margin of approxi-
mately $300,000, according to
the document.
» CONTRACTOR, page 2

Storrs Center signs with developer

published book at
Co-op.
FOCUS/ page 7

Running with the

bulls
UConn takes on
Buffalo without leading
Rush or Todman.

SPORTS/ page 14

EDITORIAL: RULES
TO FIGHT ALCOHOL
ABUSE ARE
UNENFORCEABLE
Bans on drinking would
lead to dangerous JIM ANDERSON/The Daily Campus
underground partying. A sign on Storrs Road near the University of Connecticut campus alerts passers-by about the upcoming Storrs Center development project. The first phase of the project is planned to be completed by 2012.

COMMENTARY/page 4
Town to add graduate apartments and see commercial development by 2012
INSIDE NEWS: By Hina Samnani nization consisting of mem- to accommodate UConn gradu- retail and commercial devel- a town green,” said van Zelm.
bers from UConn, the Town of ate students and staff members. opment, open up in the fall “It really took off in 1999.
Dining halls to Staff Writer
Mansfield and local businesses, It will include approximately of 2012,” said Cynthia van The former mayor of Mansfield
begin using paper has taken one step further in 290 studio, one-bedroom to Zelm, the project manager started to get the ball rolling
products Students love UConn for its its plans to complete the Storrs three-bedroom apartments with for the Mansfield Downtown and started meeting with the
competitive academics, nation- Center, a town center that will private laundry, wood floors, Partnership. local businesses to find out
Drought forces UConn to ally ranked athletic teams and be adjacent to UConn, across stainless steel appliances, gran- “And then the second part what engaged their interest.
diverse student body, but the from Storrs Road. ite countertops and Internet, of phase one will open up There was always an interest
cut back on using water. one thing most students say the Leyland Alliances LLC, the among other features. in September of 2013 so the in doing something to create
Storrs campus lacks compared master developers of the plan, These first two phases are construction site holds about a more of a college downtown.
to other university campuses is and Education Realty Trust Inc., expected to be completed in 2012. year for each phase.” The university has always
NEWS/ page 2 a “college town” within walking a business that specializes in “It’s about a 5-to-7-year built The Storrs Center Project been a partner with the town
distance where students can go collegiate housing, have agreed out, and so depending on when has been an ongoing plan in doing that.”
to shop and socialize. to develop the first two phases it starts, we’re hoping to break since the Mansfield Downtown Van Zelm said the funding
» weather That is about to change in the
upcoming years.
of the Storrs Center, which is
estimated to cost $60 million.
ground in the spring of next
year—the spring of 2011—and
Partnership formed to coordi-
nate the project in 2001.
for this project comes from a
variety of sources.
Friday The Mansfield Downtown The first two phases will con- have the first phase, which “The idea’s been around for 40
Partnership, a nonprofit orga- sist mainly of apartment housing will be apartments as well as years, the idea of trying to create » COST, page 2

EcoHusky has new goals for this semester

Sunny

High 86/ Low 62 By Brian Zahn
Staff Writer
SATURDAY/SUNDAY
EcoHusky, a UConn club
with the goal of making UConn
a greener place, has begun to
think of effective ways to reach
its goals for this semester.
High 81 High 66 Their first initiative was on
Sept. 11 at Rentschler Field
Low 48 Low 46
before UConn’s game against
Texas Southern, where they held
their Green Game Day in an
effort to reduce waste during
resent Connecticut and will
be engaging in cleaning and
clearing trails at the Hillside
Environmental Education Park,”
Stewart said.
The event will take place on
Oct. 2, which is National Green
Volunteer Day.
“We hope to generate a lot of
volunteers, and welcome anyone
willing to help,” Stewart said.
EcoHusky may be aided down
the road by ConnPIRG, accord-
ing to Willy Tobelman, a 5th-
semester psychology major and
Among the ideas that
EcoHusky has brainstormed
are a bike parade to advo-
cate bike usage instead of
cars and a glow-in-the-dark
Frisbee tournament to encour-
age students to turn off their
electronics and get outside
and play.
EcoHusky will also still
be running EcoMadness this
semester, a contest that pits
residence halls against one
another in an effort to conserve
energy and water, according to

» index pre-game tailgating and to make president of ConnPIRG. EcoHusky’s website.

the stadium more sustainable. “In the spring semes- Students interested in joining
Fiona Stewart, a 7th-semes- ter, I’d like to team up with EcoHusky can email the club at
ter agricultural resource eco- EcoHusky to help promote ecohusky@gmail.com or go to
Classified 3 nomics major and president of Recyclemania,” Tobelman said its meetings, Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
Comics 10 EcoHusky, has several ideas. about the 10-week long pro- in Student Union 303. FILE PHOTO/The Daily Campus
Commentary 4 “As a commitment to Green gram to increase recycling and Representatives of EcoHusky hand out CFC light bulbs at the Co-op on Aug. 30, 2009 while
Hands USA, we agreed to rep- decrease waste on campus. Brian.M.Zahn@UConn.edu students purchase textbooks.
Crossword/Sudoku 10
Focus 7
InstantDaily 4 What’s on at UConn this weekend...
Sports 14
Saturday: Sunday: Sunday: Sunday:
UConn vs. Buffalo Free Practice Tests Philanthropic Dance Party Homecoming Parade
The Daily Campus 12 p.m. to 3:30 pm All day 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. 1:30 p.m.
11 Dog Lane Rentschler Field Bishop Center Huskies Restaurant and Bar Outside SU
Storrs, CT 06268 Tailgate beforehand or take the Receive score reports and learn test- The $6 cover charge goes to the Pick your favorite float, then head
Box U-4189 Husky Roadshow bus over to the taking strategies in preparation for your Connecticut Children’s Medical over to the carnival at South Quad
game to cheer on your Huskies. GRE, MCAT, or LSAT. Center. Sigma Alpha Epsilon is host- afterward.
ing the event. - VICTORIA SMEY
The Daily Campus, Page 2 News Friday, September 24, 2010

DAILY BRIEFING Dining halls to use paper products

» STATE due to Stage III drought
By Amy McDavitt
Conn. State University
Senior Staff Writer
approves salary freeze All eight residential dining
halls will begin serving meals
on paper products Monday in an
HARTFORD (AP) — The Connecticut State University System effort to save water during the
has approved a one-year salary freeze for management and non-
continuing Stage III drought.
union staff for the budget year that begins July 1, 2011. The measure has become a
The Board of Trustees said Thursday it also intends to avoid tuition
necessary step in the univer-
increases at Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Connecticut sity’s attempts to conserve water
state universities for the school year that begins next fall. More than
during the drought, according to
36,000 students attend the four universities. a report in UConn Today. The
The board said it may need to take another look at its plans
drought was initially announced
depending on how much the university system receives in next in June, upgraded to Stage II
year’s state budget.
Aug. 13 and changed to Stage
Gov. M. Jodi Rell called the trustees’ decision proper and III a month later.
necessary.
It is uncertain how long the
In July, university officials rescinded proposed pay raises after use of paper products will last,
strong criticism by Rell. But they approved cost-of-living increases
according to C. Dennis Pierce,
for the system’s chancellor and university presidents. the director of dining services.
“Can you tell me tonight’s lot-
McMahon defends JFK tery number?” Pierce joked.
“We may do it for three or
and Massachusetts state line, so
weather conditions in Storrs do
not directly affect campus water
resources.
Students at South Marketplace
expressed misgivings about the
benefits of using paper goods
instead of running the dishwash-
ing machines.
“I think it’s a waste of
paper. Not eco-friendly,” said
Rob Tobin, a 5th-semester
finance major.
Other students concurred.
“It seems like one wasteful
product to another,” said Sarah
Walberg, a 5th-semester human
development and family studies
major about swapping increased
trash production for water usage.
Walberg suggested the univer-
sity should find a new method of
serving in the dining halls that is
“altogether more eco-friendly.”
Pierce acknowledged the

footage in Conn. Senate ad

four days, or we may do it for
five weeks,” he said, adding that
Dining Services takes direction
from the Office of Environmental
HARTFORD (AP) — Linda McMahon, the Republican can- Policy on the issue.
didate for U.S. Senate in Connecticut, is defending an online ad The last time UConn faced
that uses footage of John F. Kennedy talking about the impor- similar drought conditions three
tance of tax cuts. years ago, paper products were
Kennedy’s nephew, Edward Kennedy Jr., had urged McMahon used for “six or seven weeks,”
to pull the 30-second ad from YouTube. The spot features 1963 Pierce said. But, the swap was
footage of the late president. Kennedy Jr. says it misleads voters made two weeks earlier in the
into thinking JFK would have supported McMahon’s position on semester than this year, so it is
tax policy. hard to say how long this switch
In letter to Kennedy, released Thursday to The Associated Press, will last. To add to the uncer-
McMahon say she believes JFK would have supported her stance tainty, the university relies on
on extending the soon-to-expire Bush-era tax cuts for higher income a water cable that originates in
earners. an area around the Connecticut
drawbacks of generating more
waste, but spoke to the necessity
of the switch.
“You have to look at the big
picture,” he said. “When you
have two resources and one is
limited…what are your other
alternatives? You do what you
need to do to get that resource
back up to where it needs to be.”
Pierce also noted that
Willimantic Waste, which handles
the university’s trash, employs
a method called “single stream
recycling” in which recyclable
products can be commingled and
sorted out later at their facility.
JESSICA CORDON/The Daily Campus
Dishes, silverware and cups pile up at the tray return of the Towers Dining Hall. The
University will be switching to paper products beginning Monday due to the drought.
“In essence, there is recycling ment’s budget, and will nei-
going on,” he said. ther result in any extra costs
Dining Services is the sec- to students nor affect student
ond-largest consumer of water employees who will need to
on campus after Residential fulfill other duties related to
Life, according to Pierce. the increased trash production.
Despite that, and the fact that “There is no other way,”
the dining units serve 180,000 Pierce said.
meals per week, the switch to
paper will fall in the depart- Amy.McDavitt@UConn.edu

Bill Clinton to stump for

Blumenthal in New Haven Health Education promotes oral hygiene
NEW HAVEN (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton is sched- By Brian Zahn
uled to headline a rally and fundraiser in New Haven for Attorney Staff Writer
General Richard Blumenthal, who is facing a competitive race for
the U.S. Senate in Connecticut.
Blumenthal’s campaign confirmed on Wednesday that Clinton, Representatives for Health
an old classmate of Blumenthal’s at Yale Law School, will appear Education gave out free samples
at Wilbur Cross High School for a rally on Sunday morning. and pamphlets of information
Last week, President Barack Obama headlined a fundrais- related to dental hygiene for
ing event in Stamford for Blumenthal and the state Democrats. Oral Health Awareness Week.
About $400,000 was raised, to be split between the campaign “Oral Health Awareness Week
and state party. started with the interest of a
Blumenthal and Republican Linda McMahon are vying for the student going into dentistry,”
seat currently held by Sen. Chris Dodd. McMahon, a former wres- said Joleen Nevers, the health
tling executive, has said she’ll spend as much as $50 million on education coordinator.
the race. The week, which was started in
2005 according to Nevers, stress-
es good oral hygiene habits.
» NATION Many students were able to
grab a free sample of tooth-
paste and stick it in their
First lady urges nonprofits
bags before eating at their
dining halls. Tables were set
up at Northwest on Monday,
Towers on Tuesday and South
on Wednesday. Each day, the
tables of free samples and
pamphlets were set up between
11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Health Education
had already run out of tooth-
brushes and dental floss by 12:15
p.m., while the informational
pamphlets were still stocked. An
Oral Health Awareness Week
edition of Stall Street News was
popular among students who
looked at the table.
“It’s a pretty good deal,” said
Jordan Mann, a 1st-semester
ACES major, after grabbing a
free sample of toothpaste.
Kelly Turner, a 1st-semester
undecided major, agreed.
“Oral health is important. I’ve
already had strep throat while I
was here, so I have to be healthy
here,” said Turner.
According to Nevers, about
340 students stopped at a table
during the three-day cam-
paign. Several others stopped
by Health Education’s office,
located in Rome Commons, to
get free samples.
The pamphlets, put together
by Oral-B, were “Tips and tools
to promote better oral health”
and information about “Keeping
clean in between.” They con-
tained coupons for products that
promote dental hygiene, which
expired June 30, 2003.
They instruct the reader to
limit sugary foods to mealtimes
only, brush twice a day for at
least two minutes and to floss.
Additionally, Health
Education had a “Health Ed
Handout” which contained facts
about dental hygiene that many
students probably haven’t heard
from their dentists.
According to the handout,
kissing can help to reduce
plaque, as it stimulates sali-
va, flossing after oral sex
can leave tears in the gums,
which make them vulnerable
to viruses and microbes, and
lemonade is more harmful to
teeth than soda.
Brian.M.Zahn@UConn.edu

to engage veterans Cost of town project estimated at Contractor facing suits has long
$220 million
NEW YORK (AP) — First Lady Michelle Obama urged interna-
tional development organizations to engage military veterans and history of work with UConn
spouses in their work, telling her audience Thursday at the Clinton
Global Initiative that the skills of service members are “woefully
underutilized.” shops and offices. Many local completed in September 2003,
from COST, page 1 businesses, including Wings from CONTRACTOR, page 1 according to O & G’s website.
Former President Bill Clinton hosts the CGI, an annual summit
of business, government and nonprofit leaders who make financial over Storrs, Storrs Automotive C.H. Nickerson’s base bid is “O&G has brought that
“It’s largely private—both
commitments to development projects around the world. Clinton sat and Select Physical Therapy, $17, 060,870, Carlin Contracting dedication to safety to all of
equity funding from firms
on a stool nearby as the first lady spoke at the closing session. have already signed letters of Co.’s base bid is $17,177,000, the work it has performed for
such as Education Reality
Obama has worked extensively with military families and used intent to lease portions of the Daniel O’Connell’s Sons base the University,” Dan Carey, a
Trust and Leland Alliances,
the high-powered gathering to champion their interests. 70,000 square feet of street bid is $17,545,000 and R.H. spokesman for the company,
our master developer. And
“This issue may seem too uniquely American in scope for such buildings. White Construction’s base said in a statement to The Daily
then they will go and get bank
a global audience here at CGI,” Obama said. “But right now, the “We already have some of the bid is $18,525,000, accord- Campus. “We have worked on
financing,” she said.
human potential of America’s veterans and military families is both current businesses, like Storrs ing to records posted on the multiple UConn projects for
“The partnership working
vast and woefully underutilized.” Automotive, the hairdresser, Capital Projects and Contact more than a decade, including
with the town of Mansfield
Veterans, she said, often struggle with the transition to civilian Wings over Storrs, and then we Administration’s office website. over 14 projects at the main
has brought in $23 million
life and have trouble finding jobs, especially in a weak economy. have several potential new busi- O & G has completed major campus at Storrs, all complet-
in grants from the federal
She said veterans and their spouses are highly trained and are nesses, like the Vanilla Bean,” projects on the Storrs campus ed without any serious safety
and state government to do
used to shouldering great responsibility but that their skills are not said van Zelm. “They’re exact- including the construction of issues.”
mainly public infrastructure
always recognized by the civilian world. ly the type of businesses we’re the Central Co-Generation The Office of Environmental
for the project and detailing
“America’s servicemen and women are resilient, so they don’t looking for in terms of casual Chiller Based Energy Facility, Health and Safety at UConn
for Storrs Road.”
always show it. And they’re proud, so they don’t always talk about appeal to students, and to resi- the Information Technology declined to comment on O &
The whole project is estimat-
it. But it’s hard to spend years serving your country, only to find that dents and visitors.” Engineering Building and the G’s on-campus safety record,
ed to cost $220 million, and the
the value of that service isn’t fully understood,” Obama said. As of 2009, the estimated com- renovation of the Music and referring questions to the uni-
initial concept plan includes a
pletion date for the whole project Drama buildings. versity spokesman.
market square, town square and
is scheduled to be in 2015.
www.dailycampus.com
village street. The contractor also served as
The market square will con- the construction manager of the
sist of various restaurants, Hina.Samnani@UConn.edu Waterbury campus, which was Jay.Polansky@UConn.edu

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