CT Senate GOP statement on State Pier revelation

For Immediate Release

Sen. Heather Somers, Sen. Henri Martin and Sen. Minority Leader Stephen Harding today issued the following statement after it was noted during the CT Port Authority Finance Committee’s Nov. 21 meeting that the south end of State Pier cannot be used for wind component storage.

“It seems like every time the tide comes in, it brings with it another controversy for the Port Authority.

Now we have this latest revelation.

The south portion of the pier is not stable enough for wind component storage use because of the type of fill that was used.

There is finger-pointing between the Port Authority and construction management company Kiewit on who is responsible.

Meanwhile, the costs paid by the Connecticut taxpayer continue to rise. The price tag is already north of $310 million at this unfinished site, which we now learn has potentially dangerous and costly structural deficiencies.

What we need from the Connecticut Port Authority is full transparency. The Port Authority must immediately issue a full public Q & A on this matter.  The taxpayers of Connecticut deserve nothing less.

We thank Kevin Blacker for asking questions about State Pier that deserve clear answers, transparency and accountability.“

(Audio of the meeting can be found here with relevant discussion beginning at the 19 minute mark.)