...and "Blueback Square" is neither blue nor a square. But for some reason, outsiders (and West Hartford residents) don't seem to be confused by THAT name. Go figure, 9:21 PM poster.
What were the other submissions? I kind of like it frankly, its generic enough so that anything that gets put there can fit, and it is near the rail tracks which are going to impact whatever and however they design it.
Ease up for goodness sakes, this was just an exercise to let the youngsters get involved and has no bearing on whatever the final developer ultimately decides to name it, whether it be this name or not. The youngsters and the library did a fine job in promoting this contest and should be applauded, not picked apart by a bunch of negative-minded "what's in it for me", blow-hards. Try and do something constructive for all of us and tie a plastic bag over your head, no air holes allowed, for about a half an hour.
Depot Square is awful. It sounds like Home Depot. It has no connection with our history or with downtown. It refers to the railroad, but ignores that there is no depot except in Forestville and there are no plans for creating one. In West Hartford, they named Blueback Square after Noah Webster's book so there is a historical connection. Same thing with Adraien's Landing in Hartford, which reaches back to the city's founding. And the best we could do was Depot Square? Yuck. Of course it's true that the future developer, if there is one, will name it something else. So I'm not sure what this name really means other than showing that even our children lack imagination and a sense of history.
Actually the area adjacent to the 17 acres (the intersection of High, Prospect and Main Sts.) was known as Depot Square for about 100 years. The 17 acre parcel has railroad track along its entire length on one side. In addition, with all of the discussion about possible reuses for the railroad track, the name “Depot Square” made good sense.
There were about 209 entries from the children dropped off at the two libraries. They included references to carousels, clocks, bells, Rockwell and other bits of Bristol’s history. Many were well thought out.
The purpose of the contest was to engage the children of the community in this project and to find a name that allowed us to stop calling it “the Mall Site” or worse yet, “The Failed Mall Site”.
There is five hundred dollars in prize money and gift certificates available that will be distributed among the top ten entrants. ALL of the money and the gift certificates are donated by private individuals and the Chamber of Commerce. There are no taxpayer dollars being used.
Geez Louise, what a bunch of boneheads. It was a kid's contest for crize sake...Pretty sad when you feel the need to whine about nothing...geez, get a hobby or something.
By the way, there was a depot on prospect street right where the bank is on the corner of main, kinda kitty corner to the mall...so depot is sort of historically correct.
DEOT SQUARE SOUNDS NOTHING LIKE HOME DEPOT THERE WAS A TRAIN DEPOT IN THE AREA NOT SO LONG AGO SOME SMART KID MIGHT HAVE DONE THEIR HOMEWORK AND WROTE THE STORY TO BACK UP THE NAME
Whether Depot Square has historic roots is irrelevant, today the name is generic and conjures up images of a Home Depot plaza, not a historic railroad depot.
Totally inappropriate name, to say the least. See definition below.
Why isn't this decision being made by a professional public relations firm or communications organization?
Grade school kids are not qualified to make such an important and long-lasting decision, especially Bristol-educated kids! What a dumb idea!
de·pot Pronunciation: \1 & 2 are ˈde-(ˌ)pō also ˈdē-, 3 is ˈdē- sometimes ˈde-\ Function: noun Etymology: French dépôt, from Middle French depost, from Medieval Latin depositum, from Latin, neuter of depositus Date: 1795 1 a: a place for storing goods or motor vehicles b: store, cache (a fat depot in the body) 2 a: a place for the storage of military supplies b: a place for the reception and forwarding of military replacements 3: a building for railroad or bus passengers or freight
The developers were told that the name reflects the best efforts of the students in the community. It is not binding on any developer. It is a suggestion and a name we can use for now.
After BDDC had conducted ten or eleven public input sessions, Commissioner Janelle suggested the naming contest as a way to interest and involve the youth in our community, a constituency not yet heard from.
The library volunteered to run the contest. The BDDC chose from among the thirteen top suggestions.
Gee whiz, it was a contest for kids, two hundred took an interest. Didn’t cost the taxpayers a dime. The developer can still select another name if they think there is better one.
Calm down.
I think you would just prefer to go on calling it "The failed mall site". Suits your purposes better, I suppose.
1:05 and 1:35 - What part of "this was a kid's contest" don't you understand??? Any developer who antes up and invests in the property is free to call it whatever the hell he or she pleases...
With the stupid comments made by some of the people on this blog, a good name would probably be Jackass Junction...
The point is that this is the name that we will now be using to MARKET the empty property. Whatever a developer calls it later on is less meaningful, since the plan will be in place and they will probably pick a suitable name based on research. Right now we need to attract the best possible developers, and calling it DEPOT SQUARE makes it sound like an empty lot next to Home Depot and may put off some developers not familiar with our city. Even if it puts off just 1 potential developer, then it is a serious issue.
I like the idea of getting kids involved, but this is a serious matter. It's not like naming the police dog. This is a matter of our city's economic future.
With all the attention rail transportation has been getting these days I think its a very good choice. The connection to history is a bonus, and anything that gets us away from calling it a mall, failed mall, empty mall, etc. is a good thing.
Ask someone what they think of when they hear "Depot Square" and I guarantee almost everyone will not say a train station, but instead they will say Home Depot.
Frank Johnson has summed it up succinctly. The money was all donated and over 200 kids had some fun.
Let's not get too serious. Developers don't get spooked by a name. They are far more interested in whether they can turn a profit.
The BDDC is doing its job. If a good developer with a good proposal is possible, then the BDDC has done everything in its power to show community and governmental support.
Are you all stupid? Really, it was named depot square because it used to be part of the rout on which the train was run. With any luck, it will do so again with greater frequency, and possibly be a source of mass transit for commuters. And if you all could have done SO much better, then why isn’t the name you came up with the one they chose?
45 comments:
Some kid's getting a couple hundred bucks for that, too.
stupid name. it's not a depot, and it's not a square. what's it a depot for, our tax dollars??
outsiders will think it's a Home Depot plaza. not good at all.
...and "Blueback Square" is neither blue nor a square. But for some reason, outsiders (and West Hartford residents) don't seem to be confused by THAT name. Go figure, 9:21 PM poster.
what's the matter 9:26, did your kid win the contest or something?
again, the name makes no sense. at least blueback is a unique name. depot is not. depot is not even a name, it's a thing.
i guarantee people will automatically think of Home Depot when they hear this name, like Shop Rite Plaza.
What were the other submissions? I kind of like it frankly, its generic enough so that anything that gets put there can fit, and it is near the rail tracks which are going to impact whatever and however they design it.
I think its a good name. Face it, whichever name was picked was going to get killed on this blog.
Ho Hum . Not suprised! Same old naysayers. Anti everything !!!
Ease up for goodness sakes, this was just an exercise to let the youngsters get involved and has no bearing on whatever the final developer ultimately decides to name it, whether it be this name or not.
The youngsters and the library did a fine job in promoting this contest and should be applauded, not picked apart by a bunch of negative-minded "what's in it for me", blow-hards.
Try and do something constructive for all of us and tie a plastic bag over your head, no air holes allowed, for about a half an hour.
Depot Square is awful. It sounds like Home Depot. It has no connection with our history or with downtown. It refers to the railroad, but ignores that there is no depot except in Forestville and there are no plans for creating one.
In West Hartford, they named Blueback Square after Noah Webster's book so there is a historical connection. Same thing with Adraien's Landing in Hartford, which reaches back to the city's founding.
And the best we could do was Depot Square? Yuck.
Of course it's true that the future developer, if there is one, will name it something else. So I'm not sure what this name really means other than showing that even our children lack imagination and a sense of history.
Actually the area adjacent to the 17 acres (the intersection of High, Prospect and Main Sts.) was known as Depot Square for about 100 years. The 17 acre parcel has railroad track along its entire length on one side. In addition, with all of the discussion about possible reuses for the railroad track, the name “Depot Square” made good sense.
There were about 209 entries from the children dropped off at the two libraries. They included references to carousels, clocks, bells, Rockwell and other bits of Bristol’s history. Many were well thought out.
The purpose of the contest was to engage the children of the community in this project and to find a name that allowed us to stop calling it “the Mall Site” or worse yet, “The Failed Mall Site”.
There is five hundred dollars in prize money and gift certificates available that will be distributed among the top ten entrants. ALL of the money and the gift certificates are donated by private individuals and the Chamber of Commerce. There are no taxpayer dollars being used.
Geez Louise, what a bunch of boneheads. It was a kid's contest for crize sake...Pretty sad when you feel the need to whine about nothing...geez, get a hobby or something.
By the way, there was a depot on prospect street right where the bank is on the corner of main, kinda kitty corner to the mall...so depot is sort of historically correct.
DEOT SQUARE SOUNDS NOTHING LIKE HOME DEPOT THERE WAS A TRAIN DEPOT IN THE AREA NOT SO LONG AGO SOME SMART KID MIGHT HAVE DONE THEIR HOMEWORK AND WROTE THE STORY TO BACK UP THE NAME
Walgreen's Windows would have been a nice name.
Whoever pushed to get away from the "Mall Site" should be complimented.
Nothing but a negative image and memory.
Whether Depot Square has historic roots is irrelevant, today the name is generic and conjures up images of a Home Depot plaza, not a historic railroad depot.
Totally inappropriate name, to say the least. See definition below.
Why isn't this decision being made by a professional public relations firm or communications organization?
Grade school kids are not qualified to make such an important and long-lasting decision, especially Bristol-educated kids! What a dumb idea!
de·pot
Pronunciation: \1 & 2 are ˈde-(ˌ)pō also ˈdē-, 3 is ˈdē- sometimes ˈde-\
Function: noun
Etymology: French dépôt, from Middle French depost, from Medieval Latin depositum, from Latin, neuter of depositus
Date: 1795
1 a: a place for storing goods or motor vehicles b: store, cache (a fat depot in the body)
2 a: a place for the storage of military supplies b: a place for the reception and forwarding of military replacements
3: a building for railroad or bus passengers or freight
Wouldn't the developer have a say in what he/she is investing his/her money in?????
Or is this another restriction that the City of Bristol putting on the developer.
The developers were told that the name reflects the best efforts of the students in the community. It is not binding on any developer. It is a suggestion and a name we can use for now.
After BDDC had conducted ten or eleven public input sessions, Commissioner Janelle suggested the naming contest as a way to interest and involve the youth in our community, a constituency not yet heard from.
The library volunteered to run the contest. The BDDC chose from among the thirteen top suggestions.
Gee whiz, it was a contest for kids, two hundred took an interest. Didn’t cost the taxpayers a dime. The developer can still select another name if they think there is better one.
Calm down.
I think you would just prefer to go on calling it "The failed mall site". Suits your purposes better, I suppose.
1:05 and 1:35 - What part of "this was a kid's contest" don't you understand??? Any developer who antes up and invests in the property is free to call it whatever the hell he or she pleases...
With the stupid comments made by some of the people on this blog, a good name would probably be Jackass Junction...
Are they going to put up a new sign on the mall site ??
Gee wiz Frank, the name sucks. Don't blame the kid, I blame the buffoons at city hall.
How about "17 Acre Empty Lot That Tax payers Paid $10 Million For, That No One Wants For Anything"?
The point is that this is the name that we will now be using to MARKET the empty property. Whatever a developer calls it later on is less meaningful, since the plan will be in place and they will probably pick a suitable name based on research. Right now we need to attract the best possible developers, and calling it DEPOT SQUARE makes it sound like an empty lot next to Home Depot and may put off some developers not familiar with our city. Even if it puts off just 1 potential developer, then it is a serious issue.
I like the idea of getting kids involved, but this is a serious matter. It's not like naming the police dog. This is a matter of our city's economic future.
With all the attention rail transportation has been getting these days I think its a very good choice. The connection to history is a bonus, and anything that gets us away from calling it a mall, failed mall, empty mall, etc. is a good thing.
April 9, 2008 3:29 PM
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Having someone think the mall is next to a home depot might not be a bad idea compared to what it actually is .
btw .... renaming homosexuals to gays worked for them so why not give it a poke .
Ask someone what they think of when they hear "Depot Square" and I guarantee almost everyone will not say a train station, but instead they will say Home Depot.
Call me crazy, but when I think of Depot Square, I think of Depot Square and when I think of Home Depot, I think of Home Depot.
....I give up! It's like talking to stumps...cept stumps get it....
Fine. You're crazy, or you're a liar. When we need to go for stock, we say we're going to the Depot, and I don't mean Depot Square.
Well, when I go for "stock" I call my broker.
There go the naysayers again !! When are they gonna think of something different for this arguementative Blog ?
Frank Johnson has summed it up succinctly. The money was all donated and over 200 kids had some fun.
Let's not get too serious. Developers don't get spooked by a name. They are far more interested in whether they can turn a profit.
The BDDC is doing its job. If a good developer with a good proposal is possible, then the BDDC has done everything in its power to show community and governmental support.
Tom Cosgrove, BDDC
The BDDC is worthless. Disband it now.
These kids have more sense than the whiners on here.
....GO BDDC! Bristol's looking better already!!!
I LOVE THIS TOWN!
Horay! another empty lot in a recession economy. I LOVE THIS TOWN!
Is anyone keeping track of lost tax revenue as they continue to tear down buildings?
Anonymous said...
Is anyone keeping track of lost tax revenue as they continue to tear down buildings?
April 12, 2008 9:51 AM
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They must be counting on that $100 a day fine to make up the difference .
Better keep your sidewalk swept , your windows clean and you pants pressed or you could be next on the blight list .
....Quick 3:46, right behind you it's a ....BLIGHT NAZI!!!! RUN!!!!!
and just keep on going....
3:46 Must be just another "Slum Lord".
Who won?
When will it be announced?
All you slumlords who keep calling people blight Nazi's better clean up your trash !
Anonymous said...
....Quick 3:46, right behind you it's a ....BLIGHT NAZI!!!! RUN!!!!!
April 12, 2008 4:32 PM
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Not to worry . I have a 44 cal. response ready for 'em . :-)
2:17 You'd probably shoot yourself in the foot!!
4:36 - if 2:17 shot him/herself in the foot, they would have to call a cadre of DENTISTS to retreive the bullet.
Are you all stupid? Really, it was named depot square because it used to be part of the rout on which the train was run. With any luck, it will do so again with greater frequency, and possibly be a source of mass transit for commuters. And if you all could have done SO much better, then why isn’t the name you came up with the one they chose?
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