The city is hustling to replace massive heat-producing boilers before the chill of winter sets in.
City councilors unanimously approved a contract Wednesday with East Hartford’s H.H.S. Mechanical Contractors for $147,000 to get the work done as quickly as possible.
Public works officials have been scrambling to deal with the two old boilers since one of them blew up in March, spewing asbestos throughout the basement furnace room and into the air ducts.
City Hall was shut down for a couple of days – on a weekend – so massive fans could blow any contamination out of the building. Specialized contractors cleaned up the sealed-off furnace room.
Mayor Art Ward said the last piece of the puzzle is to get the new boilers in place.
“It’ll be done before winter,” Ward said, because the timing is worked out.
City Councilor Kevin McCauley said that if something does go wrong, the city has a backup plan to heat the building.
A temporary heating system can be used, said McCauley, who heads the city’s Building Committee.
The boilers have been in the building since its construction almost half a century ago.
The new ones should cut energy costs sharply, officials said, because of the greater efficiency of boilers made today. They will also use natural gas instead of heating oil, officials said.
A consultant recommended two years ago that the city replace the steam-driven boilers with ones that use warm water instead. But the cost and difficulty of removing the boilers put the project on the back burner.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 30, 2009
City Hall backs the new boys club plan
City councilors put the city’s seal of approval Wednesday on a proposal to construct a new Bristol Boys and Girls Club.
In a special session Wednesday, councilors unanimously endorsed tapping downtown funds to pay for a feasibility study to determine whether the 1.7-acre West Street site eyed by the club is suitable for its plans.
“I’m proud to endorse this,” city Councilor Kevin McCauley said. He said the project might serve as “a catalyst for our revitalization” efforts both downtown and in the troubled West End.
Mayor Art Ward called it “a great first start,” particularly given the city’s interest in improving the West End.
The club is eyeing the purchase of the lot from St. Ann Church – with ESPN chipping in a portion of the price – in order to construct a multi-million dollar building to replace its crumbling Laurel Street quarters.
The money, which Bristol Downtown Development Corp. has also agreed to spend, would pay for experts to evaluate the site to make sure it would work.
The study will determine “if it’s adequate for what we want to do,” said Michael Suchopar, the club’s director.
Suchopar said the club has a long record of service to the community, but “we can’t do it” much longer in the aging Laurel Street building that has housed it for decades.
The fate of the existing building is unclear. Ward and other city officials said, chuckling, that the club should sell it to the city for $1 when its new quarters open.
Suchopar didn’t make any promises.
In addition to backing the $50,000 feasibility study, councilors also agreed that Tigh & Bond should get $37,000 to carry out consulting services for a downtown parking study sought by the BDDC and approved by the state. The money would come from state aid.
Councilors also agreed to dip into state downtown aid to pa Harrall-Michalowski Associates up to $40,000 for its work on the downtown revitalization plan.
That allocation came about because the firm, which serves as the BDDC’s executive director, often winds up working on city-related issues that are not strictly connected to the 17-acre former mall site that the BDDC has jurisdiction over.
Frank Johnson, who heads the BDDC, said that creating a city pool of money to pay invoices related to city work will clear up administrative issues to “ensure we’re all on the same page.”
Ward said the new allocation is “a good move” that will prove “very useful” to the city as it moves to pump life into downtown.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
In a special session Wednesday, councilors unanimously endorsed tapping downtown funds to pay for a feasibility study to determine whether the 1.7-acre West Street site eyed by the club is suitable for its plans.
“I’m proud to endorse this,” city Councilor Kevin McCauley said. He said the project might serve as “a catalyst for our revitalization” efforts both downtown and in the troubled West End.
Mayor Art Ward called it “a great first start,” particularly given the city’s interest in improving the West End.
The club is eyeing the purchase of the lot from St. Ann Church – with ESPN chipping in a portion of the price – in order to construct a multi-million dollar building to replace its crumbling Laurel Street quarters.
The money, which Bristol Downtown Development Corp. has also agreed to spend, would pay for experts to evaluate the site to make sure it would work.
The study will determine “if it’s adequate for what we want to do,” said Michael Suchopar, the club’s director.
Suchopar said the club has a long record of service to the community, but “we can’t do it” much longer in the aging Laurel Street building that has housed it for decades.
The fate of the existing building is unclear. Ward and other city officials said, chuckling, that the club should sell it to the city for $1 when its new quarters open.
Suchopar didn’t make any promises.
In addition to backing the $50,000 feasibility study, councilors also agreed that Tigh & Bond should get $37,000 to carry out consulting services for a downtown parking study sought by the BDDC and approved by the state. The money would come from state aid.
Councilors also agreed to dip into state downtown aid to pa Harrall-Michalowski Associates up to $40,000 for its work on the downtown revitalization plan.
That allocation came about because the firm, which serves as the BDDC’s executive director, often winds up working on city-related issues that are not strictly connected to the 17-acre former mall site that the BDDC has jurisdiction over.
Frank Johnson, who heads the BDDC, said that creating a city pool of money to pay invoices related to city work will clear up administrative issues to “ensure we’re all on the same page.”
Ward said the new allocation is “a good move” that will prove “very useful” to the city as it moves to pump life into downtown.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
From Usain Bolt to Bruce's guitar, The Tattoo's new issue covers a lot of ground fast
The new issue of The Tattoo, which is online now, features news stories about the German election and a plane crash in South Africa along with three reviews of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and a photo page featuring Usain "Lightning" Bolt during his stop this week at the ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut.
Youth Journalism International senior reporter Kiernan Majerus-Collins, from Connecticut, took photographs of Bolt before, during and after the speedy Jamaican raced ESPN employees. You can see them here.
He also chipped in a glowing review of the rock museum. Two other reporters, Katherine Holland, of Pennsylvania, and Mary Majerus-Collins, of Connecticut, had a different take on it. They actually thought it was booooring. Read all the reviews here.
We also have senior reporter Katie Grosser's story about the German election Sunday, which we published last weekend. Grosser lives in Germany. To get a sense of what young German voters were thinking, check it out here.
And junior reporter Nicole Megan Gounder gets extra credit for racing to the scene of breaking news in her Durban, South Africa hometown after a passenger jet crash landed in a nearby schoolyard. Fortunately, there were no passengers aboard at the time and all four of those badly injured are expected to recover. But as Gounder reports, if it hadn't happened on a national holiday, it could have been a terrible disaster because the plane came down right where kids love to gather before school begins. Read her story here.
It's a pretty good package of stories and pictures for our third issue of our 16th year at The Tattoo.
As always, we appreciate your constructive criticism, tips and suggestions. We'd love for you to pass this along to anyone teens in your life (or those who care about young people).
We love giving young people a voice.
There's more in the works, of course, and hope you'll check out ReadTheTatto.com's vast archives as well. If you've never read it, we especially recommend Samantha Perez's stunning journal of surviving Hurricane Katrina.
You can also follow Youth Journalism International, our educational wing, on Twitter @yjinternational and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Youth Journalism International.
Thanks so much for your support.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Youth Journalism International senior reporter Kiernan Majerus-Collins, from Connecticut, took photographs of Bolt before, during and after the speedy Jamaican raced ESPN employees. You can see them here.
He also chipped in a glowing review of the rock museum. Two other reporters, Katherine Holland, of Pennsylvania, and Mary Majerus-Collins, of Connecticut, had a different take on it. They actually thought it was booooring. Read all the reviews here.
We also have senior reporter Katie Grosser's story about the German election Sunday, which we published last weekend. Grosser lives in Germany. To get a sense of what young German voters were thinking, check it out here.
And junior reporter Nicole Megan Gounder gets extra credit for racing to the scene of breaking news in her Durban, South Africa hometown after a passenger jet crash landed in a nearby schoolyard. Fortunately, there were no passengers aboard at the time and all four of those badly injured are expected to recover. But as Gounder reports, if it hadn't happened on a national holiday, it could have been a terrible disaster because the plane came down right where kids love to gather before school begins. Read her story here.
It's a pretty good package of stories and pictures for our third issue of our 16th year at The Tattoo.
As always, we appreciate your constructive criticism, tips and suggestions. We'd love for you to pass this along to anyone teens in your life (or those who care about young people).
We love giving young people a voice.
There's more in the works, of course, and hope you'll check out ReadTheTatto.com's vast archives as well. If you've never read it, we especially recommend Samantha Perez's stunning journal of surviving Hurricane Katrina.
You can also follow Youth Journalism International, our educational wing, on Twitter @yjinternational and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Youth Journalism International.
Thanks so much for your support.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 29, 2009
Ward, Alford differ on approach to hospital's needs
The city needs to create a community task force to help ensure Bristol Hospital’s long-term success, said Republican mayoral hopeful Mary Alford.
“A community task force needs to be established now,” Alford said Tuesday. “There is no time to waste. Hopefully, this is in the works at City Hall.”
“Our strategy needs to create a head wind to proponents of the UConn plan, as they will likely be doing the same. A best defense is a strong offense; we need a plan and we need it now,” she said.
But Mayor Art Ward, a first-term Democrat who is seeking reelection, said there’s no need for a task force.
“We work very well with the hospital” already, Ward said.
The mayor said there are many “direct links” between the city government and the hospital, including his own position on the development board of the hospital.
Bristol Hospital dodged a bullet this year when the legislature rejected funding a plan to create a new $500 million hospital to replace the aging John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington.
The University of Connecticut and Hartford Hospital, working in conjunction, sought the project as a way of ensuring the university’s medical school could thrive while preventing the annual deficits racked up by the existing hospital.
Bristol Hospital executives lobbied hard to defeat the proposal, claiming it would snatch away some of its patients and leave it with a poorer, smaller pool to draw from, which could endanger its viability.
The city’s entire legislative delegation opposed the UConn plan, which died in the Senate last week.
But state Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose 78th District includes a portion of Bristol, said he’s sure the issue will return to the table next year because the state can’t afford to continue subsidizing UConn’s hospital.
Hamzy said he would gladly serve on a panel to help figure out how to tackle the problem in a way that would treat other hospitals, including Bristol’s, more fairly.
Alford said the Senate’s decision to kill the plan this year means Bristol Hospital “survived a challenge to its existence.”
The plan “could have a serious impact on community health needs as well as employment in Bristol,” she said, and deserves close scrutiny.
Ward said the community is already fighting to help Bristol Hospital.
“There’s a certain redundancy” to creating a task force to focus on the issue when it’s already a key plank in the city’s agenda, the mayor said.
Ward said the hospital can already count on the support of every segment of the community.
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
“A community task force needs to be established now,” Alford said Tuesday. “There is no time to waste. Hopefully, this is in the works at City Hall.”
“Our strategy needs to create a head wind to proponents of the UConn plan, as they will likely be doing the same. A best defense is a strong offense; we need a plan and we need it now,” she said.
But Mayor Art Ward, a first-term Democrat who is seeking reelection, said there’s no need for a task force.
“We work very well with the hospital” already, Ward said.
The mayor said there are many “direct links” between the city government and the hospital, including his own position on the development board of the hospital.
Bristol Hospital dodged a bullet this year when the legislature rejected funding a plan to create a new $500 million hospital to replace the aging John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington.
The University of Connecticut and Hartford Hospital, working in conjunction, sought the project as a way of ensuring the university’s medical school could thrive while preventing the annual deficits racked up by the existing hospital.
Bristol Hospital executives lobbied hard to defeat the proposal, claiming it would snatch away some of its patients and leave it with a poorer, smaller pool to draw from, which could endanger its viability.
The city’s entire legislative delegation opposed the UConn plan, which died in the Senate last week.
But state Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose 78th District includes a portion of Bristol, said he’s sure the issue will return to the table next year because the state can’t afford to continue subsidizing UConn’s hospital.
Hamzy said he would gladly serve on a panel to help figure out how to tackle the problem in a way that would treat other hospitals, including Bristol’s, more fairly.
Alford said the Senate’s decision to kill the plan this year means Bristol Hospital “survived a challenge to its existence.”
The plan “could have a serious impact on community health needs as well as employment in Bristol,” she said, and deserves close scrutiny.
Ward said the community is already fighting to help Bristol Hospital.
“There’s a certain redundancy” to creating a task force to focus on the issue when it’s already a key plank in the city’s agenda, the mayor said.
Ward said the hospital can already count on the support of every segment of the community.
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Identity theft targeted by new measure
Under a new law that takes effect Thursday, those who commit identity theft will face harsher sentences.
Pushed by state Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, the legislature toughened the law on identity theft this year to broaden the definition of the crime and stiffen the penalties for those convicted.
Colapietro, who has represented the 31st District since 1992, said it’s an important change in the law that he is particularly glad to have played a role in such “a badly needed reform.”
“The statistics and the stories show that identity theft is a serious crime that can severely damage the reputation of its victims and cause long-lasting financial difficulties,” Colapietro said.
The senator said the beefed-up law will serve to “crack down on identity theft and make it easier for victims to receive justice.”
The new law “broadens the legal definition of identity theft” and targets especially those who target residents over the age of 60.
The law allows the state also to seize money or property obtained through identity theft, placing it in a state Department of Consumer Protection fund to provide victims with restitution.
Experts say identity thieves acquire personal information through a variety of sources, often electronically.
To try to prevent electronic identity thief, the law creates a provision to penalize the unlawful possession of personal access devices such as card readers, scanners and personal identification numbers.
It also tries to prevent crooks from stealing information from employment forms by penalizing employers who don’t secure sensitive information properly.
The law makes it possible to prosecute identity thieves where their victims live instead of only where the crime was committed. It also requires courts to correct public records tainted by identity theft and extends the statute of limitations on the crime from two to three years.
Colapietro hailed the “broad bipartisan support” the measure supported.
“This law will go a long way toward preventing this kind of crime and helping its victims to recover from it,” the senator said.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Pushed by state Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, the legislature toughened the law on identity theft this year to broaden the definition of the crime and stiffen the penalties for those convicted.
Colapietro, who has represented the 31st District since 1992, said it’s an important change in the law that he is particularly glad to have played a role in such “a badly needed reform.”
“The statistics and the stories show that identity theft is a serious crime that can severely damage the reputation of its victims and cause long-lasting financial difficulties,” Colapietro said.
The senator said the beefed-up law will serve to “crack down on identity theft and make it easier for victims to receive justice.”
The new law “broadens the legal definition of identity theft” and targets especially those who target residents over the age of 60.
The law allows the state also to seize money or property obtained through identity theft, placing it in a state Department of Consumer Protection fund to provide victims with restitution.
Experts say identity thieves acquire personal information through a variety of sources, often electronically.
To try to prevent electronic identity thief, the law creates a provision to penalize the unlawful possession of personal access devices such as card readers, scanners and personal identification numbers.
It also tries to prevent crooks from stealing information from employment forms by penalizing employers who don’t secure sensitive information properly.
The law makes it possible to prosecute identity thieves where their victims live instead of only where the crime was committed. It also requires courts to correct public records tainted by identity theft and extends the statute of limitations on the crime from two to three years.
Colapietro hailed the “broad bipartisan support” the measure supported.
“This law will go a long way toward preventing this kind of crime and helping its victims to recover from it,” the senator said.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Courant sued for firing consumer columnist
Go get 'em, George. Here's the story, albeit from George Gombossy's perspective.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
City needs hospital task force, Alford says
Press release from Republican mayoral candidate Mary Alford:
Bristol Hospital Dodges a Bullet
Bristol Connecticut: Republican Candidate for Mayor Mary Alford today stated that, “Bristol’s largest employer, Bristol Hospital, has survived a challenge to its existence with the news that the UConn Hospital plan will not get legislative approval for funding”
“The $5 Million proposal, if approved, could have a serious impact on community health needs as well as employment in Bristol. While it is good news it is only a temporary situation. The bi-partisan approach by our State delegation had impact; the City, the Hospital must not rest.” Alford said.
A legislative effort is almost certain to be re-crafted for next year. Alford said,” A community task force needs to be established now; there is no time to waste. Hopefully this is in the works at City Hall”.
“Our strategy needs to create a head wind to proponents of the UConn plan, as they will likely be doing the same. A best defense is a strong offense; we need a plan and we need it now” Alford said.
“I would like to thank Representatives Hamzy and Nicastro and State Senator Colopietro along with Kurt Barwis, president of Bristol Hospital, for working together to save the center of our community health needs”, Alford added.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Bristol Hospital Dodges a Bullet
Bristol Connecticut: Republican Candidate for Mayor Mary Alford today stated that, “Bristol’s largest employer, Bristol Hospital, has survived a challenge to its existence with the news that the UConn Hospital plan will not get legislative approval for funding”
“The $5 Million proposal, if approved, could have a serious impact on community health needs as well as employment in Bristol. While it is good news it is only a temporary situation. The bi-partisan approach by our State delegation had impact; the City, the Hospital must not rest.” Alford said.
A legislative effort is almost certain to be re-crafted for next year. Alford said,” A community task force needs to be established now; there is no time to waste. Hopefully this is in the works at City Hall”.
“Our strategy needs to create a head wind to proponents of the UConn plan, as they will likely be doing the same. A best defense is a strong offense; we need a plan and we need it now” Alford said.
“I would like to thank Representatives Hamzy and Nicastro and State Senator Colopietro along with Kurt Barwis, president of Bristol Hospital, for working together to save the center of our community health needs”, Alford added.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 28, 2009
Former school likely to be razed
City leaders said Monday the only want to keep the former South Chippens School in order to knock it down.
There doesn’t appear to be much support for preserving the 1936 schoolhouse next door to the Hill Street firehouse.
On a tour of the building, city councilors and Board of Finance members said they don’t see much historical value and only want to keep the place so that it can be razed whenever the planned firehouse expansion takes place.
“I think there’s a need to retain the property,” Mayor Art Ward said. He said he wants it to be available for the fire department’s use.
When the new 900-student school is constructed down the street, Ward said, the expanded firehouse will be necessary.
City Councilor Ken Cockayne said he doesn’t want the city to spend money on upkeep if it’s going to tear the building down.
No formal decision on the building’s fate has been made, but officials gave little indication they see merit in preserving the 165 Hill St. structure.
John Smith, finance board member, said he was assistant superintendent when the school closed in 1973. At the time, it was used for special education, he said.
“Before that, it was a two-room schoolhouse,” Smith said, that opened in 1936 on a site used for schools since 1755.
“It’s not even 100 years old,” city Councilor Cliff Block said.
“The historical significance is out the window,” Ward said. “I don’t think we should put a lot of money in it.”
“We can use it for cold storage in the meantime,” Cockayne said.
Public Works Director Walter Veselka said it’s his job to take care of all the city’s building unless there’s a deliberate choice made not to maintain it.
City department heads said they are willing to do whatever the policy makers decide, including whether to pay about $6,000 annually to keep heating the structure a bit.
“I can’t ignore it. I just need a conscious decision. It can’t be a decision by no decision,” Veselka said.
“If I’m going to be responsible for it, I’m going to need a budget to go along with it,” Fire Chief Jon Pose said.
Pose said his department can get by without using it for storage. He said he could also share the space with other departments, if any are interested.
The upper floor of the old brick schoolhouse has a checkerboard tile floor, quite worn, and two large rooms separated by a small central office. Each of the larger rooms has a tiny office.
There are a few bathrooms that are still working.
The stairs are wooden, with a wooden banister. The basement may have been used as a gymnasium, with a fireplace on one end. An old slate chalkboard still hangs on the wall.
The plaster walls have some flaws and some paint is peeling on the basement walls.
There are many large windows throughout the building that appear to be original, giving it a light and airy feeling – at least on a nice autumn afternoon.
The structure has been vacant since the nonprofit CW Resources moved out a year and a half ago for new quarters on Broad Street. It had been paying $1 a year to use the building since 1974.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
There doesn’t appear to be much support for preserving the 1936 schoolhouse next door to the Hill Street firehouse.
On a tour of the building, city councilors and Board of Finance members said they don’t see much historical value and only want to keep the place so that it can be razed whenever the planned firehouse expansion takes place.
“I think there’s a need to retain the property,” Mayor Art Ward said. He said he wants it to be available for the fire department’s use.
When the new 900-student school is constructed down the street, Ward said, the expanded firehouse will be necessary.
City Councilor Ken Cockayne said he doesn’t want the city to spend money on upkeep if it’s going to tear the building down.
No formal decision on the building’s fate has been made, but officials gave little indication they see merit in preserving the 165 Hill St. structure.
John Smith, finance board member, said he was assistant superintendent when the school closed in 1973. At the time, it was used for special education, he said.
“Before that, it was a two-room schoolhouse,” Smith said, that opened in 1936 on a site used for schools since 1755.
“It’s not even 100 years old,” city Councilor Cliff Block said.
“The historical significance is out the window,” Ward said. “I don’t think we should put a lot of money in it.”
“We can use it for cold storage in the meantime,” Cockayne said.
Public Works Director Walter Veselka said it’s his job to take care of all the city’s building unless there’s a deliberate choice made not to maintain it.
City department heads said they are willing to do whatever the policy makers decide, including whether to pay about $6,000 annually to keep heating the structure a bit.
“I can’t ignore it. I just need a conscious decision. It can’t be a decision by no decision,” Veselka said.
“If I’m going to be responsible for it, I’m going to need a budget to go along with it,” Fire Chief Jon Pose said.
Pose said his department can get by without using it for storage. He said he could also share the space with other departments, if any are interested.
The upper floor of the old brick schoolhouse has a checkerboard tile floor, quite worn, and two large rooms separated by a small central office. Each of the larger rooms has a tiny office.
There are a few bathrooms that are still working.
The stairs are wooden, with a wooden banister. The basement may have been used as a gymnasium, with a fireplace on one end. An old slate chalkboard still hangs on the wall.
The plaster walls have some flaws and some paint is peeling on the basement walls.
There are many large windows throughout the building that appear to be original, giving it a light and airy feeling – at least on a nice autumn afternoon.
The structure has been vacant since the nonprofit CW Resources moved out a year and a half ago for new quarters on Broad Street. It had been paying $1 a year to use the building since 1974.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Usain Bolt somehow defeats ESPN workers in road run
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
World's fastest man races in Bristol
Usain Bolt is at ESPN. Follow the news on Twitter here.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 27, 2009
Lawton won't ask for donations
Independent mayoral candidate Gary Lawton issued this press release today:
While I realize that fund raising and donations to ones campaign is crucial, I believe that especially during these hard time I can not find it in me to ask for money to help in my campaign.
I have thought long and hard about this and just don't understand how I could ask someone to donate money to me, so I can spend it on advertising to let them know they should elect me , so that they can pay me. Once again maybe I am not understanding on how the political process goes but to me especially in these economic times people should keep their money for themselves, I personally just can't ask when others don't have to give to me
I would rather meet people and talk to them face to face, it is with that thought in mind that I hope to be able to have some meet the candidates and have our citizens ask me point blank the questions on their mind, such as how I plan to deal with the growing deficit, how to get downtown revitalized and how I think we should attract business to our city, but also as important I want ,like I said, before to hear their ideas because you never know when a good one will come along and I feel the entire city should be involved in the process of revitalization not only downtown but all of Bristol, cause we all have to work together to make it happen and I believe it can.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
While I realize that fund raising and donations to ones campaign is crucial, I believe that especially during these hard time I can not find it in me to ask for money to help in my campaign.
I have thought long and hard about this and just don't understand how I could ask someone to donate money to me, so I can spend it on advertising to let them know they should elect me , so that they can pay me. Once again maybe I am not understanding on how the political process goes but to me especially in these economic times people should keep their money for themselves, I personally just can't ask when others don't have to give to me
I would rather meet people and talk to them face to face, it is with that thought in mind that I hope to be able to have some meet the candidates and have our citizens ask me point blank the questions on their mind, such as how I plan to deal with the growing deficit, how to get downtown revitalized and how I think we should attract business to our city, but also as important I want ,like I said, before to hear their ideas because you never know when a good one will come along and I feel the entire city should be involved in the process of revitalization not only downtown but all of Bristol, cause we all have to work together to make it happen and I believe it can.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
So what was the parade like today?
I wasn't there -- afraid of melting in the rain, you know -- but I'm interested.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Come rain or come shine
The Mum Parade is on for today. It's gonna be a wet one.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 26, 2009
Eyeing the German election in The Tattoo
Youth Journalism Internatkional senior reporter Katie Grosser lets the world know what young voters in Germany are thinking as the country heads to the polls to elect a new parliament and perhaps a new government, too. Read all about it here.
For those who don't know, The Tattoo is an online newspaper featuring the work of young writers in more than 20 countries and most U.S. states, including many in our home state of Connecticut. It's in its 16th year and won many, many awards for some stellar work.
You can follow it online at http://www.readthetattoo.com/ and http://www.youthjournalism.org/, along with social media sites. It's at www.facebook.com/youthjournalism and on Twitter @yjinternational.
The whole thing is run by yours truly and my wife, reporter Jackie Majerus, on a volunteer basis. We refuse to give up on journalism. It has a future!
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
For those who don't know, The Tattoo is an online newspaper featuring the work of young writers in more than 20 countries and most U.S. states, including many in our home state of Connecticut. It's in its 16th year and won many, many awards for some stellar work.
You can follow it online at http://www.readthetattoo.com/ and http://www.youthjournalism.org/, along with social media sites. It's at www.facebook.com/youthjournalism and on Twitter @yjinternational.
The whole thing is run by yours truly and my wife, reporter Jackie Majerus, on a volunteer basis. We refuse to give up on journalism. It has a future!
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 25, 2009
Bristol company gets state cash, owes city back taxes
A Bristol manufacturer that received more than $1.1 million in state-backed loans this week owes nearly $40,000 in unpaid taxes to the city.
BW Manufacturing Co. owes $38,410 in personal property taxes stretching back more than two years and another $791 in motor vehicle taxes, according to the city tax collector’s office.
Gary Weed, president of the company, said Friday it had fallen behind on taxes but arranged a payment schedule with the city to catch up. He said the firm has kept up with the terms of the deal.
The Connecticut Development Authority approved a loan and a loan guarantee this week, both in participation with People’s United Bank, in order to help the Bristol company expand into the medical devices field.
State Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, said Friday the state shouldn’t be handing out money to tax delinquents.
He said he would have told the firm, “Pay your taxes and then we’ll give you some money.”
“I don’t have sympathies for companies that owe money and then ask for more,” the senator said.
But Weed said the money will allow BW Manufacturing to get some new equipment and to grow significantly in the years ahead. He said a new account has the potential to “really take off” and as a result “lots of good things” are coming for both the company and the city.
Weed said the “last few years have been a challenge,” but his company has always emerged with new customers when it had to find them and has managed to do it again.
In announcing the CDA’s decision, Gov. Jodi Rell called BW Manufacturing “a great example of Connecticut’s small and nimble manufacturing base” and “the type of company we will continue supporting, because these small manufacturers are the engines that drive our economy.”
“You would think she would do her homework,” Colapietro said.
It isn’t clear if the state knew about the back taxes the company owed to Bristol. Rell’s office did not answer questions about it by late Friday.
The guaranteed loan application form required by the CDA includes a section where businesses seeking the agency’s help must disclose any back taxes they owe to the federal, state or local government.
Colapietro said he learned long ago that if somebody owed him $20 he shouldn’t loan the guy more.
Weed said the company is on the right path and “looking forward to some real good growth” that will mean more jobs in Bristol.
He said that People’s United Bank has “done an outstanding job” helping the company along, which he said is especially noteworthy at a time when so many banks have failed to do right for their customers and communities.
BW Manufacturing is a precision machining and metal fabrication shop that began primarily as a manufacturer of high tolerance and specialty metal products for the aircraft and automotive industries.It is expanding into the medical devices sector with stainless steel and titanium surgical tools and medical instrument components.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
BW Manufacturing Co. owes $38,410 in personal property taxes stretching back more than two years and another $791 in motor vehicle taxes, according to the city tax collector’s office.
Gary Weed, president of the company, said Friday it had fallen behind on taxes but arranged a payment schedule with the city to catch up. He said the firm has kept up with the terms of the deal.
The Connecticut Development Authority approved a loan and a loan guarantee this week, both in participation with People’s United Bank, in order to help the Bristol company expand into the medical devices field.
State Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, said Friday the state shouldn’t be handing out money to tax delinquents.
He said he would have told the firm, “Pay your taxes and then we’ll give you some money.”
“I don’t have sympathies for companies that owe money and then ask for more,” the senator said.
But Weed said the money will allow BW Manufacturing to get some new equipment and to grow significantly in the years ahead. He said a new account has the potential to “really take off” and as a result “lots of good things” are coming for both the company and the city.
Weed said the “last few years have been a challenge,” but his company has always emerged with new customers when it had to find them and has managed to do it again.
In announcing the CDA’s decision, Gov. Jodi Rell called BW Manufacturing “a great example of Connecticut’s small and nimble manufacturing base” and “the type of company we will continue supporting, because these small manufacturers are the engines that drive our economy.”
“You would think she would do her homework,” Colapietro said.
It isn’t clear if the state knew about the back taxes the company owed to Bristol. Rell’s office did not answer questions about it by late Friday.
The guaranteed loan application form required by the CDA includes a section where businesses seeking the agency’s help must disclose any back taxes they owe to the federal, state or local government.
Colapietro said he learned long ago that if somebody owed him $20 he shouldn’t loan the guy more.
Weed said the company is on the right path and “looking forward to some real good growth” that will mean more jobs in Bristol.
He said that People’s United Bank has “done an outstanding job” helping the company along, which he said is especially noteworthy at a time when so many banks have failed to do right for their customers and communities.
BW Manufacturing is a precision machining and metal fabrication shop that began primarily as a manufacturer of high tolerance and specialty metal products for the aircraft and automotive industries.It is expanding into the medical devices sector with stainless steel and titanium surgical tools and medical instrument components.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
City leaders hail lawmakers' decision to bury UConn hospital plan
City leaders cheered the demise of a plan Friday that would have erected a new hospital in Farmington that might have undercut Bristol Hospital.
The proposed $500 million replacement for the University of Connecticut’s John Dempsey Hospital "would have clobbered Bristol Hospital," said state Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat.
“The last thing Bristol needs is to lose its hospital,” said state Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat.
Critics of the joint plan by UConn and Hartford Hospital said a new hospital would be too expensive and would likely draw some patients away from Bristol.
Bristol Hospital President Kurt Barwis said, “My concern is the direct impact on Bristol.”
Colapietro said that in a Democratic caucus Thursday "probably 85 percent" of the lawmakers said they opposed spending even $5 million on the project.
"It's dead," Colapietro said.
Barwis said that while the plan is dead for this year, it could always return.
“I don’t think that this is going to go away,” Barwis said.
State Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose district includes northwestern Bristol, said he’s pleased the plan died.
But, he said, “we can’t maintain the status quo over at UConn. We have to come up with a plan that’s mutually beneficial to the other hospitals in the area.”
“It’s almost like this plan had to fail in order to get people focused on a better plan. So we just go from there,” Hamzy said.
Hamzy said it’s important now to “switch gears and come up with a plan” that works for everyone.
“We have to do it,” Hamzy said. “It’s not going to be easy.”
Nicastro said the wide opposition in the Senate doomed this year’s plan. He said many legislators come from areas served by community hospitals and they were concerned about the impact statewide.
“It was way too much money,” Nicastro said. “This is just not the time to even consider that.”
Colapietro said the decision will surely shock the university's backers.
"They are used to running roughshod over the legislature," Colapietro said. "But now we have a new generation" that's more skeptical of its big money requests, he said.
“We don’t have that kind of money. We’re fighting to stay afloat,” Nicastro said.
Barwis said there hasn’t been a serious look at the cost of the proposal on health care or on community hospitals in the region.
He said that Bristol’s legislators really came through.
“I can’t say enough about our local delegation. Sen. Colapietro and all of our local delegation have been absolutely phenomenal,” Barwis said.
Colapietro “stayed solid with us” and helped ensure the demise of the UConn hospital plan, Barwis said.
Nicastro said that promoters of the project sealed its fate because the way they pushed it “was wrong” and counterproductive.
Barwis said he agrees the medical school needs more support and expressed the hope that a new hospital could be built in Hartford instead, a city that needs a jolt of development.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
The proposed $500 million replacement for the University of Connecticut’s John Dempsey Hospital "would have clobbered Bristol Hospital," said state Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat.
“The last thing Bristol needs is to lose its hospital,” said state Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat.
Critics of the joint plan by UConn and Hartford Hospital said a new hospital would be too expensive and would likely draw some patients away from Bristol.
Bristol Hospital President Kurt Barwis said, “My concern is the direct impact on Bristol.”
Colapietro said that in a Democratic caucus Thursday "probably 85 percent" of the lawmakers said they opposed spending even $5 million on the project.
"It's dead," Colapietro said.
Barwis said that while the plan is dead for this year, it could always return.
“I don’t think that this is going to go away,” Barwis said.
State Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose district includes northwestern Bristol, said he’s pleased the plan died.
But, he said, “we can’t maintain the status quo over at UConn. We have to come up with a plan that’s mutually beneficial to the other hospitals in the area.”
“It’s almost like this plan had to fail in order to get people focused on a better plan. So we just go from there,” Hamzy said.
Hamzy said it’s important now to “switch gears and come up with a plan” that works for everyone.
“We have to do it,” Hamzy said. “It’s not going to be easy.”
Nicastro said the wide opposition in the Senate doomed this year’s plan. He said many legislators come from areas served by community hospitals and they were concerned about the impact statewide.
“It was way too much money,” Nicastro said. “This is just not the time to even consider that.”
Colapietro said the decision will surely shock the university's backers.
"They are used to running roughshod over the legislature," Colapietro said. "But now we have a new generation" that's more skeptical of its big money requests, he said.
“We don’t have that kind of money. We’re fighting to stay afloat,” Nicastro said.
Barwis said there hasn’t been a serious look at the cost of the proposal on health care or on community hospitals in the region.
He said that Bristol’s legislators really came through.
“I can’t say enough about our local delegation. Sen. Colapietro and all of our local delegation have been absolutely phenomenal,” Barwis said.
Colapietro “stayed solid with us” and helped ensure the demise of the UConn hospital plan, Barwis said.
Nicastro said that promoters of the project sealed its fate because the way they pushed it “was wrong” and counterproductive.
Barwis said he agrees the medical school needs more support and expressed the hope that a new hospital could be built in Hartford instead, a city that needs a jolt of development.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
UConn hospital plan "dead"
A proposed new hospital for the University of Connecticut in Farmington is dead, at least for this year.
That's great news for Bristol, said state Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
That's great news for Bristol, said state Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat.
"It would have clobbered Bristol Hospital," the senator said, by pulling away patients who might have gone to Bristol instead.
UConn hoped to snag $40 million or more to begin designing a replacement for the John Dempse Hospital in collaboration with Hartford Hospital.
But the plan couldn't attract enough support to move ahead.
Colapietro said that in a Democratic caucus Thursday, "probably 85 percent" of the lawmakers said they opposed spending even $5 million on the project.
"It's dead," Colapietro said.
He said the decsion will surely shock the university's backers.
"They are used to running roughshod over the legislature," Colapietro said. "But now we have a new generation" that's more skeptical of its big money requests, he said.
Colapietro called it "terrific" that Bristol Hospital won't get cut out by a costly new state plan.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 24, 2009
New probate district for Bristol
Tossing out Connecticut’s creaky and inefficient probate system means changes for some local probate courts, including the one in Bristol.
“Bristol would be merging with the Plainville and Plymouth probate courts,” said Bristol Probate Judge Andre Dorval.
The General Assembly overwhelmingly approved an overhaul of the probate court system this week that would shrink the number of courts from 117 to 54 across Connecticut. Gov. Jodi Rell has strongly endorsed the change.
The shift will take place in 2011, with judges elected for the new court districts next fall.
Dorval, who plans to seek election, said there is a natural connection between Bristol, Plainville and Plymouth so the new boundaries “make a great deal of common sense.”
The Probate Redistricting Commission considered adding Plainville to the district that includes Farmington and Burlington, but ultimately tabled the idea.
State Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat, said that "Bristol would be the hub" of the new district that includes Plainville.
The state decided to consolidate probate courts in order to increase the likelihood that quality judges would handle cases rather than small town politicians who may not have much idea what they are doing.
Dorval said last spring he would likely stop practicing law on the side if the probate district grew larger and devote himself solely to the probate court. He’s been Bristol’s judge for 15 years, earning high marks for his handling of sometimes difficult cases.
The state aims to minimize the number of satellite courts, but Dorval said he would like to leave Plainville’s probate court facility open” in addition to the court in Bristol. Plymouth would lose its court.
Dorval said the bigger district will be “a little bit more difficult for me personally” because he’s less familiar with the two neighboring towns than he is with Bristol. But, he said, he’ll work over the next year to get to know the other towns better.
The probate court traditionally handled mostly estates, but they have some to spend as much time on family issues that include adoptions, commitments, conservatorships, paternity questions and other tough issues.
New probate districts in Central Connecticut
Bristol-Plainville-Plymouth
Burlington-Farmington
New Britain-Berlin
Southington-Cheshire
Newington-Wethersfield-Rocky Hill
West Hartford
Wolcott-Waterbury
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
“Bristol would be merging with the Plainville and Plymouth probate courts,” said Bristol Probate Judge Andre Dorval.
The General Assembly overwhelmingly approved an overhaul of the probate court system this week that would shrink the number of courts from 117 to 54 across Connecticut. Gov. Jodi Rell has strongly endorsed the change.
The shift will take place in 2011, with judges elected for the new court districts next fall.
Dorval, who plans to seek election, said there is a natural connection between Bristol, Plainville and Plymouth so the new boundaries “make a great deal of common sense.”
The Probate Redistricting Commission considered adding Plainville to the district that includes Farmington and Burlington, but ultimately tabled the idea.
State Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat, said that "Bristol would be the hub" of the new district that includes Plainville.
The state decided to consolidate probate courts in order to increase the likelihood that quality judges would handle cases rather than small town politicians who may not have much idea what they are doing.
Dorval said last spring he would likely stop practicing law on the side if the probate district grew larger and devote himself solely to the probate court. He’s been Bristol’s judge for 15 years, earning high marks for his handling of sometimes difficult cases.
The state aims to minimize the number of satellite courts, but Dorval said he would like to leave Plainville’s probate court facility open” in addition to the court in Bristol. Plymouth would lose its court.
Dorval said the bigger district will be “a little bit more difficult for me personally” because he’s less familiar with the two neighboring towns than he is with Bristol. But, he said, he’ll work over the next year to get to know the other towns better.
The probate court traditionally handled mostly estates, but they have some to spend as much time on family issues that include adoptions, commitments, conservatorships, paternity questions and other tough issues.
New probate districts in Central Connecticut
Bristol-Plainville-Plymouth
Burlington-Farmington
New Britain-Berlin
Southington-Cheshire
Newington-Wethersfield-Rocky Hill
West Hartford
Wolcott-Waterbury
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Alford: Mayor needs to reach out to Lysiak
Press release from Republican mayoral hopeful Mary Alford:
Alford Talks About Homeless Shelter
(Bristol) Mary Alford, the Republican candidate for Mayor, today weighed in on the situation regarding St. Vincent DePaul Homeless Shelter and the Executive Director’s refusal to meet with the Mayor.
“This situation poses two problems,” Alford said, “First, no one in our community should be sleeping on the streets, especially in an area that we have been trying to revitalize and secondly, the Mayor has every right to know what the policies of the homeless shelter are.”
During this campaign, Alford has been campaigning on the need for a new style of management at City Hall. “You cannot continue to elect the same people and expect different results,” Alford said. While she agrees with the Mayor that he should be made aware of the policies of the homeless shelter and any claims of abuse of those policies, where Alford differs with the Mayor is his approach to the situation. “As Mayor, I would not have my secretary send an email requesting a meeting,” Alford added, “I would either pick up the phone myself to speak with Mr. Lysiak or I would call and tell him I’m on my way to see him.”
Alford also took issue with the comments made by the Executive Director of St. Vincent DePaul. “As recipients of CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) money administered by the Bristol Development Authority of which the Mayor is Chairman, Mr. Lysiak should remember that Federal monies administered by the City of Bristol fund his shelter and the Mayor has a duty to ensure that these monies and the programs they pay for are in compliance,” Alford added, “I’m sure Mr. Lysiak would not be pleased if he requested a meeting to obtain additional funding, and the Mayor’s Office refused to meet with him to discuss it.
“Unfortunately in this situation the public has only received one side of the story and I realize that there are always two.” Alford concluded, “The Mayor is well within his purview to be made aware of all the facts in this situation.
Alford is hopeful that all parties will meet and clear the air sooner rather than later.
*******Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Bristol company gets state aid
A Bristol manufacturer will receive $1.1 million in state-backed loans to purchase new equipment as it expands into the medical devices field.
The 48-year-old BW Manufacturing Co. got approval for the assistance this week from the Connecticut Development Authority.
It expects to increase its 43-employee staff to 60 during the next two years, according to a press release from Gov. Jodi Rell’s office.
BW Manufacturing, located in the city’s 229 Technology Park, has not requested any aid from City Hall, said Jonathan Rosenthal, the city’s economic development director.
Rell is quoted in the press release as calling the company “a great example of Connecticut’s small and nimble manufacturing base.”
"We are investing in small businesses like BW to help them diversify their products and stay ahead of the market,” she said. “This is the type of company we will continue supporting, because these small manufacturers are the engines that drive our economy."
BW Manufacturing, which hasn't yet returned a phone call, is a precision machining and metal fabrication shop with facilities in Bristol and Puerto Rico.
BW began primarily as a manufacturer of high tolerance and specialty metal products for the aircraft and automotive industries.
But it is expanding into the medical devices sector with stainless steel and titanium surgical tools and medical instrument components.
According to the governor’s office, BW will use the new financing for working capital and” to purchase new machinery and equipment that will allow the company to meet a recent increase in sales orders.”
The Connecticut Development Authority (CDA) Board of Directors approved the funds Wednesday. The assistance includes a loan and a loan guarantee, both in participation with People’s United Bank.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
The 48-year-old BW Manufacturing Co. got approval for the assistance this week from the Connecticut Development Authority.
It expects to increase its 43-employee staff to 60 during the next two years, according to a press release from Gov. Jodi Rell’s office.
BW Manufacturing, located in the city’s 229 Technology Park, has not requested any aid from City Hall, said Jonathan Rosenthal, the city’s economic development director.
Rell is quoted in the press release as calling the company “a great example of Connecticut’s small and nimble manufacturing base.”
"We are investing in small businesses like BW to help them diversify their products and stay ahead of the market,” she said. “This is the type of company we will continue supporting, because these small manufacturers are the engines that drive our economy."
BW Manufacturing, which hasn't yet returned a phone call, is a precision machining and metal fabrication shop with facilities in Bristol and Puerto Rico.
BW began primarily as a manufacturer of high tolerance and specialty metal products for the aircraft and automotive industries.
But it is expanding into the medical devices sector with stainless steel and titanium surgical tools and medical instrument components.
According to the governor’s office, BW will use the new financing for working capital and” to purchase new machinery and equipment that will allow the company to meet a recent increase in sales orders.”
The Connecticut Development Authority (CDA) Board of Directors approved the funds Wednesday. The assistance includes a loan and a loan guarantee, both in participation with People’s United Bank.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Mayor told to butt out
Here's the email exchange mentioned by reporter Jackie Majerus in this story about the homeless shelter:
>>> On 9/23/2009 at 1:28 PM, in message <E30BF2140A404B40A2DD8566C4978206@PhilPC>, "Phillip Lysiak" <edsvdp@comcast.net> wrote:
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
>>> On 9/23/2009 at 1:28 PM, in message <
| Hi Mary, Please inform any SVDP Homeless Client of the following: 1. The Mayor’s Office does not become involved with the shelter policies and procedures. It is a private non-profit charity and has it’s own complaint process. 2. There is a posted complaint process at the shelter. Please use this process to communicate with the shelter supervisor. A written note may be given to the shelter supervisor at any time. 3. Even though there is a complaint process at the shelter, the Mayor’s Office will e-mail ( ssssvdp@comcast.net ) your name to the shelter supervisor, Wayne Hennessey, so that he will be alerted to your note. Phillip J. Lysiak Executive Director St. Vincent Depaul Mission of Bristol, Inc. (860)589-9098
From: Mayor's Office [mailto:MayorsOffice@ci.
Good afternoon, Phil.
Over the last two weeks, I have had three people, residents of the shelter, come into the Mayor's office with complaints on how they are being treated. There was one woman, and two gentlemen. They wanted to see the Mayor in regards to their situation. The Mayor would like you to meet with them and hear their complaints to see if there can be some understanding of what is expected of the residents and what is expected of the staff.
These people have all said that they feel as if they are criminals, not just people who are down on their luck. The two gentlemen that have asked to meet with you or Mr. Hennesey are David and Carlos. They say they are continually blocked by the monitors from having any kind of conversation with either of you.
Please let the Mayor's office know how this can be resolved.
Thank you.
Mary Suchopar Executive Assistant Office of the Mayor |
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Bristol's probate court to grow
The state House last night backed an overhaul the probate court system that would shrink the numbers of courts from 117 to 54 across Connecticut.
Instead of having its own court, Bristol would be combined with neighboring Plainville and Plymouth.
"Bristol would be the hub," said state Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat who joined the overwhelming majority to approve the measure.
Nicastro said the city's entire delegation favored the proposal. He said he was pleased with the outcome.
Probate Court Judge Andre Dorval has been working for months to ensure that Bristol wouldn't wind up with the short stick as the reform moved forward.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Instead of having its own court, Bristol would be combined with neighboring Plainville and Plymouth.
"Bristol would be the hub," said state Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat who joined the overwhelming majority to approve the measure.
Nicastro said the city's entire delegation favored the proposal. He said he was pleased with the outcome.
Probate Court Judge Andre Dorval has been working for months to ensure that Bristol wouldn't wind up with the short stick as the reform moved forward.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 23, 2009
Mayoral debate on October 15
The Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the first, and perhaps only, mayoral debate.
It will be held at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15 at Nuchies.
All three candidates -- incumbent Democrat Art Ward, Republican Mary Alford and independnet Gary Lawton -- are expected to attend.
Check with the chamber for more information.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
It will be held at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15 at Nuchies.
All three candidates -- incumbent Democrat Art Ward, Republican Mary Alford and independnet Gary Lawton -- are expected to attend.
Check with the chamber for more information.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Candidates hail ESPN's help for boys club
The agreement by ESPN to help build a new Bristol Boys and Girls Club on West Street was hailed by several municipal candidates this week.
Republican mayoral contender Mary Alford called the project “the best way to develop a community.”
“Whenever a large corporate entity like ESPN, who is our city’s largest taxpayer, can partner with a community-based organization like the Boys and Girls Club it becomes a win-win for all, especially for our kids,” Alford said.
Derek Czenczelewski, a 3rd District GOP City Council candidate, said, “This contribution, along with the hours of volunteer work ESPN provides proves that ESPN is committed not only to Bristol, but the youth around the entire region and country for that matter.”
Mayor Art Ward, a first-term Democrat seeking reelection on November 3, said this week’s announcement by ESPN “is the greatest thing that’s happened” during his two years in office.
Ward said the new building will offer “a great start” to plans for improvements in the struggling West End.
He said he’s sure the city itself will wind up offering some help, too.
“This opportunity is facilitated by the city and the state and is the best way to move community projects like this forward instead of relying on things like a government stimulus, “ Alford said.
All three candidates had kind words for the club, which has been searching for a way to move out of its increasingly antiquated Laurel Street headquarters for years.
Czenczelewski said the club “is a great organization that has helped shape the lives of countless individuals today. Having experienced the Boys and Girls Club both as a member and a volunteer in Hartford, I can attest to the positive attitudes and values that make up the club.”
He said the willingness of the club and ESPN to help youth in the community is longstanding.
The candidates each said the change offers hope for more downtown revitalization.
“A new Boys and Girls Club will help further jumpstart our downtown redevelopment initiative, as it will give the youth of Bristol more structured activities to partake in outside of school, a top-notch facility in which to do so, and will give parents the peace of mind that their children are in a safe and positive environment outside of school and the home. All parties involved in this are winning, which is very nice to see,” Czenczelewski said.
Alford said the new building will free up space “for future enhancements” downtown and build support for a project on the city-owned Depot Square, where the mall once stood.
“The space on Laurel Street offers many options for developers to incorporate into the overall project” Alford said.
Czenczelewski concluded that, “Retail, housing and office space are essential in downtown. The young professionals that continue to leave Bristol, and the estimated $100 million spent yearly by Bristol residents outside city borders can be kept here in Bristol. I plan on working with all involved parties to ensure that downtown is a success, and that includes ESPN.”
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Republican mayoral contender Mary Alford called the project “the best way to develop a community.”
“Whenever a large corporate entity like ESPN, who is our city’s largest taxpayer, can partner with a community-based organization like the Boys and Girls Club it becomes a win-win for all, especially for our kids,” Alford said.
Derek Czenczelewski, a 3rd District GOP City Council candidate, said, “This contribution, along with the hours of volunteer work ESPN provides proves that ESPN is committed not only to Bristol, but the youth around the entire region and country for that matter.”
Mayor Art Ward, a first-term Democrat seeking reelection on November 3, said this week’s announcement by ESPN “is the greatest thing that’s happened” during his two years in office.
Ward said the new building will offer “a great start” to plans for improvements in the struggling West End.
He said he’s sure the city itself will wind up offering some help, too.
“This opportunity is facilitated by the city and the state and is the best way to move community projects like this forward instead of relying on things like a government stimulus, “ Alford said.
All three candidates had kind words for the club, which has been searching for a way to move out of its increasingly antiquated Laurel Street headquarters for years.
Czenczelewski said the club “is a great organization that has helped shape the lives of countless individuals today. Having experienced the Boys and Girls Club both as a member and a volunteer in Hartford, I can attest to the positive attitudes and values that make up the club.”
He said the willingness of the club and ESPN to help youth in the community is longstanding.
The candidates each said the change offers hope for more downtown revitalization.
“A new Boys and Girls Club will help further jumpstart our downtown redevelopment initiative, as it will give the youth of Bristol more structured activities to partake in outside of school, a top-notch facility in which to do so, and will give parents the peace of mind that their children are in a safe and positive environment outside of school and the home. All parties involved in this are winning, which is very nice to see,” Czenczelewski said.
Alford said the new building will free up space “for future enhancements” downtown and build support for a project on the city-owned Depot Square, where the mall once stood.
“The space on Laurel Street offers many options for developers to incorporate into the overall project” Alford said.
Czenczelewski concluded that, “Retail, housing and office space are essential in downtown. The young professionals that continue to leave Bristol, and the estimated $100 million spent yearly by Bristol residents outside city borders can be kept here in Bristol. I plan on working with all involved parties to ensure that downtown is a success, and that includes ESPN.”
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Czenczelewski urges more biz-friendly policies
Press release from Derek Czenczelewski, Republican City Council candidate in the 3rd District:
On Monday, Pratt and Whitney announced the closing of both the East Hartford and Cheshire operations, impacting a number of employees and their families. 79 of those employees call Bristol home, and I would like to take this opportunity to send them my sympathy. I understand the difficulties that come from being laid-off, and the harsh reality that these employees will be joining the millions of other American citizens who have lost their jobs recently.
We continue to hear our politicians apologize and claim how “they are working hard for the workers,” but we have yet to see this come to fruition. We hear the claims of our economy “rebounding,” but try telling that to the workers just laid-off by Pratt and Whitney. Congressman Larson stated, “It is disappointing that at the end of the day, the interests of shareholders, and not the years of hard work and sacrifice by these employees, motivated the company’s final decision.” While I agree, I think the bigger tragedy here is that our state continues to make doing business here in Connecticut tougher than it needs to be, and continues to force Connecticut business owners to make these decisions.
Unfortunately, a business’s success is measured in dollars and cents, not employees’ personal feelings. Our state government has offered plenty of sympathy and encouraging words of recovery and change, yet all we have to show for it is a change in our wallets. Bristol is not alone in our budget woes, as these can be seen in every town, city and village in the state. Even Connecticut is far from alone, as every state in the United States is suffering from the poor economy. But we have an opportunity to change the way we handle business in Connecticut, and Bristol for that matter. We need to be offering more in the way of tax credits, incentives and subsidies to attract more jobs to the area. We have an opportunity to be the one state in the region, perhaps in the entire country, to be offering these incentives to lure business, rather than increased taxes that stifle industry. Certainly if our state can’t get that message, I plan to ensure that Bristol does.
The idea is simple: Increase your tax base to preserve or reduce your tax rates. We have the opportunity to lure jobs to Bristol, but we need to get our officials onboard with this. I don’t have a political record to fall back on, as I haven’t been in politics my whole life. While I haven’t been in politics, I have been in school, learning how to make my community better. I’ve also been working in the private sector, and experiencing the effects of a tough economy, just like each and every one of you. I learned how to be business-minded and the fundamentals that will get us back on the right path. So while I can’t promise that if I’m elected our State or Federal officials will change, I can promise that we here in Bristol certainly will.
Derek Czenczelewski
3rd District City Council Candidate
www.dcforcouncil.com
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
On Monday, Pratt and Whitney announced the closing of both the East Hartford and Cheshire operations, impacting a number of employees and their families. 79 of those employees call Bristol home, and I would like to take this opportunity to send them my sympathy. I understand the difficulties that come from being laid-off, and the harsh reality that these employees will be joining the millions of other American citizens who have lost their jobs recently.
We continue to hear our politicians apologize and claim how “they are working hard for the workers,” but we have yet to see this come to fruition. We hear the claims of our economy “rebounding,” but try telling that to the workers just laid-off by Pratt and Whitney. Congressman Larson stated, “It is disappointing that at the end of the day, the interests of shareholders, and not the years of hard work and sacrifice by these employees, motivated the company’s final decision.” While I agree, I think the bigger tragedy here is that our state continues to make doing business here in Connecticut tougher than it needs to be, and continues to force Connecticut business owners to make these decisions.
Unfortunately, a business’s success is measured in dollars and cents, not employees’ personal feelings. Our state government has offered plenty of sympathy and encouraging words of recovery and change, yet all we have to show for it is a change in our wallets. Bristol is not alone in our budget woes, as these can be seen in every town, city and village in the state. Even Connecticut is far from alone, as every state in the United States is suffering from the poor economy. But we have an opportunity to change the way we handle business in Connecticut, and Bristol for that matter. We need to be offering more in the way of tax credits, incentives and subsidies to attract more jobs to the area. We have an opportunity to be the one state in the region, perhaps in the entire country, to be offering these incentives to lure business, rather than increased taxes that stifle industry. Certainly if our state can’t get that message, I plan to ensure that Bristol does.
The idea is simple: Increase your tax base to preserve or reduce your tax rates. We have the opportunity to lure jobs to Bristol, but we need to get our officials onboard with this. I don’t have a political record to fall back on, as I haven’t been in politics my whole life. While I haven’t been in politics, I have been in school, learning how to make my community better. I’ve also been working in the private sector, and experiencing the effects of a tough economy, just like each and every one of you. I learned how to be business-minded and the fundamentals that will get us back on the right path. So while I can’t promise that if I’m elected our State or Federal officials will change, I can promise that we here in Bristol certainly will.
Derek Czenczelewski
3rd District City Council Candidate
www.dcforcouncil.com
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
No delay on box factory cleanup, city says
City leaders said Wednesday they’re not putting off the cleanup of a polluted parcel downtown.
The federal stimulus cash that City Hall plans to tap to help clean up a contaminated former box factory site downtown doesn’t require the work to be done for nearly three more years.
But city officials said Wednesday they expect to be finished long before the deadline.
By springtime, the city should be able to begin to do “the dig and haul” that would remove most of the polluted soil on the School Street parcel, according to Robyn Bugbee, the city’s grants administrator.
Bugbee said that neither the city nor the Environmental Protection Agency has any desire “to sit around” and wait to get the work done.
To meet the federal guidelines governing a $345,000 brownfields grant is that the remediation of the polluted site has to be completed by August 2012.
That doesn’t mean that a proposed municipal parking lot on the site will be finished, however. The lot requires additional funding. There is no set timetable to complete it, officials said.
The Board of Finance backed the project this week on a 7-2 vote – with only Roald Erling and Mark Peterson voting against it – despite some misgivings about the way the economy is heading.
The city aims next to solicit proposals from engineering firms that are capable of overseeing the entire remediation process so that a single licensed environmental professional can handle the entire job, Bugbee said.
By March, she said, the city will have used stimulus cash to hire a firm, conduct activities to involve the community, enroll in a voluntary state remediation program and secure EPA and state Department of Environmental Protection approvals to start the work itself.
The federal government rules require each of those steps be done by next August, she said, a year after the city formally received its grant money. It got official notice only on August 22, months after it heard informally at a press conference held by the EPA on the site.
City officials plan to spend the federal stimulus cash first, then dip into the $268,000 in municipal matching funds required to complete the job that fiscal overseers approved.
The 50 to 75-space parking lot will take extra money that’s not allocated yet.
The remediation effort, though, will involve at least some pavement.
Public Works Director Walter Veselka said that some areas of the site will need to be capped with asphalt to prevent water from reaching the ground beneath, where it could perhaps carry contaminants into the stream that runs through the property.
It’s possible that most of the site will wind up with a layer of pavement, officials said, even before a parking lot is built. It would serve only as a sub-layer for the eventual parking lot, however.
Bugbee said it’s important to get the cleanup underway as early as possible in case the city finds something unexpected when it starts digging out polluted soil.
An early start, she said, ensures there is plenty of time to cope with any unanticipated problems without worrying about the three-year deadline to use the stimulus cash.
The box factory site has been the subject of a number of environmental studies over the past decade that have generally laid out what’s in the ground that needs to be removed.
Bugbee said that “the dirty dirt” there will be scooped out and hauled away in keeping with environmental protocol.
Other sections of the lot will be paved, Veselka said.
The factory itself burned in a spectacular fire about 12 years ago. The city wound up taking the property for back taxes a year later and razing what was left of the buildings on it.
Ultimately, the area is expected to provide parking for the neighboring Board of Education, the Imagine Nation museum across the street and nearby businesses, including Mafale’s Plaza.
Bugbee said some bus parking will be included to help the museum
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
The federal stimulus cash that City Hall plans to tap to help clean up a contaminated former box factory site downtown doesn’t require the work to be done for nearly three more years.
But city officials said Wednesday they expect to be finished long before the deadline.
By springtime, the city should be able to begin to do “the dig and haul” that would remove most of the polluted soil on the School Street parcel, according to Robyn Bugbee, the city’s grants administrator.
Bugbee said that neither the city nor the Environmental Protection Agency has any desire “to sit around” and wait to get the work done.
To meet the federal guidelines governing a $345,000 brownfields grant is that the remediation of the polluted site has to be completed by August 2012.
That doesn’t mean that a proposed municipal parking lot on the site will be finished, however. The lot requires additional funding. There is no set timetable to complete it, officials said.
The Board of Finance backed the project this week on a 7-2 vote – with only Roald Erling and Mark Peterson voting against it – despite some misgivings about the way the economy is heading.
The city aims next to solicit proposals from engineering firms that are capable of overseeing the entire remediation process so that a single licensed environmental professional can handle the entire job, Bugbee said.
By March, she said, the city will have used stimulus cash to hire a firm, conduct activities to involve the community, enroll in a voluntary state remediation program and secure EPA and state Department of Environmental Protection approvals to start the work itself.
The federal government rules require each of those steps be done by next August, she said, a year after the city formally received its grant money. It got official notice only on August 22, months after it heard informally at a press conference held by the EPA on the site.
City officials plan to spend the federal stimulus cash first, then dip into the $268,000 in municipal matching funds required to complete the job that fiscal overseers approved.
The 50 to 75-space parking lot will take extra money that’s not allocated yet.
The remediation effort, though, will involve at least some pavement.
Public Works Director Walter Veselka said that some areas of the site will need to be capped with asphalt to prevent water from reaching the ground beneath, where it could perhaps carry contaminants into the stream that runs through the property.
It’s possible that most of the site will wind up with a layer of pavement, officials said, even before a parking lot is built. It would serve only as a sub-layer for the eventual parking lot, however.
Bugbee said it’s important to get the cleanup underway as early as possible in case the city finds something unexpected when it starts digging out polluted soil.
An early start, she said, ensures there is plenty of time to cope with any unanticipated problems without worrying about the three-year deadline to use the stimulus cash.
The box factory site has been the subject of a number of environmental studies over the past decade that have generally laid out what’s in the ground that needs to be removed.
Bugbee said that “the dirty dirt” there will be scooped out and hauled away in keeping with environmental protocol.
Other sections of the lot will be paved, Veselka said.
The factory itself burned in a spectacular fire about 12 years ago. The city wound up taking the property for back taxes a year later and razing what was left of the buildings on it.
Ultimately, the area is expected to provide parking for the neighboring Board of Education, the Imagine Nation museum across the street and nearby businesses, including Mafale’s Plaza.
Bugbee said some bus parking will be included to help the museum
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
City: No delay on box factory cleanup
City leaders said Wednesday they’re not putting off the cleanup of a polluted parcel downtown.
The federal stimulus cash that City Hall plans to tap to help clean up a contaminated former box factory site downtown don’t require the work to be done for nearly three more years.
But city officials said Wednesday they expect to be finished long before the deadline.
By springtime, the city should be able to begin to do “the dig and haul” that would remove most of the polluted soil on the School Street parcel, according to Robyn Bugbee, the city’s grants administrator.
Bugbee said that neither the city nor the Environmental Protection Agency has any desire “to sit around” and wait to get the work done.
To meet the federal guidelines governing a $345,000 brownfields grant is that the remediation of the polluted site has to be completed by August 2012.
That doesn’t mean that a proposed municipal parking lot on the site will be finished, however. The lot requires additional funding. There is no set timetable to complete it, officials said.
More to come later.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
The federal stimulus cash that City Hall plans to tap to help clean up a contaminated former box factory site downtown don’t require the work to be done for nearly three more years.
But city officials said Wednesday they expect to be finished long before the deadline.
By springtime, the city should be able to begin to do “the dig and haul” that would remove most of the polluted soil on the School Street parcel, according to Robyn Bugbee, the city’s grants administrator.
Bugbee said that neither the city nor the Environmental Protection Agency has any desire “to sit around” and wait to get the work done.
To meet the federal guidelines governing a $345,000 brownfields grant is that the remediation of the polluted site has to be completed by August 2012.
That doesn’t mean that a proposed municipal parking lot on the site will be finished, however. The lot requires additional funding. There is no set timetable to complete it, officials said.
More to come later.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Ward welcomes Alford's help on mandate relief
The two major mayoral candidates each agree that convincing state lawmakers to lift costly mandates on municipalities is crucial for Bristol and other cities.
“Fund the mandates or do not force them on municipalities like Bristol that face severe budget shortfalls over the next few years,” said Republican mayoral hopeful Mary Alford.
“We do not need gasoline in the form of mandates thrown on the budget fires,” she added.
Mayor Art Ward, a first-term Democrat who is seeking reelection in the November 3 election, has been one of the most visible local government leaders pushing state legislators this year for action.
Ward said he remains baffled why the Democratic-controlled legislature and Republican Gov. Jodi Rell have done so little to lend cities and towns a hand in these cash-strapped times.
Ward said that lifting unfunded mandates “costs nothing” for the state but would do more than anything else to ease the financial crunch on Connecticut’s municipalities.
Alford said that “any new state unfunded mandate can force drastic changes. It is up to those in power in Hartford, the Democrat majority, to take action that will save jobs and preserve public services.”
Ward said he has begged legislators to explain why they won’t back mandate relief, but they never offer a real answer.
Alford said that “if the Democrats in Hartford proceed to pass more unfunded mandates, it will become a greater hardship than already exists for budget makers next year and in the years to come. Give us a break, Hartford.”
Ward said he’s glad to have support from Alford. He said he hopes the General Assembly listens to the bipartisan voices in every town and city that are calling for relief.
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities has been pushing for mandate relief as well.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
“Fund the mandates or do not force them on municipalities like Bristol that face severe budget shortfalls over the next few years,” said Republican mayoral hopeful Mary Alford.
“We do not need gasoline in the form of mandates thrown on the budget fires,” she added.
Mayor Art Ward, a first-term Democrat who is seeking reelection in the November 3 election, has been one of the most visible local government leaders pushing state legislators this year for action.
Ward said he remains baffled why the Democratic-controlled legislature and Republican Gov. Jodi Rell have done so little to lend cities and towns a hand in these cash-strapped times.
Ward said that lifting unfunded mandates “costs nothing” for the state but would do more than anything else to ease the financial crunch on Connecticut’s municipalities.
Alford said that “any new state unfunded mandate can force drastic changes. It is up to those in power in Hartford, the Democrat majority, to take action that will save jobs and preserve public services.”
Ward said he has begged legislators to explain why they won’t back mandate relief, but they never offer a real answer.
Alford said that “if the Democrats in Hartford proceed to pass more unfunded mandates, it will become a greater hardship than already exists for budget makers next year and in the years to come. Give us a break, Hartford.”
Ward said he’s glad to have support from Alford. He said he hopes the General Assembly listens to the bipartisan voices in every town and city that are calling for relief.
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities has been pushing for mandate relief as well.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Box factory cleanup backed but lagging
Note: If you're interested in this story, please check the blog later today for a more detailed -- and accurate -- account of the project's timeline and the city's plans.
The first federal stimulus cash to come to Bristol – to help clean up the former H.J. Mills box factory site – has yet to create a single job.
And officials are no hurry to get a shovel ready to finish work on it.
The bulk of the cleanup project won’t take place until at least springtime – partly to ensure the city has enough money in its coffers to pay its share of the tab – and a planned parking lot on the property may not happen for years.
The $613,000 project to clean up the polluted School Street parcel – where a municipal parking may someday be built – isn’t completely on hold, however.
The Board of Finance backed the project Tuesday on a 7-2 vote – with only Roald Erling and Mark Peterson opposing it – despite some misgivings.
The city’s grants administrator, Robyn Bugbee, said the city can hire an engineering firm to come up with the detailed plans needed, seek ways to get the public more involved and line up the required state and federal approvals.
By the time all of that is done, the finance board could take another look in March and decide whether Bristol can afford the $268,000 in municipal funds required to match the $345,000 the federal Environmental Protection Agency is handing over from the stimulus package.
While it’s likely the city will move ahead with the cleanup in the spring, it’s less clear the parking lot will be constructed soon. The lot would have between 50 and 75 spaces.
That could wait “a year or two” if the economy remains poor, Finance Chairman Rich Miecznikowski said.
The finance chief said the city will have “a better idea what kind of costs we have” by springtime and can decide then what it needs to do to cope.
Erling, vice chairman of the nine-member finance board, said that given the need to make sure pollution doesn’t leach into the stream that cuts through the property, he figures costs will rise after engineers take a hard look at the project.
U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman joined an array of local, state and federal officials at the site last May to announce the brownfields funding that would help with the cleanup.
“There couldn’t be a better economic stimulus project than these brownfields grants,” said Lieberman.
But one of the aims of the stimulus program – to get shovels in the ground and put people to work – hasn’t happened on the School Street site so far.
On the other hand, Lieberman said cleanups are a good “long-term investment in economic growth,” which may still prove true.
The site has been blighted for more than two decades. Following a major fire a decade ago that destroyed the factory building, the property has been a weed-filled eyesore owned by the city.
After announcing the funding last spring, Lieberman said he loves to see the results of government investment.
“I can’t wait to come back to Bristol,” to see the finished project, Lieberman said during his visit.
He may have to wait awhile.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
The first federal stimulus cash to come to Bristol – to help clean up the former H.J. Mills box factory site – has yet to create a single job.
And officials are no hurry to get a shovel ready to finish work on it.
The bulk of the cleanup project won’t take place until at least springtime – partly to ensure the city has enough money in its coffers to pay its share of the tab – and a planned parking lot on the property may not happen for years.
The $613,000 project to clean up the polluted School Street parcel – where a municipal parking may someday be built – isn’t completely on hold, however.
The Board of Finance backed the project Tuesday on a 7-2 vote – with only Roald Erling and Mark Peterson opposing it – despite some misgivings.
The city’s grants administrator, Robyn Bugbee, said the city can hire an engineering firm to come up with the detailed plans needed, seek ways to get the public more involved and line up the required state and federal approvals.
By the time all of that is done, the finance board could take another look in March and decide whether Bristol can afford the $268,000 in municipal funds required to match the $345,000 the federal Environmental Protection Agency is handing over from the stimulus package.
While it’s likely the city will move ahead with the cleanup in the spring, it’s less clear the parking lot will be constructed soon. The lot would have between 50 and 75 spaces.
That could wait “a year or two” if the economy remains poor, Finance Chairman Rich Miecznikowski said.
The finance chief said the city will have “a better idea what kind of costs we have” by springtime and can decide then what it needs to do to cope.
Erling, vice chairman of the nine-member finance board, said that given the need to make sure pollution doesn’t leach into the stream that cuts through the property, he figures costs will rise after engineers take a hard look at the project.
U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman joined an array of local, state and federal officials at the site last May to announce the brownfields funding that would help with the cleanup.
“There couldn’t be a better economic stimulus project than these brownfields grants,” said Lieberman.
But one of the aims of the stimulus program – to get shovels in the ground and put people to work – hasn’t happened on the School Street site so far.
On the other hand, Lieberman said cleanups are a good “long-term investment in economic growth,” which may still prove true.
The site has been blighted for more than two decades. Following a major fire a decade ago that destroyed the factory building, the property has been a weed-filled eyesore owned by the city.
After announcing the funding last spring, Lieberman said he loves to see the results of government investment.
“I can’t wait to come back to Bristol,” to see the finished project, Lieberman said during his visit.
He may have to wait awhile.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 22, 2009
Alford hails ESPN's offer to help boys club
Press release from Republican mayoral candidate Mary Alford:
Alford: Community Development at its Best
Republican Mayoral candidate Mary Alford calls the recently announced project to bring ESPN and The Bristol Boy’s and Girls Club together, “The best way to develop a community”.
“Whenever a large corporate entity like ESPN, who is our city’s largest taxpayer, can partner with a community based organization like the Boys and Girls Club it becomes a win-win for all, especially for our kids.” Alford said.
The gift offered by ESPN will be used to help the Bristol Boys and Girls Club move from its current location on Laurel Street to a new location on West Street that will host a new facility that is badly needed.
“This opportunity is facilitated by the City and the State and is the best way to move community projects like this forward instead of relying on things like a government stimulus. “ Alford said.
“In addition to the partnership created by all of the above entities, it frees up space for further enhancements and support for the downtown mall project. The space on Laurel Street offers many options for developers to incorporate into the overall project” Alford said.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Alford: Cities need mandate relief
Press release from Republican mayoral contender Mary Alford:
Alford: State Mandates deserve State Funding
With a financial tidal wave looming in Bristol’s future, Republican Mayoral Candidate Mary Alford called on the Bristol State Delegation to join Republican House Minority Leader Larry Cafero in his plea to either “Fund the mandates or do not force them on municipalities like Bristol that face severe budget shortfalls over the next few years. We do not need gasoline in the form of mandates thrown on the budget fires!” Alford said.
“Any new state unfunded mandate can force drastic changes. It is up to those in power in Hartford, the Democrat majority, to take action that will save jobs and preserve public services”, she said.
This year’s budget in Bristol relied upon $2.5 Million taken from the undesignated fund balance (a reserve account) to close the spending gap created by City Hall. “As your Mayor, I’d like to see our services and the jobs needed to implement them remain”, said Alford.
“There are many creative ways to reduce costs and to cut spending, but they just can’t be forced into effect. We need to achieve these measures with cooperation from everyone and consideration for all those affected. If the Democrats in Hartford proceed to pass more unfunded mandates, it will become a greater hardship than already exists for budget makers next year and in the years to come. Give us a break Hartford! ”, Alford concluded.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
With ESPN's help, a new boys club downtown?
For the first time, ESPN is putting serious money behind a critical local project. Read reporter Jackie Majerus' story here. Her account of the Bristol Downtown Development Corp.'s decision to help with the funding is here.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 21, 2009
Larson calls Pratt decision 'a major blow'
Press release from U.S. Rep. John Larson, the East Hartford Democrat whose 1st District includes Bristol:
Congressman Larson’s Statement on Pratt & Whitney Plant Closure Decision
Hartford, CT- U.S. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) released the following statement on Pratt &Whitney’s decision to close the Cheshire Engine Center and the East Hartford-based Connecticut Airfoil Repair Operations:
“I am deeply disappointed by today’s announcement. It’s a major blow to our state’s manufacturing industry, Connecticut’s economy, and most importantly, to the hard working men and women of Pratt & Whitney. I still believed that a compromise that would have saved these jobs in Connecticut could have been achieved between Pratt & Whitney, the Machinists Union and the state of Connecticut.
“During my tenure in Congress, I have worked with the Connecticut delegation to preserve manufacturing jobs in Connecticut by securing critical federal funding to continue the production of Pratt & Whitney’s engines, and by protecting important military programs like the F-35 and C-17. This delegation in Washington, time and time again, has worked and voted in favor of the best interests of the machinists and employees of Pratt & Whitney. It is disappointing that at the end of the day, the interests of shareholders, and not the years of hard work and sacrifice by these employees, motivated the company’s final decision.
“I will continue to fight for the Connecticut worker and to protect Connecticut jobs. Through the bold action of our President and this Congress, our nation has begun to climb out of the cavernous economic hole that we faced a little more than a year ago. I will continue to make the economy my number one priority.”
Congressman Larson’s Statement on Pratt & Whitney Plant Closure Decision
Hartford, CT- U.S. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) released the following statement on Pratt &Whitney’s decision to close the Cheshire Engine Center and the East Hartford-based Connecticut Airfoil Repair Operations:
“I am deeply disappointed by today’s announcement. It’s a major blow to our state’s manufacturing industry, Connecticut’s economy, and most importantly, to the hard working men and women of Pratt & Whitney. I still believed that a compromise that would have saved these jobs in Connecticut could have been achieved between Pratt & Whitney, the Machinists Union and the state of Connecticut.
“During my tenure in Congress, I have worked with the Connecticut delegation to preserve manufacturing jobs in Connecticut by securing critical federal funding to continue the production of Pratt & Whitney’s engines, and by protecting important military programs like the F-35 and C-17. This delegation in Washington, time and time again, has worked and voted in favor of the best interests of the machinists and employees of Pratt & Whitney. It is disappointing that at the end of the day, the interests of shareholders, and not the years of hard work and sacrifice by these employees, motivated the company’s final decision.
“I will continue to fight for the Connecticut worker and to protect Connecticut jobs. Through the bold action of our President and this Congress, our nation has begun to climb out of the cavernous economic hole that we faced a little more than a year ago. I will continue to make the economy my number one priority.”
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Pratt & Whitney move to cost 79 jobs for Bristol residents
Among the thousand people that Pratt & Whitney plans to lay off in Connecticut are 79 Bristol residents, according to Mayor Art Ward.
The mayor told me awhile back that the Mum City is home to 79 of the employees who would lose their jobs if the Cheshire factory is shut down and some operations in East Hartford are also transfered elsewhere.
So the misery spreads.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Obama zings blogosphere, loves newspapers
President Barack Obama is a newspaper junkie who's worried that blogs could one day rule the media world.
"Journalistic integrity, you know, fact-based reporting, serious investigative reporting, how to retain those ethics in all these different new media and how to make sure that it's paid for, is really a challenge," Obama told The Toledo Blade. "But it's something that I think is absolutely critical to the health of our democracy."
"I am concerned that if the direction of the news is all blogosphere, all opinions, with no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context, that what you will end up getting is people shouting at each other across the void but not a lot of mutual understanding," Obama told the paper.
Go read the full story in The Blade. I'm sure it needs the money -- and since it's still employing our old publisher, Joe Zerbey, you're either helping him out a little or helping to make sure he doesn't come back, depending on how you want to look at it.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 19, 2009
Rockwell Park revived
For generations of children, Rockwell Park‘s lagoon, playground, fields and forest offered a daily setting for fun and adventure.
Thousands of people poured in on hot summer days to cool off in the spring-fed waters, frolic on the beach and enjoy the West End park donated by industrialist Albert Rockwell in 1914.
Despite its designation on the National Register of Historic Places, the rustic park fell into disrepair and crowds dwindled in recent decades, to the point that many young people in town didn’t even know how to find it.
But that is no longer true.
Beginning with the opening of a $500,000 skatepark there last fall, and spurred by this year’s overhaul of the playground area, the park is suddenly thriving again.
Though a $7 million renovation is still underway – the lagoon is next up for an overhaul – the project’s success is already obvious. A dying park has come alive.
Origins
Enriched by the New Departure Manufacturing Co. that he helped create, Rockwell donated 80 acres to the city in 1914 to create a park that would give the city’s blue collar workers a chance to commune with nature.
The only strings attached were a requirement that Bristol pump $15,000 or more into developing the park and that it spend at least $3,000 annually to keep it up. Another 15 acres, and a pile of cash, followed to create and endow Mrs. Rockwell’s Playground.
What resulted became such a jewel of urban park design that it secured national recognition more than a quarter of a century ago.
Heyday
Former Mayor Frank Nicastro, who grew up near Rockwell Park, said he remember the park “was the center of activity for every child and adult in the West End and beyond.”
Even on cold winter days, he said, “everybody came together for ice skating.”
Nicastro recalls summertime as a whirl of swimming, buying frozen fudge bars, hiking in the woods, playing baseball, clambering on the playground equipment and generally spending every available minute at the park.
He said the place was a hive of action except when the lifeguards closed down the swimming for an hour at noon so all the children could go home for lunch.
“I love Rockwell Park. It means everything to me,” said Nicastro, who has three large oil paintings of the park hanging in his house that capture the park at its busiest.
Decay
But a long, slow decay set in, punctuated by the decision to fill in much of the lagoon with debris from the urban renewal projects downtown, a move meant to control flooding. That buried the old island and left a large field where much of the lagoon had been, though a large expanse of water remained even afterward.
By the late 1980s, some parking lots had been blocked off after police found a few gay men using them as meeting spots. It didn’t matter too much because so few people went to the park anyway, mostly just dog walkers and youngsters hanging out.
It’s hard to pinpoint the low point in the park’s history, but it probably occurred in the summer of 1998 when at least several dozen daring swimmers and beachgoers who braved the algae-choked lagoon came down with a mysterious rash.
Though experts never knew for sure what caused it, there was little doubt that it had something to do with the goose droppings on the sand and the lack of movement in the soupy green water.
For health officials, the decision was clear: they banned swimming in the lagoon. The following summer, the city drained the legendary swimming hole.
Fumbles
The city’s leaders never gave up on the park. They just didn’t know what to do to revive it.
Studies determined that nothing much could be done to reopen the lagoon because the watershed that once provided the flow that kept it cool and clear no longer existed – the same reason the health department closed off the historic spring just west of the beach in the mid-1990s, where residents had filled drinking jugs for many years.
In 1997, the park department flirted with putting a football stadium in the open expanse between the lagoon and the pond, an idea that residents decried and finance officials quickly stifled. They later eyed a cinderblock gymnasium near the entrance to the park, another idea that fell victim to fiscal concerns.
Early in this decade, park officials even considered wiping out the remnants of the lagoon to create a $2 million swimming pool, a move that historic preservationists crushed.
But officials and concerned residents could see that the park was falling apart and that with every passing year, fewer people bothered to go there at all.
Its playground was antiquated and perhaps unsafe. Its swimming consisted only of a tiny training pool. Its walkways were dark and decaying. Its future seemed at least uncertain and possibly bleak.
“It just seemed like it was spiraling in the wrong direction,” said former city Councilor Ellen Zoppo.
Revival
The turnaround began with the construction of a new pool in Mrs. Rockwell’s Playground six years ago. That attracted swimmers again, though nowhere near the crowds that senior citizens remembered.
And a park revitalization effort led by a determined city councilor, Zoppo, supported by Mayor Gerard Couture, decided that fixing Rockwell Park had to be a top city priority.
Couture said it saddened him to see the park deteriorate so he jumped at the chance to renovate it.
“He deserves as much credit as anybody,” Zoppo said.
At first, the $7 million park overhaul designed by the Cheshire-based Milone & MacBroom was going to be paid mostly with state cash, but when the state spigot ran dry, city leaders opted to press forward anyway. They said repairing the park was important enough to use municipal money if that’s what it took.
So a few years ago, the work got underway, with the first spruced up sections opening last year, particularly the stunningly successful skatepark that drew rave reviews from the skateboarders and bikers who couldn’t imagine Bristol erecting a topnotch facility that has proven to have regional appeal.
Next year, the lagoon area should be restored, though without a beach and where no swimming will be allowed.
A portion of it is slated to be a swamp so residents can see birds and other creatures that should thrive there up close, more educational than the frolic of older days.
But what’s already clear is, that after a decade of doubt, Rockwell Park is on the rebound.
“It’s just teeming with life,” Zoppo said Saturday. “The taxpayers got their money’s worth.”
Rockwell Park won’t ever be like it was, but it’s increasingly possible it may emerge as something even better.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Thousands of people poured in on hot summer days to cool off in the spring-fed waters, frolic on the beach and enjoy the West End park donated by industrialist Albert Rockwell in 1914.
Despite its designation on the National Register of Historic Places, the rustic park fell into disrepair and crowds dwindled in recent decades, to the point that many young people in town didn’t even know how to find it.
But that is no longer true.
Beginning with the opening of a $500,000 skatepark there last fall, and spurred by this year’s overhaul of the playground area, the park is suddenly thriving again.
Though a $7 million renovation is still underway – the lagoon is next up for an overhaul – the project’s success is already obvious. A dying park has come alive.
Origins
Enriched by the New Departure Manufacturing Co. that he helped create, Rockwell donated 80 acres to the city in 1914 to create a park that would give the city’s blue collar workers a chance to commune with nature.
The only strings attached were a requirement that Bristol pump $15,000 or more into developing the park and that it spend at least $3,000 annually to keep it up. Another 15 acres, and a pile of cash, followed to create and endow Mrs. Rockwell’s Playground.
What resulted became such a jewel of urban park design that it secured national recognition more than a quarter of a century ago.
Heyday
Former Mayor Frank Nicastro, who grew up near Rockwell Park, said he remember the park “was the center of activity for every child and adult in the West End and beyond.”
Even on cold winter days, he said, “everybody came together for ice skating.”
Nicastro recalls summertime as a whirl of swimming, buying frozen fudge bars, hiking in the woods, playing baseball, clambering on the playground equipment and generally spending every available minute at the park.
He said the place was a hive of action except when the lifeguards closed down the swimming for an hour at noon so all the children could go home for lunch.
“I love Rockwell Park. It means everything to me,” said Nicastro, who has three large oil paintings of the park hanging in his house that capture the park at its busiest.
Decay
But a long, slow decay set in, punctuated by the decision to fill in much of the lagoon with debris from the urban renewal projects downtown, a move meant to control flooding. That buried the old island and left a large field where much of the lagoon had been, though a large expanse of water remained even afterward.
By the late 1980s, some parking lots had been blocked off after police found a few gay men using them as meeting spots. It didn’t matter too much because so few people went to the park anyway, mostly just dog walkers and youngsters hanging out.
It’s hard to pinpoint the low point in the park’s history, but it probably occurred in the summer of 1998 when at least several dozen daring swimmers and beachgoers who braved the algae-choked lagoon came down with a mysterious rash.
Though experts never knew for sure what caused it, there was little doubt that it had something to do with the goose droppings on the sand and the lack of movement in the soupy green water.
For health officials, the decision was clear: they banned swimming in the lagoon. The following summer, the city drained the legendary swimming hole.
Fumbles
The city’s leaders never gave up on the park. They just didn’t know what to do to revive it.
Studies determined that nothing much could be done to reopen the lagoon because the watershed that once provided the flow that kept it cool and clear no longer existed – the same reason the health department closed off the historic spring just west of the beach in the mid-1990s, where residents had filled drinking jugs for many years.
In 1997, the park department flirted with putting a football stadium in the open expanse between the lagoon and the pond, an idea that residents decried and finance officials quickly stifled. They later eyed a cinderblock gymnasium near the entrance to the park, another idea that fell victim to fiscal concerns.
Early in this decade, park officials even considered wiping out the remnants of the lagoon to create a $2 million swimming pool, a move that historic preservationists crushed.
But officials and concerned residents could see that the park was falling apart and that with every passing year, fewer people bothered to go there at all.
Its playground was antiquated and perhaps unsafe. Its swimming consisted only of a tiny training pool. Its walkways were dark and decaying. Its future seemed at least uncertain and possibly bleak.
“It just seemed like it was spiraling in the wrong direction,” said former city Councilor Ellen Zoppo.
Revival
The turnaround began with the construction of a new pool in Mrs. Rockwell’s Playground six years ago. That attracted swimmers again, though nowhere near the crowds that senior citizens remembered.
And a park revitalization effort led by a determined city councilor, Zoppo, supported by Mayor Gerard Couture, decided that fixing Rockwell Park had to be a top city priority.
Couture said it saddened him to see the park deteriorate so he jumped at the chance to renovate it.
“He deserves as much credit as anybody,” Zoppo said.
At first, the $7 million park overhaul designed by the Cheshire-based Milone & MacBroom was going to be paid mostly with state cash, but when the state spigot ran dry, city leaders opted to press forward anyway. They said repairing the park was important enough to use municipal money if that’s what it took.
So a few years ago, the work got underway, with the first spruced up sections opening last year, particularly the stunningly successful skatepark that drew rave reviews from the skateboarders and bikers who couldn’t imagine Bristol erecting a topnotch facility that has proven to have regional appeal.
Next year, the lagoon area should be restored, though without a beach and where no swimming will be allowed.
A portion of it is slated to be a swamp so residents can see birds and other creatures that should thrive there up close, more educational than the frolic of older days.
But what’s already clear is, that after a decade of doubt, Rockwell Park is on the rebound.
“It’s just teeming with life,” Zoppo said Saturday. “The taxpayers got their money’s worth.”
Rockwell Park won’t ever be like it was, but it’s increasingly possible it may emerge as something even better.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Skateboarders still loving the new skatepark
As the city’s skatepark nears its first birthday, it’s still drawing large crowds and rave reviews.
“I always thought Bristol was a loser town until it did this,” said Jeremy Johnson, 17.
Johnson, a skateboarder, said there was “nothing to do” in town until the $500,000 skatepark opened last November at Rockwell Park.
“Now we just come here,” he said. “I have to say that it’s really nice.”
The 16,000-square-foot skatepark, built by California Skateparks, took seven years to come to fruition, the result of pressure from young people and an awareness of the need spurred by ESPN’s X Trials at Lake Compounce in 2001.
Skateboard legend Tony Hawk and other professional extreme athletes told The Tattoo’s teen journalists at the time that Bristol should have its own skatepark, an idea that resonated with young people in town.
Though the new skatepark has had its controversies – too much swearing, too much trash and perhaps too many lawsuits – officials are generally happy that it’s proven so successful.
Former city Councilor Ellen Zoppo said Saturday the skatepark is frequently busy and those using it are reasonably well-behaved.
“They look like they’re having fun,” said city Councilor Ken Cockayne.
Zoppo said her only real regret about it is that the skatepark couldn’t be done sooner, which left most of the young athletes who first called for it out of luck.
Cockayne said a few injury claims have been filed with the city and passed on for its insurance company to pay or deny. But it doesn’t appear the skatepark has created any serious liability issues.
What it has done for sure, though, is vastly reduce the number of skateboarders congregating illegally on private property downtown.
Cockayne said he rarely sees that anymore.
“What you really need to tell people,” said Liam Nelson, 15, “is that this park is great. I don’t know who to thank for it, but tell everybody thank you for building it.”
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
“I always thought Bristol was a loser town until it did this,” said Jeremy Johnson, 17.
Johnson, a skateboarder, said there was “nothing to do” in town until the $500,000 skatepark opened last November at Rockwell Park.
“Now we just come here,” he said. “I have to say that it’s really nice.”
The 16,000-square-foot skatepark, built by California Skateparks, took seven years to come to fruition, the result of pressure from young people and an awareness of the need spurred by ESPN’s X Trials at Lake Compounce in 2001.
Skateboard legend Tony Hawk and other professional extreme athletes told The Tattoo’s teen journalists at the time that Bristol should have its own skatepark, an idea that resonated with young people in town.
Though the new skatepark has had its controversies – too much swearing, too much trash and perhaps too many lawsuits – officials are generally happy that it’s proven so successful.
Former city Councilor Ellen Zoppo said Saturday the skatepark is frequently busy and those using it are reasonably well-behaved.
“They look like they’re having fun,” said city Councilor Ken Cockayne.
Zoppo said her only real regret about it is that the skatepark couldn’t be done sooner, which left most of the young athletes who first called for it out of luck.
Cockayne said a few injury claims have been filed with the city and passed on for its insurance company to pay or deny. But it doesn’t appear the skatepark has created any serious liability issues.
What it has done for sure, though, is vastly reduce the number of skateboarders congregating illegally on private property downtown.
Cockayne said he rarely sees that anymore.
“What you really need to tell people,” said Liam Nelson, 15, “is that this park is great. I don’t know who to thank for it, but tell everybody thank you for building it.”
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
RockWELL brings out a crowd
A steady stream of visitors turned out for Saturday’s RockWELL in the Park family fitness festival.
“We’ve had a great day,” said Cindy Scoville, a Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce organizer who helped keep it humming.
With a variety of booths from groups that ranged from Bristol Hospital to the New Britain Rock Cats, there was something to keep most everyone entertained.
“It’s a beautiful day, a nice event and a good chance to see what they’ve done here with this old park,” said Linda Mason, who said she hasn’t seen Rockwell Park so busy in years.
The six-hour long event offered plenty of information on fitness and nutrition along with the activities that mostly catered to children. People snapped up the freebies, too, including water bottles and jar openers.
Rocky the Rock Cat posed for pictures with anyone willing to whip out a camera and even posed beside somebody in a tiny Dole Pineapple outfit.
Sponsored by the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce and co-sponsored by a number of businesses and organizations, the free event probably drew at least a couple of thousand people during the day, city officials said.
“We had a tremendous turnout,” said Mike Nicastro, who heads the chamber.
Dean “HB” Vitale, a 16-year-old rhythm and blues singer from Wallingford, sounded smooth as silk. He drew an appreciate crowd to the portable stage at the far end of the playground early in the day.
“Wow, that guy’s good,” Richard Williams, 20, said. “He might really be a star someday.”
Later, a Torrington competitive jump rope team showed some amazing quickness and versatility.
“I had fun,” said 8-year Amber Kucharski. “I never knew people could jump rope like that.”
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
“We’ve had a great day,” said Cindy Scoville, a Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce organizer who helped keep it humming.
With a variety of booths from groups that ranged from Bristol Hospital to the New Britain Rock Cats, there was something to keep most everyone entertained.
“It’s a beautiful day, a nice event and a good chance to see what they’ve done here with this old park,” said Linda Mason, who said she hasn’t seen Rockwell Park so busy in years.
The six-hour long event offered plenty of information on fitness and nutrition along with the activities that mostly catered to children. People snapped up the freebies, too, including water bottles and jar openers.
Rocky the Rock Cat posed for pictures with anyone willing to whip out a camera and even posed beside somebody in a tiny Dole Pineapple outfit.
Sponsored by the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce and co-sponsored by a number of businesses and organizations, the free event probably drew at least a couple of thousand people during the day, city officials said.
“We had a tremendous turnout,” said Mike Nicastro, who heads the chamber.
Dean “HB” Vitale, a 16-year-old rhythm and blues singer from Wallingford, sounded smooth as silk. He drew an appreciate crowd to the portable stage at the far end of the playground early in the day.
“Wow, that guy’s good,” Richard Williams, 20, said. “He might really be a star someday.”
Later, a Torrington competitive jump rope team showed some amazing quickness and versatility.
“I had fun,” said 8-year Amber Kucharski. “I never knew people could jump rope like that.”
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Rockwell Park
I'll be checking things out at the big family fun and fitness event at Rockwell Park today. If you see me, say hey.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 18, 2009
State has money for new softball fields
After all the fuss and bother of this year's budget showdown, it was surprising to me to see the State Bond Commission, whose agenda is set by Gov. Jodi Rell, is planning next week to approve $110,000 to construct softball fields at technical schools in Torrington and Willimantic.
I'm sure the fields would be nice -- heck, they may even be required for some reason -- but now?
Bristol, by the way, has exactly one project singled out in the bond commission agenda. Its technical school is getting $10,000 to fix some plumbing.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
I'm sure the fields would be nice -- heck, they may even be required for some reason -- but now?
Bristol, by the way, has exactly one project singled out in the bond commission agenda. Its technical school is getting $10,000 to fix some plumbing.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Dodd campaign hits 'new low,' Simmons charges
I learned a new word today thanks to the Rob Simmons campaign so I figured, hey, some of you might be interested, too. Here's the press release:
It's Not The First Time Flanagan Has Used This Lewd Term To Describe Dodd's Constituents:
o Flanagan: "But if Rob Simmons and his rightwing teabagger friends believe they know better than people like John McCain's economic advisor, the Chamber of Commerce's chief economist, and Warren Buffett, by all means, they should continue to spread the word." (Capitol Watch blog, Hartford Courant, 9/4/09)
o Flanagan: "I think this is another step in the Rob Simmons two-step, trying to say he's a moderate while taking staunchly conservative money, embracing the Dump Dodd teabaggers, embracing stances that are not similar to stances of the people he seeks to represent.'' (Capitol Watch blog, Hartford Courant, 8/6/09)
Last Week, Dodd's Campaign Manager Jay Howser Insulted Dodd's Constituents Using The Term "Teabagger" Even As He Hypocritically Complains About The Level Of Discourse. '"The great thing about the far right wing, extreme group of tea-baggers who have entertained us throughout the summer is that their idea of free speech is akin to shouting down opposition, drowning out debate, and in Connecticut, encouraging Sen. Dodd to commit suicide with painkillers and alcohol,' Howser said. 'No responsible American, regardless of their political beliefs, thinks that this fringe element has anything valuable to offer to our country's discourse or debate.' (Hartford Courant, 9/11/09)"
For The Definition Of The Term "Teabagging" One Can Refer To Wikipedia Or Any Number Of Online Slang Dictionaries.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Simmons Campaign Statement On Dodd Campaign Use Of Lewd Term To Insult Constituents
(MYSTIC) - Simmons for Senate Campaign Manager Jim Barnett issued the following statement today in reaction to Senator Dodd's spokespeople's repeated use of the lewd term "teabaggers" to insult Dodd's constituents:
"There seems to be no end to Sen. Dodd's hypocrisy and arrogance. Even as they condemn others for lowering the level of discourse, Sen. Dodd's spokespeople routinely employ lewd language that would make anyone else blush to insult thousands of Dodd's own constituents. For all their complaints about tea party protesters, town hall attendees and Joe Wilson, so far this is the only instance of the staff of a sitting U.S. Senator publicly referring to his constituents with a pornographic insult. It's a new low, even for Sen. Dodd, and his campaign's childish name-calling perfectly illustrates Dodd's own contempt for the people of Connecticut and all who oppose his big government, tax and spend plans. He owes them an apology."
FACTS:
Yesterday It Was Reported That The Connecticut Democrat Party Communications Director, A Former Dodd Spokeswoman, Used The Lewd Term "Teabagger" To Describe Dodd's Own Constituents Whom She Simultaneously Criticizes For Being Unable To Have "A Legitimate Debate." '"To try and have a legitimate debate about the critical issues of our day with this group of tea-baggers is a joke,' she [Flanagan] wrote in an e-mail message." (Litchfield County Times, 9/17/09)It's Not The First Time Flanagan Has Used This Lewd Term To Describe Dodd's Constituents:
o Flanagan: "But if Rob Simmons and his rightwing teabagger friends believe they know better than people like John McCain's economic advisor, the Chamber of Commerce's chief economist, and Warren Buffett, by all means, they should continue to spread the word." (Capitol Watch blog, Hartford Courant, 9/4/09)
o Flanagan: "I think this is another step in the Rob Simmons two-step, trying to say he's a moderate while taking staunchly conservative money, embracing the Dump Dodd teabaggers, embracing stances that are not similar to stances of the people he seeks to represent.'' (Capitol Watch blog, Hartford Courant, 8/6/09)
Last Week, Dodd's Campaign Manager Jay Howser Insulted Dodd's Constituents Using The Term "Teabagger" Even As He Hypocritically Complains About The Level Of Discourse. '"The great thing about the far right wing, extreme group of tea-baggers who have entertained us throughout the summer is that their idea of free speech is akin to shouting down opposition, drowning out debate, and in Connecticut, encouraging Sen. Dodd to commit suicide with painkillers and alcohol,' Howser said. 'No responsible American, regardless of their political beliefs, thinks that this fringe element has anything valuable to offer to our country's discourse or debate.' (Hartford Courant, 9/11/09)"
For The Definition Of The Term "Teabagging" One Can Refer To Wikipedia Or Any Number Of Online Slang Dictionaries.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 17, 2009
Future developer of downtown?
Could be this firm, one of two that sought the job when bids were opened last week at City Hall. The other was the more familiar, homegrown D'Amato Construction.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Alford hails movement on mall property
Press release issued this morning by Republican mayoral candidate Mary Alford:
Alford Applauds Mall Activity
“This is great news for Bristol and the BDDC, who for months has been hampered in its attempts to solicit interest in our city due to the economic times”, Mary Alford, Republican candidate for Mayor said today. “I am pleased, as well, to see that one of our own is in the running.”
Two firms submitted their requests for quotation just under the deadline. “It is important to note that these are Requests for Qualification and not Requests for Proposal, which is perhaps the next step in this process”’ Alford said.
“I am sure that the BDDC will perform its due diligence carefully in the vetting of both developers. It’s an arduous process but, in the end, I trust that the members will do what is best for Downtown.”
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Alford Applauds Mall Activity
“This is great news for Bristol and the BDDC, who for months has been hampered in its attempts to solicit interest in our city due to the economic times”, Mary Alford, Republican candidate for Mayor said today. “I am pleased, as well, to see that one of our own is in the running.”
Two firms submitted their requests for quotation just under the deadline. “It is important to note that these are Requests for Qualification and not Requests for Proposal, which is perhaps the next step in this process”’ Alford said.
“I am sure that the BDDC will perform its due diligence carefully in the vetting of both developers. It’s an arduous process but, in the end, I trust that the members will do what is best for Downtown.”
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
A portion of Route 72 may open this fall -- but not if the mayor can stop it
Stand in the middle of the new section of Route 72 as it crosses Lincoln Avenue and it looks like the road is almost done.
Though there’s still a pile of dirt at the end of the existing expressway and construction crews swarming to lay pavement and build drainage, officials say that a portion of the new boulevard between Plainville and Central Street could open this fall.
But it’s not clear whether it will.
“I don’t see any advantage to doing that,” Mayor Art Ward said.
The $63 million project [see map here] will create a 2.4-mile, four lane road between the end of the expressway and Riverside Avenue. It is slated to open in the fall of 2010.
Ward told state transportation officials recently that opening a short section of the eastern portion of the new road early “will have serious adverse impacts that far outweigh any gains.Ward said that he doesn’t want to see cars heading west with the option of getting off only on Lincoln or Central because neither street is capable of handling the volume of cars likely to use them.
Lincoln Avenue, which runs between the O’Brien Funeral Home and Greene-Hills School, doesn’t have a traffic light on the Pine Street.
Traffic heading north on Central Street toward Forestville’s center is not allowed to turn left because a traffic island blocks the way, forcing drivers there to head only east, back toward Plainville.
State Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat and former mayor, said that he’s concerned that opening the short stretch might cause problems that would “create a sour taste” among the public about a project that ought to relieve congestion when it’s all done next year.
“After all this work, all this money,” Nicastro said, he doesn’t want the new road “to start off on the wrong foot.”
When the road is finished, the mayor said, it will offer the community “a whole different perspective” on transportation within the city, opening the possibility to the revival of Riverside Avenue as well as Forestville’s struggling commercial center.
After waiting for a half a century to get the road built, Ward said, there’s no reason to rush it now.
There’s more benefit to the community to open the road next year, Ward said.
Nicastro said he plans to talk soon with state transportation officials to find out if there is a way to alleviate the concerns Ward raised. If there are, he said, that would be fine.
But, Nicastro said, after “fighting like mad” for many years to have the road built, it would be best to make sure it opens under the best possible circumstances so everyone can see its benefits.
“It’s going to solve a major problem” that has hurt Bristol for a half century, Nicastro said.
“We want to get this thing done and moving as quickly as possible,” Nicastro said, but also to do it right.
The new road features a sunken, boulevard-type street that slices through a residential section of Forestville between Route 372 in Plainville and Todd Street. A raised median will separate the road.
After that section, the four-lane road will follow the existing right of way on Pine Street before cutting north behind Dunkin’ Donuts to align with Riverside Avenue.
State officials said the Pine Street section of the project will be done next year.
The new road will end at Middle Street after crossing a new bridge that’s under construction across the Pequabuck River about a quarter of a mile east of the intersection with Riverside.
Ten intersections with traffic lights will be included along the new road.
The New Britain-based Manafort Brothers got the construction contract in August 2007 to carry out the work for nearly $40 million. It was delayed 16 months by problems getting utilities moved, officials said.
A long road to completion
As one of the few cities its size in the nation without a four-lane highway, Bristol has pushed for one since the 1950s.
For decades, plans called for a limited-access superhighway that would have swung through Forestville, cut south of downtown and ultimately linked up with Route 8 near Thomaston.
The plan spurred widespread opposition within the community, particularly in neighborhoods that faced devastation, and politicians could never settle on a single scheme.
Twenty years ago, the state pulled the plug on the increasingly costly plan, leaving few options.
But former state Rep. Kosta Diamantis, a Bristol Democrat, pumped life back into it with a compromise proposal in 1993 that led to the approval of a four-lane road through Forestville.
Most politicians in the city, with strong urging from the Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce, rallied behind the project.
Stretch Norton, a former mayor, led the opposition, insisting the new road would do nothing to relieve congestion. He said it will simply shift the tie-ups to Middle Street, without speeding up the commute for most drivers.
Supporters said that traffic studies showed the project would help -- and pointed to the advantage of having an easy to follow path from the highway to downtown.
Mayor Art Ward said that downtown’s revitalization hinges on the successful completion of the road.
After so many years of feuding and delay, “it’ll be nice to get it open,” the mayor said.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Though there’s still a pile of dirt at the end of the existing expressway and construction crews swarming to lay pavement and build drainage, officials say that a portion of the new boulevard between Plainville and Central Street could open this fall.
But it’s not clear whether it will.
“I don’t see any advantage to doing that,” Mayor Art Ward said.
The $63 million project [see map here] will create a 2.4-mile, four lane road between the end of the expressway and Riverside Avenue. It is slated to open in the fall of 2010.
Ward told state transportation officials recently that opening a short section of the eastern portion of the new road early “will have serious adverse impacts that far outweigh any gains.Ward said that he doesn’t want to see cars heading west with the option of getting off only on Lincoln or Central because neither street is capable of handling the volume of cars likely to use them.
Lincoln Avenue, which runs between the O’Brien Funeral Home and Greene-Hills School, doesn’t have a traffic light on the Pine Street.
Traffic heading north on Central Street toward Forestville’s center is not allowed to turn left because a traffic island blocks the way, forcing drivers there to head only east, back toward Plainville.
State Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat and former mayor, said that he’s concerned that opening the short stretch might cause problems that would “create a sour taste” among the public about a project that ought to relieve congestion when it’s all done next year.
“After all this work, all this money,” Nicastro said, he doesn’t want the new road “to start off on the wrong foot.”
When the road is finished, the mayor said, it will offer the community “a whole different perspective” on transportation within the city, opening the possibility to the revival of Riverside Avenue as well as Forestville’s struggling commercial center.
After waiting for a half a century to get the road built, Ward said, there’s no reason to rush it now.
There’s more benefit to the community to open the road next year, Ward said.
Nicastro said he plans to talk soon with state transportation officials to find out if there is a way to alleviate the concerns Ward raised. If there are, he said, that would be fine.
But, Nicastro said, after “fighting like mad” for many years to have the road built, it would be best to make sure it opens under the best possible circumstances so everyone can see its benefits.
“It’s going to solve a major problem” that has hurt Bristol for a half century, Nicastro said.
“We want to get this thing done and moving as quickly as possible,” Nicastro said, but also to do it right.
The new road features a sunken, boulevard-type street that slices through a residential section of Forestville between Route 372 in Plainville and Todd Street. A raised median will separate the road.
After that section, the four-lane road will follow the existing right of way on Pine Street before cutting north behind Dunkin’ Donuts to align with Riverside Avenue.
State officials said the Pine Street section of the project will be done next year.
The new road will end at Middle Street after crossing a new bridge that’s under construction across the Pequabuck River about a quarter of a mile east of the intersection with Riverside.
Ten intersections with traffic lights will be included along the new road.
The New Britain-based Manafort Brothers got the construction contract in August 2007 to carry out the work for nearly $40 million. It was delayed 16 months by problems getting utilities moved, officials said.
A long road to completion
As one of the few cities its size in the nation without a four-lane highway, Bristol has pushed for one since the 1950s.
For decades, plans called for a limited-access superhighway that would have swung through Forestville, cut south of downtown and ultimately linked up with Route 8 near Thomaston.
The plan spurred widespread opposition within the community, particularly in neighborhoods that faced devastation, and politicians could never settle on a single scheme.
Twenty years ago, the state pulled the plug on the increasingly costly plan, leaving few options.
But former state Rep. Kosta Diamantis, a Bristol Democrat, pumped life back into it with a compromise proposal in 1993 that led to the approval of a four-lane road through Forestville.
Most politicians in the city, with strong urging from the Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce, rallied behind the project.
Stretch Norton, a former mayor, led the opposition, insisting the new road would do nothing to relieve congestion. He said it will simply shift the tie-ups to Middle Street, without speeding up the commute for most drivers.
Supporters said that traffic studies showed the project would help -- and pointed to the advantage of having an easy to follow path from the highway to downtown.
Mayor Art Ward said that downtown’s revitalization hinges on the successful completion of the road.
After so many years of feuding and delay, “it’ll be nice to get it open,” the mayor said.
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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