City Councilor Henri Martin just issued this statement re the decision of the city's Real Estate Committee recently to reject a plan for Memorial Boulevard School's reuse by the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce:
 |
| City Councilor Henri Martin, left, with Mayor Art Ward and Councilors Ken Cockayne and Kevin Fuller trailing |
I’m bothered and disagree
with the recent decision by the Real Estate Committee of the City of Bristol to
initiate a new RFP (Request for proposal) regarding the future use of Memorial
Boulevard School. Further I disagree with the member’s decision to discuss this
matter in an executive session rather than in public.
In its proposal, the Central
Connecticut Chamber of Commerce submitted a viable plan which I believe answered
the wishes of our community — to protect and find a potential re-use for this
historic property. The plan was visionary and provided innovative ideas for
economic development to Bristol through the creation of an arts center that
included the preservation and future improvements of the theatre, and a business
incubator for start up entrepreneurs in the technology, media and bio-fields.
At its last Real Estate workshop,
with a change of use from a building educating students to the anticipated use
the Chamber was proposing, city department officials offered their views of ADA
updates, fire and building code deficiencies, and future capitol improvement
costs that may lay ahead for any intended use. Revealing these facts and costs may have worried
the committee, but should not have warranted the rejection of the Chambers
proposal or a motion and approval to request a new RFP.
I understand the city’s
budget is under pressure, but imagine the unknown costs associated with the innovative
idea of ESPN back in 1978/79 that gave city officials reason to pause. Thank
God we pressed forward. In my opinion, revealing all the facts and costs only facilitates
a better understanding of the risks for all involved.
The proposal was an
opportunity for the City and Chamber to develop a Public/Private partnership,
thus allowing them to work together to preserve the theatre and building, and
simultaneously bring some kind of economic development in the downtown area. We
need new innovative vision—not the same old same old.
Downtown needs energy; art
energy, entrepreneurial energy, young professional energy, upscale energy,
community energy—and the Chamber’s proposal offered all of this. Unfortunately
this didn’t happen. After a questionable
executive session meeting, the committee decided to start the process all over
again.
The Real Estate committee
failed to work collaboratively with the Chamber to determine if a format could
be established which met both their and the City’s goal. The process was
instead adversarial in nature which was not fair to the Chamber and does a
disservice to our citizens.
If the Real Estate Committee
was worried about the potential costs mentioned by the department officials or
had unanswered questions; those details could have been addressed during
negotiations between the City and the Chamber before any final lease document
was executed. The concept was still sound.
City officials should be
working collectively with our business partners in the Chamber to achieve the
goal of the community to preserve the historic Memorial Boulevard School. In
the end, we either may have had an agreement that met the needs of both sides,
or maybe it wouldn’t have worked for the either, but the decision would have
been reached in a cooperative manner rather than the way it did.
Unfortunately, the Chamber
has decided to withdraw its proposal and not respond to the new RFP, and given
the nature of the process which was followed who can blame them.
Now we’re back to square one…
No comments:
Post a Comment