Chamber proposals for Memorial Boulevard School

Here's a copy of the letter that Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce President Jim Albert sent to the city's Planning Commission recently about the old Memorial Boulevard School:

Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce

Comment for City of Bristol Planning Commission

Re: Disposition of Memorial Boulevard School

February 21, 2014

1. Recommended Uses of Memorial Boulevard School (MBS):  Consistent with the input received by the City of Bristol Planning Commission at the two public informational sessions held to gather public input for potential use/reuse of MBS, the Chamber recommends that MBS become a “destination” multiple purpose community center to include the following uses within the building:

1. Theater: Theater to be retained for theatrical productions and other entertainment events and programs.  Furthermore, contiguous space to the Theater should also be made available for management office space, staging, rehearsal space, lobby/reception, ticket office and storage.

2. Bristol Visitor’s Center and Heritage Museum: Bristol Visitor’s Center and Heritage Museum to include displays and programs highlighting the Memorial “flavor” of the park and Bristol’s past and present (manufacturing, veteran’s, sports, agriculture, etc.) with potential tour and school programs linked to other museums and heritage centers around the City (American Clock and Watch Museum, New England Carousel Museum, Bristol Historical Society and Sports Hall of Fame, Military Museum, Bristol Public Library, Federal Hill Historic Districts, Lake Compounce, etc.).

3. Art: Art studios and galleries for art-related business, art creation, display, classes and sales.  The vision is to create a section of the building where the public could view, shop and learn about various forms of art such as sculpting, pottery, and painting.  Further the designated section of the building could become a destination where the art community could work together and collaborate on projects, events, sales, classes, innovation, etc.

4. Conference Center:  Multi-purpose catering kitchen, meeting rooms, reception and configurable event rooms for seminars, meetings, dinners, programs, etc.    Reuse of the MBS gymnasium and/or cafeteria, kitchen, library and other rooms for multi-purpose event and meeting support would allow training seminars, strategic planning off-sites, and meetings and events requiring space for small and large groups, with on-site catering support capabilities.  This space could be in proximity to the Theater and Art Center communities within the building to provide shared reception, rehearsal, concession, and other overlapping uses.

5. Business Incubator:  To support light office small business start-ups and shared office space such as technology, bio-tech, or communications businesses. A segment of MBS should be set aside for stand-alone businesses and for individuals wanting to share space, amenities, utilize space for meetings, presentations, and potentially share support staff among multiple business entities.  It is envisioned that many “start up” and “home based” companies could be supported in this manner.

6. Civic Organization office space.  Space could be made available to consolidate related civic and community entities which might be a good fit to manage and/or promote the other activities within the building.
7. Non- Governmental Organizations: Space could be made available to consolidate related non-governmental entities such as the Army Strong office and the Veteran’s Council.  Other synergistic pairings and combinations of related public and private organizations could free up space in other locations for core functions (such as re-organizing space and functions within City Hall).

8. Playground space: Potential reuse of a portion of MBS gymnasium for indoor playground for children.

9. Educational uses: As an existing school MBS presents self-evident opportunities for educational uses.

10. Fields: The existing fields should be preserved to accentuate the activities of Memorial Boulevard Park, athletic space for the community and specifically in proximity to the downtown area, and as support for activities at the MBS.

2. Recommended ownership/management of MBS:  Following strong public input and preference, the Chamber recommends the City of Bristol pursue a strategy which considers maintaining ownership of MBS and leasing the building, immediate grounds and parking to a not for-profit entity which could both manage the operations of MBS and the financial management of the building and its uses.  Although further investigation is required, this format should create more opportunities to secure governmental funding and independent grants which could be utilized to support either the renovation, or operations of the MBS.

3. Other considerations: Other issues raised which should be noted for further consideration were to: (i) investigate the possibility of closing the road between MBS and the neighboring industrial complex to create additional parking. (ii) Place the MBS on the Historic Registry to help insure the integrity of the structure and provide funding opportunities, and (iii) develop restrictive covenants to be placed on the MBS to ensure the integrity of the architectural design and look of the building.

Recommended next steps: The Chamber recommends the following next steps to implement re-use of MBS.  The first step would be that the Planning Commission recommend that the Bristol City Council create a transitional project oversight and management committee (the “Committee”) to work with appropriate City staff, local organizations, stakeholders and private experts (architects, engineering, code/regulatory experts, etc.) to develop a Feasibility Plan for the MBS allocating appropriate space and infrastructural amenities for potential use groups within the building.  The Committee should evaluate the desirability of registering the MBS with the national Historical Registry.  The Committee should do a more detailed evaluation of the availability of private, state and federal funds to redevelop, repair and operate the MBS.  Once these key issues are investigated the Committee can recommend a governance structure for the MBS which may, or may not, be consistent with what we have outlined in Section 2.

Copyright 2014 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Chamber taps Jim Albert as next director

The Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce this week picked Jim Albert as its next director. Read the story here.
Update: Here is the chamber's press release, issued a few hours after the story:

Jim Albert, right, talking with Steve Jeffries

The Central Connecticut/Greater Bristol Chambers of Commerce, one of the largest of the eight Metro Chambers of Connecticut, today announced that it has hired James R. Albert of Bristol, Connecticut as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.

Central Chamber Board Chairman, Attorney Timothy Furey, stated, “After a nationwide search with multiple qualified candidates the Central Connecticut Chamber of Commerce was able to find a highly qualified, highly motivated individual, right in its own backyard.”

Jim Albert stated, “I am very excited and humbled by this opportunity to support the business community and citizens of Bristol and the cities and towns within the Central Connecticut Chamber.  We are at a pivotal time of change and need to work together to grow the economic strength and future of our city and our region.  I look forward to representing the business community and working with our city and state leadership to improve our economy and quality of life.”

Jim was simultaneously awarded Officer of the Year and IT Project Manager of the Year while serving in the U.S. Air Force. Recognized more recently as elected President of the Connecticut Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM) and as Healthcare CIO of the Year (2011) by the New England Chapter of the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) for innovative and effective application and adoption of technology to improve organizational performance at various healthcare institutions for which he was employed.

Jim received a M.S. in technology management from the American University in Washington DC and a B.S. in risk management and insurance from the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

Jim lives in Bristol with his wife Denise and has two daughters, Andrea Albert, PhD who is a physicist employed at Stanford University and Lisa Albert, B.S. in international business who is a marketing professional for Toyota at MMB Advertising in the Boston Area.

Jim will begin work at the Chamber on January 6.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Albert's dad lays out case for his son's election

Jim Albert's father, Renaud Albert, is happy to let people know his endorsement for a 3rd District City Council seat -- his son. Here's what he wrote:

There is no greater joy in life than when a father can publically acknowledge the great character, integrity and talents of his own son.  I am blessed to have such an opportunity and could not be more proud of my son Jim, who is running for Bristol City Council in District 3.  As anyone who knows me, and has listened to my bragging about my son and his family over the years, can tell you, Jim has accomplished many amazing things in his life.  He excelled in school at St. Ann’s and St. Paul’s and went on to get a bachelor’s degree at UCONN and a master’s degree at The American University in Washington, DC – paid for by the Air Force.  

His career in the Air Force was outstanding, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and working in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the Pentagon and White House.  At his retirement ceremony, my wife Jeannine and I listened with amazement as General Richard Paul recited, from memory and without any notes, the dozens of major accomplishments our son gave to the country over his military career.  General Paul then presented Jim with a seventh Meritorious Service Medal for a job well done, noting how this was the most of these prestigious awards he had ever seen given to an individual in the Air Force and how this wasn’t a surprise in Jim’s case.

After retiring from the Air Force, Jim and his family came back to Bristol where he led three different hospitals in Connecticut and was elected to the Board and then President of the Franco-American Club of Bristol.  He was also elected to the Board and then President of the Society for Information Management where he won the award for fastest growing chapter in the country, the Board of the French Businessmen’s Association which doubled its membership, the Board of St. Paul Catholic High School which increased student enrollment and the Finance Committee of St. Ann’s Parish where he helped negotiate the sale of land on West Street for the new Boys and Girls Club.  In all cases, these organizations improved greatly under Jim’s leadership.

My son would make an exceptional City Councilman because he has a wealth of experience and expertise from his time in Connecticut and his extensive travels around the world.  I have witnessed his leadership and determination time and again, and his style is to get consensus and not be divisive or confrontational.  People want to work for Jim and will work for Jim because he is not afraid to ask and not afraid to work hard.  We need people like my son to help get this City moving again.  There are too many people with personal agendas taking too much money and energy from Bristol and we need a leader who can bring everyone together and set a direction.  I can honestly say that my son Jim is such a person and I urge everyone in District 3 to vote for him on November 5th. Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Albert: Extra tax money no reason to favor hospital sale

Republican City Council hopeful Jim Albert sent this along in response to a Press editorial about the possibility of collecting more tax revenue if Bristol Hospital is sold to a for-profit company:

I disagree that the sale or merger of Bristol Hospital with another healthcare organization, non-profit or for-profit, should center around potential tax payments to the City.  As everyone in healthcare knows, and as most citizens of Bristol and our region hope, the future status of Bristol Hospital should center around patient care and population health, not about taxes.  Any potential added tax revenues gained by converting Bristol  Hospital to a for-profit organization may very well be reduced by portions of the organization remaining in a non-taxable status, or by reductions in employees, or by a loss of certain services, or by a reduction in hospital philanthropic donations, or by increased legal fees, or by any of a dozens other factors and repercussions of such a merger and change of status.  We should NOT be concerned, at this stage, with counting new tax dollars and deciding where they will be spent – as the recent article in the Opinions section of the Bristol Press entitled “An Add to Bristol’s Coffers?” would suggest.  Instead, I trust that Marie O’Brien, Kurt Barwis and the Board of Directors of the hospital will decide the future of our community hospital based on what is best for the health and wellbeing of the citizens of Bristol and our surrounding towns who use and rely on this longstanding quality institution.  We should not be dazzled or swayed in any great degree by potential tax revenues.  These are not guaranteed and are not what this acquisition is about.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Albert: Holding down taxes is critical

Republican City Council hopeful Jim Albert just issued this:

This year’s local election in Bristol is about the size of government and taxes.  My opponents have openly and repeatedly said the best way to improve our quality of life, student performance, and economy is to grow government and raise taxes.  Chris Wilson, Democratic Candidate for Mayor stated at a debate this week how people in Bristol should NOT feel they are overtaxed because “we have the 50^th lowest mill rate in the state.”  As Chairman of the Board of Education, Chris wants to give more money to the Board of Education for additional extracurricular programs.  Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, my opponent for City Council, echoed these sentiments at a Rotary Club breakfast and a debate of Council Candidates by saying she wants to see more students get into Harvard, Princeton and Yale and that she is a “Progressive, Liberal, New Deal Democrat” who believes we need bigger government and more spending to ensure a good quality of life for our citizens.  She favors raising taxes, as soon as possible, to add more after school programs, ball fields and other amenities.

Having worked for the government for 20 years as an Air Force Officer, including two years writing speeches and legislation for the White House and Secretary of Defense, I agree that government can facilitate the growth of our economy and quality of life.  But more government is not the answer to all our problems.  Nor is more spending without accountability going to meet our needs.  Simply put, we can’t afford more taxes at this time and I do not agree we should raise them until we seriously review what we are currently spending and what processes we use to plan and prioritize our spending and oversee the performance and accountability of our City government and Board of Education departments and managers. 

Unfortunately, Bristol is not living in a bubble.  We are weighed down by Connecticut’s financial mismanagement and political paralysis, which has made us the highest taxed state in the nation, the worst business environment, the worst environment for retirees, the worst estate taxes in the country, and the third highest debt per citizen in the U.S. – twice that of California.  Until things get better economically and politically, we need to hold the line on spending, growing government and taxes.  This doesn’t mean cutting our current budgets.  It means we need to aggressively find waste and inefficiency by reviewing what we spend money on and review the processes we use to set priorities and oversee City government performance and accountability.  I believe we will find enough waste in our current budgets to fund many new priorities.  I also believe we need better oversight of City spending and am very concerned that Bristol has not had a full financial audit of its books in decades.  It is time to clean and repair our “house” before we start adding more rooms.  Raising taxes at this time will only serve to drive more people out of Bristol and keep businesses from moving in or growing.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Albert: 'Irresponsible' for Wilson to say Bristol taxes are not too high

Here are the opening and closing remarks by Republican City Council hopeful Jim Albert from last night's council debate:

Opening remarks:

Thank you for inviting me, and thank you to my fellow candidates for wishing to serve the City of Bristol.  This year’s election is about schools and taxes.  Certainly there are many other issues facing our City and we’ll talk about a few of these shortly.  But the two that get most people worked up are school budgets and tax rates. 

Chris Wilson, the Democratic Candidate for Mayor and Chairman of the Board of Education stated at this week’s Mayoral Debate that people in Bristol should not feel overtaxed because we have the 50^th lowest mill rate in the state.  I think that is a very irresponsible opinion, and not what I want to hear from a person who hopes to be my Mayor.

Taxes in Bristol are already so high that people are moving out in growing numbers.  Businesses are staying away and young people are not coming back after graduation because they can’t find work here.  I believe strongly we should NOT raise taxes or put more money into City or Board of Education budgets until we have eliminated waste in our current spending and made sure that what we spend on education goes to teachers and students, not to Administrator salaries which are significantly higher than those of our neighboring towns.  

As much as I would like to give everyone everything they ask for, I know the City must live within our means.  We currently spend $3,000 a year for every man, woman and child in the City and that is enough to meet our needs and provide a great quality of life for us all.  We must learn to work together, be more efficient and spend our resources more wisely, just like we do with our own personal budgets.  Thank you.

Closing remarks:

Thank you again for inviting me to participate in this forum and thank you to everyone running for office.  We all know that holding political office can be a thankless, time consuming job that takes time away from family and friends and can subject you and your family to personal attacks and criticism.  So I want to thank all the candidates for their passion and desire to get involved and improve our City.

The people of Bristol are good people who, like all of us here, have been through a lot in these last few years.  They demand and deserve our respect, our best efforts and our leadership. They demand that we work together to build consensus and not fall into the trap we see in Hartford and Washington of “I’m always right, you’re always wrong” partisanship and personal agendas and ambitions that lead to division and paralysis.  They demand that City workers and managers be held responsible and accountable for how they spend taxpayer dollars.  And they are turned off by people and policies that get in the way of progress, development, innovation and grass roots efforts to improve our quality of life.

I have no personal agenda or ax to grind, and I try not to disrespect anyone who disagrees with me.  I don’t need anything from the City, other than a great place to live for myself, my wife and my parents.  I have decades of leadership and management experience from my career in the military and in healthcare.  And I ask the people of Bristol for their vote to give me a chance to make a difference for all of us.  Thank you.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Who the heck is Jim Albert?

Here's a release from Republican City Council hopeful Jim Albert:

Who is Jim Albert and Why am I Running for Bristol City Council in District 3?

Traveling around Bristol I meet a lot of people who have seen my signs and heard my name, but don’t know my background or why I’m running for City Council in District 3.  So, let me tell you a little bit about myself and why I am running on the Republican ticket for City Council.  

I am a third generation Bristol native who attended Jennings School, St. Ann School and St. Paul High.  I then went to the University of Connecticut and received a degree in Risk Management and Insurance.  After UCONN, I joined the Air Force, graduating with distinction from Officers’ Training School, and spent the next two decades designing and managing some of the largest computer and communications centers and systems in the world.  While in the military, I worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense drafting speeches, presentations and legislation for White House and Pentagon officials and helping manage a $9 billion defense research budget.  I received extensive leadership and management training from several military schools and a Master’s Degree in Technology Management from The American University in Washington, DC.  

I retired from the Air Force in 1998, as a Lieutenant Colonel, and came back home to Bristol with my wife, Denise, and our two daughters.  I became Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Bristol Hospital and served in executive positions at four health systems in Connecticut and Massachusetts.  I retired from hospital administration in May of this year and teach healthcare technology courses for the University of Connecticut and Boston University, while managing a healthcare consulting practice.

On a local level, I served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Franco-American Club of Bristol.  I also served on the Board of Trustees of St. Paul Catholic High and the Finance Committee of St. Ann Parish where I helped negotiate the sale of property on West St. to build a new Boys and Girls Club.  I was elected President of the Central Connecticut Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM) and was voted Healthcare Information Manager of the Year for New England in 2011.

This past summer, Councilman Dave Mills and his wife Joann, were faced with a serious situation that forced Dave to not seek re-election.  I was then asked to join the Republican ticket for City Council in District 3.  The loss of Dave Mills on the City Council is enormous.  For years as a coach and educator, Dave taught people how to work together and his contributions to the City, during the worst economic crisis in a generation, will last years.  If elected, I will continue in Dave’s footsteps and use my training and experience to ask questions and get to the bottom of things.  

I am running for City Council because I am concerned about the future of Bristol; specifically, the inefficiency and waste in the City budget and lack of oversight in how the City plans, manages and spends our tax dollars.  Bristol is a city of 60,000 people with a budget of about $180 million.  That is $3,000 per person.  I believe that is enough to meet our needs and provide a high quality of life for everyone, if we work together.  One of my goals, therefore, is to encourage the efforts of grass root neighborhood groups and coordinate these with our City government and business community.  Another top priority is to ensure the City takes a deeper dive into its current budget and spending habits to find waste and inefficiency, before it asks taxpayers for more money.  

Bristol is an expensive city in THE MOST expensive state in the continental United States, and worst state in the nation to retire, according to the Wall St. Journal.  Many people I meet are worried they can’t afford to stay here after retirement.  So they are planning to sell their house and move out as soon as possible.  At the same time, people in need of extensive social services are moving into the City putting a growing strain on our limited resources.  

I am not discouraged by people with personal agendas or entrenched alliances who tax and spend with little oversight, at the expense of our long term success.  These people got us into this mess through years of neglect, mismanagement and abuse, and it is very unlikely they will get us out of it.  We are way overdue for a change, and I will make that happen.

My wife and I have seen exceptional energy and talent from people all across the City and I am certain once we shine more light on the dozens of grass roots efforts, and coordinate these with the business community and City government, things will improve.  I am also certain we can find enough waste in our current budget to eliminate the need for new funding. I ask voters in District 3 for the chance to make a difference.  This election is literally about taking care of “Main Street” and not about Wall Street.  Please vote for me on November 5th.  Thank you.
Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Party ties don't mean all that much nowadays

Part of the reason for the Republican Party's success in Bristol in recent years may be that it's reaching across the aisle to snatch candidates who haven't been connected to the GOP before.

Its latest choice for City Council, Jim Albert, was a registered Democrat in Massachusetts. But he registered as a Republican last week in Bristol, joining the party's ranks immediately. As Democratic Registrar Mary Rydingsward pointed out, Albert's not the only one. On the GOP ballot this year, three of the six council candidates became Republicans so they could run for office. In addition to Albert, incumbent Republican Henri Martin also switched from the Democrats to the GOP. Board of Finance Chairman Rich Miecznikowski was an unaffiliated voter for half a century until he switched this year to the Repubublicans so he could run with Martin for a 2nd District council seat. The man Albert replaced on the ballot, incumbent David Mills, was also a Democrat until he signed on with the Republicans and won a council race in the 3rd District back in 2009. Of course, it goes two ways. Chris Wilson, the Democratic mayoral candidate, was elected to the Board of Education as a Republican. He switched parties this year so that he could secure the Democratic nomination for the city's top office. The long and short of it? It's hard to see, given what the parties and candidates actually do, just how it matters a whole lot on the local level whether an individual has a D or an R beside his or her name. Heck, next time they're on the ballot they might have a different party entirely.
Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

GOP taps Albert to fill Mill's slot

In a one-minute caucus this evening, 3rd District Republicans nominated Jim Albert, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and hospital administrator, to fill the City Council slot vacated by incumbent David Mills. Mills announced last week he had dropped out of the council race to deal with family health issues. Albert joins incumbent Derek Czenczelewski on the Nov. 5 ballot, facing Democrats Ellen Zoppo-Sassu and Mary Fortier. Albert, who was not present at the caucus, is working as a consultant after serving most recently as vice president and chief information officer at Jordan Health System in Plymouth, Mass.
Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com