Economic Development Commission

Chairperson Councilman Vincent Loffredo Economic Members Councilman Anthony Gennaro Councilman Edward McKeon Development Councilman Phillip Pessina Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell Committee Staff Bobbye Knoll Peterson, Acting Director of ECD Brian Gartner, ECD Staff REGULAR MEETING Minutes DATE: Tuesday March 14th 2023 TIME: 7:15 p.m. Meeting was held online via WebEx and in person, Room 208, Municipal Building. In attendance: Councilman Vincent Loffredo, Councilman Anthony Gennaro, Councilman Edward McKeon, Councilman Phillip Pessina, Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell Staff in Attendance: Brian Gartner, ECD Staff Public In attendance: Trevor Davis 1. Call to Order: Chairman V. Loffredo called the meeting to order @ 7:16pm. 2. Approval of Minutes 1. Minutes of the February 14th 2023 Regular Meeting – Moved by Councilman Gennaro, seconded by Councilman McKeon, and passed with four affirmative votes, with Councilman Pessina abstaining. 3. Public Session: None 4. New Business 1. Update on staffing in the ECD office. 1. Brian Gartner informs the committee of the following. Community Development Specialist / Acting Director Bobbye Knoll Peterson has returned from medical leave. Per the Mayor’s office interviews for the Director’s position are to commence soon. 5. Old Business 1. 21st Century Bond 1. No changes have been made in the last month, no additional expenditures. 2. Arcade Redevelopment 1. The project is moving forward without the “Attention to Detail” parcel for now. Negotiations continue on the “Attention to Detail” site. The price he wants to sell the property for is not one the city can agree to—the difference between the city’s assessed value of the property and the asking price is too large. Additional parking is being worked into the design. The priority is to make sure the city is getting what it needs. The Committee requests that someone who is directly involved in the negotiations to attend the April EDC Meeting. If you require special accommodations for any meeting, please call the ADA Coordinator at (860) 638-4540, (voice) or (860) 638-4812 (TDD/TTY), or the Town Clerk’s Office at (860) 638-4910 at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled meeting. Page 1 of 2 3. Riverfront Master Plan 1. The project now rests more with Land Use than with Economic and Community Development. ECD Consultant Joseph Samolis and ECD Staff Brian Gartner have been working on the remediation of the former Peterson Oil Property on River Rd. 4. 80 Harbor Drive 1. Steel is erected. Interior framing is ongoing. Power is to be connected soon. State approval for relocation of power panel is required. Original design called for watertight equipment. Eversource has stated that they are not replacing the transformer on site with a watertight unit. If flood conditions are anticipated Eversource will come out and de-energize their equipment which will intern de-energize the entire structure. Equipment is backordered and the committee has requested the assistance of the Mayor to help acquire this equipment in a timely manner. 5. R. M. Keating 1. Rob Kronenberger, Superintendent, provided the following. Fidelux has been sold to a company in NJ. They are planning on vacating all of their spaces (3) within the next 6-9 months. Office first, warehouse second, and the storage space last. Office – 5264 SQ. FT Warehouse – 6700 SQ. FT Storage space – 6600 SQ. FT Open space @ Remington - 1,600 sq. ft. on the first floor. Future tenant – The Flower House – They are potentially seeking a lease for 45,000 SQ. FT. on the second floor. 30 day notices have been issued to Riverside Painting & Stubborn Beauty. The committee was provided with both notices, and a spreadsheet detailing the outstanding rents. Rob spoke with Andrew from Stubborn Beauty to work on a plan. Rob vouched that they are good tenant who has fallen on hard times post pandemic. 6. Grant Earmarks No substantive update. 7. Dripps Road possible sale to Nancy Stamler 1. The department received correspondence from N. Stamler on March 14 th 2023. The correspondence has been provided to the EDC. 2. The committee decided to table the issue until next month, and the letter is entered into the record. No action is taken at this time. Adjournment: A motion to adjourn passed unanimously. Page 2 of 2