Redevelopment Agency

REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEETING MINUTES Monday, April 23, 2018 100 Broadway, City Hall, Room 335, 6 PM MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair James Quarto, Alderwoman Stacy Gould, Tucker Braddock, Robert Buckley, James Heist, Anthony Jacobs, Mark Kulos and Shane Roberts MEMBERS ABSENT: Sofee Noblick SUBCOMMITEE MEMBERS PRESENT: None SUBCOMMITEE MEMBERS ABSENT: Barry Ellison of Norwich Public Utilities, Sean F. Buckley, Diba Khan-Bureau and Jennifer Messervy OTHERS PRESENT: Mayor Peter Nystrom, Alderman Samuel Browning, Alderman William Nash, Amy Vaillancourt and James Olsen of Tighe & Bond, City Planner Deanna Rhodes, Robert Mills of NCDC and Recording Secretary Melinda Wilson I. Call to Order Call to Order: Chair Jim Quarto called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm. II. Roll Call and determination of quorum: It was determined a quorum was present. III. Approval of Minutes: March 26, 2018 and April 5, 2018 Meetings On a motion by Mark Kulos, seconded by Robert Buckley, the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) meeting minutes of March 26, 2018 were unanimously approved as presented. On a motion by Mark Kulos, seconded by Tucker Braddock, the minutes of the April 5, 2018 Special Meeting were unanimously approved as presented. IV. Presentation: Amy Vaillancourt of Tighe & Bond reviewed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development brownfields programs. She gave the history of the programs both overall and in Norwich. She reviewed the intended uses of grants to prioritize properties that can and will be redeveloped. She reviewed the process of developing a list of potential brownfield properties in Norwich. Tighe & Bond has been collecting data in Norwich since 2012. The list will continually be updated as information becomes available. The list will be prioritized based on several categories such as city owned or vacant/abandoned. The funding is intended to increase interest in developing the properties. She briefly reviewed several Norwich properties. The available funding can cover environmental assessments and preparation of a remediation plan. The process requires owner participation. Once 1  complete, the list becomes useful in tracking investment and jobs created, as well as info for writing future grants. Amy gave a live demonstration of the online map which includes informative pop-ups with data from the list. Environmental reports are linked from the map. The map is a planning tool. V. Public Comment: Discussion opened on several topics including the measurement of additional investment, methods of prioritization, remediation in the area of Shipping Street, and alternative programs for the private sector. Jim Olsen said he would follow-up with the City Council on previous studies and cost- effective estimates for remediation regarding the Shipping Street area. Jim also pointed out that Tighe & Bond can help owners understand their risks and the benefits of the grant programs. Deanna Rhodes reviewed the next steps for RDA. The RDA will prioritize some short-term, mid-term and long-term goals. She gave out her email address, drhodes@cityofnorwich.org for any follow-up questions or comments. She can connect property owners to Jim Olsen at Tighe & Bond for further assistance. VI. Adjournment: On a motion by Jim Heist, seconded by Tucker Braddock, the Redevelopment Agency unanimously adjourned at 6:53 PM. 2