Mills: City panel 'squandered opportunity'

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City Councilor David Mills issued this statement today under the heading "An Opportunity Missed," about the Real Estate Committee's decision last week to reject the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce proposal for the reuse of Memorial Boulevard School:

City Councilor David Mills

This week, the Real Estate Committee rejected a worthyproposal that would, in my opinion, improve Bristol’s quality of life andpreserve a valuable asset for generations to come.
Let me present some background on the issue. The BristolBoard of Education closed the Memorial Boulevard School, as well as two otherschools, as of September 1^st of this year.  As chairman of the Building Committee, Ireceived many inquiries from Bristol taxpayers who felt that this building wasan important landmark in the city that must be maintained.  I decided to discover why so many peoplenamed this Rockwell creation on their must-save list. 
The Memorial Boulevard building is a gem that holds great promisefor our community.  The auditorium ofthis school is reminiscent of a New York City theater, with a 4.5-story flyspace above the stage.  This site has thepotential to house a variety of productions, from touring musicals and dramasto film, travelogue, and children’s theater. Professionals in the technical production industry, includingrepresentatives from the reconditioned Palace Theatre, recently toured theauditorium, and were struck by its many possibilities. They strongly feel thatthis unique facility should not be compromised, and have offeredrecommendations for its improvement and usage. 
The renovation of this space offers some excitingdevelopment opportunities. However, the greatest challenge would be funding. Asthe plan developed, conversations began with Chamber of Commerce PresidentMichael Nicastro, John Smith who as former Assistant Superintendent of Schoolshas vast knowledge of the building, Sean Taylor, businessman and Treasurer ofBristol Theater Arts, and others. They all agreed these theater improvementsand an arts program could be sustained using the rest of the Memorial Boulevardbuilding as an “economic engine” that would help pay for the auditoriumimprovement project. Under this plan, start-ups and arts-related businesseswill rent space at below-market rates. The building would need minimalreconfiguration, allowing existing building codes to prevail.
The Chamber of Commerce presented an outline of their planto the Building Committee, and the matter was turned over to the Real EstateCommittee.When the city put out an RFP (Request for proposal) for afuture use for the building, the Chamber of Commerce submitted its plan. As itturned out, it was the ONLY plan submitted.
The Real Estate Committee rejected the Chamber’s proposal,purportedly on the basis that there were “too many unanswered questions.”  This despite the fact that, at a specialmeeting arranged for the Chamber to answer the committee’s questions, therewere no questions asked.  Instead, thecommittee simply set another meeting so that municipal departments could comeforth and detail other uses they might have. 
By rejecting this proposal, the Real Estate Committee hasmissed an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to the city ofBristol.  This plan would provide astate-of-the-art theater and art space for our community.  It would attract new businesses to the city,especially technology, media, and bio science companies. It would create moreactivity downtown and create momentum for development.  It would establish a cultural center for artsand community activities, providing entertainment that would enrich the livesof our citizens.
I urge our city leaders to reconsider this plan and to takethe following actions:

• Convene a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, as well as building and fire inspectors, to review the requirements for bringing the building up to code.
• Arrange a meeting between the Corporate Council and the Chamber to hammer out a time-sensitive lease agreement to protect the interests of both parties, with a measured result.
• Realize that government does not have all the answers. Engaging in a Private/Public partnership could be the best path to creating a vibrant Arts, Cultural and Business center.

This facility could be an enormous asset for our communityand for future generations.  At present,it is an empty building that costs the city a minimum of $10,000 per month tomaintain.
The Real Estate Committee has squandered an opportunity tomove Bristol development forward. We are left with another empty building, ourfourth, adding to the budget deficit, with no plan in sight.  
We have a chance to develop a unique space that will enhanceour community. Let’s not miss that opportunity again.
Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com