Wednesday, January 6, 2016

"HARTFORD HAS IT"... A $66 MILLION DOLLAR PLUS MONEY PIT

A lasting legacy we will always remember to Pedro Segarra, Shawn Wooden, Tom Deller and several City Council members has left us with may eventually me a 66 Million dollar hole in the ground, known as DoNo, or Dunkin Donut Park. I bet Dunkin Donuts wishes about now that they had awakened sooner and smelled the coffee.

It is very unfortunate that a new Mayor who had hopefully wanted to hit the ground running to get Hartford jump started now has to be focusing on possibly the largest Economic Development debacle Hartford has seen. What will be done with the Yard Goats Stadium and what do you do with what was supposed to be a 56 million dollar project and now the cost overruns are growing at a faster rate than Hartford's unemployment rate.  There is plenty of finger pointing at each other as to who did what and who is responsible for this mess.

The calls from some to mothball the stadium are probably impossible. Although those people probably have a very clear right about now to say "We told you so". No one would listen, Segarrra and Wooden were hell-bent on shoving this project down our taxpaying throats, but I guess they knew better. Hmmm, what did they know and when did they know it?  Did it suddenly drop in their laps in December or were they that out of touch that no one saw at least 10 million dollars(minimum) in cost overruns building up, or were they maybe too busy answering subpoenas for a Federal Grand Jury into their other stadium attempt, Dillon Stadium.

Where was the City funded oversight person?  We should be asking for a rebate on those payroll payments

Realistically  there aren't enough mothballs made to shut this project down. At this point , court action is most likely very close unless Mayor Bronin can pull a rabbit, or maybe a yard goat, out of his hat and get this project back on track. It is a huge task, but quite honestly, I have a lot more confidence in Mayor Bronin to protect our interests than I do in the other two hacks, Segarra and Wooden.

Maybe it is time to start thinking outside the box to get this project moving forward and keep it out of the courts. Centerplan has already shown on this project as well as others that they like court time. No one will benefit from court delays, except lawyers, and in the meantime our debt service payments will keep accumulating. They are making us the development laughing stock. Just ask Hooker Brewery when they intend to break ground. Where are the solid Hard Rock proposals, and do you think they are rethinking that about now?

And what about the grocery store, when can we expect those shelves to be stocked with quality healthy foods for Hartford residents?.

Like I said, think outside the box. Maybe it is about time we approach UConn and get them to come in as a partner for Men's Baseball  and even possibly women's softball. We all realize the interest in UConn sports in Hartford. The men's Hockey team are routinely drawing crowds larger than the Wolfpack when they play in Hartford. Just try to go downtown when they are playing, the restaurants are packed. I am pretty sure UConn Baseball would attract the same crowds , if not better. The UConn brand is strong in Greater Hartford and we need to be creative to see this project succeed.

We are too far into this and failure is not an option. It might just be the part of the puzzle we have been missing.

I for one want to see Luke Bronin working on other issues to get Hartford moving and not be caught in the quicksand of a poorly conceived and financed deal

55 comments:

  1. the oversight people are the stadium authority, all appointed by council....including Adam Cloud. Follow the money.

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  2. Who was the lawyer or law firm who represented the City in negotiating the stadium and team contracts? It looks like the City has no leverage to force the builder to bear the risk of the overruns and the delays. I hope the City entrusted this deal to a team better than Wooden, Allen Taylor, and SKB.

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  3. This city is doomed you see how cold it is outside who the hell wants to work in this weather?? Semi pro football or basketball teams would have been a better idea

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  4. We all know it was a huge mistake and Centerplan is a disaster, but now how do we get them out and fix this mess? Like I said, failure is not an option

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  5. Like Yankee Stadium, the new park in Hartford should have a monument park in Centerfield. Seeing as the Yard Goats have never played a game, lets honor the Hartford politicians who made this possible. We can have statues of Pedro Segerra, Adam Cloud, Sandra Key Borges, perhaps Eddie Perez. Then before Yard Goat games begin in 2017, parents can take their children to tour the monuments and point out inept politicians.

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  6. And let's remember why we ended up with a quasi-public, quasi-private entity like the Stadium Authority anyway. The sole purpose was to avoid a voter referendum. If that had happened, there would have been no stadium. I want Bronin to stick to his guns and refuse to spend more than $56 million of our taxpayer dollars. If he does that, he'll earn a lot of respect from Hartford's citizens. The Courant didn't report it, but when Solomon was asked to kick in, his reply was "not one penny".

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  7. nobody is more responsible for this gigantic fiasco than Pedro, Wooden, Deller and SKB. NOBODY. All four must be punished.

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  8. nobody is more responsible for this gigantic fiasco than Pedro, Wooden, Deller and SKB. NOBODY. All four must be punished.

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  9. The first attorney representing the city was PEDRO SEGARRA ! Do you already forget he brokered a deal in secret meetings ? Did you also forget he was a failed ,bankrupt lawyer? Is it all making sense now?

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  10. First step should have been hiring any of the longstanding experienced construction management firms like
    Fuss & Oneil or Konnover to run yhis project instead of the concocted
    "Don't No"
    Does anyone really think Hartford Baseball will ever PROFIT dollar 1

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  11. The project is already too far over budget. Nice idea but no money for any statues, Sorry. Maybe we can just frame their Federal Mug shots once the Grand Juries are all done

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  12. Actually the City has expended closer to 80 million when you add in the out of contract costs and city hall staff time. The idiots to blame for this pile of crap is wooden,segarra,deller,hill,most of the prior council,Borges,the outside city monitoring consultant and the hartford courant editorial board and a few other hartford courant reporters.They were all warned back in the summer of 2014 but refused to listen to all of us and now we have a pile of shit on our hands.

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  13. There is another option. It's what dynamite was made for.

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  14. The best we can all do is boycott the stadium. Never buy a ticket. If you want to enjoy a baseball game, there are plenty of city parks that feature local teams that play their hearts out. For free. FOR FREE.

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  15. Just remember, there is one council
    Edson remaining on council who voted for this idiotic monster. Anyone care to guess?

    Her last name rhymes with Denny.

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  16. Bruce, Way to go. Your legalistic terminology has never been more spot on. Remember though, Hartford Courant business writer was always dead set against this joke of a project. When is the next public meeting.

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  17. 1:32 AM YOU'RE RIGHT< WE SHOULD ALL BOYCOTT THIS CORRUPT, MILLIONS OVER BUDGET STADIUM. I'LL TAKE THE FASTTRAK TO NEW BRITAIN TO SHOW MY SUPPORT TO THEIR CITY AND THE ATLANTIC LEAGUE TEAM.
    BOYCOTT DUNKIN DONUTS STADIUM!

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  18. Why is Henry Burgos still in office? WHY?
    Why is Maribel La Luz still in office? WHY?
    Why is Marilynn Aponte Cruz still in office? WHY?
    Why is Linda Bayer still in office? WHY?
    W H Y ?
    Mr. Bronin, we voted for you so you would clean up the house. Burgos, La Luz, Aponte and Bayer are all part of the problem, they're part of the corruption and the mess in Hartford.








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    1. 8:22 am The individuals you mentioned are not part of the problem, they ARE the problem in Hartford.

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  19. The Honorable Judge Killian told us during the mayoral campaign that this stadium will cost us $100,000,000 over the next 26 years. That was just a few months ago.
    Well, the Honorable Judge was wrong: This stadium will cost us MUCH MORE than $100,000,000.
    Call this stadium a Financial Monster if you wish.

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  20. Pedro Maria Caviar Segarra disappeared. He's somewhere out of state. Where is he hiding? Why doesn't he answer the questions we have (Not the soft, easy Dennis House' questions)? Why doesn't he return any phone calls?
    Can't wait for the Feds to give him a call.

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  21. http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/hartford_grabs_new_havens_lci_chief/

    this guy dodged a bullet, eh? he's sitting at dinner with his wife last night saying, "oh my God, that was close..."

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  22. 7:35am

    How will a boycott benefit the people of Hartford? other than possibly make us feel like we are hurting someone, anyone, possibly the Solomon's or the Yard Goats, a team most of us never wanted and if we didn't have our right to a referendum taken away by devious planning, we would have probably overwhelmingly expressed that.

    We are too far along now and a boycott and possible failure of the project will only further harm the people of Hartford

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    1. Kevin, a boycott will definitely hurt Hartford in the short run, but it'll send a very clear message to the corrupt politicians out there - together with action by law enforcement agencies - to be very careful before they greenlight any project such as the Yard Rats/Dunkin doNuts Stadium, the Dillon Stadium, the iQuilt project (just wait to hear about this iShit) and more.

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  23. I was wondering.... How many of Hartford's streets could've been repaired for 56 million?

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  24. Another sad day for The capitol city, However, the taxpayers must stay positive. Looking back will get us nowhere. The recent look on I Charles Matthews face who is not a Hartford resident yet the Chairman of the Stadium Authority speaks for itself. Developers are out to make big money. Dunkin Donuts is one of the nation's lowest paying employers. Let's move on and talk within reason and avoid a court date.

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  25. The sum of 56 million Hartford could have improved the neighborhood drastically. After all this is what Hartford residents have been requesting for many years.

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  26. @11:04

    No rebuilt streets because this money never existed. It is a conundrum but the money simply does not exist. Your reasoning is faulty. The same argument was made early on in meetings opposing the stadium. Remarks were being made that this money should go into school programs. I walked out after those remarks because first, no amount of money will increase test scores. If the parents don't provide a healthy home environment, the child cannot learn in a school made of gold. And there are plenty of home environments that fall into this category.

    Second, the money simply does not exist. It is being borrowed and now a massive debt is be created and the residents of Hartford are being mortgaged up past their/our eyeballs. I will excersize (oops) my option and soon move. I will not be laden with this debt.

    "Boycott" implies a protest whether one can benefit from the product or service. Yes, it is self-defeating but let me pose the other side of the boycott. Should I attend Dunkin Donuts events just to make it successful? Should I spend my discretionary money to help make this succeed?

    Not on your life. I will never see the inside of that stadium. And I will not be denying myself anything because anything I could find there I can find elsewhere with more ease.

    I credible the damage one man can make. I thought Eddie Perez was bad. No please, bring that little petty thief back to power over a Pedro Maria who in time, will have bankrupted the city. And I am against a state bailout.

    Capici?

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  27. Kevin there is plenty to boycott that will benefit the city taxpayer. Eliminate the size of the Aides for the city councilpersons. Currently, there is nine aides. Reduce the number to three. Eliminate Linda Bayer's position. Each department has to reduce it's waste. Appointed Deputy's should be eliminated. That would be a start.

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  28. Mayor Bronin is listening to many of the old Hartford cronies who he paid a great amount of money to get elected. A million dollars is a tremendous amount to raise to be a Hartford's Mayor. Who is Bronin giving the $20,000 he refused to take for his city pay? It must be going to Linda Bayer. Bronin could possibly receive no stipend for his pay.

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  29. How much dose councilpersons earn?

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  30. This stadium deal is just like the City's change of insurance carrier. 3 million of that 4 million plus deficit our new Mayor faces is due to the alleged saving that are not there due to this change. Fire, or should we say Vince Fatsco and Joe Feilds, sold the city a bill of goods and sewed everyone including themselves in the end. How did that endorsement of Pedro workout? The question is how does the incompetent City dept heads allow Joe Fields, who represents fire also represent the city's interest in this change of carrier. It stinks and sticks strong. This Joe Feilds guy always ends pushing Cigna where ever he goes, oh he's also hired by HEMIA as their ins. expert. at least the Board of Ed was smart enough not to switch even though he tried to get the Teachers Union to get them to switch over. Another prime example of a back door deal that is going to hurt the city employees and the tax payers with a budget shortfall.

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  31. The stadium situation is going to cost Hartford taxpayers plenty. More ambitious attorneys get involve as soon as you get the opportunity. There is plenty of dirty money to be made.

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  32. This messy Hartford stadium deal is another political blunder at its best. Hartford's poverty is always overlooked and is growing. Former Speaker of the House Tom Ritter's family support the Community Renewal Teams educational efforts. However, CRT WAS suppose to renew the Hartford community. However, the CRT executives have mishandled the funds for many, many years. Mr. Ritter what is next for Centerplan? Is it another disaster like CRT? Of course it is............

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  33. Mayor Luke Bronin was anxious to become Hartford's 67ht Mayor. Why? He has an agenda. Maybe he'll run for the next Gov of CT. Bronin who never held an elected office will be pushed aside as soon as he gets his insiders upset. He has a division growing among his loyal.

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  34. Who is going to bail out the Hartford stadium? Hartford use to be the insurance capitol. In 2016 Hartford is the fifth poorest city in the nation.

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  35. I Charles Matthews what were you thinking? You left Hartford came back and ran for Hartford Mayor. Who supported you during your run for mayor? Former Mayor Eddie Perez did all he could to stop any votes to go to you. Hartford residents told you in volume that they did not want a stadium. Matthews were you listening? Now put you own money up to safe the stadium.

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  36. Pedro is nowhere to be found. He left Hartford in time so he cannot answer the real tough questions. Why is this miserable ballpark behind schedule even though the winter weather was more like spring like? Why is this miserable ballpark over budget by millions even though many items were removed from the job? What the hell is going on with this miserable ballpark?

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    1. The stadium was originally planned with 9,000 seat, wasn't it?
      In the past few weeks we hear of 6,000 seats only...

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  37. I'm going to play the lottery this week. If I win the entire $700 million all by myself, I'll give nothing to save this stadium. Absolutely nothing. Not a single penny!

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  38. If I win this.week Powerball I'll be willing to pay for the entire stadium as long as I get a guarantee that Pedro and Deller go to jail.

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    1. I'll try to get the best of both worlds: I'll give nothing to this stadium that was built on lies, just like 6:25pm
      And I'll look for the guarantee to have Segarra and Deller jailed, just like 7:29pm asked for

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  39. If I win that lotto I'll donate 100 million to the city if they fire all the upper echelon in the police an fire department an that's if they do it an then I would personally rebuild the north end of Hartford an bring in a brand new curriculum fur the school system an teach young black boys a real education

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  40. Look, it is very unfair to chastise the new mayor the way a few posters are doing. This position is his first political victory. I believe that he is insightful, intelligent, no nonsense. No doubt that he has ambition to move up the political ladder as most who achieve public office. If he can somehow manage to stabilize this highly unstable economic condition in Hartford, he most certainly should be rewarded with higher office.

    On the topic of campaign financing, I agree that those who give to campaigns expect something in return. It is the supreme balancing act of the candidate to act in the interest of the public trust while at the same time, keeping an eye on those who supported his campaign. Our political system has major faults. It always does when the question money is involved. It ultimately courrpts. It would be a noble goal for him to advocate for major campaign finance reform. He can do it and he should. John McCain tried his hand at reform but big money ultimately won out. We can only hope that a candidate doesn't sell his soul in total to the devil.

    Give Luke Bronin a chance. Stop being a puss head. I actually feel sorry for the chore that he has facing him. Offer positive ideas when he begins his monthly town hall meetings. He is sincere. I do share the fear that lacking campaign finance reform, that even he will need to overly satisfy the needs of the big money going toward his campaigns.

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  41. I disagree that the best alternative is that the stadium be finished. Even if the stadium is done for another 10million dollars...perhaps by bonding it through the Stadium Authority,the final bond interest wifi be closer to 5 1/2 million a year that the City wifi have to pay the bond holders.The revenue forecast that I saw was a fraudulent fake forecast ,the numbers were cooked and not independently examined..The City relied on a bought and paid for examiner and got the revenue opinion that they wanted...Many opinion leaders were used to put a good spin on selling the deal to he public and the former City Council.if the stadium is built, the City will be shocked to find out that the stadium will be running at a 3-4 million dollar annual deficit....add that to the 5 1/2 million dollar debt service and the total annual loss will be about 9 million dollars....and I have not included the annual repair and maintenance expenses.

    It would be cheaper to mothball the stadium project ...the City has spent so far about 28 million dollars,leaving 28 million in reserve. If we send that reserve back to the bond holders our annual debt service payment would be about 2 1/4 million dollars...far cheaper the time the 9 million dollars that the City would be paying annually if the project is completed.

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  42. Maybe the number will be modified down to 3,000. It would never have filled 9,000 anyways. The larger number might have succeeded bringing musical entertainment venues but now on account of the smaller size, it is guaranteed to be a failure. The whole project is doomed. And if it ever opens, the new mayor should not allow anybody to throw out the first ball. No celebration no nothing. Just let the thing move forward with no fan fair. In 30-35 years, it will be torn down to make way for real development. Disgusting waste of money.

    Does anyone know yet how much or little the naming rights cost?

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  43. Every department in Hartford is dysfunctional. As a result the entire city of Hartford is totally dysfunctional. Bronin must be honest with himself and with the people of Hartford, he must get rid of all the trash in each and every department

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  44. @7:37 you are absolutely correct.he must be a game changer to use a sports analogy. If he doesn't he will be a bandaid mayor and his halfway attempts will ultimately fail.

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  45. Council meeting Monday night. The public can speak. Let's book.

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  46. Someone needs to ask: who were the lawyers who represented the City?

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  47. We should all be there on Monday. Let's show this city council that we will be watching them, show them that www.WeThePeopleHartford.com website/blog is alive and well and will report anything this city council or its members do that is against the interest of the people.

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  48. That *** Cynthia Jennings, is she the only member who voted for that stadium and is still on the council?

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  49. yes, she is the only one left, and I edited your comment as you can see

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    1. Cynthia should be forced to resign. Does she reside in Hartford?

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  50. Monday night council meeting. Bring pitchforks and torches. Well, just bring a strong voice and speak up boldly. Let council and mayor know that we will not incurr any more debt, as Bruce said, better to tactically withdraw. - something Luke Bronin understands having been in the military in Afganistand. Luke, make a bold move. Stop the stadium. Litigate against Centerplan and DoNo. We love you but if you laden Hartford with more debt, you will be out, too. I know that is very harsh thing to say. I support you 100% but you must make great and difficult decisions.

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