https://countingdownto.com
The Hartford Yard Goats Stadium is supposed to be "substantially complete" by Tuesday May 17. 2016. I drove by and checked it out tonight , and I don't see it being done in the next month, never mind by Tuesday. There are many areas that appear incomplete, not the least of which being the exterior walls, the stairwells , apparently many life safety systems are incomplete, including the fire alarms and emergency lighting, as well as lighting throughout the public areas. More on this tomorrow as well as some photos and video to prove my point, as well as my thoughts on the finger pointing and the blame game
Good. I'll have more time to think up protest signs.
ReplyDeleteAny finger pointing, any blame must be directed at the person who's selling his west end house, the person who's pushing his way to become a judge, whose "Done Deal" was stupid and outrageous from day one, who wanted to sit comfortably in the ballpark luxury suite, who wanted to throw the first ball. That's you, Pedro/ Peter/ Maria/ Caviar/ Segarra.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry.....Luke will give them more time to complete the stadium and more money if they want it.
ReplyDeleteI walked by Dunkin Donuts pink and orange ugly sign facing Main Street yesterday. Doesn't look like the work will be completed in a few days unless they'll deliver some sloppy, poor results.
ReplyDeleteIn every corner outside the stadium I noticed a fee police officers. Could someone elaborate on how many Hartford police officers are being used in each shift and who pays those officers.
Please join me for a good ole fashion hootenanny sing-along on grand opening day at the gate. Cut and past the lyrics. Add a few of your own. This is the Dunkin Donuts People's anthem.
ReplyDeleteBill Katz
Song Title: Dunkin Donuts Stadium (12/23/2015) 5th Fret
Dunkin Donuts Stadium, my advice just don't go in
You can watch baseball in local parks, Kenney, Pope and Goodwin
But if you leave home to watch the Goats, don't forget Imodium
Dunkin Donuts Stadium, my advice just don't go in
The toilets may not be flush-able, and may not even spin
They may not all be flush-able, then again not even spin
Centerplan hasn't thought this out how all the shit would fly
But the toilets now are flush-able, but it still makes you cry
Poor Pedro thought he had a good idea one absent-minded day
He thought to spend some city cash, Hartford could not ever repay
Millions and millions, down the hole, for 25 more years
Poor Pedro thought he had a good idea one absent-minded day
If you bought a pass to see the Hartford Goats, be sure to put your raincoat on
If you bought a pass to see the Hartford Goat, be sure to put your raincoat on
The grandstand roof may not be built, DoNo Hartford has taken note (great name for the plan)
One more doozy for the ex-mayor, with his council boys in tow
Dunkin Donuts Stadium, my advice just don't go in
You can watch baseball in local parks; Kenney, Pope and Goodwin
But if you leave home with your kids, don't forget Imodium
Dunkin Donuts Stadium, my advice just don't go through
An'a cup of my day-old coffee's better than, fresh Dunkin Donut's brew
Popcorn popcorn. Get yer popcorn.
It looks like it's going to be a decent building; better than average for Hartford. The team is actually playing well. I hope that it may be some sort of success. We can't do the dissatisfied customer thing, send it back for a refund.
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The truth is Yard Goat baseball on the field has been terrific. Yard Goat baseball off the field? Man, lots of questions. Still.
Was Thursday night's small crowd the result of a team playing only a week after it was announced it would set up shop at Dodd on an interim basis for at least 10 games?
Don't know.
If this was opening night under beautiful skies, what's it going to be like for the next nine dates? Or will more folks show up during the weekend as word spreads that baseball is in Norwich in May?
Don't know.
http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-jacobs-column-yard-goats-0513-20160512-column.html
The stadium won't be delivered on time without Centerplan cutting corners. Lots of corners.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, Centerplan, Landino and the entire Stadium Authority will be shown the door by Mayor Bronin on Wednesday if the stadium isn't ready for delivery on Tuesday. Otherwise Luke owns this mess now and the screwups can't continue to be blamed on Segarra. To continue to accept the same management that has failed so miserably is insane.
ReplyDeleteMayor Bronin should have dumped the "Stadium Authority" members whenever he knew that things were going in the wrong direction. Bronin's in charge now and he'll be judged on whatever he does on Tuesday, May 17.
DeleteOn Tuesdat night Centerplan will announce that the stadium is substantially complete, ever if it's substantially incomplete, to avoid paying any penalty.
DeleteThe reason many don't believe the Mayor's "fiscal hurricane" statements is that he continues to pour city money into the stadium even when the developer and baseball team fail to live-up to even the limited obligations Segarra and the previous council agreed to. The city is on the hook for at least $145 million in "rent" and bond payments over the next 25 years for the road work and stadium construction.
ReplyDeleteAssuming the stadium will be complete in the next 2-3 months and since we claim to be in "fiscal crisis", the right thing to do would be to cancel the city's lease on the stadium (at a savings of $4.6 million a year) and let the bond holders take it over. Once it is in private hands the city can tax it. No lease payments and new tax revenue! Who knows? the new owners may even use it as a baseball stadium!
Do the right thing Mayor Luke Bronin show the exit door to the useless and lying Centerplan, Landino and Stadium Authority. Wednesday, May 18, 2016 cut the cord and give Hartford taxpayers a break. Mayor you wanted to lead the Capitol City. Now is the time to let this Circus End.
ReplyDeleteHey Pedro I was under the impression that you were going to reopen your law practice. You did not have many customers than so what has changed. For someone who was just going to finish up former Eddie Perez's term. You were sure anxious to run for your own term. Pedro, be real the last thing on earth is that you are going to serve as a Judge. You ought to be in front of a Judge because of all the heart ache you have caused the city of Hartford.
ReplyDeleteKevin, I totally agree with you, Luke Bronin now owns this stadium mess, however, Pedro Segarra will be forever the founder and creator of this huge ugly mess.
ReplyDeleteKevin, If I may, I would like to go off topic for a moment. Or maybe you could begin a discussion of how to improve our communities. We all know that everything is going quickly to hell.
ReplyDeleteI was out on Maple Ave this morning participating in the annual MARGE clean-up. Really, these clean-ups are needed bi-monthly. At one point during our detail, a passerby stopped to ask how he could help. We were finished by that time. I tried to find out where he lives nearby because I wanted to spread the message to him to proactively go outside his house and pick up liter, mow city lawns and not wait for the public works to do it.
We must begin proactively taking on streetscape improvements one step at a time. I have even offered to help my neighbor paint his house. It is near blight condition. He is not impoverished. He just doesn't understand the need to continually make home improvements. We must all go out in the street and pick up litter. I have finally put aside my disgust with others casually tossing stuff in the street. While I live here, I should and will pick it up and try to gently encourage my neighbors to do the same.
If you want Kevin, copy and paste onto a page with the subject appropriate for discussion.
Our team didn't know where this man lives but anytime I meet anyone willing to pitch in, this will be my mantra. We need to take charge and do things instead of waiting for a city that no long has the capacity to undertake basic chores. Instead, it builds a 70 million dollar. Baseball stadium because of course, this is important.
5:08PM
ReplyDeleteThey can announce whatever they want, but if they don't have a TCO, temporary certificate of occupancy, nothing matters, and that requires ALL life safety systems to be functioning and all electrical to be complete....not going to happen. drive by and take look for yourself
Bronin used I.Charles Matthews (Stadium Authority Chairman) and Janice Flemming (Centerplan) who were both willing to sell out their own communities to promise Bronin the Northend vote. Bronin got what he wanted and the black community got screwed once again. Now he owes them, do you think he is going to make any changes. And knowing Bronin, if he ever did remove Matthews, he would probably replace him with Bill DiBella (an Old Saybrook resident as defined by the Feds when they investigated him)
ReplyDelete@2:45
ReplyDeleteWhat you are suggesting has many flaws in it. First, Luke just couldn and can't back out of these contractual agreements without massive suits and counter suits. Second, you can't just default on one project. If you default on the stadium, you only do this by filing for receivership. I don't think Hartford is quite there yet. But it is inching closer.
But I am with you in spirit and want the whole mess to just cave in on itself. And it will be a lesion to developers in the future to stop f**king with tax payer money in order to finance projects that have no obvious hope for financial success. This thing wasn't only Segarra humping the boys on council for a vote. It was non stop lobbying of developers that pushed it over the top.
(Kevin, if you need to delete my "F" word in order to publish, please, do.)
I have no faith that Bronin will do the right thing Tuesday and fire Centerplan. I supported Bronin....did a fundraiser at my house that netted him 5 figures and accounted for about 100 votes for him. Next time around I will be supporting someone else.
ReplyDelete11:15PM: This stadium s#!t was a problem from day one and continues to be a huge problem, financially speaking. Stop the madness, let them file lawsuits and counter suits. Enough already with all the liars and manipulators.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a matter of if. There is Not a chance for dd park to be completed by Tuesday. Full scale investigation if otherwise. Place is an utter mess as of 6:30 this evening.
ReplyDelete@7:23
ReplyDeleteThey will take the fines and finish the project. I don't think the agreements call for an out. Look, I'm on your side. But I predict things will continue to move forward complete with stated fines - I believe.
I took a walk earlier today around DD Park. I noticed some workers inside and outside the stadium. They were chating and joking, didn't look like they were performing any job.
ReplyDeleteI can now confirm with certainty: THIS STADIUM WILL NOT BE SUBSTANTIALLY OR UNSUBSTAINTIALLY COMPLETED BY MAY 17.
8:39Pm
ReplyDeletethere will be huge penalties if the stadium is not ready by the end of the day Tuesday. Solomon will be off the hook for the $2 million he kicked in to close the overage and I believe that the Yard Goats are off the hook for the first years annual rent of $500,000.
Not a good start. Once again thank you Pedro, Shawn, Ken and anyone else that shoved this mess down our throats. And don't forget the ill conceived "ticket tax", the less tickets sold, the less the return to Hartford.
Shame on you Kevin: a 'thank you' to Pedrito, to the bubble head, to fat cat Ken. How about a big thank you to the woman who was in charge of all the miserable agreements with the team and the contractors, SKB.
ReplyDeleteKevin, there will be no alignment of "substantial" and "complete" within a day and 15 hours. Period.
ReplyDelete@9:20
ReplyDeleteAs I said, they will take the fines and move forward to finish. The agreements will not be abrogated. If there was a legal out to end this, I would hope that the mayor would take it. His military service gives him some understanding of tactical withdraws and this would be a blessed example of such a withdraw. As we know from data of other similar projects, the chance of success is not very high. Hartford builds as it titters on bankruptcy. I recall a read on Compton, California. They kept building until they could no longer afford to service the debt.
It will be finished and there will be moderate development but unless the area becomes a Mecca of development - not, cost to the city will add to a long, slow painful death.
Goodby yellow brick road.
Hopefully, Mayor Bronin will cut the ties with Centerplan. It is the right move to make. Hartford dose not need this masquerade to continue. Bronin was elected to representative the taxpayers. No more Centerplan.
ReplyDeleteDose anyone care where Linda Bayer lives and that she makes $64,000 for her assistance to the Mayor? I guess that Hartford cannot survive without her input. Her city pension must be vibrant. Go Hartford! Hartford the Rising Sun!
ReplyDeleteMAYOR BRONIN, THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
ReplyDeleteWHAT IS BRONIN GOING TO DO
What's good for the goose is always good for the gander. Just remember this wise riddle.
ReplyDeleteMayor Bronin do the right thing and fire the Centerplan.
ReplyDeleteFDo the rigjt thing: fire Centerplan and fire all members of the stadium.authority
ReplyDeleteI was very disappointed to see Bronin's. comment in the paper tonight that if there is no substantial completion he will sit down with Solomon and Landino and discuss "options " ......that is a weak weasel ass answer. Center plan should be fired and their performance bond called.
ReplyDelete@11:44
ReplyDeleteComing from a guy with an anonymous last name such as yours, indicates a higher reasoning second only to toilet jesting. "Options" are the only areas he can discuss. He is not a dictator. Whatever options were agreed to during the fuss over the additional costs will be brought up and address d. You don't seem to have much of a business mind nor legal mind. You must be a Trump supporter. Hahahahahahahaha
good TUESDAY morning everybody. ZERO days remaining to completion.
ReplyDeleteWhat is Bronin going to do?
He is waiting for Malloy to weigh in. My money is on Bronin doing Nothing! He was quick to call the employees to the carpet, not willing to work with them, yet with this non-transparent bankrupt Hartford "Done Deal', Bronin is willing to work with Center Plan.
ReplyDeleteCan you see Bronin's MO now Hartford? Bronin is an opportunist a Malloy" Rising Star" wannabe...
If the stadium is not ready on Tuesday - T O D A Y - then all Hartford residents can come on Wednesday for a free DD coffee and donuts.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I prefer McDonald's coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts. They taste much better than DD.
will the dunkin donuts be baked for completion?
ReplyDelete$50,000.00 fine paid tomorrow for first day of being late. $15,000.00 each day thereafter. It's time to party like it's 1999.the City should have a pizza party at town hall tomorrow and pay for it from the 1st day fine.
ReplyDeleteTick Tock, drove by the money pit stadium, saw a couple of guys pontificating about how to move a tool.
ReplyDeleteSubstantially completed the moving of the tool. Can't wait for fork tongue Bronin's spin.
My day-old coffee is better than fresh Dunkin Donuts brew
ReplyDeleteBe careful what you are asking for. Those little donuts are loaded with fat, saturated fat, sugar, cholesterol, sodium & tons of chemicals.
ReplyDelete