We interviewed Jason Rudnick from Centerplan today. Rudnick's explanations of the Dunkin Donuts
Stadium project may put some of the information in a different light after our candid conversation. Nothing was off limits and Rudnick's responses are interesting, as well as backed up by documents.
Many of the documents and much of the information we discussed can be found at Centerplan's website, finishtheballpark.com
I bet there is no money left and that is why Centerplan was booted. All bonded monies are likely spent and millions more needed. They jammed this project and bonded before the people could figure out how bad the idea was and before the soccer fiasco. The City never gave up design control and they were the last people that should have ever been controlling this. Solomon likely wanted it this way. Bronin cant go back to the well for more $ and that's the only thing that gets it finished.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this Kevin.
ReplyDeleteMy honest opinion is that the City of Hartford just wants the money from the surety bond. They do not want to see the stadium finished.
Arch Insurance probably has some smart people working there; they will likely go through every email, every architectural approval from the city, every change order. If Hartford is found to be at fault, the Mayor and the stadium authority should all resign.
They are putting all their eggs in one basket; that basket being the surety bond.
Memo to the union leadership of the city unions. If you believe that Mayor SaraLuke is purposely driving the City into Bankruptcy then give him nothing in your negotiations, as it is better to get one haircut with the Bankruptcy Trustee then a haircut with Mayor SaraLuke and then another with the Bankruptcy Trustee.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when Arch says not to the city? Where do they go from there? Bronin didnt create this mess, but it's clear to me that he has no solutions to move forward(only sideways).
ReplyDeleteIs Bronin setting up Centerplan for failure so one of his developer friends can come in and execute the rest of the DoNo project? The longer the stadium sits idle, the less likely the balance of the project gets built.
I have sad this before and I will say it again. Let the thing burn in hell. And let it be a lesson for future generations to city, state to keep the F__k out of stadium development. That is the rely of private development. If it was so profitable, why wouldn't ball clubs finance it? Because they have suckers like the tax payer to foot the bills.
ReplyDeleteI am proud to affix my name to this opinion.
Bill is 100% correct. If this was such a great deal, then the Solomon blood suckers would have paid every penny of it themselves.
DeleteJASON RUDNICK:
ReplyDeleteYou were - and you still remain - a big liar. The bottom line is: your company NEVER built anything like this ballpark, or ANY other sports venue. As for the schedule and the budget: YOU AGREED to that schedule and YOU AGREED to that budget. Period.
Rudnick: stop spinning, stop lying.
Landino and Rudnick agreed a few months ago to the new agreement with the city which included a daily penalty if the stadium was not ready on time, the new time.
ReplyDeleteNoDo and Centerplan, it's time to pay up!
snake oil salesman
ReplyDeleteOk Bill, are you willing to pay off the $5 million dollars (or more) debt service annually for the next 25 years? is that the lesson you hope we learn? We are beyond the point of no return or failure on this very bad deal. At this point we have to make the best of it, and that includes completion
ReplyDelete6:01PM
ReplyDeleteI think you may want to go back and listen to the interview again this time try to clear your mind of the preconceived agenda and actually listen to the issues we discussed. The truth will eventually come out on this and if I am wrong, I will admit it but usually a "liar"as you call it doesn't have the documents and proof to back up their lies. Rudnick made a very strong case both off the air before we started and during the interview. I didn't perceive him as a conman, quite the opposite,and I think he made it clear that there was plenty of blame to go around the way the project has been handled(or mishandled) and if I was sitting in the Corp Counsel Office at City Hall and advising the Mayor, I would think someone should seriously be reconsidering their stand and their plan of action. I am not really sure the City can defend their position in front of a Jury when all the information comes out, not just what City Hall wants us to see now. And it will all come out, including relationships between the Team ownership, members of the Hartford Stadium Authority and any business relationships with Team ownership, and any possible conflicts between and team ownership to replace the developer.Maybe that should be a blog posting to begin connecting the dots. Like I posted in a previous story ,I Charles Matthew's, you have the right to remain silent, maybe it s time to take that seriously now
Mayor Erin Steward is now working with investors/ developers to develop downtown New Britain.
DeleteMayor Stewart made sure that not even one dime comes from taxpayers. Not even a dime. That the way to go!
Now that Sara is Co-Mayor she can order Luke what he is good at.....because he is a failure at running city hall....." Luke go cut the grass at the ball stadium "
ReplyDeleteAll this for a venue that is predicted to never profit the city 1 dime, to operate in the red and possibly cost the city.millions annually for maintenance and upkeep.
ReplyDeleteHow about trying to find a private corporation to come in and buy this white elephant and fund the complrtion and operation. Often big comp as nies need such a looser as a tax dump. Might be time to sell the new stadium that never was.
5:14am
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe if we had real political participation in Hartford we could see potential alternatives at election time like a Republican Mayor like Erin Stewart. As long as we allow a select handful to run and operate the system, this is what we get.
Blacks an Hispanics have been so brainwashed over the years that the Democratic Party is our friend they will never vote republican although historically republicans have done more for us an now that Bernie is supporting Clinton I think that is the biggest slap in the face to his supporters that really believed in him I'm done with politicians they are just as bad as as Pimps an Pastors/Preachers who promise their followers an subordinates the world an do jack $h!t for them
ReplyDeleteThe ultimate loser in this whole affair is the taxpayers of the City of Hartford. Centerplan will also lose because their Bond has been called. The Bond, contrary to previous posts will not put money in the pockets of the Stadium Authority, a Bond only guarantees that the Stadium will be completed. The winners in a Bond fight or bankruptcy is the attorneys. I had an opportunity to talk with Mr. Rudnick back in 2014 and thought it was unusual that the Stadium was a private project, yet the funding for the project came from the "Stadium Authority" (code for City taxpayers), as opposed to private institutional financing. I knew at that point this project should be discontinued due to a point Mr. Rudnick made on the tape. You can not have a design/build project where the developer/contractor does not control the design. This project is a two headed beast where the City controlled the design and the developer controlled the construction and costs. Bad combination. To make the best out of a bad situation, all parties should follow the recommendation of Mr. Rudnick and enter into binding arbitration to get through the construction process before 2019 (or about $15 million in Bond Interest payments)on an unfinished stadium.
ReplyDeleteKevin, it is a conundrum isn't it. I have an honest question, aside of my dishonest comment. What is the purpose of an "Authority" in the first place? We know for this development, it was used to circumvent the will of the people. I know nothing of the statutes governing them. Why even have a representative democracy if the people's will cN be so minipulated? If this is enshrined at the state level, perhaps it's time to desolve it.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I am at it, may I put a good word in for the use of bonding - which was once not always so quickly employed.
5:14
ReplyDeleteRight about New Britain. Conversely, Cynthia Jennings repeatedly told me that the city needed to employ people and when I responded that 60 70 80 million dollars to employ Hartford folks, she grew to a whisper and repeated, "but we need to create jobs." And that's straight from the proverbial horse's mouth.
This is a problem Hartford didn't need to invent for itself.