I really am getting tired of our City being a joke over a stadium that probably should have never been built in the first place. But it was started and here we are today having to deal with it.
The really sad part, with all the problems aside, is that anyone who has been invited in there has told me it is going to be a beautiful facility when it is done. A great space to watch a baseball game and get the people that don't know Hartford like many of us do, to experience Hartford.
I implore Mayor Bronin to take a deep breath and reassess the situation . But please reassess the situation as the Mayor, not as a lawyer. Please assess the situation as a Mayor who has a responsibility to the 400 plus people that were promised, and counted on jobs at the stadium. Reassess as the Mayor who has an obligation to the numerous small business people involved with the project and surrounding the stadium area to remain viable with the income generated.
I understand that no one wants to look weak when they have an opportunity to dig their heels in and prove a point. But I also understand that no one benefits from these prolonged battles, except maybe the lawyers involved.
Again I implore Mayor Bronin to act like the Mayor that was elected by the people of Hartford. A Mayor that promised jobs. A Mayor that promised returning Hartford to some version of economic stability. A mayor that promised accountability and much better management that we had been seeing.
Mayor, insist that everyone get in the same room and start talking and take Centerplan's offers and promises seriously.Put the egos aside. Forget what has been done up to this point and layout a realistic time frame for completion. Maybe keep the Stadium Authority away from that meeting room, I think their lack of knowledge has been a hindrance to the project.
Admit the City and Development Services were wrong in their assumptions. I think eventually we will be admitting that anyway, and it will probably be a lot cheaper while working out a realistic solution as opposed to doing it in front of a jury determining damages. Admit the time frame for completion and opening this spring was unrealistic and a little too energetic
Admit that Centerplan may not have been up to the challenge of building a baseball stadium which is much different than retail buildings, apartments or rest areas. Admit that there will be no baseball in Hartford this year. But admit we are committed to getting it done, and soon.
But hopefully the City , Centerplan and the Yardgoats can agree to making it ready to go on opening day of 2017. I definitely think that is "doable" if we knock off the nonsense and get back to work immediately. Not what we had hoped for, but the reality is that is a much better goal than seeing it sit empty while the court cases unfold.
Centerplan also needs to make assurances that hey are up to the task, and reasonable expectations can be fulfilled. Whether that involves financial disclosures on their part or even a third party oversight to assure appropriate time lines and deadlines , work it out and come to an agreement.
The ongoing battles may make for good fill for newspapers and newscasts and radio shows, but the interests of Hartford's people who live here demand more.
Mayor, show us you are capable of responsible leadership rather than creating controversy. We all know you inherited a mess and if we wanted that type of leadership your opponent probably would have been returned to office. We expected better and now it is time for you to start delivering that without hurting Hartford, its reputation or its finances more.
Please get it done, and soon. Everyone has to work to be part of the solution, the City, Centerplan, DONO LLC, the Yardgoats and us as residents being called upon to support this project. Your leadership can make that happen, bickering and backbiting is doing nothing to get the stadium open and generating revenue.
28 comments:
I respectfully disagree with you on this matter of a successful stadium. It will never be successful in terms of financial success for the city. Never in the next 25 fricken years. So you want people to come into Hartford (except that they won't and shouldn't considering the crime and the traffic jam this will produce) and you want the good citizens of Hartford to foot the bill? Hell no. I don't want it. I pay the bills in this town. And it would be better if the thing burned down all the way to where Lucifer lives.
Be damned, Josh Soloman, snake oil salesman of the year.
How much are the fireworks how much will it cost the city? Dan Malloy gave Newtown 50 million dollars when that tragedy struck he can't cut a check for Hartford ?
I am not happy with the fireworks being cancelled, but I don't think that we can in any way compare that to the Newtown tragedy or anything that happened as a result of that
Kevin are you smoking legal weed? You want people to know Hartford like "WE DO" by visiting the stadium? That place does not and will not represent what Hartford has become . Are you insinuating that there is going to be crime,garbage,drugs,freeloaders on social services,adult men on quads/dirt bikes,nasty disrespectful people all around the stadium when they come to a game??!!PLEASE TAKE OFF YOUR ROSE COLORED GLASSES! And then you throw in how that "boondoggle " is going to produce solid jobs and income and people are counting on them??!!! I work 80 hours a week making good money to live in the equivalent of a double wide trailer with a basement ,the Hartford Courant did a story on a woman who came here from Puerto Rico with 5 kids that is upset about not working because of the shut down. Am I supposed to believe she was going to get off of social services making a significant salary at a "seasonal" and "temporary " job? We are already being feed S#%T by our politicians ,,please don't put more on our plate!
Kevin, the cumbya thought of everyone coming together must hing on Centerplan dropping their insistence reserving the right to sue for losses in court. Any mayor would be out of his mind to accept those terms. Let's not forget that LanDino and company lobbied the city council when they smelled profits even if this development was ill conceived from the beginning. I don't think contractors and developers have any right to influence the vote of public monies. But my opinion is certainly in the minority. If the city has a strong case to litigate, it should. The developers are a band of this and liars.
If they want to show good faith, they should drop that sue clause. If not, this will most certainly be litigated. I wonder of the mayor's law firm would have any interest in future litigation. Just wondering.
Varon KB,
Listen to Sara&Lucas's beginnings and failures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySInEvXoek0
The Stadium Authority was created by Council. I presume without knowing that it isn't involved with the larger construction envisioned in that zone. At this point it doesn't look to be that much of a help to the City. Maybe we have too many chefs in the kitchen. The Strong Mayor should, perhaps, act solo for speed and efficiency.
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Landino said he was prepared to pay to finish the ballpark with his own money, provided the city gives him relief from the requirement to build a grocery store -- for which he has tried unsuccessfully to find an operator. He said he reserved his right to go back and sue for that money later. He also wanted a commitment that the city would let him continue as developer for the rest of the downtown project.
"There is a payment bond in place to ensure that there is an insurance company that stands by our proposal," Landino said. "It's unfortunate that he city is not motivated to solve the problem, and their views on legal facts appear so uninformed. The alternative is to tie up all the land around the ball park in multi year litigation, which will leave the city with no revenue to support their bond payment obligation, which is again short sighted and in my view, completely irresponsible."
This all comes a day after Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said he would look at any settlement proposal Landino puts forward, but with a fair amount of skepticism.
http://wnpr.org/post/hartford-stadium-authority-chair-says-he-no-longer-trusts-what-developer-says#stream/0
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Pursuant to the provisions of Connecticut General Statutes, sections 7-130a through 7-130w, and established by Chapter 37 of the Hartford City Code, the Hartford Stadium Authority was created to assist in the development of the Double A Minor League Ballpark, known as Dunkin' Donuts Park, in Downtown North.
This stadium and the Old State house should be turned over to private operatoms that would run and maintain them properly. City and State would still own them, but get out of the way to manage them. Government cannot do it.
Happy Fourth of July. Sizzle.
11:35 "Government cannot do it." Actually, government cannot do ANYTHING.
@3:04
The Ghost of Reagan speakith.
@Peter Brush: The Stadium Authority was created for one reason only. One reason. It was a ploy devised to avoid--to--circumvent a voter referendum. If the city was to bond the money to build the stadium, any bond amount over $2 million would require a vote by the people. The administration, the corporation counsel, and the Department of Development Services knew that, and they'd already heard that a plan to collect the necessary petition signatures was ready to be mobilized. So they created the quasi public-quasi private "Stadium Authority"--an entity that would bond the money and "own" the stadium. No matter that the makeup of the authority per its bylaws mandated that three of the seven seats be held by elected city officials (the mayor, city council president,and city treasurer), and two by appointed city employees (the COO and the director of Development Services). Of the two other commissioners tapped to serve, one is the director of Metro Hartford Alliance (formerly known as the Chamber of Commerce), and one was an employee of a city-connected agency.
So this sham entity known as the Stadium Authority was--technically--not "the city", and thus was able to bond tens of millions of dollars, and the residents of Hartford couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Bronin is quickly heading into Segarra territory. He cut a deal to increase Hartford’s “lease” payments to $4.6 million a year but can’t deliver a functioning stadium and has no plan for how he will do so. City Mayors have to produce results, it appears this Mayor and his predecessor share more than a law degree.
I'm starting to believe that Bronin just wants to push the city towards bankruptcy prematurely.
I don't get why everyone thinks that bankruptcy for a city is so great. Every effort should be used until the very last minute.
When the time comes that bankruptcy is here, then let's go for it, because there is going to be no other option.
It doesn't "wipe the slate clean" like many think it will. Waterbury will be paying for it for a very long time. The state doesn't even have the money to bail out Hartford like it did in Waterbury in 2001.
http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2011/03/27/news/local/547765.txt
PS It's upsetting that the city is going to spend $200,000+ on two parades. They should have celebrated America's Birthday, and incorporated the other two events with Riverfest. I think celebrating together is much more appealing than separately.
Shut it down. Keep it shut down. Today. Tomorra. Forevea. Make Josh pay.
State takeover is inevitable.
Firework Features
With firework features
The 4th again is here
Again scaring creatures
In mid air
Oh, we the people
Ooooh & Aaaah
Boom
boom
Bam
Go
Roman candles
&
Rockets red glare
Now
Made in Asia
Designed to keep
We the
Deluded but
Feeling happy
Feeling free
New Britain has fireworks and the Britain Bees! Hartford has no fire work s or a baseball stadium!!������
Where is Steve Harris!!
Steve Harris is either at Hal's Aquarius diner on Albany Ave (YOU KNOW ,THE BUSINESS THAT DIDN'T PAY TAXES FOR YEARS WHILE THE TOP BLACK CITY LEADERS MEET THERE EVERY WEEK SCHEMING TO LINE THEIR POCKETS AND GET THEIR INCOMPETENT FRIENDS AND RELATIVES JOBS ON TAXPAYERS BACKS,WHICH EVENTUALLY RUINED THE CITY). OR HARRIS IS STILL IN CHINA "SHARING IDEAS" ON HOW TO RUN HARTFORD WITH OUR "SISTER CITY" LOCATED IN A "REDLIGHT DISTRICY" ..HE WAS AND STILL IS A DISAPPOINTMENT!!!
So this sham entity known as the Stadium Authority was--technically--not "the city", and thus was able to bond tens of millions of dollars, and the residents of Hartford couldn't do a damn thing about it.
==============================
Thanks very much for your informative comment. Nothing you taught me encourages me to believe in the need for any further "self-government" here in town. The "legitimate" elected officials and their constructed quasi-public entities are not at all concerned with the interests of the taxpayers or even of the pathetic electorate. Get rid of the charter. Bring in a board to perform disinterested professional management in a more prudent manner.
I agree with Mr Brush. The past 3 Mayor's have been horrible,that includes SaraLuke. It is time to revisit our dysfunctional system of governance and perhaps de-charter Hartford and let either the bordering towns each have a piece of the City or have the State take over the City.....my preference however is for the City to file for bankruptcy and have a Referee run the City,thereby rendering Saraluke and the Council to figurehead status. It is clear for all to see that SaraLuke is arrogant,incompetent for this job and must be replaced with an adult.
I agree with Mr Brush. The past 3 Mayor's have been horrible,that includes SaraLuke. It is time to revisit our dysfunctional system of governance and perhaps de-charter Hartford and let either the bordering towns each have a piece of the City or have the State take over the City.....my preference however is for the City to file for bankruptcy and have a Referee run the City,thereby rendering Saraluke and the Council to figurehead status. It is clear for all to see that SaraLuke is arrogant,incompetent for this job and must be replaced with an adult.
1. Hal's was on Main Street.
2. Hal's has been closed for more than a decade.
3. Steve Harris has given more to this city than you will ever know.
4. Your ignorance is on full display.
The Woods Are Alive in the Land of the Dead
After dusk the woods are alive on this July 4th
As I take an evening stroll through the Land of the Dead
At Cedar Hill Cemetery. The deer
Dart zig zag into geometric chaos
Their only spastic need is to escape;
Boom... boom... BAM.
Birds high above jump from the safety of tree nests
And fly in circles. "Oooh & Aaah" the neighbors
Moan and watch from nearby verandas
Bam... Bam...Boom
Go Roman candles and rockets
Red glare now made
In Asia and designed to keep
We the... Deluded...But...
Feeling happy & free.
While here, the woodlands are filled with
Terrified wildlife seeking a peaceful
Repose in their disrupted homes this very night.
lmao
say it again Katz
6:52 am, since your so clever with your numbered response,,,PLEASE PROVIDE 4 ACCOMPLISHMENTS STEVE HARRIS HAS MADE TO BETTER THE CITY OF HARTFORD.....I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING A POLITICIAN OR A POLITICIANS SUCKASS FRIENDS BOAST THAT NOBODY DOES MORE THAN THEY DO ,BUT CANT BACK IT UP WITH "FACTS" ...PLEASE HURRY MR OR MS 1-2-3-4 I CANT WAIT TO HEAR YOU STRAIGHTEN ME OUT WITH YOUR COMEBACK .HEY BROOKMAN DO YOU REMEMBER HEARING "NOBODY LOVES OR HAS DONE MORE FOR HARTFORD THAN PEDRO SEGARRA " ??? 6:52am I need to SEE this list not HEAR about it. And no,getting a job for you or a relative doesn't count as a accomplishment!
Steve Harris is a fraud and a phony. He could be seen on any Wednesday morning picketing the MDC with his friends from the Alliance and in the afternoon receiving marshal work from the MDC lawyers.....what a phony.
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