Economic Development Commission - Regular Meeting

8:32 a.m. And I'm verifying that we do have a quorum. And just while you guys are looking for Morning, Justin. While you folks are looking for the rest of our people, I think we'll move along here so it doesn't don't get tied up. Um, we have two uh minutes to approve. And as I mentioned last time, Trish even I found out that even though you are not or not in attendance, if you're comfortable that the minutes the minutes according to what we are those who have been attendance are saying are valid, then you can vote on the uh approving the minutes. That makes sense. So having said that, I'll entertain a motion to approve the minutes for the special meeting on May 13, 2005. That was the bus and walking tour of the tiff district.

So moved. Second. Second. There you go, Trish. Thank you. Um, any additions, deletions, comments? Okay. Hearing none, I entertain a motion to approve the minutes of May 13th 205 2025. All those in favor? I I I Okay, those are approved. Okay, [laughter] different argument. The second minutes are actually a meeting that uh we all attended and this was um October 7th 2025 and again I will entertain a motion to approve. I'm able to sign in. You can't. No,

I had a little trouble too. Good morning everyone. This is John uh is having trouble getting in. Okay. Well, we we're we're moving along here. We're just doing some book some uh housekeeping. Uh entertain a motion to approve the minutes of October 7th, 2025. Trish, you want to approve? You want to make the motion? Yes. Thank you. It's on the agenda. Second. Mention it. Second. We'll take turns going back and forth. Exactly. I don't want any additions, deletions, corrections. this one. One moment. I'm just gonna step away and uh That's okay, Linda.

Thank you. All those in favor of approving the minutes of October 7th, 2025, signify by saying I. I.

Opposed. Okay, that's taken care. Uh now I would like to wait until Linda and uh John come to look at the old business. Um, the new business, um, I can kind of give you an update on Topekco, which is very interesting. Apacco has now been sold for the second time since my family owned it, and it's sold to a company called Sterling Associates. They are a Florida based company. They own quite a number of supermarket um, uh, anchored shopping centers. Um, I think we're the first one that they own in Connecticut. Denise, I don't know if you remember or not.

I'm not sure.

Yeah. But um it was very interesting. They uh they had a meeting um some of the top people at the company had a meeting with our town officials and um actually asked to talk to me to get some background on the shopping center, which I thought was was pretty impressive actually. Um so I spoke to a fellow named Justin Hicks. I think it's either Hicks or Dicks, but I'll find it. uh and uh he's a senior uh at Sterling. We had a very good conversation. I explained to him, you know, the background of the center and my feeling that it's the type because of its location and because of the variety of shops there that basically whatever you put in there is what you're going to draw. And I'm trying to get him to understand that even though it has a very large urban draw, it is still a suburban shopping center. And I I think they get it. uh they he told me that we our center is in the portfolio portfolio that has uh what they see is um potential value increase so they feel that it's not performing as well as it should be which I think we all agree with and uh they said give them time but they are hoping within the next few years to have it basically up to where it was years ago. So having said all that um I then was put in touch with a fellow named Don Here it goes again. I'm very bad with names. Anyway, he's he's the regional um property manager, Sterling, and I met with him in person. Uh we have been having an ongoing issue with um homelessness, a couple of fellows that are homeless that are living or squatting in the area, the alleyway between uh Burlington Coat and Perfect Nails. And we discussed that. We walked the center. I will tell you, I was very impressed with the cleanliness, the difference in the way the center looked. Um, the parking lot looks better. And

then a couple days later, I went into Stop and Shop and I was I was shocked because it looked fantastic. So, I'm assuming that that's not a coincidence that this is they're talking to Stop and Shop. And Sterling does have other shopping centers that are anchored by Stop and Shop. So, they do have an ongoing relationship. So, I'm I'm optimistic. Um uh again they're they're telling us the town and the people to to be patient. It's going to take a while to you know to get to where they want to be. But I think that we um at least for the moment they appear to be a very good fit with the shopping center and I'm quite optimistic because again this will affect what we're trying to do with the Graanby Street Toby Road Mosy Drive area. So that's my update and uh Linda if either you or John have anything to add you're welcome to. I don't know if John heard me. John, I just gave them an update of Copeko and basically my my meeting with them and that they seem to be, you know, get getting some some good reaction. They cleaned things up. Stop and shop has cleaned things up and and to me it looks better. And Linda, I don't know whether you have any comments on that at all or

Sure. It's been an ongoing, as you all know, um issue. Um, as soon as, uh, we were made aware that new ownership was coming in, um, the town just, um, you know, uh, kind of did, uh, a joint enforcement and had a meeting with the new owners. We sent out a notice right away. Um, what happened was that the new owners, they wanted to split the lot, not really split it, but do some lot line adjustments. We kind of hailed that until they complied. We said we are not approving anything further on this lot until that happens. And so they were kind of, you know, forced to do it because they wanted the sale. They wanted the properties and wanted to move forward. So their lawyer um also helped out with this and said, "I completely understand and you know, I'll talk to the owners." Um and so we kind of, you know, held them to it and and had a meeting and they've been very cooperative since. They did a good job. I mean, they, you know, you always, you're always suspicious when someone's really, you know, trying to please you. But on the other hand,

right, so far it looks pretty good there. So, um, and what I'm trying to do is do once at least once a week do a drive-thru of that shopping center and then the the the tiff district just to see what's going on there. And I have been remissed because I've been away. I did not get back down there, but I did send a notice to DPW uh that there were some mattresses and other stuff discarded. So, I don't know. I'm assuming it that was taken care of, but I will go take a look today or tomorrow.

I can also report on 95 Graanby um the retail um furniture retail store with a bunch of outdoor storage and they had um multiple RVs on the rear of their property. Some you couldn't really see. um people living in it um and also um an illegal unit inside of the retail store

um that the police were able to confirm because of a domestic call that they'd had received. um building again joint enforcement I think you know it's it's very um effective when all the other police you know departments kind of um come in and uh they were able to um the building department was able to um deem the property unsafe. Um there were multiple violations. um they had did additional work from what they were permitted for previously and it was caught during the inspection of the illegal unit. Um so it it's been um again uh unfit for human occupancy. No one should be in there unless they apply for the proper building permits. Uh the property owner did remove a lot of the trailers and RVs from the property except for maybe two or three. Um, but it's been a challenge that property as well.

Is that where the bakery was in the back? That's correct. The bakery was Yeah, the bakery was just Yeah, they had applied for permits. They had received, you know, approvals, but it looks like in the past 8 to 10 months, they did a whole lot of work that they weren't approved for,

including about five huge ovens, um, a lot of electrical work. I mean it it was just um you know so it it was found during this um I guess domestic call and inspection when the fire and building department were also called in. Um so so with that it's it's been um we haven't heard back from the property owners. I think uh one of the sons of the property owner was arrested for trespassing. Um and um they now know that the town is really really serious and not playing around. So um again hopefully this property will will also be cleaned up.

That's encouraging because this is what Janice and I have been talking about but a lot of it has to do with what you see on the outside but it certainly has to do with the uses on the inside. And the more that the the property owners that are doing the right thing know that the people that are not are being watched, I think the the better the outcome's going to be for the the whole area. Correct. Any any questions from the uh commission and Vivian? Hello. Nice to have you with us. Hello.

Okay, I'm going to go on to um just a quick discussion of the 2026 meeting schedule. And um Bob, I think you and John are the are both of the Jewish faith if I remember correctly whether you're observant or not. So this is a very interesting situation. I don't remember in the past Hanukkah being designated as a holiday in which you cannot hold a meeting. And um I talked to um to to India about it yesterday and she said, "Well, this is, you know, they're trying to be inclusive and that's why they included it." And I I'm trying to explain to them and I wanted to make sure I was correct. So I talked to my current rabbi, but I was pretty sure Hanukkah is a minor holiday. I'm not going to take a lot of time. It's a minor holiday. You are allowed to work during the holiday. There was you do not go to synagogue or temple during the holiday. You basically light candles for eight nights and you give little gifts to kids. My interpretation of it having gone through a time when it was never really a big holiday became commercialized as has Christmas and so it sort of became the Jewish cousin of Christmas. Um I'm suggesting that uh if I has everyone seen the meeting schedule by the way so you know what I'm talking about. Yeah. Okay. So I'm suggesting that last meeting of of next year which they've got now got scheduled for December 15th. I'm just I'm suggesting unless anyone has an objection that we keep our regular schedule of meeting of the second Tuesday of the month which would be December 8th which would be farther away from the holidays which I think would just I think it's appropriate but I would like to hear the opinion of the rest of the commission before we take a vote on this.

Bonnie if I may. Um [clears throat] I uh I was council for uh Society for Savings for a dozen years and uh we had um uh a Jewish director David Chase who probably everyone here knows that name. uh who had no objection. But when the um schedule of their director meetings came up, there was one that fell in the middle of Passover, which uh is 8 days long as people know. uh and we researched it and came to the conclusion uh and Passover is actually a bigger holiday than than uh Khan is but uh there's no conflict whatsoever in holding uh meetings during that time and if anything uh uh people observe a nominal one day uh many Jewish holidays run for multiple days a week. Uh and uh it's unnecessary to observe that. We came to that conclusion and uh and actually uh uh they were very thoughtful there of uh 120 executives at Society for Savings. There were three who were Jewish.

Uh but they were attentive to that and we researched it and came to the conclusion there's no conflict whatsoever in holding meetings. Uh if if there was a meeting on one of the two high holidays of uh of the Jewish faith, uh that would not be okay. That would be the equivalent of uh u you know Easter. Yes, exactly. Having having a holiday on Easter or Good Friday. So I don't see any uh conflict whatsoever in that.

I'd like to hear from anyone else if anyone else has a comment on this. Okay. My concern and I expressed this to India is that in the attempt to be inclusive um I'm not sure we're going about it the right way because I asked her also are we doing anything about Ramadan? Are we doing anything about the Muslim or Hindu holidays because I know that we have a decentsized population of both faiths in the town. So I'm just I I don't know what to do with it. I'm just telling you that this is and and Bob seems to conf agree with me that this does not seem to be a conflict. So I would like to change the schedule for December to be December 8th and and if we um agree on that I would like to take a vote uh because we do have to present this to the town I think by the end of of the year. So any I'd entertain a motion to approve the schedule with the change to December 15 to December 8th, 2026. Someone make a motion. I'm sorry, John.

Bonnie, before you do that, what are we continue at 8:30 or do you want to move it to 9? No, no, 9:00. That was something else I had I I sent that comment also and I'm doing that because that gives us an extra day if for some reason we have to notice a meeting at the last minute. Um, we can get to the town clerk's office because they although we meet at 8:30, they aren't in the office until or are they in the office at 8:30 now, John? Maybe I'm wrong. They open at 8:30 now.

They do open at 8:30. Okay, then. Um, there's no need to change that either. Or is there? John, Linda, any thoughts about that because I know we had a we have had a problem in the past about I'm sorry. Uh, 9 we open up, if our meeting is 8:30 and the town clerk opens up at 8:30, do we do we make the 24hour time limit or are we going to miss it by a a minute or two?

I mean, I would just say it's that the agendas will be posted, you know, on time. I know we had maybe an incident where, you know, there were some things that um, you know, didn't make it on time because of that time change. Um, you know, we we were going through that time change, but I don't think it should be an issue if you opened at 8:30. You know, if the meeting remained at 8:30, I don't I don't believe it would be an issue. I'm just curious, does any of the commissioners prefer a 9 to 10:30 slot rather than an 8:30 to 10? What about Sadi? I know Sadi isn't here and he's a professor and I think time was a little bit.

Um, he's I checked with him. He's okay. his schedule at least for this coming fall uh coming winter is Monday and Wednesday classes. So, okay. All right, then let's leave it at 8:30. I don't have any problem with that. So, having said that, I'll entertain a motion to approve the schedule with the change of December 15th to December 8th, 2026. Um, someone want to make a motion?

No. Bonnie, may I ask I I know this is something that you have also uh talked about before and I don't know whether when I was not here at the last meeting it was discussed but you wanted to make it in person quarterly. Would that just be a special meeting that you uh Yeah, but I don't think we have to I think that's something we should talk about and see unless we have to do that. I I' would be a special Yeah, it would be a special change we would change it from from a Zoom to a special meeting. Sounds good. But that is something I do want to talk about after the first of the year. Okay. Anybody want to make a Someone unmute themselves and make a motion, please.

Uh Bonnie, I I I moved it and we were waiting for a second. I second. Thank you, Trish. Okay. Any further questions, additions, deletions? Hearing none. All those in favor of approving the uh 2026 meeting schedule at 8:30 to 10 with the change of December 15 to December 8th. Signify by saying I and Bib and Trish, you're both muted. I I Okay, great. Thank you very much. All right. Um commission updates. Bob, do you have anything?

Uh no, I really don't. Uh I I believe I updated everyone last month that um uh we're still working on the um the bear sculpture. Uh we have a new artist. We are working with the architects on locating it. Uh and uh it's moving along, but it's obviously with the change in in light and time and weather, it's going to be in the spring. So that's the update for the uh for the uh art commission. We do want to discuss at some point and Bonnie perhaps you and I can talk offline about um some of the uh potential in town for getting funding for that uh as well as some other projects. Well, while I have the floor, uh I [cough and clears throat] excuse me. I did want to uh say I hope uh when we um have a schedule that involves uh in-person meetings, we can uh make it uh hybrid and optional if people would like.

Yeah, we would do that. Yeah, we'd be in conference room 5 or the uh or town cops. So, that that's my update on the art commission. We are kind of uh quiet for the moment and uh and uh yeah that's it.

Any questions for Bob comments? Anyone else have anything they want to say? Okay. Um going in New York did everyone get a chance to read through our activity? Um the bulk of my work right now is working on the CIF grant um for the town center. We continue to meet with um various tenants also. Um we um met got to meet the broker for 96 Toby um through email and stuff. I had met him in person and I think you were there Bonnie when he showed up.

I I think so. Which property is that again? 96 Toby is the one that Carmen took over, right? And she's been working on and getting that property. So, it has gone out to market. He did send us over his marketing pieces and Dave has those also. So, we've added them to the list um of available properties. Have have they um told you what they think the potential uses uh what they're looking for or not? He's going after I believe light manufacturing, Dave. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Light manufacturing there. She also would like to see some other type of tenants. I did speak to um one woman who was looking at the property, but it really wasn't conducive for the use. It didn't have enough parking. So, it was more of a a retail type um use so and catering use. So, um we're still looking She was looking at other talking about that. Does Carmen have any interest in carving out a small spot to potentially do some kind of an artisan's collective? She she has always said that she would love to do something like that. Um since she bought, you know, it's probably going to have to be below market rent. I don't know if she can actually afford to do it,

right? She does have a partner. Yeah. With Yeah. I I mean I I I would potentially like to see it at 31 Toby. I think that's where it really belongs.

But to get the ball moving um if there um if there is pot before she divides up all the space if there's a potential there's a little nook somewhere that we could potentially use. Um I'm going to various collectives that uh that I found and talk to people. And what I'm hoping is to come up with a template that um enables the artisans themselves to be the people that run the store. that would be the easiest way to do it and then they would be compensated by getting a higher commission. But um I did have a actually a store like that when I ran the shopping center out in Canton. I know in that case

um the rent was absorbed by the ownership which that's what we have to talk about you know funding in general but I will talk about that under the other under the yeah authority. Okay. Any other questions for Janice? Dave, any updates at all on your end?

No, just uh to confirm that um LabCore, which is building robots for uh filling uh uh prescriptions and that type of thing, has moved from Windsor to the former Metife building um called the Atrium. So, um, we'd been following them for a long time. Uh, they're in one of the, uh, the side buildings, the 100,000 square foot building. They took about 40,000 square feet. How many employees, Dave? I think they have 50. That's fantastic. That's great news. Yeah,

Dave, that I believe that property is up for sale also, the atrium. Yeah, they're doing parallel rental and sales. So Benwanganger is trying to sell it and Kushman in Wakefield is trying to rent different spots to sell it up. Now did Labcore only take half of that? Yes. Building. Okay. That's what they talked to him a couple years ago now. So can we make sure there's something in the paper? It's good to have some positive news about our town and that certainly is positive. Um, yeah, if we can get them to uh be public about it. Yeah,

they haven't asked for any uh incentives or anything like that. Okay, that's even better. Great. That's great news. Dave, I know one thing we were working on with them, did they ever run the extra gas line or anything that they needed or the power? I'm not sure. I don't believe so. So, they were able to do it with what they had existing. Okay. I have a question um about the contractor list. Could you talk about that a little bit? Um this is I'm assuming minority contractors and we're putting a list together for some reason. Is that right?

Yes, we um put a list together for the Arbella um agreement that was recently done. I believe last night it [clears throat] was approved by the town council. Um, so that's an over 55 community that is going up on the former drive-in lot. Um, so we we had put together a list for that and Brad had attended the minority um construction event that was held over at uh 330 Park. And is there going to be is there a requirement for uh minority representation or exactly?

I think it was Bloomfield based businesses, wasn't that John? for Bloomfield area. It Yeah. Well, it was it was it was um staggered. It was Bloomfield based, then um Hartford region, and then state of Connecticut. Yeah. And And what does that mean exactly? Do they they somehow get like extra points when you're deciding to to hire somebody or Well, no. It's said in the agreement as part of the tax assessment agreement that um they [clears throat] will they will they're they will achieve certain goals relative to that. And um there's going to be a monitor they're going to have a um okay

someone who's actually monitoring and reporting back to the town and the town is responsible to coordinate with them to help them meet that goal. Is it just this development John or is this a blanket uh process that we have now? I know it was it was more specified to this particular agreement. Um the u the state also has requirements when you're using state funds. I think that this may set a pattern in going forward for um town incentive agreements. Could you if it's not a a big document, could you send that to the commission so we have it in our records? What the tax assessment agreement?

Yeah. Y it's also part of last night's agenda packet. It's it's up on the web. Oh, okay. All right.

Thank you. And there was one other question I had. Um, what is the prime farmland analysis?

I didn't do it. What a day. Dave Carrera worked on prime farmland analysis for the town of Bloom. What is that? It was probably a mapping because Dave is our our lead mapper. That was that was for that was for the PC. Um there were some questions that came up with the PC about how much land in Bloomfield is classified as prime farmland. So Dave's looked into that and figured out how much the uh the percentages are. So that'll be the definition of prime farmland, Joseph. Uh I'd have to dig into it. send it to us. I'm just curious. That's a interesting Yeah. description.

I don't need it now. If you don't have it, you can just send it to me. And that just to bring you up to date, Justin is working with John and Linda to finalize the edits to the POC. Is the prime farmland going to be an area in which you can have uh agurism? Is that what it's called? I think not necessarily that it was more of a calculation. It's 28.6% by the way of the land in Bloomfield is prime farmland. Um but it was more of a calculation to determine um you know for the future where development should be encouraged or not encouraged um where farming should be encouraged that kind of thing. So it's not really linked to the agro tourism thing although

you know it certainly could be at some point but that wasn't the intent of this right now. Okay. Thank you very much. Any questions for anyone from Gman in York? Okay, hearing none. Uh Bonnie, uh I I have a a general question to throw out whether Gman in York

has uh information or or uh John or Linda uh as much as they can share. It's my understanding that for the moment the uh expansion development at Duncaster community uh was stopped uh by some order. Uh I don't know whether it was court or town and I wonder uh if there's any information on how and if that is going to proceed under a different plan. the um Bob the uh the uh it was there was a there was a um an appeal taken against the the TPC's decision to approve it. Um the court um had ruled about uh two weeks ago u basically on technicalities uh because there was an interruption in the virtual part of the hearing not the on-site hearing. um that uh he in essence remanded it back to the commission uh to uh to to probably have a a an additional hearing. However, uh according to our to the attorneys that advised me uh that the initial decision rests with Duncaster to decide what they want to do, whether or not they want to bring it back to the commission or not. and um that's where it sits right now. So, we're I'm waiting to hear either from Duncaster or get further guidance from the town attorney on on whether we should put it on the commission's agenda.

Okay. Thank you.

So, it's um to some degree it's in limbo at the moment, but that's that's the information that I have. Well, I I I live uh near Dancaster and and actually uh I use their gym. I'm a community member and and their community. Uh this I'm speaking unofficially, just gossip. Uh celebrates it and the neighborhood who was supposed to celebrates it is it's a win and we've stopped it. And I was of the belief and opinion that that's actually not the case. It was just uh procedural, but they believe that it's not going to be built. And uh I don't know that that's the case.

I think you're correct. I don't think um it it has it may have been delayed but I don't think the opportunity for them to move forward remains and the decision is really theirs as I understand it. But the the court did not rule on the merits if you will of the case. It was a procedural decision. He did not rule on whether or not the TPZ uh appropriately exercised its authority in approving the proposed development.

Thank you. He ruled on the fact that uh there was not sufficient opportunity for the public to participate in the public hearing because there was a two-hour interruption in the virtual and that the minutes uh did not sufficiently reflect uh what transpired in that gap period. Yeah. Um I have some disagreements with his opinion, but uh that's his opinion. Thank you. Thank you. Any other questions?

Okay. Uh John, anything else in your uh report?

Well, I think as as um as was touched upon, Justin Lynn and I are working on the POCD. It's pro it's um we're probably it's more than an edit. We're doing a lot of rewrite, significant rewrite in response to all of the comments uh that we received both publicly and from the commission and from other organizations. Um I think we had hoped to have it completed by um the end of this week or next week. We're probably running a little behind schedule. So I would think that um the commission will not be acting at its meeting this Thursday, but hopefully we'll be acting at its meeting in December. Um, some of the delay rests on my shoulders. Justin's been doing a great job. Um, with the town manager's absence, some of us have been carrying some additional load and um, so I've been a little um, tardy in getting my my required parts of the of the POC rewritten. I'm hopefully going to be able to to get some spend some time on it the rest of this week and early next week.

John, is there a deadline for this? No. Oh, good. Well, there's a self-imposed deadline. Yeah. No, I know, but I'm saying there's no penalty.

We want to get it done, but no, there's not a um um and you know, the sooner we have to every time we apply for a grant, we have to ask the state for a waiver of the PC update. We want to get out of that as well. So, there there's a there's the deadline is get it done as soon as we can. Um terms of town development update. Um there Paul Butler I think is getting ready to move ahead. We have um we have interest in um in redeveloping 800 Cottage Grove Road which is right now an office park be converted to a residential development. We have interest in the old um Jewish um school on Gab Road. We can have continued interest on 270 Woodland Avenue. Um

where is that John? Um that's just north of the uh condo development on the east side of Woodland A, the big field there. Um for residents, it's all housing. All housing, rental or or purchase?

Uh mainly rental. Um pleased to announce as as as um as Denise indicated, the town council did uh take their final action last night unanimously to approve the tax assessment agreement with Arbella. So that is now uh free and clear to move forward. Obviously, they're already out there moving dirt. Um they hope to get foundations in before the weather sets in on the first phase. Um I'm missing I'm missing one but don't remember what it is. Um on the

the data center we have heard no in further discussion since the uh preliminary informal presentation last June to the TPZ. Um and as Denise indicated um on the town center um we are aggressively moving forward with submitting round eight CIF and I think Denise is hoping to get it in by the end of this week or early next week which would be ahead of schedule which is good. Uh and I I'm sad to report I think the bakery has closed. Yes, it did. there any attempt to find another location for them in town or they he just didn't want to tried.

We tried and they basically weren't interested. He basically told me uh that he would come back when the town when the town center was redeveloped that he'd like to come back. He did not want something he did not want to move anywhere else in town. Okay, can understand that. Yeah, he had looked in some at some building and some spaces around the center that we had referred him to, but um you know, I think the condition of the building and having the leaks that ruined his kitchen equipment twice kind of set him back financially. So, hopefully we see him back and I like them.

We all did. Love those canoli. Yeah. So, [laughter] Okay. Anything else on the town center or any other development? Uh the First Cathedral, John, is anything going on with their housing? Yes, they're moving forward. They're starting, they will be at um that's the one I forget. They are going to be at um TPZ this Thursday for their um for their zone map change and text amendment. And and the um the tax agreement for Arabella um is that also on the town website? Yes, it's in the package for It's in the package. It's in what package?

It's in the agenda package for last night's meeting for the special meeting. That's the TBZ right now. Okay. Thank you. It's good for us to have that in hand, too. Okay. Any questions for um anyone about uh the town planner report? If not, I'm going to move on to uh the DA part of it. Denise, do you want to talk about this a little bit? Would you like to talk about branding? Um,

well, I think um basically, yeah, we we talked about that Bonnie and I had did done the drive-thru and what are the immediate things that need to be done in the area. Um, I really think like Linda said on, you know, 95 Graanby there, the town has actually taken an active role on those and other properties in the area getting cleaned up. We know that there is another business on Toby Road that wants to expand. Um, so I think the overall look of the area, especially when you drive in from Hartford and stuff, and we talked about the signage. So I think some basic number one is to get the area cleaned up, get some type of identif identifying signage for it. Even if when you come in from Hartford um you know on Grammy Street it's a either it's a welcome to Bloomfield or it's a welcome to you know Toby Gro Gramby Groby. Yeah. [laughter]

So and also the signage on um the corner of Cottage Grove and Toby is kind of disheartening to look at. And the one on the corner of Toby and Graby um they're faded. They're they're not what we would like to represent the town. So I think go ahead Bonnie if you had any. This is where branding comes in. It seems to me we can't really go forward with the sign exage change until we come up with with a concept of what we want to call it. Now we did have a contest for the golf course. Yeah. We named something. Do we want to think about doing something like that just to get some interest in the area?

Just throwing it out. Uh Bonnie uh and Denise, if I can just throw out uh this is a a longstanding item on our art commission list. Uh we did a survey actually uh oh gosh, it's probably as much as four years ago of all the major road entrances into Bloomfield. and the signage at every one of those is poor, inferior, and discouraging uh uh to uh even identify us. So, I'd like to along with your concept, Bonnie, of of branding, suggest that we uh expand that not just to Graanby Toby Road, but to uh the entire town uh upgrading its signage. uh if it can't all be done at once. It's an economic item at least. There is a standard that has been established for the town what things should look like, how they should appear uh when you come from any direction. And we we get a lot of through traffic obviously uh Cottage Grove Road and Simsbury Road and all of those uh uh people drive through uh and it would be nice for them to say, "Oh yes, I'm in Bloomfield."

Does the arts commission have any interest in maybe just um coming up with a concept for the the general signage that the signage for the tiff area that we're talking about it would be specific to that zone? Yes. No, I understand. But yes, we can uh we can activate that as a higher agenda item. If there's interest, uh uh well, you said you got a hundred, I think, names of people that are artists that are in the community. Maybe they have an idea of what they'd like to because we've done this, John. I don't know if you remember, we've done this over and over and over again, coming up with signs to go. I think it was like eight entrances to town. Linda,

I Yeah, I I want to just comment on that. I did have um artifacts signed reach out to me um a few months ago actually. It was the daughter of the owner um and she had an interest. She said, "Look, I've I've looked around um you know, certain signages and it looks like you know Bloomfield could use um you know some updating on it and they do really specialize in branding as well. Um I know that they do charge a fee for the design aspect but I am very confident that this firm is you know uh would be very helpful um as they have artists and and design professionals that can really look into um you know those signages and especially for the district. um not sure if you want th those signs to kind of um you know also have similarities with all the other ones, but um I think that if my personal opinion if you're looking for this district to just be something unique um that you might want it a little bit different than the other ones, you know, that are more town welcome to the town. But I I think, you know, maybe setting a budget, seeing how much it would cost um one townwise, but the other one maybe just for this district. Um and then going from there. Um just a thought. I I really didn't entertain it much because the budget season, we're kind of now doing the budget and it was something that um may be up for discussion in this new, you know, the budget for economic development. Um, but other than that, um, I just, uh, wanted to throw it out there that they were interested in helping the town out with some sort of branding.

Well, I I think that's very encouraging, uh, uh, Linda and Bonnie, uh, uh, what I would suggest just off the cuff, but, but of course, uh, we now have seven art commissioners, so uh, I can certainly spread it out to them. And as you said, Bonnie, the hund uh perhaps what we could consider is coming up uh as a town, not just the art commission, with a a common brand, an ID for the town that appears on all signs. And then maybe uh that I'll just for the moment call it a badge or an ID could appear on the Toby Road sign, but with additions and and customization for that region as much as uh if we had a sign somewhere else uh you know perhaps uh in the Blue Hills area uh it might have its own unique character but with a common element in it.

Yeah. Vivian has her name her hand she's had her hand raised for a bit.

Where is she? She's not on my screen. Oh, there you are, babe. Um, I would say that if we're talking about branding and particularly if we're talking about trying to bring the town into a different place, not necessarily that we're changing, but if we're talking about branding, if we're talking about um really focusing on the visuals of when people walk in or what people see when they log into our websites, I would really encourage um that we invite professionals to do it. I don't know what our budget is or what that looks like, but it seems as though we're at a point that a branding firm or um like an organization that does branding would be beneficial because we would want uniformity across um across everything. But then um they could also provide the variations then it doesn't look like you know we have this one idea over here and then this one idea over there. And then also um having excuse [clears throat] me, professionals can also help us in terms of accessibility uh because that's also a thing to think about when you're um considering signage. I know there's obviously a reason why the highways are green and and and that reflective white. Uh so they can kind of help shape all of that um and give us the guidelines and the blueprints and then all we have to do is execute.

Yeah. And can I just drop in here? The town has spent a lot of money with the identification of that the script B that has been incorporated that it's on the signs, it's on um banners, it's been incorporated into the town hall. Um and I really think in something like this we also have to include India and her team on this because they work so greatly for the town and implementing you know the town manager has really tried to enhance that be brand of Bloomfield. Um, so I really think we have to keep that in mind that they have spent already an awful lot of money on that. And so maybe a variation of that, like you said, Bob, is worked in the bee is worked into the signage, but that sign still retains its own um image for the district. Yeah, I'd like to chime in on it because um Brian Wolf in India's office has been charged with branding and so I think that any effort uh that wants to go for townwide branding which he's really charged with needs to coordinate with Brian and follow up on the efforts that he's already started. I mean, we we have there there is an internal branding within town hall in terms of um office entrances, stationery, um things of that type. Obviously, we've got a ways to go, but I think it, you know, obviously you'd want to tie into any um any signage and whatnot that we're doing. So, I certainly welcome the effort and I think the suggestion that you know and Brian would obviously welcome this that you know we have professional assistance uh is is essential. Uh but I would I would suggest as a first step that if someone wants to start a movement on this that they sit down with Brian as a

first step. But I'm happy to um you know uh and then I think we ought to invite him to to the set to an EDC meeting once we've had the conversation so he can you know give us an update on what's going on. And going back to artifacts full disclosure the sign that you see at Copako that is an artifact sign. They they have been I think in the company for in the town for over 30 years. I know Lauren pretty well, Lauren Rosen, and he was one of the first people I went to to talk to about what to do about signage on uh in that tiff district. And we'd have to obviously do an RFP, but um I would hope there'd be, you know, some consideration for someone who knows the town. So Denise, that's a budget item. I'm assuming we'll work on for the next budget.

Yeah. And I think maybe that's a conversation that you can have with artifacts. What would it take to I will take those two existing signs that we have and retrofit them because that's going to be your easiest, right? Um speaking of someone who's bought hundreds of signs for shopping centers.

Um so the easiest thing because you have wiring and everything in some of those, especially probably the one on the corner. Um, we are going to probably have to get permission of some type from Home Depot since they, you know, we'd have to work through and maybe Dave can help us with that working through to find out who is the correct person because they originally paid for part of that, you know. So, there's a lot of moving pieces in that, but maybe Artifacts can give us a budget range if you have a discussion with them. What is it?

I'll be I'll be happy to do that. Yeah. you know, and then what does it cost to do, you know, an entry sign coming in? Um, so when I talked to Lauren the this first time, um, his big concern is he wasn't really sure who had possession of those two signs and he said he thought it was Home Depot. He had not been involved with the work ever since Home Depot came in. the sign on the corner of Toby. I know that um 31 31 Toby paid for part of Yeah, they probably who's ever on it. How much they paid for the sign. I don't know. And are those both on town property? Yes. Okay. Yes.

All right. So, um Denise, you and I will talk about this after I know how to proceed. Okay. Toes. Okay. So, Linda, I know they were setting setting the agenda last night for the budget process. the calendar for it. Um, we'll have to look up when, and I apologize, I don't have it up in front of me right now, but when they would need a budget proposed from EDC, the sooner the better. Um, we're already starting preliminary the process of what each department needs. Correct. Right, John? If you want to

um, speak more on that. I know you probably have had more conversations. Yeah, we just um the calendar is it's very preliminary. Yeah, I saw it on the agenda last night, but should have pulled it up again. It's going to be sometime in It's usually December. We um it's going to be sometime in January. You didn't give us the preliminary, but the the first date we really got that's hard is completing the budget forms, which is March 1. He's looking at January 7th. So, okay. You know, in the next, you know, we're going to need budgets in the next four weeks. Yeah. Yeah.

Like I said, you you'll tell me what to do. I'll do it. How's that? Yeah. Um Bonnie, I also did look into um you had talked about doing some murals and stuff. they would actually have to come out on site and look at who would want to do murals and stuff in order to give us a price. But I did speak with my contact that had done some of the ones down in Springfield. And just so you know what we're talking about, we're talking about townwide. Yeah. [snorts] So I know Capacco had has had expressed interest of perhaps putting the new owners were interested.

I know the library was interested at one point. So, um, you know what we should do? And I was just thinking of this. I wonder who did the mural on the side of 330 Park. Yeah. And that's in beautiful shape. That has held up so well. I agree with you. We got to check that. Okay. But, um, there's a whole network of That's good. Artisans that do that. That's probably phase two of what we're doing. I think the signage is probably the the signage is is probably refurbishing that, giving it a refresh, you know, because it really is faded and Oh, yeah. not friendly looking. Well, then there's the other one that's even worse. The one just come in from Harvard, but it just ought to come down.

Oh, that one's falling apart. And that should just come down, right? I agree with you. Agree with you. Okay. Is there any way we could get the um town department to come in and just take away the wooden sign that's falling down on the curb on the right hand side as you enter um from Hartford on east side east side of Graby Street the wooden slat sign that is all falling apart. Yeah, certainly we can ask. Okay, it could just fall down one day. Oops. Oops. [laughter] Wait, man. Good wind took it down. I haven't looked lately.

Yeah. Okay. Um, any public comment? Is there anybody here, by the way? I think you have a couple online, but I can't tell right now. Okay. I didn't see your hand raised, though. We have three attendees. Nobody with hands raised. Okay, last call if anyone wants wants to make a comment. Okay. Well, glad to have you at the meeting. Um All right. Uh any other updates? And if not, I'm going to call for a journ. Bonnie, just one thing. It's

I was looking for but an email came across yesterday. I I think unfortunately Kapakco and the chamber were not able to come to an agreement for space uh for the chamber. Oh,

um my my sense and I can't for some reason I can't find the email. I was looking for it, but it seems to me that um there may have been a cost involved that the chamber um was unable to um to afford. Um but um I did see an email that um indicated that the chamber was was was not going to um move there, but I don't know the details. Maybe I'll reach out to somebody, you know, play dumb and see what they say. I mean, I'm assuming they would have to donate the space and maybe the chamber would take care of utilities or something.

I don't I don't know what theyations were. Okay. All right. I'll I'll see if I can find it. I did Oh, I did see a new business that was opening also on and why can't I think of the on um Senica the nail salon? Yeah, that has the sign up. Linda, the 12 Senica. Yes. Yeah. I I believe it was just new ownership and it was it was a salon. So they have, you know, grandfathered rights there as a salon. So salon, Linda, um I think it's going to be multiple. She wanted to kind of do hair, nails, and

that's good. I know she was thinking of having other in in the basement area, but I don't think it's kind of fit right now for occupancy. Yeah. [clears throat] Yep. Anything else, Linda? That that was it. Sorry. You're done. Anything else? No, that's it. Okay. Um, next meeting is uh Tuesday, December 18th at 8:30 and I will call for adjournment. Motion to adjourn. Wait a minute. Is it next 18th or 9th? Um, I was not I think the reason we changed this is I am not in town on the 12th.

All right. So, it's going to be Tuesday, December 18th. Okay. That's the wrong No, that's wrong. That's That's a No, Thursday. 16th. No, it's No, I thought December n I'm sorry. This is a mistake. December 9th. It's December 9th. I don't know where that came from. December. Today's the 18th. That's what it is. Yeah. Okay. So, it's December 9th. Tuesday, December 9th, which is our regular scheduled meeting. Sorry about that. Probably something [clears throat] I we want to check before we put these out. I was remiss in not checking.

Okay. Um, call for adjournment.

Same same old the usual suspects. Uh a motion to adjourn the today's meeting. Second. Thank you. All those in favor? I I Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Enjoy the holiday everyone. Thank you. Bye now. Thank you. Bye.