Town Center Economic Development Commission - Regular Meeting

p.m. on um on April 21st and it's being it's it is a remote uh meeting. Thank you very much. Uh Lyn, can you please take the uh roll call? Commissioner Michelle present. Commissioner Kerisio, you on mute. Yeah. Sorry about that. That's all right. Commissioner Goully absent. Commissioner Hudgen absent. Commissioner Riley

present. Thank you very much. Appreciate that. Um now that we have a quum, let's move on to the first item of the agenda. Uh first of all, were there any public comments? No. All right. Thank you very much. Next item in the agenda is I need a motion to someone to move the minutes to be accepted. So moved by Commissioner Chriso and can I get a second? Second. Second by Commissioner Ry. Thank you very much. Any discussions and the minutes changes? Hearing none. Seeing none. All those in favor of the minutes as presented signify by saying I. I. I.

Thank you very much. Uh the chair votes I motion carries unanimously. Uh next item on the agenda uh is an update on the grant application and um Denise. Yes, Denise Robu from Go. Yes. Thank can you please fill us in? Yes. Um well you all know that you know for the round eight we did not get the CIF. Um, we got comments back actually Monday, yesterday from the CIF board which I will review with John. So, so my CIF you know I know I know investment fund and and who owns that

DEC state agency. Yes. Okay.

So, we got comments back which we will go through and review. Um I did get word today that they are opening the funding back for round nine. Um we do plan on exploring um the submission again. Um this will be a third round, but note that round nine what they're doing. This is something different than what they've done before. Their focus is funding planning or grants that have not received funding. Um, in other words, that if you applied and didn't get funding in the last round, they want you to reapply. And I did watch the last board meeting. One of the ones they did bring up was Bloomfield. We went through a a series of meetings um with um the director from DEC uh the commissioner, I should say, and um he gave us some great comments. In the end they did a lot of funding to colleges this last round. So um but we are going to go back in. Um also this month was very busy. Um I should say over the last month there were congressional funding asks which were previously known as earmark funding through the federal government and they are done through your um congressmen and your senators. We applied to Senate through um sorry through Representative Larson's um congressional funding for $4 million towards the acquisition of properties um with um the stipulation that the town was putting up that $4 million that they had. that would hopefully take care of the acquisition of properties and we would have to look for further funding to um do the rest of the like the demolition and things before it would be turned over to a developer. Um the other

ask that we Denise if you don't mind we could ask some questions while uh they're very let's go back to the grant application you said that um do we know why it was turned down the um it's a very political ask and um there were commissioners that have been replaced on the board and um new commissioners that came on and sometimes times funding is structured more towards where the new commissioners come on to the board to their board. So

So is there anything that we or or our state elected officials could have done or did they do anything at all? They did. I I will tell you, I was on meetings on a Sunday night with the mayor and with our state rep and our state senators um planning doing a plan of attack to talk to DEC. Calls were made to the speaker of the house um multiple calls by Mayor Harrington um and Senator McCory and um Senator Slap. They all wrote letters of support. um they had I believe it was just an astronomical number of requests and I would say only probably 20% of them got funded for this round this past round.

So they do and ours was a very large ask. Okay. But that being said, we're going back in again. We're not going to get take no for an answer. Okay. And uh uh and uh when are those grants being taken up? Do we have a timeline? That actually opens up next actually this week. I believe the NOA doesn't come out. Notice of funding um doesn't come out until the 27th. I will be sitting on a um a webinar that they're hosting to talk about how to go back at it again. So that's next week.

Okay. So, the other um other commissioners, if you have any questions, please uh step right in or interrupt me. I do have one about uh Congressman Lawson. Yep. And I go ahead. Oh, you have more. Yeah. More

I have more to add to that to that one, too. Um because um there's two types of congressional funding. One is through the representatives which are lesser grants which is why we went for the max which is around 4 million. Um the other grant through Senator Murphy's and Senator Blumenthal's office. You can ask for a lot more and it comes from a lot of various um pockets of money. We went through the department of housing for this one um and urban development. Um we asked for 12 million in that ask for discretion discretional funding. So we um supplied them with a budget with timeline. We're just waiting to hear. We got great letters of support from our state senators and our state um reps on the local level. Um we had Mayor Harrington. We had letters that were done from him. Um basically what we do with those is I write them. I send them over to them and they put them on their letter head and um tweak them to add their own voice to them. So, um so we had some very good, you know, comments that came out of them and support of those.

So, so, so both both of those um requests are out there. We're waiting we are we are waiting to hear back from them. Yes, we don't expect to hear until June because these are funding requests that will not get funded until the next fiscal year which begins in on July one of this year. I mean for the feds fiscal year the fiscal year is October 1st. Um for for the feds they said they said the funding should come out July 1st. Okay.

So I'm saying the feds October 1st to September 30th. That's their that's their fiscal year. All right. So, so maybe it's the notice of of that they're going to fund you is coming out that and they said it does take anywhere from six months to a year to get your funding. Yes, sir. So, but we have both of those worked, you know, very diligently to get them out there and to craft and ask um that shows the need for the the town center to be re revitalized. Okay. Any questions for my colleagues concerns? Are we looking at just one round of funding annually or are there multiple rounds? Like what?

For the congressional funding, it's just one round yearly. Okay. Okay. So, we those came out um one of them was due like the day after Easter and one was due like two weeks before Easter. So, okay.

Work straight. Um, CIF has two rounds per year. Um, and it is, uh, June 5th is fourth or fifth is the next one that's due. Um, and then there is one final round that's coming up in December. Um, we haven't heard if they're going to extend the funding past that. Um, but we're hoping that they do. Um, another thing, um, I wanted to mention, the RFP for developers is out there on the Bloomfield website right now. It has been up. Those are due next week from developers. Um, we wanted to get qualified developers that and we needed that as part of the CIF. They told us that we needed to have a developer in line. Um, so the RFP went out there. It got extended because of the probably about three four weeks because of the amount of work a developer is going to have to put in to their response to us to be able and they have to be qualified. In other words, I believe there's one line in the RFP where they have to have backing of at least 15 million to even be considered for the project. Um, we sent a blanket email out to about 20 to 25 developers. Um, the I'm not sure about if we've gotten questions from developers, but we've gotten emails and calls which we can't give them, you know, private information or anything like that, but a saying that they planned on sending in um a response. So, we know we have a few that are kind of going to be sending and are very interested in redeveloping the town center.

So, um, so you said RFP went out. Did we do an RFI first? Um, we did I'm trying to think how we did it. No, we we it's a R I should phrase it it this way. It's an RFQ RFP that is out there. Okay. Okay.

Um, so it's a request for qualifications and a request for proposals and it was drawn up so that they were given a link to the master plan and that their development plans are to be focused on the master plan that was done for the town center. In other words, they don't have to follow it exactly, but that is the guiding principles for it. And uh when are the RFP or RFQ are they? Wait, when are they due? They're due next Friday at by both of them at the same time. They're actually it's one in the same. Okay.

Okay. Yeah. Um so, uh so who put this RFP out? RFQ RFP out. Um it was worked on by attorney Crombrey, by myself, by John Linda. I don't know if you had any any work on it. Um the town manager, none of us, nobody in this committee had had any idea about this RFP. Um it was something that had to get done according to CIF. Okay. So that's why we jumped on it. And I don't think we haven't had a meeting in a couple months. Oh no, no, no, no one reach out to anybody in this committee to ask to ask anyone in this community to be part of the RFP or RFQ.

All right. I have no idea where I mean the commissioner Riley commission because are you aware anybody talked to anyone of you about this? No. No. And actually, you know, I I learned about the fact that we didn't get the last round of funding by reading another committee's minutes versus any sort of email communication to this group. So, that was a little bit disappointing that we're not in the loop for communications, it seems. Okay. All right. Because, you know, luckily I read the minutes. Um, so I I knew about this or else I would have been surprised tonight to be honest. Okay. Where we were.

Um, as far as the funding that I did, those opportunities came up right away and you had to respond very quickly to it. So, um, absolutely understand that part. It's just Yeah. weren't even notified that we didn't get selected and here's our next steps or any of that. Um, okay. And I know we like to talk about it a lot in these meetings, but any sort of emails around it would also be available for the public. So, you know, we're we're not doing things behind closed doors, but right,

the communication has not been great to this committee. and we had asked to be involved in some of that because there were some things from the master plan that you know were as you said guiding principles. So, I know that when we get to looking at the actual RFQS and RFPs, we can work with them to make adjustments, but you know, way back when we had talked about some adjustments that we would want to make when the RFP went out, um, and not having that opportunity to even see it or know that it was being worked on was is disappointing. I think what we can do moving forward since we know that the RFPs RFQS are coming in um Linda correct me if I'm wrong Lynn please um that when they are reviewed they can get reviewed by this committee also or this committee becomes part of the reviewing board please and what I can do um it's either I will do it or Linda um actually if you go on the town's website on their bid site. You are able to see the RFQ RFP as it is right now.

Okay. Well, I guess I guess the point Denise is that we uh I know you're a governing board and you should be No, no, let me finish this whole thing. the whole process we went through with you and your organization setting up the guiding and then an RFP RFQP was created using the the documents that we voted on and to make it to legitimize the the document and we found involvement. Yep. Right. So this is not your issue. Yep.

Not your issue. This is an issue. I need to take the town manager and the town attorney, right? And uh the question is what's the point of this committee's existence, right? So, do we need to dissolve this committee if we if we don't have if we're not going to be able to add any value and be invited to be part of this process that we quoteunquote responsible for, then what's the point of having this committee going forward? We haven't met because we've been waiting to get a response to get information. Get information then something came up and it was denied and we have to hear it through back channels. All right. And RFP went out and no one is again I am not I'm not calling with you Denise. I want to be clear about this. All right.

All right. Uh but uh process and procedures uh mean something to me to this committee as well. So there wasn't point having this committee. I mean if our job is done was to just go through the process with you and uh and your colleagues to get to get to where we are right now. And that's fine. I don't think it is. I think well we we certainly been treated like like that was it. So that's the case and let's just let's just let's just terminate the committee now and move forward. Again I again I'm not quing with you. No no no.

Okay. I'm just saying that if our role if our role is done let's just Okay. Fine. Hey, we I we had a good run about a year, year and a half, two years, then let's just vote and then tell me to move on. Then there's no need for us to continue to be I know whatever. Okay. Right. All right. So, let's let's move on. Let's move on. Right. I think one of the things that you were developed as an authority to have authority. You're kidding. Commission Commission Cara. Any questions, comments, concern? No, I echo your sentiment. Um,

but I think or I strongly believe that we're definitely not done, right? Or not not until the town center is being redeveloped like or definitely not done if we need to change the way we're communicated with and just agree on what that cadence looks like or, you know, if our meeting cadence needs to change in order to better align with that, right? and and with some of the dates on approvals and we can do that too, right? Um but definitely not done. Okay. Okay. Thank you.

I will I will definitely keep you be better at keeping you in the loop when things come up also. Um know that I report to um John and the town manager. Um but I also have a duty to report to you too. So I will open those lines of communication better for you. So, commissioner Riley, any more questions, comments, and concerns? No, not at the moment. Um, okay. I'll be looking at the RFQ, RFP. Um, I was looking it up right now just to I guess I guess what my point is that you no committee member should have to go to the website, right, to get that information. Yeah.

That should have been forwarded to us before it went out, right? for us uh for uh for us to be told go to the website to get it. To me, that is so disrespectful to this committee. All right. And when we are quote unquote the authority over this project and we've been told go to the website to get it. Yeah. That's to to me that's that's just undermines our credibility with the public. It reeks with lack of respect for this committee and that that's a problem for me. All right. All right. Anything else? Um Denise?

No. Um like I said I am attending next week's CIF online webinars. So I will um be looking at the next round of submission that we can put in and uh we will be as part of that we have to answer the um response questions that came back from the CIF board. Okay. If there are no further comments by any committee members, any commissioners, I would entertain a motion for adjournment. I have no other questions at this time. All right. So, can I get a motion for adjourn to

adjourn? All right. Motion has been made by Commissioner Riley. I need a second. I second it. Uh, all those in favor signify by saying I. Hi. Hi. All right. All right. Chair vot. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you very much. And um All right. Good evening everyone. All right. Take care. Evening. Denise, can you call me