Economic Development Commission - Regular Meeting

I'm ready when you're ready.

Okay. So, we're calling the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. And present are Joe Cameian as co-chair, Cheryl Perer as a commissioner, Gene Wilinski as a commissioner, and Mona Cowwell as a commissioner. Excused absences are Scott Smith and Jeff Hartman. and we're waiting on one other commissioner uh who might have transportation difficulties. So, we shall proceed. Um to the public, is there anybody from the public that uh has signed on? Please acknowledge. Seeing no acknowledgement, I I'm going to trust that no one from the public has signed on. Um next item, agenda. We're going through our agenda. The next item agenda is the approval of the September 3rd meeting minutes. We have a motion to approve.

I'll make a motion. Cheryl Pera makes a motion to approve. A second. Mona seconds. Um all in any discussion. All in favor of approving the minutes say I. I. I.

The minutes are approved. U the EDC budget for fiscal year 2627. Um I'm that budget is being uh evaluated by Jeff Hartman, my co-chair and um we will be submitting our budget after he returns to town from travel. The strategic plan progress review is our next agenda item and we've taken it to a point where it's I think pretty near complete. Um has anybody got any comments from looking at the plan? Let me bring up my copy of it. Um I will share that I've shared this before that um I would like personally to have a version of this without dates and assignments on our web page so that it's somewhat evergreen. Yes. And then through the course of minutes and our own you know working um efforts together we can have sub deadline you know uh deadlines and assignments um and subcommittees whatever is necessary um that can be updated with time and it's more of a living document

um I just am concerned about having something with the dates Right. Well, in in that, Cheryl, as a discussion, I mean, in that we are a volunteer commission. We have no resources to easily do a continuous update, especially for something that's going to be posted. So, I I agree strongly with the concept of an evergreen document without heart dates being posted. And as a commission uh which all of our meetings are open to the public anyway, we discuss dates and and obligations and who is responsible for com conforming to that working live document. I think that's prudent.

Yeah. So you can see in the copy that was sent out by you Joe. Yep. um for the benefit of our other commissioners here that um most in the beginning of the document um the dates and assignments are taken off and then I think there's still a few pages in the back that have some of that on this draft document. Right. So we'll have those. Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. the implementation responsibility matrix and then a plan review and update schedule is there. So I was suggesting um that that's in our working document version

um and would not be in the one that goes on the web page. Agreed. And any discussion on that? I mean we you all on board. Do we feel does was anyone able to review it before the meeting or do we I think um am I correct in saying Joe that you and Jeff are hoping to vote on this at the next meeting.

Correct. Correct. and and also since we will be posting the strategic plan, the evergreen document on the town website, that would be the next step, which I think Cheryl, you had suggested for recruitment of commissioners because we're we're down two and we'll be soon down three. So, we we will um to do that. Losing Jean, I'm not I said I'm not reuping come January. How did I miss that memo? Did you finish me now? Aren't you guys next door neighbors? Let's talk over the fence. First, there's no fence, but Okay.

Did we talk a movie? No. But either way, we we we need to recruit commissioners. Um we're down two now. Correct. All right. So, um, okay. I, uh, will take it upon myself to work with Jeff and and convert the final, you know, items, edit the final items that this becomes the evergreen document for posting and the working document.

Just going to make a note to myself. If I was shameless, I would ask Cheryl to do it. But you do enough. You do too much actually to Okay. So, I think that kind of leaves us unless anybody has anything. And obviously, we're not going to vote on this until our November meeting. So if anything comes up, any thoughts on changing anything, just kind of communicate by email and uh the co-chairs will accommodate appropriate changes. Okay. Uh next item on the agenda is the um zoning regulations update and that is uh you know the zoning commission and I believe Eric Knap in particular I think I forwarded that. did

email that that he's soliciting input which is the way the world's supposed to work right we we want that to be the process I don't know what uh responses are coming forward but you know as the economic development commission I am concerned that we give input to h you know to try to um shall we say correlate zoning as much in so far as practical with our strategic plan and I I was thinking about how do we best do this? The zoning regulations are quite a lot of information. I I have read them myself uh specifically because I wrote a blight ordinance and I wrote an exterior lighting ordinance and I those through the shoreline gateway committee have been forwarded to zoning. I've asked zoning if I could be on their agenda and to discuss these documents. I've gotten no response. Um, I I from from doing some quick web surfing, I learned that zoning has engaged a firm by the acronym FHI as the consultant to contribute to that planning rewrite. The firm recently was merged into a bigger firm that's of a national concern and it's called IMEG, IMEG, another acronym. So, I I was thinking about it and I this is a discussion fellow commissioners. Um, I'm thinking might it be appropriate for us to ask or maybe send a, you know, a a memo, an email to zoning asking if this consultant that they've engaged could give us some commentary on what is in the zoning regs amunable to businesses in town or to the town's economy because I'm I'm looking for a way, you know, without having all of us to wade

through a rather voluminous, you know, the the planning consultant is being paid to do that. Um, we are volunteers. I'm not saying we're lazy or anything, but it's a heck of a lift. So, I thought, would it be fair to ask for the planning consultant to give us maybe a synopsis? Any thoughts? Um, I'm just I'm trying to look through their Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. their letter that they sent out and at what are they sending out draft? I'm I'm guessing they will eventually send out a draft. I haven't seen that unless I missed it. Yeah. Okay.

So perhaps we you know we we will provide input upon receiving a draft of the proposed you know update which probably would be a long time in coming is my guess. I don't know what the timeline is. So, I Oh, go ahead. Did someone else say something? Um, I'm just looking through this. We would be in phase two beginning spring of 2026.

Um, immediate opportunities. Zoning commission will not formally review submissions until phase two, which is that spring 2026. However, we will welcome submission of written comments or recommendations at any time. So, I guess that's right? What you're talking about, Joe, like understanding what's currently there. And then after that, the zoning commission will organize a workshop to give boards and commissions the opportunity to present materials and discuss issues relevant to your area of responsibility.

So, you know, I I'm my think my thinking is there's a lot of outofdate and conflicting information in the existing ranks because I've read them. So for example, lighting occurs, you know, exterior lighting, there are perhaps maybe eight separate places where it's addressed and none of them coordinate with each other and they're also obsolete. So I suspect that that is throughout the document in in other areas. So I I'm kind of concerned about investing a lot of time in a document that maybe waits for the for the initial draft to review. That'd be my feelings. Let them let them take out all the obsolete and conflicting info. It might certainly would make for a better read. And what is the timeline on that? So, I'm I'm inclined to um respond to zoning that EDC would like to see the initial draft of the rewrite and be able to provide comment at that stage. And I and I expect that that rewrite certainly is going to be a working document for a pretty good time.

And just looking at their their letter, I mean, economic development is the second listed key driver for the update. incor uh creating clearer pathways for appropriate business growth and innovation is one of the key drivers for which is which is kind of why I'm asking for the consultant you know please verbalize for us you know or in writing or orally you know what are the elements that you see in this plan as most critical to the economic development of the town that's kind of my thoughts so maybe what I'll do is you know this again there's no race on this so I'll maybe I'll prepare I I will task myself with preparing uh a draft email to send to zoning and we can discuss that at the next meeting.

Yeah. Or even just go into Eric's office, you know, make an appointment with him and just get a better understanding of what the process is. I I'm willing to do that and I'll tell you why. Because I also want to get the blight ordinance and the exterior lighting ordinance like some attention because it's I feel like it's being ignored and maybe that's strong language, but all right. So, I you know what I I will I like your suggestion, Cheryl. Very good suggestion. You make great suggestions. So, I don't know why I can't find this now, but I found some of the stuff, but I was looking at all the zoning stuff yesterday, and I did find a 296 page document yesterday that I was reading through that was like some of the original

Yep. zoning things. And it seems like this this work that they're doing is coming at a good time because they keep making if you look at like what's what they've done in like the last two or three years. It's like they're just making new rules up as they come across a problem that they don't like and then they create a rule like now we made a new rule you can't put in any more storage facilities or now we made another new rule that you can't put any more gas stations in and that's not an appropriate way to handle the zoning for the town. They do have they've been holding a lot of special meetings which aren't on their regular agenda

and for some reason it was very easy for me to find yesterday but now when I'm looking I'm having a harder time but they have a meeting tonight these meetings there's no public comment but it's at 6:30 tonight in the American Legion room and um it is one of their workshop meetings where they're working on their rewrite so it's right after our meeting tonight. Um there's, like I said, there's no public comment, but it says in the agenda that the public is permitted to attend. Mhm. Oh, go ahead. No, go ahead. I was going to say it's probably like our working sessions, working on that strap plan, you know,

just Yeah, it's a working session, but it would be very interesting. See if I can find that. And I felt like what I saw yesterday, which I can't find for whatever reason today, was there seemed to be some stuff that they have already put up on the website, some of the stuff that they've been working on.

The one of the other issues is that, and I've said this before, we have separate planning and zoning meeting commissions. Most the majority of towns in Connecticut, it's combined. I think it once upon a time was combined in old line because of whatever reason there was a schism and we end up with two separate bodies. And I for one advocate it should be one body because I I think you can't do one without the other. And I don't know, you know, um what the consultant might suggest. So, I'm thinking it's just that I'm looking on my phone juice.

Yeah, I know. I'm here. And then you can I don't know how you see the sidebar might be at the bottom. Yeah, cuz that's what I was I was looking at all that yesterday. And then it's got that stuff down. Yeah, it' be down here. Oh, down here. Maybe in a perfect world.

Thank you. In a perfect world, I could meet with Eric Knap and perhaps perhaps request I was thinking and perhaps request, you know, get us on the agenda for one of these planning meetings because it happens right after our meeting. So, it'll be a late night for us or whoever wants to attend and maybe to get the consultant to do that summarization that I'm I would selfishly want. Um, Joe, I think Mona came across the documentation that we've been lacking, right? So, why don't I send the link to everyone and it's the draft. They've already done they've done a draft.

They've done a draft and it looks like maybe they're doing a process similar to ours where you just, you know, rehash things. And so, let me um send this out to you guys. It's a July draft line zoning rewrite project. Oh no, that's what that's what we got sent. Yeah. So there's then there's the zoning rags right underneath it on the their website. Complete old lime zoning rags effective August 11th, 2025 final. Is that the what you're talking about? This is um I think you guys can definitely

zoning rags. It's a draft for the new regs July 9th, 2025. So then the task becomes we all take a look at this draft document and I will meet with Eric Knap and see if there's a possibility of having the consultant, you know, because I presume when they're meeting they've got their consultant at the meetings. think I mean anybody have any feel whether the consultant is remotely working on this or

I don't know what their processes but I think the best bet is to start oneon-one with Eric and just say h what's the best way for us to engage in this okay so we have a direction now it sounds like what we're going to do is we'll all you know now that we have access to a draft document thank you ma for discovering this you're welcome but thank Thank you to Cheryl for finding it out. I didn't know it was I assumed they hadn't started it yet. That's where I'm at. The only one I'm seeing is the one that says updated through it's a 296 pages and it says amended through August 11th. That's what I was reading last night. August 11th of 25.

Is that the current? Those might be the current reg. It says complete old lime zoning regulations amended through August 2025. So that that's what they're currently those are the standing rags the standing rags and it would be updated in August with the gas station aspect. Um August of this year that was it put in. Okay. Yeah. No more gas stations. And so um I thought that was years ago.

No, sorry. Um, and then there's a page that um has the rewrite information and that includes their draft for the replacement regs line zoning regulations rewrite. There it's just a I'm just sending that out now.

Okay. All right. So we'll read it. We I will meet with Eric Knap and sort of uh should we say collaborate on what is the best way for EDC to participate in this process. And I I will I will ask also if possible to have their consultant communicate a synopsis if you will without reading the voluminous document of what is the gist of how the rewritten regulations will will improve the economic climate in old lime for businesses. Does that sound reasonable? Okay. Um, so I think we we know what to do now with the zoning regs update. So, let's move on. Uh, grant funding status, any new or pending grants that anyone's aware of. Um, I've got only one thing on that, which is I went uh Monday of this week, the American Council of Engineering Companies had a presentation by Amtrak on the the Connecticut River Rail Bridge.

So, having been a prior member of the organization, I got invited. So I went to the meeting and uh they had two representatives from Amtrak talk through the project and one very interesting element of it was that um the fishing pier that existed at the DEP park at Ferry Point has been removed to facilitate the bridge construction. And um when the new bridge is completed, a fishing pier that is much wider will be created. And years ago, I prepared a proposed uh I call I called it a um the Connecticut Riverway Trail, kind of a mixed blueway greenway to to go from the old Baldwin bid bridge abutment all the way to Smith Neck Boat Launch. like a fivemile route. And part of what is needed is cooperation from Amtrak. Amtrak is also in addition to the restoration of the fishing pier that had to be removed, they're going to be doing quite a bit of remediation of the land between 156 and the Amtrak track. So there's a parcel there sort of like a three three plus acre parcel that Amtrak owns and I think there's a larger parcel that is privately owned but they will be creating new tidal pools. They'll be getting rid of the invasive fragmitees. They'll be planting native vegetation. So there's going to be like a lot of you know work done there. And I'm actually going to go and talk to Amtrak to see um what might be the possibilities of or should we say to establish at least what would be the budget to implement a more

extensive trail if you will see what happens with that. So that would be potentially you know grant funded from transportation monies I would hope. So, that's what I think I have in the way of grants. Um, anybody have anything else? No.

Let's move on to real estate. We don't have our real estate representative anymore. So, um, we'll table that for now. Uh, new businesses. Businesses. I have something there. Uh, I went to a prior conference which was a Connecticut state um sponsored event. um future, you know, vision Connecticut, whatever it was, but I I there was a number of manufacturers that came and and participated in the conference. One of them currently is in a different town uh pretty far away from here, but looking for larger space. uh the owners went to the town to try to to enlarge their facility and of course were immediately hit with this is a non-conforming use. Oh no, you know, so like let's throw up every roadblock we can to prevent you from expanding. So I I reached out to the owner and and after checking we have two potential vacancies in the industrial park pending within a year and the square footage was be appropriate for what this manufacturer wants. So I'm I'm trying to plant a seed like hey maybe consider the old lime industrial park and I'm I'm leaving confidential who the uh who the company is for right now. So I'm it's something I'm doing. I'm trying to outreach to see if I can get them interested and maybe connect them with um the property owners that have the space that might that you know potentially might be available. So that's new businesses. That's all I have on that. Anybody have anything else? All right. Marketing and outreach. Anybody got anything going there?

Nothing really to report. Um, yeah. I don't think I really have any. Oh, I sent the brochures out to the Big E. Connecticut. Good. All right. Well, that's report Cheryl. That's reportable. Okay. Get in touch with you to pick them up when it's over. No. You know, they um they say, "Can we throw out what's left over?" But typically what happens is they'll hold on to them and bring them to a welcome center or something. Yeah.

So there's never a promise. And actually um I was in the Connecticut building and I didn't even see where the brochures were this year. They reconfigured the building. Um but at the day after someone told me, "Oh no, they were off to the side." So I'm going to see if Wendy or someone else can let us know how that went for them this year. Um, it usually is in the center of the Connecticut building and they reconfigured the building. So, I don't think we'll need as many next year sent up there.

All right. Next agenda item is Shoreline Gateway, which is my efforts. So, for me to see with them. Um the last meeting pretty much was uh about the RFP that we put out that got no bids, but there were, you know, some inquiries uh by firms that said they would have bid, but they were too busy at the time to bid.

So the question is, what do we do with that? And that was sort of an open question. And I I reported that I had outreached to the zoning chair offering to discuss the blight ordinance and proposed blight ordinance and proposed exterior lighting ordinance and then the um the Eastern Regional Tourism District was discussed. Can I just ask you a quick question? Um the bids that's for a master plan project or correct? I just want for a master planning consultant. All right. and no bids were received. Okay.

And there's been just some verbal inquiries about, you know, gee, maybe we would have bid had, you know, we had more time or we're not so busy. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. And then the other was um you know, they were just asking about, you know, how might Shoreline Gateway Area benefit from the Eastern Regional Tourism District? And I pretty much just said that EDC is working on possible ways to to get, you know, the the benefit of the Eastland Regional Tourism District.

Um I maybe offer to them maybe Wendy and or I can go to one of their meetings and tell them how to do that. I think some of the businesses do take advantage of it. It's the regional tourism district is really about two things primarily. one is um ctvvisit.com having your business listed on there which I think the carousel and a few others do now and then potential grants for tourism projects but that has to be a matching grant right

and then um connecting with the state's advertising agency for photo ops um so we can certainly give them some information on that if you know if you guys are willing to come and suggest ideas appreciate it. So we can do that and if for any reason you know you it's a it's a hardship to attend the meeting you could just prep me with what information that you you know I could just serve as a messenger if you will. Sure. Great. So whatever is, you know, talk to Wendy and whatever whatever Wendy wants to do.

Um, one other thing with tourism is that the the trail, you know, the, if you will, the uh pedestrian and bicycle trail and kayak blueway trail that I discussed, I see that as an economic development uh item because we have a bike shop in town. We have a kayak and canoe shop in town. I could see them seeing increased activity with rentals and also employment for our young adults uh to ferry all of the apparatus around. So what I envision is somebody could you know start out kayaking down the river and the way I'll have to bring a drawing of this next meeting but kayaking down the river you could kayak one mile and then transfer to a bicycle then bicycle back or hike back. uh you could go five miles and hike or kayak, but you know, whatever whatever uh you know, option the tourists might want to do and some of that might involve, you know, having to reposition kayaks and bicycles. So, you know, it's it's work and I think it would be an attraction because the the inspiration for it was the East Bay bike path in in Rhode Island. It's a 14mile. It was so easy for them. They had an abandoned railroad ride ofway. They converted it rail to trail and it runs from Providence to Bristol along the shore in Arrogance Bay.

That's very nice bike path and and we have several times like we used to live in Providence. Really husband's from Okay. So you you guys so so what I want to do here what I want to do here the in-laws

it's what I want to do here because the Connecticut River we've got you know certainly no less beautiful than the Narroans at Bay and the Amtrak track separates us from all of that. you know, in the 1850s it was, you know, it was probably a godsend economically to the shoreline towns, but the railroad just kind of blew through and there was not a whole lot of concern about preserving access to scenic beauty and so on. So, I'm I'm hoping that might turn into a, you know, a tourism benefit. Have you ever talked to the owner of the bike shop and the owner of the I haven't yet and asked them to collaborate?

I I think You know, Mona is always a good suggestion because probably, you know, I'm doing this as a part-time thing. I mean, years ago, I put a lot of time. I might have put 500 hours into making this thing get jelled into a plan. And then to find out that there's no grant funding, you know, the funding got shut down. I think also in addition to the two businesses, you know, going back to the other commission's boards that are relevant to it like the Harbor

Commission, Harbor Management Commission, I think some of that goes through private property. So, I don't know how the town addresses that, but I think that's a good case for collaboration with a lot of different entities. Yeah, I think I think you know there's nothing that prohibits us from going and and meeting up with a business owner and throwing out a suggestion. So, I'm willing to do that. Yeah. Okay. Um, Rivercogen.

So, the uh September Regional Economic Development Commission actually was a joint meeting with the Regional Housing Commission. Um, and it was focused on Brownfield's revitalization. It was an in-person meeting which I did not attend. I also didn't feel it was really relevant because I'm not aware of brown people that we

in our however they're talking about working with um some folks at Yukon to um pursue an EPA assessment grant. So there there are towns in our our region that do have those and you know they there's a presentation if anyone is interested that I have

from you know from having spent a a career as an engineer I'm kind of attuned to the infrastructure that is you know just being terribly wasted because you know housing especially if you want to do housing in in large scale you need utilities you need water you need sewer right you need communicate the whole the whole shooting match of utilities and here we have cities full of everything you need but there nothing's happening and a lot of it is the brownfield stuff but also there's other reasons and that's where the effort should be focused because all that utility infrastructure is so expensive to put together so maybe that's what this is about so we'll see

so well the um the site the the communities that had submitted sites for review were Middletown Cromwell Killingworth and East Hatam. So, um, yeah. So,

so then on Tuesday the 14th will be our next regional economic development commission meeting and it will be a Zoom only and there's going to be a presentation on on call economic development services. So, I'm I assume some that may be an organization. We're going to be considering a proposal to see if the Rivercog board wants to provide some funding for that. I don't know what that's all going to be about, but I will let you know in November after I that's where things are on that. Thank you for that concise report.

Uh I just I'm sorry I'm not Jen. The next meeting is October 14th. 14th on the on call economic development services. Correct. Okay. Got it.

I was like, say that three times fast. On on call. Okay. And then the last item is retention of in town talent which is kind of my personal uh interest but good for the town school to career. Um, I have been following the basically the Department of Defense is putting out a lot of workforce development money and I will say that the high school to the credit of the technology and engineering leader. They're really on top of everything. They really are aggressively going after whatever can be found. So, I'm looking to see if there's anything that they're missing that can otherwise be found. And that's kind of where my my efforts are going for that right now. I see DoD workforce development money is probably the most significant thing that that you know depending on what um directions you know the the money is going to be focused on. Ship building in particular is a big deal. Obviously we have electric boat and they're already very very much in tune with what electric boat has going on. Uh, I'm thinking that there actually might be a resurrection of some of the smaller shipyards that have been abandoned or or underutilized. So, there might be something there.

That's all I have with that. Um, Joe. Yeah. Uh, just in terms of the agenda, um, before the Rivercog item, there was Chamber of Commerce and ERTD. I'm assuming we're not talking about the regional tourism district because Wendy isn't here to reporter, right? But um the chamber um yeah I haven't uh Thank you for catching that. uh the chamber I haven't had any signals from them if anybody has had any communications from the Sabbrook greater greater roll sabbrook

I mean I get their newsletter every regularly you know I think they send two or three out a week to be honest so okay I didn't I haven't seen anything about another um meeting in old old lime in the near near term Maybe we should make a request. Well, I think we have to have people who can go, right? You know, I think they have a hard time with those morning meetings being How was the last one? Did Did anybody go? The one that was in Old Lime, was that the one that was cancelled?

That was the one that was cancelled. I went I went to find out it was canceled and I wasn't in the communication string so I didn't find out. So I went to the old lineman and I was the only vehicle in the parking lot and I'm like I wonder what I'm missing here. That's how it went.

So if there was to be a you know that meeting was canceled. So I guess maybe I should make inquiry like okay that was canceled. Is there a uh replacement meeting to take place? Um I've already loaded my plate up with some stuff. So this I don't know, Jean, do you want to make an inquiry of them if they were going to consider doing another meeting at all? I am scheduled to go to a lunch there next Friday in that they're sponsoring. So in passing see what I can find out. Thank you. I would appreciate that. Is it like with a speaker? Uh yes. It's a It's a women in business. They have them once a month on Fridays. Sabre point.

Well, that's fun. Yeah. Good food. Okay. I'll admit I don't make it to all of them. Yes. Lunches are hard. Okay. So, I do think we have now covered all the updates. Thank you. Any new or other business? No, I just had a thought. I just don't know if this is something that we'd ever done before. We probably haven't, but we ever tried to do like a survey of businesses to get a feel from them on what the climate is for them. Sort of taking the temperature on a periodic maybe like a survey monkey. Yeah.

Asking them how's it going? How was your summer? Was it good? Was it bad? What could EDC do to help you better? Have we ever done that? I had um kind of an um un I don't want to say unofficial it I went door todoor more or less a couple of years ago at the end of the summer to see how businesses were doing um and I talked to a few business owners and then Sound View I Sound View Commission I think does something at the end of the summer where they I could be wrong. I I seem to remember they invite businesses in or they take the temperature of how the summer season went and we should really get a report from them. But I think it would be really valuable to do a survey monkey.

How Scott sent us that report and had the emails and then I was thinking, you know, we haven't really looked at that database. You probably have, but I haven't. I haven't been very good about the mailing list. So, the interesting thing I did a quick skim through it and it is uh it looks like a lot of uh you know how people have an LLC that owns a a family. There's a lot of that on there. I mean, they are technically businesses, but they're probably not interested, but it could be very valuable, I agree, to just send the link and see who responds, too.

And on the first page of it, we can have what kind of business are you? you know, if are you a storefront, are you a home business, are you a family LLC or whatever. And then the survey can divert you based on what that answer is and ask you a tree kind of survey thing. Yeah, that's and Scott Scott pulled down from he sent us by email. Yeah, that's what we're talking about. Yeah, the the business survey, the other list of the list of businesses from the Secretary of State, right? Uh and you know what else? It could be considered a followup to the postpandemic business survey that was done in 2021 by the ARPA committee.

So I I think that would be a really valuable thing to do in 2026 which is almost here. Yeah. There you go. Fiveyear, you know. Yeah. And yeah, because right now people are going to be getting a um waste and recycling survey in the coming weeks. There's one about flooding or something. So, if we take our time and write a really solid survey, you know, good questions that most want to know.

Yeah, I think that would be great. What I'm looking for is I took a photograph of the uh the sign at the Eastport Business Park and it was kind of a revelation because there's businesses there that you know we probably Here it is. I found it. So the Eastport North um there is Reedco Management, Pepperage Farms, Banker's Life. Unless the sign has not been updated and some of them are gone, it's possible. But you know, WB Mason, oh, up

explore, the one to the north of four mile on, you know, north of 95 at four mile. Um, JLN Associates, Air Skirts,

Hartford Healthcare Medical Group, the Wilks Group, Fiber QA, weight no longer as in like weight loss physical weight for people. Pac Kayak LLC, whatever that is, ML McDonald sales company. So, I'm thinking right off the bat, you know, like we as a commission probably need to get more intimate with who's around, who's in town. Like, we know Kellogg Marine is on the other side, although they have now merged into a bigger corporation, I believe, but I think they're still doing business as Kellogg. Um and then there's project learn is in the southside industrial park of 95 at four mile I think unless they've moved but um and Pascalini construction just somebody's just popping in my head such construction so

is it Sanheiser is that the supposedly they're leaving town and one of the incumbents there has bought has apparently lined up to buy that property is my understanding. and that that's hearsay. I don't know. I don't have anything definitive. I'm not going to comment meeting. All right. So, anyway, but just the idea that, you know, Mona's idea of of issuing an easy to to participate survey would be a great thing.

Now, I have another question. This is this would all be, you know, if people have heard, has anybody heard anything about the Big Y Plaza and the new ownership? Um, I have not. Yes, I looked. It wasn't listed yet. Have you learned anything? No. No. Cuz I'm trying to think what's vacant in that plaza, the the former Fleet Bank or whatever it was in the end. Uh, Bank of America, I guess. Then it was then after it was Bank of America, it was a um physical therapy group for a while, but it's vacant, I believe, now, right? I I don't know. There was there was a tax there was a tax

last year during official tax season multiple empty plot places in there. So the building

that turned in there was a physical therapy near that. There was a couple different physical therapies. It it it would be nice and that's kind of where we need more commissioners particularly with real estate expertise to have sort of a map of what are the businesses and what are the vacancies in town. I think that would be a very useful document. Um, I think one thing Scott and I will be working on in the strategic, you know, working through our strategic plan is putting a widget on the web page that has the vacancies from that company. Um, right. There's a MLS commercial. Yeah. Um,

so that would be a good way for us to check. I don't see the ownership changing on the tax roll. out yet. So, like I said, it was hearsay, but that's kind of I was kind of surprised that they were moving because they've been here a good while. Oh, no. We're talking about Big Y. Yeah. No, no, I know. I I'm thinking about Sennheiser.

Somebody probably retired. Whoever brought them in probably is retiring. other new business. Jean, I'm going to tag team with you on this. Jean and I were both at uh lunch a lunchon for nonprofits in Oime and Lime in the area called Community Connections and there was a a speaker on AI.

Yes. So, and I was not able to stay for the full time of the lunchon, but um it seemed it was very wellreceived. Yeah. And good advice on how to utilize AI or understand how AI, you know, plays a role in business today. Um, I have my notes with me, but I just I think it's good for local businesses also to be thinking about

perhaps perhaps we should try to uh, you know, especially if it's somebody, you know, selling something, it's not too hard to get speakers. Um, could we maybe coordinate events? That's that's another thing that's above and beyond the scope of what we have time to do. But wow, you know, to set up, for example, at the library, you know, invite local businesses to come. Yeah. Or here or the town hall. Yeah.

Um the, you know, I'll leave it up to the select persons to validate what, you know, the use of the town hall facilities because if you're inviting somebody that's for profit, oh my goodness, what about somebody else that's for profit that's been excluded? They should sue, you know, the town, whatever. Um, the point is that if we could facilitate making available to our businesses as much up-to-date knowledge that would help them, I think that's I'm totally supportive of that. We just got to work out the logistics of the dos and don'ts of I like the idea a lot. I do think AI is going to have tremendous impacts.

I'm actually U just recently with engineering stuff fusion I used to always joke fusion you know which you're familiar that nuclear power there's fision which is what we've been using the A bomb and then there's fusion the Hbomb well the Abomb fision process has been controlled and you know Milstone just celebrated 50 years of operation but fusion you know has been studied for 70 years with no progress and all of a sudden now because of AI I I think you know I used to joke fusion will forever be the technology of the future and now I don't think that's going to be the case. I think it's actually going to happen and that's going to be you know electricity the shipping container fusion will be right up there with those other two terms of impact on the world and and the AI I guess is you know in that same bucket of things that will change the world as we know it. Okay. So Lou and other businesses, I think we've got some great points. Um, that's all I've got. So do I see a motion to adjurnn.

I'll make a motion to adjurnn. I'll second. Jean seconds. All in any discussion? All in favor? I I Thank you very very much, commissioners, for giving you of your time, putting up with me. Can't believe it's October 1st. I know. And