NORWICH -- A four-hour legislative public
hearing Wednesday quickly became a tense and heated
question-and-answer period between state officials and
developers proposing to relocate Three Rivers Community College
downtown.
The first hour of the hearing, sponsored by state Sen. Edith
Prague, D-Columbia, was taken up by Ron Aliano and
representatives of the Chelsea Community Development Group LLC
to respond to a critique from the state Department of Public
Works on the group's $62 million downtown plan.
State officials presented their interpretation of the
downtown proposal and gave a quick overview of the plan recently
approved by a state community college trustees subcommittee to
consolidate the campus on New London Turnpike in the second
hour.
A rebuttal of both sides consumed the next hour, leaving 45
minutes for public comment.
The City Council will host another informational meeting
Friday at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Thirty people, many part of the Chelsea Group or state
officials, were present when the hearing began at 4 p.m., By 6
p.m., attendance had grown to 55, only to dwindle to 35 by 7
p.m. Several of the 18 people who had signed up to speak at the
hearing had left before their names were called.
After listening to the developers and DPW officials debate
the points of the downtown plan, Prague said, "at this
point, I'm not in favor of the downtown proposal. I am
questioning whether this is the right plan."
The senator previously had supported the group's proposal.
But former City Council President Richard Abele, who supports
Aliano's plan, said it was not fair for the senator "to
jump ship now when it is time for you to be working with Norwich
to make this project happen."
After listening to the discourse between the developers and
state officials, at least one resident said it left him with
more questions.
"Many of the issues discussed seem like they could be
answered in a negotiated legal document, such as a lease
agreement. No one touched on the environmental issues at either
site and other items pertaining to the construction of either
site," resident John Egan said.
The main sticking points debated by the developers and the
state included the amount of available parking and how much
space is designated for classrooms and common areas, such as
hallways and lobbies.
Officials also argued about who would own the downtown site
-- the city would own it and lease it to the state for 20 years
with an option to buy the property for $1 at the end -- and how
the use of 27,000 square feet of the proposed Mercantile
Exchange at Chelsea building would affect the project's outcome.
The state already owns the property on New London Turnpike,
where the Thames Valley campus will be expanded to include the
technical high school building to its east, which will, in turn,
be "swapped" with the college's Mohegan campus on
Mahan Drive.
Aliano contends that public works officials have
"erroneous information" and that their main points of
contention have been addressed in his plan.
He said the downtown plan provides 1,000 parking spaces,
makes the best use of the 237,500 square feet designated for
college use, and the state could acquire the 27,000 square feet
in the Mercantile Exchange at Chelsea building at the end of its
20 years lease with the city.
State public works officials maintain there is only enough
room for slightly less than 700 parking spaces associated with
the project and if 80 percent of the 237,500 square feet is
classroom space, there will be cramped hallways and no room for
common areas.
State DPW officials who reviewed the downtown proposal also
said, according to Aliano's plan, the 27,000 square feet in the
Mercantile building reverts back to the city at the end of the
lease.
State Rep. Jack Malone, D-Norwich, argued that issue could be
addressed in the future. But Three Rivers Dean of Administration
Joe Anderson said the state community college system was not
comparing equal proposals because the 27,000 square feet in the
Mercantile building was not included in Aliano's funding
assessment and not included in the lease buyout for $1.
DPW officials also noted that the Thames Valley expansion
would provide 331,000 square feet of space that includes items
from classroom facilities to hallways.
Most of the residents who testified before Prague, Malone,
state Rep. Peter Nystrom, R-Norwich, and Mayor Arthur Lathrop
favored the $60.9 million plan to expand the college at its
Thames Valley campus on New London Turnpike.
State DPW officials said it would cost $51 million to
relocate the technical high school in addition to the $60.9
million to consolidate the college. But $44 million of that $51
million has already been budgeted as part of a master plan to
renovate the tech school's current location and upgrade its
programs, state officials said.
Though some residents' eyebrows were raised at this cost,
most, like Margaret Wilson, said the swap made sense because
money was already in place to do the high school work and
consolidating the college in the western side of town saves the
waterfront area for future commercial development.
"New London Turnpike is the next best place for the
college, after Preston. There is a lot of space and the plan
represents a good utilization of the property," resident
Anne Doyle said.
But retired Three Rivers Professor Stan Gaby said he does not
understand how the state can ignore a community like Norwich
that has "rolled out the red carpet and offered to build
the college a new campus."
"The college is meant to be downtown, where its name
dictates it should," Gaby said, adding that he would bring
his students to the harbor for classes.
