Once upon a time, before all of the confusion and controversy surrounding Three Rivers Community College consolidation, I was invited to the governor's office. As it happens, I liked John Rowland and supported his election. We got to know each other quite well and, during his early years as governor, I occasionally spoke with him. But, more often, I met with his chief of staff, Peter Ellef. He often asked my opinion. More recently, now that Mayor Arthur L. Lathrop, a Republican, is in office, the governor appropriately consults with the mayor.

The governor asked my opinion regarding Three Rivers, and this is what I told him: The relocation of Three Rivers offers a unique opportunity to solve some major problems in the city while consolidating the community college. The state owns a huge piece of real estate in East Great Plain and Thamesville; that is where Uncas on Thames and the community college and technical school are located. The two properties come together and, though there are wetlands there, today there are many solutions to dealing with wetlands.

My suggestion to the governor was that traffic could be relieved in East Great Plain by moving the state Department of Motor Vehicles and the governor's regional office to the Uncas on Thames campus. I suggested he close the entrance to the college on New London Turnpike so that the only entrance to the consolidated community college and motor vehicle department would be from Route 32, West Thames Street.

The obvious advantage to locating the college at the Uncas on Thames campus would be to help solve a traffic problem in East Great Plain while, at the same time, only having to build half a college by consolidating next to the Thames Valley campus.

Rowland liked the idea

The governor, according to his chief of staff, liked the idea, and I thought, incorrectly, that the decision was made. In fact, I shared the information with Booker DeVaughn, a dear friend and wonderful man who preceded Grace Jones as president of Three Rivers. I might add that Ms. Jones has many of the wonderful qualities that we all admired in Booker DeVaughn.

State Rep. Jack Malone, D-Norwich, then came forward with the downtown idea, and Ron Aliano shared his plans with me. On all sides of the debate were good people sincerely committed. Knowing them all and respecting all of them, I have stood back, and not until today do I share this thought publicly that the governor years ago seemed to embrace.

You cannot live in a town 73 years without instinctively knowing what reactions will follow any change. For every action, there is a reaction. Living in East Great Plain these past 45 years, I have seen it grow from a rural neighborhood to a densely populated, traffic-congested area.

Years ago, as state senator, I spoke to a crowded gymnasium at John Stanton School, and the people who put me in office booed me, because I suggested that we should not allow the widening of West Main Street. I said it would become a shopping strip and destroy the West Side and East Great Plain as we knew it. What was needed was a limited access highway from Interstate 395's Exit 80 to downtown. I predicted widening West Main Street would attract business away from downtown, and that is exactly what has happened.

If I had to make a decision now, I would move the DMV to Uncas on Thames and consolidate the Three Rivers campus at Uncas and move the governor's office so that the highway department could expand. The Uncas on Thames site would be the least expensive, but, more than that, it would help solve two traffic problems: relieving traffic on Harland Road as well as in East Great Plain.

The solution, of course, with the only entrance and exit being on Route 32, is that all the college traffic and motor vehicle traffic would be taken out of East Great Plain, and the infrequently used Route 32 would be the main entrance.

So, that is my say, and though it may not be heeded any more than my remarks in the gymnasium years ago, I would rather see solutions that solve problems than proposals that create them.

Mr. Stanley, of Norwich, writes occasionally of the city.