MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/A5395636/121406.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORDINATOR’S REPORT

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORDINATOR’S REPORT

 

December 14= , 2006

 =

  1. Prepared a fir= st draft of an inventory of available commercial and Industrial property = in Watertown and= sent it to the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Town Manager for review.  (Copy attached FYI). Mike Blak= e of Tighe&Bond, the people who are doing the GIS project for the town = will be ready to make a presentation to the Town Council at their 12/18 mee= ting.  The GIS is helpful to EDC, si= nce we will be able to view the plot lines of every piece of property in town, also view a color aerial photo, overlay utilities available, overlay t= ax information, and assessor’s information.
  2. In a conversat= ion with a former town attorney he indicated someone he knows has purchased the former Watertown= Meat Center, and plans to re-open it under the same name in early January. 
  3. In a discussio= n with Dean Kotsaftis, owner of the former Bungalow Restaurant property, he t= old me that he has optioned the property.
  4. Have been work= ing with Charlie Luke of Farmington Valley Power Equipment of Farmington to look at several properties in town for a John Deere and other garden equipment store.  He was interested in the Bungalow site, the State Dairy site, and the Lorraine Gardens site. I took digital = photos of each property and met with him.&nb= sp; Luke has been in discussions with Drubner about the Lorraine Gardens location.  He would prefer to lease for = the first several years and would prefer an existing building on the site.  The greenhouses on= the Brody property would probably not suit his purposes.  Luke has also shown some inte= rest in the former video store property at the corner of Route 6 and Fern Hill Road.
  5.  Stop and Shop, the owners of t= he State Dairy property and another piece of property on the corner of Straits Turnpike and Bunker Hill ha= ve requested a meeting on December 18, to discuss development plans they = have for the properties.
  6. Took a tour of the former Winchester building at 400 Park Road with Joel Hausman of Colonial Realty.=   I tried to join the tour he was giving a potential buyer, but Hausman did not agree.  H= e also was not forthcoming with the name of the potential buyer.
  7. Had several discussions with Kimberly Parsons-Whitaker, the Associate Director of CONNECTICUT MAIN STREET CENTER, concerning Watertown be= coming a member of their organization.  <= /span>She indicates the 12 month fee for Watertown based on population would be $750.&nb= sp; Awaiting action from the EDC for permission to join.  The attachment to this report indicates the benefits to Watertown Main Street merchants.<= /li>
  8. Talked with St= eve Pearlman, President of Risdon, to inquire about their recent acquisiti= on by another firm and its possible impact on Watertown.  He said that it w= as a little early to tell exactly, but that he expected the Watertown facility to be relativel= y unaffected.  We agreed to meet for lunch later this month.
  9. I have been invited to attend meetings in January with the largest CL&P customers in = Connecticut.  The largest customers in Watertown ha= ve been invited by CL&P, and I will attend in order to meet them in person= , as well as potentially steer them in the right direction to save on their= energy bills.  With the recent e= lectric and natural gas rate hikes, this will be a critical meeting to take the temperature of local large businesses concerning their plans to deal w= ith in some cases a huge increase in their electric rates.  With energy prices moving so sharply upward, this could trigger corporate moves out of state. We ne= ed to keep a watch on the “pulse” of the Watertown companies.
  10. Met with Lisa Carew concerning a member o= f the EDC joining the “Fall Festival” committee, with the intent= ion to show the town’s support, and consider moving the event again = to Main Street.

 

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

 

  • With Chuck Frigon, attended the monthly B= oard of Directors meeting of the Watertown/Oakville Chamber of Commerce.
  • Attended the last Council of Governments = of the Central Naugatuck Valley meeting in Southbury particularly to hear a presentation by the Shelton Economic Development Corporation on their comprehensive Economic Development for the valley, which includes Watertown<= /st1:place>.
  • Chuck Frigon and I Met with John O’= Toole, former Mayor of Derby and now senior ED rep for Northeast Utilities.  Took him on a tour of the tow= n, with particular emphasis on commercial/industrial properties available.  He is on the = Board of Directors of, and our direct link to CERC (<= st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Connecticut Ec= onomic Resources Center) and the DECD. He was unaware of all the potentials in Watertown.