Economic Development Commission
Meeting Minutes
August 5, 2014 5:07 pm
City Hall Auditorium
Attendance: Mayor Elinor Carbone, Dawn Gutowski, JoAnn Ryan, Bill Battle, Nancy Sieller, Lisa Soliani, Erin Wilson
Meeting was called to order at 5:07 pm by Nancy Sieller, seconded by Bill Battle.
A motion to open the meeting to the public was made by JoAnn Ryan and seconded by Bill Battle.
Minutes of the May 6, 2014 and June 3, 2014 meetings were tabled.
Vote to elect an Interim Recording Secretary for Commission made by Nancy Sieller and seconded by JoAnn Ryan.
Ms. Wilson discussed that remediation efforts for Phase 1 at 100 Franklin Street have been completed as of August 2, 2014. The City still needs to provide lighting and fencing before the parking lot can be opened. They are hoping to open it up before the farmers market begins. Ms. Wilson discussed how grants were sought after for the Nidec property and also to help finish Franklin Street. Ms. Wilson discussed the “Riverfront Recapture” project and how the subject parcels account for 9 acres along the Naugatuck River. The land also falls within the Naugatuck River Greenway that, once completed, would span from Torrington to Derby, CT. The City is discussing its options regarding the Nidec property, without taking on all of the liability.
The City is looking to resubmit a grant for a Community Wide Planning grant from the EPA that would cover the Riverfront Recapture project area. Ms. Wilson discussed partnering with the New Jersey institute of technology on the application for the grant. Ms. Wilson will be setting up another workshop on Brownfields for September 9, 2014 at City Hall. Ms. Wilson discussed how Franklin Street is already starting to see improvements.
Ms. Wilson discussed the different Brownfield sites, what she plans on working with soon, and what other Brownfield sites are not priorities. She brings up the transfer act and how to avoid liability.
Ms. Wilson discussed having a Brownfield Seminar.
Ms. Wilson spoke about the E-pulse program and how the EDC can use it to monitor businesses in Torrington. Also, the EDC discussed having different types of surveys and how to put that information into the database. Ms. Wilson explained that Commissioners could collect information from visiting two businesses a month and the information could be input into the E-pulse program.
Ms. Wilson discussed the Torrington nickname “TOHO” and expressed that a news article open to the public did not accurately describe the Commission’s opinion on the nickname. Ms. Wilson suggested hosting a workshop in January to get a better idea of the public’s opinion of Torrington and to use the responses to change Torrington’s reputation for the better and to develop a branding.
Ms. Wilson stressed it is important to be careful when dealing with the town’s reputation.
Ms. Wilson discussed Main Street Marketplace, and wondered about the input of other businesses on the popularity and significance of the event regarding Torrington tourism.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:07 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Erin Wilson
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