Economic Development Commission
Meeting Minutes of April 27, 2016
Attendees: Tom Buccino, Jason Bracich, and Jackie Silverstein (Chairman)
Minutes Taken By: Jackie Silverstein
J Silverstein opened the meeting at 7:12 PM. No one from the public was present for public comment. On a motion by T Buccino and seconded by J Bracich, the minutes of the March 30, 2016 meeting were approved.
New Business
J Silverstein shared a stack of return mail that was left in the EDC mailbox at the Town Hall. T Buccino will follow up on those items relating to the businesses at The Mill Works. J Silverstein will follow up on the remaining items.
J Silverstein distributed the EDC Annual Report, originally provided to Deb Lewis on April 2nd. There were no suggested edits to the report. The resignations of Kim Kowalyshyn and Tom Treiber were discussed and accepted. On a motion by T Buccino and seconded by J Bracich, J Silverstein will send emails to each of these individuals to thank them for their years of service to the EDC. J Silverstein distributed the updated Housekeeping document. The Commission discussed the specific updates to the Member Contact Info and Tasks.
J Bracich attended a seminar entitled Understanding P3, TIF, and CTL: How to Use Private Capital for Public Benefit at the Hartford Club on April 7th. The Program provided an overview and conversation with leading experts on P3 (public-private partnerships), TIF (tax increment financing), and CTL (credit-tenant leases). The Commission will keep these creative financing topics in mind when it begins to review the recommendations from the recent Market Study conducted by Fairweather Consulting. J Bracich suggested we consider inviting Michael Andreana of Pullman & Comley, LLC, who was one of the presenters, to meet with the Commission in the future. Mr. Andreana is a legal expert in tax-exempt financing financings, public-private development projects and tax credit transactions. He has counseled
government entities with respect to the creation and use of special tax and special assessment districts and was the principal drafter of Public Act No. 15-57, Connecticut’s new TIF financing statute. The information for this seminar is available at http://www.ccm-ct.org/understanding-P3-TIF-CTL.
Old Business
The Commission currently has a list of open economic development items in the Town of Willington. The majority of the list is comprised of items generally coming from PZC. The State Police Proposed Firearms Training Facility will be removed from the list and is considered closed. The State of Connecticut is no longer considering the Town of Willington for the project. T Buccino provided an update on the VCI Grant, noting there may be an opportunity for a section of the Town to be added to the historical register. There are also discussions happening around special zoning designations. T Buccino suggested the Commission consider updating the open list with additional items from ZBA. The members agreed. T Buccino will follow up with Susan Yorgensen in the Land Use Department to discuss how the list might be more
formally structured, and regular updates provided.
The Business Directory is a work in progress. Adele Hall and Owen Collins joined the meeting. They presented a new version of the front and back cover. A few suggestions were made by the members of the Commission. A Hall will consider the suggestions and continue to work with P Varholy of Anything Printed Copy Center to present a final draft for approval. A Hall and O Collins exited the meeting. T Buccino presented the first draft of the inside of the directory, which he received from P Varholy on April 25th. The members of the Commission will review the detail and present P Varholy with edits in early May. The goal remains to send the directory out to all Willington households and businesses by the end of May.
J Silverstein reported she is continuing to post a business of the week on the Commission’s Facebook page. We are getting at least one like every week. The discussion regarding next steps for the Market Study was tabled until the launch of the Business Directory has been completed. EDC budget was not discussed, pending receipt of approval for the proposed 2016-2017 budget.
The meeting adjourned at 8:51 PM.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 23, 2016 at 6:30 PM.
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