Notice of Public Comment Period for Army Wetlands Mitigation

The Army Corps of Engineers has completed their Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed acquisition of of 53.8 acres at 218 Boardman Lane in regards to the off-site compensatory wetland mitigation area for the new Reserve Training Facility. This means that the 30-day public review and comment period has started. The end of the public comment period is JULY 29.

Here is a link to the EA / Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI) which is the document and appendices that are for review and comment:

http://www.hqda.army.mil/acsim/brac/env_ea_review.htm

Copies of the EA can also be viewed at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown, CT 06457.

Newspaper Notices:

Hartford Courant:

http://www.mypublicnotices.com/Courant/PublicNotice.asp?Page=PublicNoticePrint&AdID=1967926

Middletown Press:

http://middletownpress.ca.kaango.com/ads/viewad?adid=17096350

If you have any comments, please submit them through Ms. Laura Dell'Olio before July 29, 2010.

For additional information, to obtain copies of the documents, or to submit comments on the documents, contact:

Ms. Laura Dell'Olio, BRAC Environmental Coordinator at: (609) 562-7661.

The mailing address is:

Ms. Laura Dell'Olio

99th Regional Support Command c/o Innovar Environmental Inc.

5231 South Scott Plaza

Fort Dix, NJ 08640

or e-mail: laura.dellolio@usar.army.mil

Army Presents Plans for Reserve Center

The Army Corps of Engineers gave a presentation to the Mayor, members of the Planning and Zoning, Inland Wetlands, Conservation Commission, and Common Council, and about a dozen members of the public on Tuesday evening. Diane McCartin, project manager for the Armed Forces Reserve Center, introduced the environmental specialist working on the permit process, and the designer and the architect for the AFRC. Each of them spoke for about 15 minutes.

It was an informative and professional presentation by a group that had clearly put a lot of thought and resources into making this project successful. There were many questions from Commissioners and members of the public, which the team of specialists and architects handled very well. Although the Corps will not be submitting anything for approval at city agencies, these plans and their presentation

surpassed virtually every other application I have seen come before Inland Wetlands or Planning and Zoning.

The AFRC is currently under construction on Smith Street at the former Cucia Park. This construction will impact 1.6 acres of wetlands, and to receive a permit for this, McCartin's team was required by the EPA and the Corps' environmental division to purchase and permanently protect 40 acres of land in the same watershed. Members of the Inland Wetlands Agency were astonished at this ratio of mitigation to destruction. McCartin explained that the Corps no longer uses a simple ratio, but rather looks at what is needed to replace the functions of the wetlands being damaged. The Corps' plan to preserve 52 acres on Boardman Lane, removing invasive species, enhancing the riparian zone, and permanently protecting as open space the upland area which drains into the wetlands.

The AFRC is designed as a long project parallel and adjacent to I91, in order to minimally impact the wetlands along Sawmill Brook, and the associated pond visible from Smith Street. The primary building, which will house offices, classrooms, storage, and an exercise gym, will be 4 stories tall, and visible from Smith Street. Behind this building will be parking for 300 cars and motorcycles, and further back will be a vehicle repair and maintenance building wit

h a classroom and some offices. Visitors, workers, and soldiers will typically park between the two buildings, and then walk into the main entrance, which faces the parking lot.

The AFRC is being designed to achieve certification as a 'green' building, according to the lead architect for KBE, which is designing and building the $52M project. The Army appears to be sparing few expenses to achieve this. There will be five storm water detention basins, capable of holding a 100 year storm. The largest of the basins will drain through a cascade channel, dissipating the flow of rainwater. There will be a 40 kilowatt photovoltaic solar panels, solar heated hot water, and a 10,000 square foot green roof.

The Architect said that the building will look familiar to Connecticut, using the "New England vocabulary of brick and precast concrete, with metal trim."

DeRita Construction is currently grading the site, in anticipation of pouring the cement footings in early June. Peter DeRita said that approximately 120,000 cubic yards have already been removed, and about 800-900 truck loads leave the site every day, transporting dirt to sites on Ken Dooley Drive, Middle Street and a site in Cheshire.

Council Votes to Create Parking Department and to Sell Cucia Park

At a special meeting Monday evening the Common Council voted to affirm their intention to create an independent parking department in Middletown. The city, which had a parking authority more than a decade ago, and since then has placed authority for parking matters in the Police Department, will now have a parking commission, a parking department and a professional parking manager. An interesting note, in debate Mayor Sebastian Giuliano made it clear that the parking department did not have jurisdiction over on-street parking, but only for parking lots and off-street muncipal parking.

After impassioned testimony by Stephen Devoto (full disclosure: Devoto is a Middletown Eye correspondent but spoke as a public citizen and not as a citizen journalist), a member of the mayor's task force which identified Cucia Park as the best site for the Army Reserve Training Center, the Common Council spent nearly an hour defending their decision to purchase the park, and disburse the bulk of the funds from the purchase toward operating expenses in the budget for the coming year.

Devoto, who has supported the sale of the park for the Army Reserve Training Center displayed a sense of betrayal and disbelief at the current council resolution.

Devoto made three main points, and forcefully so.

He claimed that the resolution's definition of Cucia Park as a 4.4 acre park, and between 36 and 40 acres of "adjoining land," was not the same description offered when the park was first floated as a potential site for the Army training center.

"The current draft of the Plan of Conservation and Development shows Cucia Park, all of it, all 40.4 acres, as 'permanent open space," Devoto said. "For you to claim that the city is selling a 4 acre park and 'adjoing land' is disingenuous."

Council members countered that the language used in the resolution is the same language proposed in the original definition of the "Cucia Park" found in a resolution urging the sale of Cucia Park, and the funding of the city purchase of a parcel of land in a proposed industrial park owned by Ted Bysiewicz.

"I'd say with that resolution we were playing chess with the Army, and we won," Council member Thomas Serra said.

Council member Vinnie Loffredo, in questions to City Planner Bill Warner characterized the property as always destined for industrial development. Warner ran through a chronology of the park, indicating that it had been originally purchased to use as a reservoir, then designated for industrial development before being noted as open space on city documents sometime in the eighties.

"Then this would all have been underwater?" Loffredo asked.

Warner said that unlike other open space owned by the city, Cucia Park is the single exception which has no restrictions against development.

A second point made by Devoto is that the current resolution runs counter to a resolution introduced by Serra and passed by the Council in October.

That resolution pledged that "Monies sufficient to replace the park and open space land as a result of such sale would be place in a special City Account for the purchase of park or open space land."

"Your budget has already spent at least 75% of the money from the sale," Devoto said. "Even if the city realizes $2 million, you have clearly violated your own resolution, because you will have absolutely no way of putting monies sufficient to replace park and open space."

Devoto's accusations seemed to have struck a nerve as several council members spent the next hour defending the history of the council in purchasing open space. Council members Roberts, Daley, Santangelo and Serra indicated that the history of the Council in pursuing open space purchases in the past was somehow a justification for turning their backs on a resolution passed as recently as October. Warner noted that the city has purchased a total of 3,000 acres of open space, with all purchases coming before the Council.

After the meeting, Councilman Ron Klattenberg noted that he never expected all the funds from the purchase to be used for open space.

"I never expected it to be acre for acre," Klattenberg explained.

"It's why I changed the wording of the resoution to read 'monies sufficient to replace the park," Council member Gerry Daley explained. He noted that while the Council initially hoped to receive far more than the $2 million offered by the Army, he added moderating language to be clear that all revenue would not go toward the purchase of park and open space land.

In the same conversation, Serra admitted that things had changed since the October resolution was made. He indicated that the economic pressures exerted on the city made it clear that money from the purchase needed to be applied to upcoming operating expenses.

"Remember, it means a zero increase in taxes," Serra said.

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano has never been an advocate of using the Cucia Park proceeds for open space purchases. In preliminary meetings last year he indicated that the revenue would be better used to replenish the general fund. More recently, in a compromise budget proposal, he, and the Republican caucus proposed using all revenue ($2 million) to offset expenses projected in the coming year. The difference between the Democratic and Republican line of reasoning on revenue and the budget is that from the Mayor's perspective, even with the use of the Cucia Park proceeds, anticipated expenses would demand a tax increase. The Democratic budget, which was passed by the Council includes the use of $1.5 million in Cucia proceeeds toward operating expenses, and not increase in taxes.

Devoto's third point was this idea of using revenue for the sale for operating expenses.

"It is the height of fiscal irresponsibility for any entity to sell its assets to fund operating expenses," Devoto said. He likened it to a family selling the family's living room carpets to pay for unexpected dental expenses, and then wondering what they might sell for other unexpected expenses.

'Maybe Mr. Devoto doesn't know it," Daley said later in the meeting. "But there are probably people in Middletown who are doing that. Let us not be bullied into thinking that we were disingenuous about our disposition of open space."

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano indicated that the new resolution would trump the language and intent of the original resolution, and that the council would not have to make a direct effort to rescind the original resolution indicating a set-aside of Cucia Park proceeds.

The resolution to give the mayor authority to sell Cucia Park to the Army passed unanimously.

Eye Love It Here!

I have to admit that I did not consciously move to Middletown because, when compared to all other options, my husband and I knew it was the best of all places to live. The truth be told, I was teaching in New London and he had just accepted a new job in Danbury, and Middletown was literally in the middle. We even drew a circle on the map at exit 20 off 91 and said that our house had to fall within a 1-2 mile radius of that point.

That was in 2002, and until last year, I was fully focused on my job, and then on the transition to stay-at-home mom with 2 and then 3 children. Sure, I knew the neighbors on my street, and then some of the families that attended school with my children, but really no one else. I love to walk, and I can remember walking through my part of Westfield, wondering who lived in the houses I passed.

Then the Army came to town. Honestly, I only caught a faint whiff of what happened the first time around in Maromas (that's how clueless I was about what happens in Middletown), and I didn't know about the Boardman Lane choice until the very end of June 2008. I attended a Westfield Residents Association (WRA) meeting at Smith Park, and then the Common Council Meeting and before I knew it, I was in the middle of it.

I have to personally thank the Army Corps of Engineers for its decision to hold a "press-only" press conference in July 2008: that event was my introduction to the Middletown Eye, and my first story as a citizen journalist (I even have press credentials!!!). Thank you, Ed, for trusting me, encouraging me, and opening my eyes to all that Middletown is and can be.

Thank you also to everyone who has contributed in the last year. I have learned so much about this town I call home, and I'm grateful every day for the geographical reasoning that brought us here! Keep up the good work! Even the smallest contribution serves to tighten our relationships with each other, and those relationships have become very precious to me.

Happy Birthday, and here's to many more!!!

Conservation Commission Requests Council Make Good On Resolution

Sheila Stoane, chair of Middletown's Conservation Commission has sent a letter to Mayor Sebastian Giuliano, and the Common Council questioning the decision to use proceeds for the sale of Cucia Park to the Army Corps of Engineers, to balance the city budget.

The following is the unedited text of the letter:

May 17, 2009

Dear Mayor Guiliano and
The Members of the Common Council,


We understand that the Common Council voted, last Thursday, to use the proceeds of the sale of Cucia Park as revenue for balancing the current budget.

This contradicts Common Council’s Resolution 10-12, passed by the Common Council in October, which required that "monies sufficient to replace the park and open space land as a result of such sale would be placed in a special City Account for the purchase of park and/or open space land." The sale of Cucia Park was agreed to only after Councilmen Serra and Daley introduced an amendment that stated that the money from the sale of Cucia Park be specifically dedicated to replace the loss of open space. The current situation specifically contradicts a previously agreed upon resolution.

Although times are very difficult for the city, the Conservation Commission believes that Open Space purchases continues to be an important investment in the future. There should be no net loss of Open Space!

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Sheila Stoane, Chair
Conservation Commission

Army Releases Draft Environmental Assessment

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released the Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding the military training facility that they claim is mandated to be built in Middletown. This draft EA, required under the National Environmental Policy Act, will now have a 30-day period for the public to comment.  

The Corps are evaluating three sites: Ken Dooley Drive (referred to as Millenium Industrial Park, abutting the Boardman Lane parcel), Cucia Park on Smith Street, and the Bysiewicz property on Middle Street (referred to as Liberty Park).  All of these sites are in Westfield.   The EA also considers a "No Action Alternative." The Corps stated last Monday that Cucia Park is their preferred alternative.  

The training facility will include buildings of over 200,000 square feet (4.5 acres) and paved parking of 8.76 acres.  100 full-time staff will be assigned to the facility, and about 900 personnel will train there. On each weekend of the month, only about a third of the units would train on the site.  The site will include a weapons simulator, a vault, an assembly area, and various classroom and fitness training centers.  

In addition to the draft EA, the army has released a draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI). The FNSI indicates that construction on the sites will not adversely affect such things as traffic, wetlands, Middletown economy, archeological artifacts, or the environment.  

The draft EA and FNSI are available on the Army Corps' Wordpress blog, as well as at the Corps' own web page.  They are also available at Russell Public Library.  The 30 day comment period began on April 22nd, and runs until May 21st, 2009.  Comments should be sent to:

Craig Kelley

BRAC Environment Coordinator

99th Regional Support Command (East)

11 Saratoga Boulevard

Devens, MA 01432

(978) 796-2606

Craig.A.Kelley@NAE02.usace.army.mil

Bysiewicz property deal proposed

In a Thanksgiving holiday eve meeting, Middletown's Economic Development Committee entertained a proposal from City Planner Bill Warner to encourage development on Liberty Park, known in town, and to the Army Corps of Engineers, as the Bysiewicz property.

The property, on Middle Street, is one of three the Army Corps of Engineers is still considering for development for an Army Reserve Training Center. The city would prefer the selection of Cucia Park for the Training Center.

Warner's proposal comes after learning that a Berlin manufacturer would like to purchase three or four parcels on the Bysiewicz property to expand a manufacturing plant which would employ more than 100(with expansion in the next three years), and bring annual taxes of approximately $123,ooo for the proposed 70,000 square foot building.

The problem is that the manufacturer has been spooked by the Army's interest in the land, and is afraid to proceed without assurances that the deal will go through. The developer is unsure of taking the "bird in the hand" of three developed lots, when the Army holds out the promise to buy all twelve lots.

After negotiations with the landowner, Warner has proposed three alternate deals to encourage the manufacturer and developer, and to assure that the Army would not, and could not take the property for it's Army Reserve Training Center. Under the terms of the primary deal, Bysiewicz would inform the Army that he was no longer interested in selling the property (thereby ending the Army deal for the property). In return, if the Army purchases Cucia park, the city would provide tax abatements for all the Bysiewicz property, with the added incentive that the city would buy an additional development lot at fair market value, sweetening the deal for Bysiewicz.

According to Attorney Michael Dowley, representing Bysiewicz, "This agreement would not be completed unless the city sells Cucia Park to the Army. To me it's something that really works for the city."

Gerry Daley, chair of the Economic Development Committee, the deal "precludes the possibility that the Army will take this parcel, that the city will lose the opportunity to develop it and collect taxes, and it immediately encourages this commercial development."

Asked how this proposed deal might be greeted in Westfield, Westfield Residents Association President, Arline Rich said, "I like the proposal. It closes out the Army on the Bysiewicz property, and emphasizes the sale of Cucia Park."

Warner also proposed two other scenarios which proposes that the city buys lots from Bysiewicz, if the development deal with the manufacturer fails to gel on a timely basis, to prevent the Army from occupying prime industrial property, and preventing taxable development.

Committee member David Bauer, who supports the plan, asked for specific details, such as value of the proposed property, warning that a deal which is too open-ended might commit the city to expenditures it can't afford. Daley suggested that language in the proposal which hinge on the purchase of Cucia park by the Army, provide the necessary escape clause.

Officials declined to identify the potential manufacturer from Berlin.

The committee voted unanimously to send the proposal to the Common Council for consideration at its December meeting next Monday.

I can't take it anymore...

Thank you, Mr. Fishmuscle, for your summary of the "lamest press conference in the history of the planet." Let me remind all the readers that our tax dollars paid for a wasted day's worth of effort of at least 5 elected officials, their staff members, and the travel costs and per diem for at least 6 army peoples. OK. To review what we learned yesterday:

um......hmm....let me see...wait, I have to check my notes from last time....what were we supposed to learn today? Let's review the record so far:

Middletown Press, August 27
"Ultimately in about the end of October [we intend] to have a site selected," Dale said.

Courant, September 18
"The Corps has until the end of October to select a final site."

Courant, September 21
"Sometime next month, each of the sites will be ranked, clearing the way for an environmental review and final site selection by Oct. 30."

The Army's September 30th PowerPoint presentation:
"Early November–Release ranked sites; NEPA and real estate process continues"

Middletown Eye News, September 30 (http://middletowneyenews.blogspot.com/2008/09/no-wonder-democracy-is-hard-sell.html)
"The Army will rank these four sites in order of preference to create a Site Identification Report that will be forwarded for approval by 17 October. By October 30th, this list of sites will be approved, and the NEPA process will begin for each site. In early November, the Army will release the site rank order,..."

Middletown Press, posted online September 30
"The corps plans to announce its preferred site in early November and then begin a National Environmental Policy Act review process, said David Dale, deputy district engineer of the Louisville District of the Army Corps of Engineers."

Courant Article, October 1
"By late October or early November, each of the sites will be ranked, clearing the way for an environmental review."

Colonel Landry's October 6 letter to the editor of The Middletown Press:
"As the NEPA environmental assessment continues, I expect the Army to release the "Site Rankings" in November." AND "I look forward to returning to Middletown in the near future to release the Army's ranking of the four proposed sites."

Wait…I count at least 8 different WRITTEN places where the good-natured, gentle and oh-so-patient residents of the great town of Middletown were told that something important and news-worthy would happen by the very beginning of November. OK, so if you want to argue that you can’t trust the media to get the story straight (an argument I’ve heard VERY recently), there are still TWO Army-generated sources that verify the SIX written media stories about a site ranking process and the release of those results by November 2008.

So, after all that hot air blowing, the Army one again sends the good Col. Landry back to Middletown to flash his winning smile and his snazzy uniform (plus charming accent) to do…what? He came all 862.88 miles (Mapquest, town center to town center) to tell us that all 3 sites are getting the “full-blown NEPA analysis? WAIT…let’s review again:

When the Army picked the Maromas site the first time (was it just Jan or Feb? It seems like forever ago…), it was announced as the “preferred site” that would then undergo NEPA analysis. Lots of people complained and the State threatened to buy the land out from underneath the Army.

Then, in June, the Army picked Boardman Lane as its “preferred site” and announced that NEPA analysis would begin. EVEN MORE PEOPLE COMPLAINED, and local, state and federal elected officials got involved. Gov. Rell shrunk the property size requirement for the base location by pulling out the 250th Engineering Unit, and Col. Landry visited the first time to tell us all that the site selection process was beginning anew in an “open and collaborative fashion.”

LOTS of time and effort went into telling the Army we thought (the we here is the Mayor, his advisory counsel, local, state and federal elected officials, the Courant’s editorial board, Joe and Jane Average Middletown Resident, all the blog contributors, the Middletown Eye News, the Middletown Press, and sorry-if-I-forgot-to-mention-you-too-whoever-you-are who participated as well). We attended the meetings. We posted blogs. We wrote letters and email to our elected officials. We twiddled our thumbs all through October, wondering if we could really trust that our efforts would give us a happy ending by early November.

Now we hear that the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management has decided to pursue all three remaining sites. Yes, Mile Lane was excused because the lawyers could properly read the sentence that says: “Close the US Army Reserve Center, Middletown, CT, ... and relocate units to a new Armed Forces Reserve Center ... in Middletown, CT, if the Army is able to acquire land suitable for the construction of the facilities.” WAIT. I guess they can only read the first ½ of that sentence correctly. Shoot. I thought we had something there…

WHY oh WHY must we suffer such torture? Congresswoman DeLauro’s favorite saying lately is “Trust, but verify.” I’m sorry, Congresswoman, but I think you need a new saying. The verification part obviously hasn’t worked out, which makes me doubt the trust part. Just what are we supposed to trust? The Colonel believes the Army is going to make the right decision? What decision exactly is he referring to? The Army boldly strode into town (think bad-guy Western music here), picked (on its own) about the two most sensitive and pristine locations Middletown has, and now claims it can’t make a decision until all three remaining sites are NEPA’d?

The only possible reason I can think of that all 3 sites are undergoing a very expensive and time-intensive process is so that if the Army picks the wrong site AGAIN, it has two other chances to try again without having to go back to the drawing board and blow its construction schedule (and this doesn’t even begin to consider the number of possible location choices should the Attorney General prevail on his interpretation of “if”).

Yet, silly me, I just can’t understand how or why the Army could mess up the site selection process a THIRD time? Didn’t the new “open and collaborative” process work? Did we the people stutter or something? Perhaps we were unclear in our feedback about where we think the Army should go (hey now, I know what some of you are thinking, and that’s not patriotic…).

WAIT!!! I think I’ve got it!!! I know what happened!!! You know when you tell your kids NOT to do something, and they’re really not paying all that much attention, and so what their brain fixes on is what you told them, but they didn’t actually hear the NOT part…? Let’s review what I mean in the context of our current situation:

Us (the Mayor, his advisory counsel, local, state and federal elected officials, the Courant’s editorial board, Joe and Jane Average Middletown Resident, all the blog contributors, the Middletown Eye News, the Middletown Press, and sorry-if-I-forgot-to-mention-you-too-whoever-you-are who participated as well): “We don’t want an Army Reserve Training Facility on Boardman Lane.”

Army: “Hey! Middletown wants us to put the Army Reserve Training Facility on Boardman Lane!”

Us: “No! Aren’t you listening? The BRAC language says IF suitable land can be found in Middletown, and Gov. Rell reduced the base size requirement, so FIND ANOTHER LOCATION because Boardman Lane is unsuitable.”

Army: “Hey! Middletown wants us to put the Army Reserve Training Facility on Boardman Lane!”

What we should say from now on: “Put the Army Reserve Training Center in Cucia Park.”

WAIT. Didn’t we say that already?

Contrite Colonel to Community: Trust me

Colonel Landry, commander of the Louisville Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, faced a barrage of criticism of the army from local, state, and federal officials at a press round table event in Middletown on Monday afternoon. The Colonel was in Middletown to make two announcements. First, the Mile Lane site, currently owned by the army, would not be considered any more. The reason for this is that the Base Relocation and Closure (BRAC) Act requires that the Mile Lane facility be closed, the language of BRAC is as follows:

Close the US Army Reserve Center, Middletown, CT, ... and relocate units to a new Armed Forces Reserve Center ... in Middletown, CT, if the Army is able to acquire land suitable for the construction of the facilities. [emphasis mine, some of Blumenthal's comments pertain to this, see below]

Second, Colonel Landry announced that all three of the remaining sites under consideration, Cucia Park, Bysiewicz Industrial Park, and Boardman Lane/Ken Dooley Drive, would be evaluated in equal measure. A final decision on a site will not be made until after completion of Environmental and Engineering Feasibility Studies, including the environmental assessment (EA) done under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The NEPA process requires 5 months of work, and thus the site selection will not be announced until the end of March 2009.

Colonel Landry opened the event by recalling that when he was last in Middletown, he asked for the community's help in identifying properties, and he told the community that he would return to Middletown in late October or early November with a ranked list of sites. He said that since then, his superiors, in the Office of the Asssistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management (ACSIM, for those of you who have not yet filled your daily acronym quota), had instructed him to pursue all sites, "The Army has ordered me to undertake a full-blown NEPA analysis on all the sites for the project." The Colonel released a memorandum from ACSIM to that effect. In later remarks, the Colonel said that he was sure that the packet on each of the sites fully captured the concerns of elected officials. He further said, "I will go on the record: I am absolutely 100% confident that given all the appropriate analysis the army will make the right decision. It will all be out there and be all on the record."

The Colonel then listened to several elected officials, each of whom blasted the Army for keeping the Boardman Lane site on the list of possible sites. Congresswoman DeLauro said that keeping Boardman Lane on the list "flies in the face of the army paying attention to what we have said." She said that city residents should not have to live with the concern over Boardman Lane for another 5 months, that this was an unnecessary 'agida' for Middletown. In a press release of her own, she said, "The community’s opinion must have significant weight and be taken into consideration now, not further along in the process. It is as if the Army believes the community, with a few more months time, will change its perspective on the issue, when in fact, resistance will only continue to stiffen."

Attorney General Blumenthal reiterated his opinion that BRAC does NOT require the army to build their facility in Middletown. He has in the past argued that the BRAC language clearly allows for the facility to be built in other towns if no suitable land is found in Middletown. He also urged that Boardman Lane be "firmly and finally removed, not only because of quality of life, ... but because it will never be acceptable as a site." He made the personal prediction that Boardman Lane as a viable site is dead, because he was confident that the Army COE would follow the law. In response to a question from Middletown Eye reporter Ed McKeon, Blumenthal stated, "If the army chooses Boardman Lane, it is in for a fight, it is in for a hard-fought battle, one that will take years to resolve. That is the basis for my prediction that they will do the right thing." Essentially, Blumenthal was predicting that both for legal and for tactical reasons, the army would retreat from consideration of Boardman Lane.

Secretary of State Bysiewicz expressed her concerns as a taxpayer, "I am distressed that we are spending money on environmental assessments for two properties that are inappropriate." Mayor Giuliano and Councilman Ron Klattenberg, who chaired a citizens advisory panel on the army base siting, both expressed their strong disappointment that the army was not pursuing solely Cucia Park, the site that the city strongly recommended. The mayor said, "the stand the city of Middletown is taking is not unfair to the army, nor is it overly generous." He pointed out that if a private developer brought forward a proposal for something like this military facility on Boardman, it would never have been approved, while a proposal for the same facility at Cucia would have been approved. State senator Paul Doyle, and state representative Gail Hamm also questioned the colonel on the process for incorporating community input.

After all these comments, the Colonel repeated what he had said at the outset. He understood the officials' concerns, and he had conveyed that information to his superiors. He expressed his confidence that at the end of the process the correct decision will be made. He said that the ACSIM will decide on a site after the NEPA environmental assessment is done, and a 30 day public comment period is over. By the end of May, the Corps will acquire that site, and proceed towards construction.

Most of these elected officials, as well as state representative Joe Serra, and representatives from the offices of Governor Rell, Senator Lieberman, and Senator Dodd had attended an earlier meeting with Colonel Landry. It was clear none of those assembled were pleased with what the Colonel had to say, however, none of them were willing to challenge the integrity of the colonel. Congresswoman DeLauro summed up the feelings in the room by saying of the Army, "Trust, but verify." In her press release, she said, “The Army will continue to hear from me and the community until the Boardman Lane property is removed as an option for the Armed Forces Reserve Center.”

Middletown Press report on site rankings inaccurate

The Middletown Press reported inaccurately this morning that in a visit to town on Monday, the Army Corps of Engineers will release a ranked list of sites for the proposed Army Reserve Training Center, according to Army Corps of Engineers press officer, Todd Hornback. Hornback says that the Army has not released information that it will provide a "ranked list" of sites at the meeting.

The Press article also notes that the format of Monday's meeting will be "roundtable" with "invited government officials" at the Inn At Middletown at 3 p.m.

Hornback emphasized that the meeting was a media advisory and the government officials were invited, but that it was not a public meeting.

Army is Miles off

The Army Site selection process has inched forward one step, unfortunately it is not the step that Middletown residents were led to expect as part of the Army's open and collaborative site selection process.

Two sources have indicated that the Army Corps of Engineers will no longer be considering the Mile Lane site, which is currently owned by the army, for their proposed Armed Forces Reserve training center. Mile Lane was removed from consideration after Army lawyers determined that the language of the Base Relocation and Closure Act of 2005 (BRAC2005) required that the Mile Lane site be sold.

Meanwhile, the army continues to pursue 3 other sites for the Military training facility, all in the same Westfield area. One of these sites, Boardman Lane, has been roundly condemned as unsuitable by Middletown residents, and by officials at all levels of the government.

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro spoke with the commander of the Louisville Army Corps on Friday, and issued a statement expressing consternation that the Boardman Lane property is still being considered. She indicated that the process that they are now following did not appear to be a collaborative one, saying, "I reinforced with him that by keeping Boardman Lane as an option they will not only continue to face stiff resistance, but also breed mistrust with the community. Additionally, its presence is likely to further reinforce the public's skepticism over this process, as well as the weight and value the Army places on the feedback from the community."

Members of the Louisville Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, including its commander, Keith Landry, will be in Middletown on Monday to discuss the status of their site selection process with Congresswoman DeLauro, Governor Rell, and other elected officials. This discussion will apparently not include a release of the ranking of the remaining sites, as promised by Colonel Landry and others on several occasions. In a letter to the editor published in the Middletown Press on October 6, Colonel Landry gave his word that the ranking would be released, "I expect the Army to release the "Site Rankings" in November. ... I look forward to returning to Middletown in the near future to release the Army's ranking of the four proposed sites." This was consistent with the statements of the civilian head of the Louisville Division, David Dale, who was quoted in the August 27th edition of the Middletown Press, "Ultimately in about the end of October [we intend] to have a site selected." Colonel Landry is sure to be asked on Monday to justify why he is unable to keep his word that the site selection would be an open one.

The Army Corps of Engineers will host a Press round table at the Inn at Middletown on Monday, November 10th, at 3:00PM. Colonel Landry will give a statement and then answer questions from the Media. The Corps will also release the comments they received from the Pentagon's Army Chief of
Installation Management on the proposed sites and their decisions on the path
forward.

Rosa DeLauro: Boardman Lane still on the Army's list of sites

In a press release this afternoon, Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro indicated that the Army Corps of Engineers' Colonel Keith Landry will meet with elected officials in Connecticut on Monday to "announce the sites still in consideration as possible locations for the Army Reserve Center."

According to DeLauro's press release, the Boardman Lane site is still on that list.

There is no word as to which other sites may still be on the list. Those potential sites include Cucia Park, Mile Lane, Bysiewicz Industrial Park and Boardman Lane.

It seems unlikely that the Army will deliver a ranked list, showing the preferences for any site. As the press release notes: "these sites will undergo environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and no final selection will be made until the NEPA process has been completed."

According to the press release, DeLauro continues to press the Army to remove the Boardman Lane site from the list of potential locations: "In light of these discussions and last month’s response to the inquiry I made with Senators Dodd and Lieberman, it appears that the Boardman Lane site will remain on this list. I will continue to make clear to those reviewing these sites that Boardman Lane is not a suitable location for the Center and fight on behalf of my constituents for its removal from consideration."

The mayor's office, the governor's office and the office of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal were also contacted for comment on this story, but none returned calls on the topic.

Secretary of State Bysiewicz surprised by Monday Army meeting

Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz finds it troubling that the Army will not be releasing a list of ranked sites for the proposed Army Reserve Training Center when they come to Connecticut on Monday especially after the work the city has done to identify usable sites.

Bysiewicz, who has addressed correspondence to the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of Defense says "she has not gotten any reply."

"Anything I write or do for constituents in this office," she asserted. "Is available for public inspection. It's strange to me that the Army hasn't come forward with legal opinions on the BRAC law."

This latest development has left her more puzzled.

"I haven't heard about any meeting on Monday, and I'm dismayed that Colonel Landry (of the Army Corps of Engineers), has not been in contact."

Bysiewicz also expressed concern about the lack of involvement by the governor's office.

"The governor is pretty unengaged," Bysiewicz said. "She hasn't answered the questions raised on Smart Growth. She's established an office on Smart Growth and this would be the perfect opportunity to engage Smart Growth principles with a large federal project. She is Commander in Chief of the National Guard, and yet in terms of her response, the silence has been deafening."

Senator Doyle has good feeling about Monday meeting with Army

According to an email sent to a Middletown Eye correspondent, State Senator Paul Doyle and Mayor Sebastian Giuliano had a conference call with Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Keith Landry last week about the Army Reserve Training Center.

During that conference call Landry indicated that a decision about preferred sites for the Army Reserve Training Center would not be forthcoming.

"He (Landry) told us that the decision was delayed by superiors," Doyle wrote in his email.

According to Doyle, during that conference call Landry said he was confident, and hoped that the mayor and Doyle would be happy with the Army's decision. The mayor indicated that only a decision which indicated the Army would choose Cucia park would make him, and the town, happy. Landry would make no confirmation about the Army's decision.

At that point Landry indicated he had booked a flight for November 10 to be in Connecticut, according to Doyle's email. Doyle's response: "I told him that there is no point in coming unless the decision was made by the 10th."

Army to return to town without site ranking

The last time that the Army Corps of Engineers were in Middletown, they held a public hearing to get community input on 4 sites they were considering for an armed forces reserve training center. At this meeting, which occurred September 30th (coverage in the Eye), the time line that they announced for site selection included the following (from their PowerPoint presentation, available HERE):

*17 October - Complete Draft Site Identification Report and forward for approval
*Early November - Release ranked sites; NEPA and real estate process continues
*March 2009 - Contract ready to advertise
*June 2009 - Contract Award

In a call with Diane McCartin (Middletown AFRC project manager) and Ron Elliot (ACE public affairs specialist) today, I asked whether they had made any progress towards the release of ranked sites. To my surprise, Ms. McCartin told me, "I don't believe there is a ranked list of sites." Apparently, no such ranking will be determined until next March or April, when the draft Environmental Assessment will be made available to the public for a 30 day comment period.

In the standard procedure for site selection, the Corps and the clients for the facility (in this case the Guard and Reserve) submit a draft report to a general at the Pentagon. He then responds with a letter to the Corps, in which he approves, disapproves, or requests modifications to the report; this letter essentially provides commands to the Corps for how to proceed with planning for the facility. McCartin and Elliot could not tell me anything about the report that was scheduled to be submitted on October 17th, nor could they say what they expected to hear from the general.

However, the Army Corps will return to Middletown on Monday, November 10th, for a Press event. Mr. Elliot indicated that Colonel Keith Landry, commander of the Louisville District of the Corps, would be joining the civilian staff from the Corps at this press event. Its purpose is to "tell people exactly where we're at in the process [of choosing a site]," according to Mr. Elliot. A media advisory will be sent out on Friday to announce the time, location, and format (press release or press conference) for the event. Neither Mr. Elliot nor Ms. McCartin could be specific about what sort of information would be provided that was not already provided in previous meetings and press conferences.

Ron Klattenberg, councilman and liaison from the city to the Army Corps of Engineers, told me this evening he had received no inkling that the Corps would be coming to Middletown next week. Upon hearing the news of Monday's press event, he said, "It shocks me that the information [about the press event] would come through the media, and not through communications with the mayor." In addition, he said the army had indicated on multiple occasions that they would release the rankings of the sites in early November, and he was outraged at their apparent change of heart.

During the past month, Army consultants have been very busy evaluating the 4 sites under consideration, according to Ms. McCartin. Cultural resources surveys by archeologists, traffic analyses, and wetland surveys are being done on the Bysiewicz Industrial Park, Cucia Park, and Boardman Lane/Ken Dooley Drive parcels. Threatened and endangered species are being looked at on the Bysiewicz and Boardman properties. These studies are either completed, underway, or will be completed in the near future. Ms. McCartin told me that since the Mile Lane property is already owned and operated by the army, their knowledge of that site was extensive enough to preclude the need for additional studies. She said that all of the sites are being given equal consideration, both for the NEPA process and the preliminary development of site plans and building footprints.

Blumenthal continues to battle Army legal opinion

Friday, CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal issued a press release indicating that his office will continue to fight the JAG (Judge Advocate General) decision that the Army's legal opinion concerning interpretation of the BRAC law is protected as "attorney-client" privilege.

The BRAC law was passed to consolidate Army bases across the country. In Connecticut, the law states that an Army Reserve Training Center will be built in Middletown "if a suitable site can be obtained."

Of course, that has been the subject of months of disputes between the Army Corps of Engineers, residents of Middletown and state and city officials.

Currently, the city has offered Cucia Park, just this week publishing an RFP for development of the site, following procedures to offer the park to the Army, if the Army chooses it as its preferred location.

The Army Corps of Engineers yestereday completed their study of preferred sites and submitted them to Army brass for approval.

It must be some accident, some misunderstanding, some fluke, but this development was mentioned in the first featured news piece about Middletown in the "new" Hartford Courant in nearly two weeks.

Unfortunately, in these days of reduced resources, and fewer resources, Middletown has seen a diminished presence in the "new" Courant. And with this piece we get an undoubtably overworked reporter simply filing the Attorney General's press release as a story. Note the similar language of the official press release, and the story "written" by the reporter.

From the press release:
Blumenthal has appealed this rejection to Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, rejecting the JAG's claim that the letter is protected as intra-agency legal advice or attorney-client privilege. Blumenthal urged immediate release of the opinion...

From the Courant article:
Blumenthal appealed this rejection to Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, rejecting the JAG's claim that the letter is protected as intra-agency legal advice or attorney-client privilege. Blumenthal urged immediate release of the opinion.

Sad. But there's nothing wrong with printing official correspondence as long as it's labeled as such. The problem with printing government press releases as news is that the original releases have a point-of-view, a public relations objective and a goal of influence which is not the "objective" stance a newspaper is supposed to take.

The path to Cucia Park

COMMENTARY

On Monday, October 6, Middletown's Common Council will introduce, debate and vote on a resolution, which, in its essence, strongly encourages the Army Corps of Engineers to build an Army Reserve Training Center in Middletown's Cucia Park, on Smith Street.

Consensus seems to point to deeding the park to the Army, as long as they'll take their sites off Boardman Lane. Most critics, including the Mayor, the city's site selection team, the Westfield Residents Association, the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Secretary of State, the Governor, and the State's Attorney General, are all in disbelief that the Boardman Lane site is still on the Army's shortlist.

But there may be a method to this madness. Keeping Boardman Lane on the list may be a masterful stroke of misdirection. With Boardman Lane selection as the focus of citizen and official antipathy, the Army and the city are free to offer Cucia Park to the public with little objection.

If the Army, by some chance, decides to buy and build on Boardman Lane, despite all this objections (including that now, of the Commander-in-Chief of Connecticut's National Guard), then they are truly showing their disregard for residents of Middletown, and state and local officials. This is, of course, a disregard for which they have been chastised in the recent past when they selected sites in other parts of town, kept town officials in the dark about plans, and conducted an invite-only press conference.

If the Army builds in Cucia Park, which seems to many to be the best location to suit their needs, then a marginal, fractional park attached to abandoned industrial property will disappear, and Middletown will hopefully get some substantial funds to apply to other town needs.

And if the Army builds on Cucia Park, let's remember some of the salient facts, and some of the unanswered questions:

- If the public never objected, the Army Reserve Training Center may have been built on open space in Maromas or Westfield
- If the public never objected, the Army Corps of Engineers would never have had to alter the process they were using to choose a site
- The mayor and the Chamber of Commerce supported a site selection in Maromas until a public outcry caused them to change their opinion. They should be praised for having the strength and wisdom to change their opinions
- The Army refuses to release a legal opinion which Connecticut's Attorney General feels is public information guaranteed to be public through the Freedom of Information Act
- The Army refuses to adhere to local land use and inland wetland regulations
- The Army arrived at its first two site selections without alternatives. They were singular selections. Now the Army has four possible sites, but refuses to drop Boardman Lane. How is it that they were able to focus on singular sites before, but now must adhere to a four-site list?
- Cucia Park is a small, pocket park of approximately four acres, surrounded by another thirty acres of abandoned industrial land. Will remediation be an issue with this former industrial site?
- The Army doesn't like remediation because it is too costly
- How did the Army decide on Cucia Park as a possible site? Is it normal for the Army Corps to come into a town and set their sites on a city park?
- Once the Army secures a site, it becomes federal property, and the Army is free to do whatever it pleases with the site, as long as it adheres to federal environmental law in building on the site. However, the purpose and the function of the activities on the property can change if the Army so decides, and the city and the state have no recourse to object.
- The argument that Middletown has more than it's share of "off the tax role" properties has been forgetten by nearly all.

While the Common Council resolution is written, its only with substantial public comment, and vigorous debate that the future of the Army's relationship with Middletown will be shaped with fairness to all parties.

No wonder democracy is a hard sell...

Given the events of the last few weeks, I'm beginning to understand why some countries still resist democracy: our financial system is self-destructing thanks to greed and irresponsibility, our Congress is bickering like bratty children in the backseat of a car only 1/2 an hour into a 12 hour vacation drive, and residents sat through yet another 2 hour meeting on the proposed Army base in Middletown.

OK, maybe the last thing on my list doesn't fully compare with the first two, but I will admit that the process of democracy is challenging, tiring and frustrating. The complete transcript of tonight's meeting should be available in about ten days on the Army COE's website. (Check here.) Here's some general comments about how that went:

Deputy District Commander, David Dale, opened the meeting with a review of the project timeline. The public comment period for the 4 site finalists (Cucia Park, Bysiewicz Industrial Park, Ken Dooley/Boardman Lane, Mile Lane) ended today. The Army will rank these four sites in order of preference to create a Site Identification Report that will be forwarded for approval by 17 October. By October 30th, this list of sites will be approved, and the NEPA process will begin for each site. In early November, the Army will release the site rank order, but this preference listing doesn't mean that the #1 site on the list has been chosen at that time. By March 2009, the contract will be ready for advertisement, with the contract award happening by June 2009. Occupancy is expected by March 2011.

This timeline didn't spell out specifically the actual date by which the final choice will be made, so that detail remains unknown for now, and that's the source of my frustration. But, I'll get to that in a minute...

The comment portion of the meeting was to gather any missed information the Army didn't receive via its blog. The Army's summary of the key comments posted on the blog for each site:

Bysiewicz Industrial Park:

• Loss of tax revenue for the city
• concern over wetlands
• increased traffic
• approved industrial development
• strain on local utilities
• site has been cleared

Cucia Park:

• Loss of park, open space, wildlife habitat
• no loss of tax revenue
• zoned industrial, surrounded by industrial use
• good access to 91
• revenue to City for sale of property
• public support
• impact on neighborhood

Ken Dooley/Boardman Lane:

• loss of tax revenue
• wetlands
• increased traffic on residential streets
• blasting
• strain on utilities
• City Resolution
• public opposition
• zoned industrial

Mile Lane:

• Government owned
• no tax loss
• contaminated site
• increased traffic
• near schools/residences
• city has interest in redevelopment

After this basic summary of the feedback each site has received, residents were able to comment on each site. These comments were videotaped and also annotated by a court reporter for inclusion in the official record.

The only comment on the Bysiewicz Industrial Park was from the owner of the brick home that would be surrounded on 3 sides by the base: he will offer his home for sale to the Army should this site be chosen. (This house would make a stately home for the Base Commanding Officer, so I recommend that he hold out for top dollar should it come to that...)

Several residents from Smith Street and the Westlake area made surprisingly strong comments AGAINST the use of Cucia Park. Most of the comments referenced how nice the park used to be and chided the city for not taking care of it. Councilman Klattenberg clarified that Cucia Park is actually about 4.4 acres contiguous to about 36 acres of abandoned industrial land (a former brick yard). The Mayor's Advisory Panel already inquired about preserving public access to the pond, and the Army has promised to take that under consideration.

Stephen Devoto, on behalf of the Westfield Residents Association, spoke specifically about the 3 possible sites that are in Westfield (KD/Boardman Lane, Bysiewicz Industrial Park, and Cucia Park). Ranking Cucia Park as the best choice, Devoto stated that the WRA is not thrilled about the city selling a park. However, given the extreme circumstances (and the fact that the Army SHOULDN'T be looking for land in Middletown ever again) the use of Cucia Park brings the most benefit to the city with the least amount of harm to residential neighborhoods. Devoto also commented that WRA's passionate involvement in the site selection process doesn't come from NIMBY (not in my backyard) concerns: rather, the passion comes from the abundance of analysis that the WRA has conducted since June, and the conviction that IF the Army has to build in Middletown, it should value above all else what the town thinks is the best site.

Mayor Guiliano spoke plainly and simply about the KD/Boardman Lane and Cucia Park sites. He asked the audience to consider for a moment that a private developer had submitted the Army's plans: in the case of Boardman Lane, the Mayor was "pretty confident" that those plans would be denied, just as he was confident that the same plans for Cucia Park would be approved. Guiliano told the Army to keep in mind that the Boardman Lane/KD site asked the city to accept something it wouldn't accept from any private entity. (Way to go, Mayor!!!)

After other comments on public safety issues, traffic concerns, and the danger of a schedule determining the sites available for consideration, Councilman Klattenberg mentioned that the Common Council will be taking up a resolution at its next meeting (Monday, October 6th) that endorses the use of Cucia Park and directs the City's Economic Development Commission to begin the process to dispose of the property as necessary. The Councilman also compared the Army's "open and collaborative" process to a funny joke about a neighbor listening to a husband and wife argue. At a point late in the evening, the arguing suddenly stopped, and when the neighbor later asked the wife what happened, she replied that her husband had agreed to a compromise: he agreed with her position.

That's where I'm at. I'm ready for the Army to catch a clue and to agree with the town's position on Cucia Park. David Dale's response to Councilman Klattneberg's comments was a polite "thank you for your comments" response, but I really wanted a simple "Yes, Dear." Of course I understand why he couldn't say that, but I'm ready to move on to other things (like maybe the bus issue and how the Board of Education has rocks for brains when it comes to imagining what parents are going through because of the new busing policy...oh, wait, that's something for another time...).

A brief on-the-way-out-the-door conversation with the Army's architect enlightened my suffering in a way I hadn't considered before. Until the NEPA process kicks in for the 4 sites (that's about the beginning of November), the Army is only about cost, engineering considerations and site availability. The public passion for or against a particular site doesn't come to bear on the decision making process UNTIL the NEPA considerations are factored in.

Wait for it...yes...read those two sentences again...yes, I can see the light bulb turning on above your head. If all the public comments for or against a specific side aren't evaluated and factored into the selection process until NOVEMBER at the earliest, what on earth have we been doing for the last 3 months? I was assured that the public comments made on the blog and recorded during tonight's meeting are now part of the official "stuff" that will be looked at during the NEPA review, so yeah for everyone who took the time to give their opinions. However, I was under the impression that since so many of us (elected officials too) have been saying the same thing for so long, that the sustained and vigorous protest against the Boardman Lane site (no matter how you access it) would have affected the narrowing process that whittled 16 sites down to 4. But no. I was wrong. The only factors that appear to have caused properties to fall out of contention were cost-related - both time and money. A perfect site may have been dropped because it was too costly to develop or because it would take to long to figure out how to develop it. Meanwhile, a perfectly horrible site is preserved just because guestimated engineering costs fall within the allowed budget.

Yes, I do understand this is the real world, and that the ideal isn't always possible. However, as the presidential candidates keep reminding us, Main Street is supposed to matter. We the people gave our government the power it needs to function, we the people pay for that functioning, and we the people ought to BENEFIT from that functioning. Abraham Lincoln said that the "legitimate object of governments is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all or cannot, so well do for themselves - in their separate and individual capacities." As a nation, we've agreed to separate that doing into local, state and federal responsibilities, and I don't think anyone is challenging the basic need for an Army Reserve Training Center. But in THIS case, THIS community of people CAN decide what needs to be done, and the federal government ought to take heed. Our federal tax dollars will pay for this new facility, and how rude it will be to suffer a site chosen despite strong and sustained resident and local elected officials' opposition.

So, the end really isn't the end yet. The public comment period for the site selection list is closed, but we learned tonight that what REALLY counts is the 30 day public comment period on the NEPA process/results. That won't start until at least November. Right. See what I mean about tiring and exhausting? Just as Christmas is approaching, and I'm betting that this holiday season will be hard for a lot of families, we still won't have resolved the issue of where this base is supposed to go. Maybe I'll start on an updated version of the Grinch who stole Christmas...

Consensus builds for Cucia Park

Click document to enlarge.






Proposed Common Council Resolution







From Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz













From Governor Jodi Rell to Army Secretary Geren

Last chance to comment on Army Reserve Training Center site

The Army Corps of Engineers will host another meeting about the proposed Army Reserve Training Center in Middletown, tonight, Tuesday Sept. 30, at 7 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall.

The four sites still under consideration are:

Bysiewicz Industrial Park, Middle Street
Cucia Park, Smith Street
Boardman Lane, with access from Ken Dooley Road in Westfield
Mile Lane, on the former Nike base and Army Reserve Center

Consensus seems to be forming in town for Cucia Park.

For information on the sites, or to comment online, the Army Corps of Engineers has created a blogsite.