ESPN BUS? GO FIRST CLASS ON A DATTCO BUS

Reprinted with permission from the March 18, 2008 edition of The Bristol Press.
Copyright 2009 Central Connecticut Communications LLC

BDDC MAY GIVE POTENTIAL DEVELOPERS TOUR OF CITY

BRISTOL- When potential developers come to Bristol later this month, overseers of the downtown mall site want to show them around the city using an ESPN bus. Board members of the Bristol Downtown Development Corp., who are in charge of overseeing the 17-acre, city-owned mall property, will play host to visiting developers on March 31 to tour the rubble.

Planner Dick Harrall, who serves as executive director of BDDC, initially said the interaction with the developers would take about two hours. He said there would be an hour spent at City Hall reviewing the technical aspects of the city's bid process and going over the city's version for what will ultimately be built there.

After that, they will be taken around the grounds of the mall site. By then, the building demolition should be complete, though the site not completely cleared.

John Leone, president of the Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce and a BDDC board member, suggested the meeting with developers should include a tour of the area. "It might give them a different view," said Leone.

Harrall said they could look into chartering a bus, and Frank Johnson, chairman of the BDDC board, said they should show off Federal Hill.

"Get the ESPN tour bus," said Leone. Harrall said that would be great, and board members began talking excitedly about showing off ESPN, Lake Compounce, and the industrial park on Middle Street. They're not just selling the downtown site, said Leone, but the whole area.

Board member Jennifer Janelle said the event will be a public meeting. "There's probably going to be a lot more than just developer candidates," said Janelle, who want to take a ride.

City Councilor Ken Cockayne, who is a member of the BDDC, said the group could use both an ESPN bus and a school bus.

"The public can go on the school bus," said Cockayne.

City purchasing agent Roger Rousseau said it's tough to tell how many possible developers will end up answering the city's request for proposals - or how many of them will show up on March 31. "It's an open invitation," Rousseau said. But he said they should probably plan for 30 to 50 people.

Johnson said it is more important to drive developers past ESPN than to give them a ride on the company bus.

"Let's go first class," said board member Dick Kallenbach. "Get a DATTCO bus."

Board member Tom Cosgrove said they should return afterward for coffee.

Leone - who said the tour bus should have a tape playing information about the area - said the tour could have impact. "It seems kind of hokey," Leone admitted, but he said, "It really does work."