Before giving the latest update on both of these projects, I would like to take a moment to review actions taken in the past months. On December 15, the Town Council approved the request of First Town Downtown for financial support in exercising FTDT’s right of first refusal for 33 Mechanic Street. FTDT then notified the Radio Museum of their intent to purchase. In early January, Town staff facilitated a meeting between FTDT and the Radio Museum to discuss the disposition of the property. At that meeting, the Museum stated that the offer from the antique dealer had been rejected. The Museum and FTDT then agreed to cooperatively pursue a sale to one of the two developers that had been identified by FTDT. The objective was to redevelop the building for apartments and, if possible, to retain the museum.

The prospective developers were informed of the renewed cooperation between the Museum and FTDT. They were requested to revise their projects accordingly. In response, they each advised that they would need more time.

Meanwhile, we have worked with the Museum to find an alternative location. They have walked through a site and found it acceptable. They are now putting together their costs in preparation for making an offer. This offer will be tied to the Museum’s sale of 33 Mechanic Street to one of the developers. It will probably take a couple of more weeks to finalize the details.

It appears that the pieces are in place for a transaction that will not require FTDT to utilize the Town’s financial support. As part of the deal, however, the Town may be requested to consider forgiving the $35,000 loan that is due from the Museum upon sale of 33 Mechanic Street. It is also likely that the Museum would ask to transfer the $5,000 Volunteer Support Grant for handicapped accessibility to the new property to help created accessible public bathrooms.

The following is our projected timeline for the disposition of the Redevelopment Parcel.

Preliminary Development Concept:

Completed

Site Assembly

Refine Development Concept and Disposition Process

Developer Solicitation Schedule

To comply with State law, the Public Safety Answering Point in the Windsor Police Department must provide Emergency Medical Dispatch (or EMD) beginning July 1, 2004. EMD describes the procedure whereby a dispatcher receiving a medical call provides medical care instructions to the caller until a qualified first medical responder (police or EMS) arrives on scene. All civilian dispatchers and most desk qualified sworn officers have been EMD certified and have demonstrated a great deal of interest and enthusiasm in providing this service. The Police Department began providing EMD on March 7, 2004. We are pleased to be able to provide the service prior to the mandated time of delivery because it gives us an opportunity to evaluate the impact of EMD on the dispatching function and to adjust accordingly so that this service can be used to its maximum potential for the Windsor community. Early reports indicate that while it is difficult to juggle these lengthy conversations during multiple incidents, the benefit to citizens already seems to be apparent.

Don’t miss the ever-popular Friends of Northwest Park’s annual Pancake Breakfast from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM this Saturday, March 20^th. Enjoy pancakes, real Northwest Park maple syrup, sausage, orange juice and coffee. The cost is $5.00 for adults and $3.50 for children 12 and under. Call 285-1886 for reservations.

"Know Your Town" Television Series Continues

The Windsor League of Women Voters will continue their ongoing "Know Your Town" series on Monday, March 22^nd at 7:00 PM with a discussion on the topic of "Urban sprawl, smart growth, and what it all means to Windsor." This program, in partnership with All Aboard! will feature a panel discussion with State Representative Lewis Wallace, Robert Fusari, Sr., President of Real Estate Service of Connecticut, Windsor resident James Mason, Executive Board member of All Aboard! and myself. The program will be broadcast live on the Windsor Government Channel, WGTV Channel 21. For more information, contact Pat Day at 285-0688.