Copy of 'EDA Work' Email

Following is a copy of the document Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner noted he received Wednesday night by Glenn Arnold, who has since resigned from the Economic Development Agency. Kevin Jackson, who chaired that agency until his official resignation Friday morning, said it was authored by him. 

The resignation story is posted here and the story about selectmen's votes to file ethics complaints and investigate causes to potentially remove the two from the agency can be found here. 

Here is that document, as forwarded by Jackson. Some formatting issues are present but the wording has not been changed:

EDA WORK

Requested FRIENDLY inter-board COOPERATION

Defined Mission Statement, Objectives, and Policies

BY CHARTER: To conduct research into the economic conditions and trends within the agency’s municipality, make recommendations based on quantified research for the overall improvement of economic conditions, and foster optimum development and fiscal strategies within the agency’s municipality.

BY DESIGN: To foster, support, and advise on sound economic decisions and positive economic developments that make Canton a better place to live, work, conduct business, raise a family, and enjoy a high quality of life.

To advocate for existing business and new, encourage development that increases our tax base, and provide beneficial services while positively impacting Canton’s traditional New England character.

To increase Canton’s GRAND LIST Residential to Commercial ratio from 85/15 to 80/20, thereby avoiding decreases in service delivery or mill rate increases to residents.

Canton’s Economic and Community Assessment

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK:

 Current GDP Conditions:

2009 - US - (3.3) CT - (3.6)       HOUSING - UP

 2010 - US - 2.4    CT - 1.2       CONFIDENCE – UP

2011 - US - 1.6    CT - (.1)        UNEMPLOYMENT - UP

2012 - US - 2.5    CT - (.1)            ECONOMY - STABLE

                                                            3.2           (2.6)

US OUTLOOK JUST RAISED TO STABLE FROM NEGATIVE

Reorganized EDA and realigned efforts – modeled after Simsbury Main ST

Identified DEVELOPMENT TARGET TRIANGLE

Researched Land Use procedures and developed Activity Checklist

Created Concierge to work with prospects from concept to completion

Advocacy – to date we have represented 67 projects, companies, businesses, landowners, developers,  organizations, contractors, and/or brokers

459 Meetings – with Boards, Developers, Brokers, Associations, Businesses, Staff, etc.

            46 with BOS Liaison Sevigney

            4 with First Selectman Barlow

Outreach – Chamber Of Commerce, Developers, Conservationists, Civic Organizations, Churches, etc

Marketing and Rebranding – received no funding

Recommended Website redesign effort – received no funding but Member Bessel has rough draft

DECD – met on feasibility of aid with projects, Brownfield Redevelopment and Repurposing

AF – arraigned meetings with principals and negotiated reduced asking price, PPM, Tax positive, mixed                                    use development, publicity effort, stakeholder meetings, promotions, and community cooperation

POCD Update – monthly and sometimes weekly meetings

Recommendations to BOS thru BOS Liaison:

   Strategic Plan

   Regularly scheduled maintenance of Town owned properties and facilities                 

   Zoning Rewrite w/Best Practices, Design Standards, and Form Based Codes

   Land Use Board ReOrg/Consolidations- P, Z, DRT

   Garage –Researched peer products, met 11 contractors, sought Cost Effective solutions and  bids, researched Real Estate Deal / Turnkey purchase options, Design Build options, Offered  public Quantitative Analysis presentation for public review

  Eastern Gateway Sewershed completion

  Road Resurface – 10% resurfaced per year from operating budget

Main Street CT – Revitalize Collinsville and Rt. 44 Town Green area - Traffic and Pedestrian upgrades

Main ST OPM Grant – streetscaping, lighting, signage, landscaping, and aesthetic maintenance plan

Rails to Trails – Shoppes Stub, CVS, Church, Lawton Rd, Sharrow, Kiosk, Bike friendly Status, Bike Clubs

Met with local State Rep, State Senator, and US Senator, and subsequently DOT re: 44 traffic lights & pedestrian walkways, HYDRO, & bike path

Upper Mill Pond Study – rallied donations of material and labor to complete plan, petitioned for riverside recapture and upkeep

Parks & Rec – Encouraged maintenance and improvement of facilities, Track and Field

Mills Pond Pool –

Painting, Analysis, Business Plan, USA Swimming, CBA Feasibility study, public forum, vote

C-PACE SOLAR – Business Solar program

Met with FOUR Private Hydroelectric Companies

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTERS Alliance Program - Panelist

Quantitative Analysis –Town Garage projects, Hydro, Town wide Efficiency Study

Contact with Attorney representing Tech Park project for Commerce Center

Main Street Assessment – 24 page fifth draft received this afternoon

EDA Welcome efforts for new businesses

Meetings with Environmental Engineers and Attorneys seeking ways to better utilize potential Brownfield Redevelopment opportunities

Offered our support to help PMBC with solution based approach on next Garage proposal

Music/Band Shell Venue – met developer about complimentary artistic venues

Expansion of Mixed Use Development in Shoppes area – met with developer about opportunity

Congregate Care Facility/Mixed Use Developments – met with developer about opportunity

PRIORITIES:

                  Image Improvement, Aesthetics, AF, Shoppes, Eastern Gateway-Lawton Rd, Hinmans, 44  

We’re very excited about the engagement with developers, new and existing businesses, and the overwhelming public support of the EDA efforts to improve the towns’ economy. We look forward to continually enhancing Cantons economic conditions through more focus on town wide efficiency gains and appropriate commercial development.

In Confidence:

As chair of the Canton EDA, I continue to have dialogue with interested parties about various projects throughout Canton.   I have been used as a sounding board for some of their concepts, and some of these concepts may have even been floated by town staff.   The interested parties have told me that it would be inappropriate to have any public, private or even BOS Executive Session disclosure of their plans, thoughts, and ideas that they have shared with me. There are non-disclosure agreements that cannot be breached. We will all be appropriately informed when these developers are ready to move forward with their particular projects and the EDA will then be working in concert with these prospects to conduct public informational meetings allowing full disclosure of intentions and to solicit valuable feedback from the entire community.

“Economics is a highly sophisticated field of thought that is superb at explaining to policymakers precisely why the choices those policymakers made in the past were wrong. However, careful economic analysis does have one important benefit, which is that it can help kill ideas that are completely inconsistent or wildly at variance with the data. This insight covers at least 90 percent of all proposed economic policies.”

“Ultimately, cynicism is a poor substitute for constructive criticism and action.”

-Ben Bernanke, Chairman, Federal Reserve