New Haven Independent

It’s Pies vs. Roller Rinkers

by Melissa Bailey | October 2, 2007 1:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Youth advocates and roller-derby athletes (including “Susan B. Anarchy,” pictured second from right) teamed up to protest on the steps of City Hall, making a successful last-minute effort to delay the sale of a coveted plot of city land.

The group, which advocates building a roller-skating rink along Long Wharf, rejoiced as aldermen at Monday night’s full board meeting agreed to send the matter to the Community Development Committee for a public hearing instead of approving the sale that night. The property, at 108 Food Terminal Plaza, was slated to be sold to a buyer other than the group favored by the roller rinkers.

That buyer is Something Sweet bakery. Bakery owners Joe and MaryAnn Montesano make cream pies and crumb cakes at the old Lender’s Bagels factory off Grand Avenue. They also have freezer space at 106 Food Terminal Plaza. The company, which has been in New Haven for 10 years, is itching to expand next door. The bakers hope to double production of their baked goods, which are sent to as far away as Minnesota, Florida and Maine.

The city economic development staff, through a Request For Proposals process, recommended the Montesanos’ project over three others, praising the “strong business model” and promised addition of 23 jobs.

Dixwell resident Isee Greenwood, who submitted one of the losing proposals, has not given up. She looks at the run-down former Production Tool Company building at 108 Food Terminal and sees the perfect place for a roller-skating rink, complete with mini-movie theater and food court.

“I’m tired of the kids getting killed, tired of the gang violence,” said Greenwood Monday on the steps of City Hall. A paraprofessional in the city school system, Greenwood says kids need places to go to keep them off the streets. A rink seemed a perfect solution, but with teen turf wars, it isn’t safe for kids to cross into other neighborhoods.

“You put it in the Hill, the Hill will take it over; You put it in the ‘Ville, the ‘Ville will take it over. Same with the jungle or the Island,” she said. The Food Terminal — an industrial zone out on Long Wharf — is perfect “neutral territory,” she saidd.

Greenwood gave this pitch to aldermen Monday, stopping them on their way into City Hall. She was joined on the steps by Gary Holder-Winfield, chair of the Connecticut Federation of Black Democratic Clubs; Maurice Peters of Uniting Our Youth and neighborhood activists like Dwight’s parent patroller, Greg Smith.

“Susan B. Anarchy” (at right in the photo) showed up, too. She and fellow teammates on the CT Roller Girls roller derby league want to have a place to practice a little closer to home. As it stands, they have to trek to Waterbury to find a roller rink.

Greenwood said the choice is between promoting healthy alternatives to the streets, or furthering the childhood obesity epidemic. A skating rink keeps kids healthy, she reasoned. “Cookies are just making the kids more fat.”

With so much talk of kids needing positive options, “Mayor, here’s an opportunity to put your words in action,” Greenwood charged.

City staff, however, said they just did not find her proposal viable. Greenwood “has not given my department any financial information to indicate she has financing to support a business,” said city economic development staffer Helen Rosenberg.

Rosenberg said Greenwood lacks a business plan. “It’s not skating rink versus bakery, because there is no business,” she said. Greenwood “has nothing to offer. She has only an idea, an idea with nothing behind it.”

Economic development’s Chrissy Bonanno said the city worked with Greenwood to look at four or five other options, but Greenwood rejected the alternatives because they were not in “neutral” territory.

“We want to work with her to see her dream come to fruition,” said Bonanno, but the food terminal, with heavy truck traffic, “is not an appropriate place.”

Rosenberg said the bakery was chosen for its “strong track record” in the city and the promising expansion of its workforce. The company currently has 45 employees, nearly all of them New Haven residents working manual labor jobs.

The Montesanos (pictured) hope to expand their workforce by about 50 percent within the next two years as they expand. They regretted the delay in buying the land: “People need more pies!” said Joe Montesano. “We’ve got to get moving.”

Back in aldermanic chambers, Alderman Jorge Perez welcomed the chance for another public hearing to scrutinize the RFP process. “The biggest question is, are we getting the best deal for the land?” he asked. The Montesanos would pay $100,000 for the property.

The sale price raised Perez’s eyebrows because, he said, nearby IKEA just paid $1 million for an acre of land with no buildings on it. He also questioned why the 108 Food Terminal was going for $100,000 when an appraisal taken a year ago pegged the value at $425,000.

That figure was off, said Rosenberg, because the appraiser didn’t actually enter the building to see that it was missing its roof. A more recent city assessment pegged the assessed value at $160,000, with a full value at about $229,000.

“A hearing is justified to clear everything up,” said Perez. A date for the hearing had not yet been set as of Monday.

Share this story

Share |

Comments

Posted by: cedarhillresident | October 2, 2007 4:38 PM

I love the idea of of roller rink and I would go. But the question that needs to be asked is why are there so few of them left in the state. If she can over come what ever has closed them all down then it is a great idea. But the pie place sound a bit more stable.

But as I said we drive to a smelley old one in Milford. It is really bad. But they only charge a few dollars and that is the most alot of kids would be able to spend. They go to Middletown av theater because that is affordable. Most of the kids that greenwood spoke of do not have top dollar to pay. So what is the plan I would love to here more?

Posted by: dylan | October 2, 2007 10:56 PM

The thought that we would consider transferring the property to a proposed roller rink without an apparent business plan rather than an existing New Haven business looking to expand, is fairly absurd.

Tired of kids getting killed and gang violence? Especially in the summertime, the school system has worked to provide programs to occupy kids. Build up the job base. Long term social stability is most dependent on economic vitality and stability. This one business will not have huge effects on it's own, but long term encouragement of local business growth is a must.

Furthermore, this is growth of a non-service nature, meaning that things are actually being made in New Haven and sold elsewhere, actually contributing to a positive trade balance, rather than simply having New Haveners selling each other products made elsewhere and reaping none of the benefits.

Posted by: a concerned citizen | October 2, 2007 11:25 PM

The fuss over this roller rink is putting jobs and a business at risk. The bakery was the business with the best proposal and was the one selected for the space. Not a roller rink, which is a good idea but has no plan and very little money to back it up.

Posted by: vel | October 3, 2007 9:18 AM

Why not have a roller rink in that space? has anyone wondered why the kids has no respect for the big shots? What do they care about our kids? here is a woman who is tring to help the kids.and it seems to me that the people who can do,won't.not until crime nock on their doors.

Posted by: dylan | October 3, 2007 11:29 AM

With the vast amount of park space in New Haven, might we be able to find a good location for a roller rink or skate park somewhere? I was recently on the Upper West Side in New York, and there is a wonderful skate park in Riverside Park. Nearby there were an oyster festival and other recreational activities. It was wonderful to see a refuge for nature and recreation in the most busy city in America.

Places like Edgewood Park are more dangerous than they should be because they aren't active often enough and don't have a strong enough mix of uses. Rather than having people skate in an out of the way industrial park, why not use a place that was originally intended for people to recreate in?

Posted by: cedarhillresident | October 3, 2007 1:15 PM

vel, she does mean well and her idea about it being a neutral area is what caught my eye as a plus, but she has no plan. No finical backing on the idea? And the city has a ton of programs for kids but they do not use them. They dumb alot into programs but the problem to me is that if these kids are not using these programs that our hard earned money is being spent on then they need to shut those programs down and redirect the money into a program that the kids will use.

dylan
you are right, but greenwood was thinking on a bigger scale. She sees a chance to get all the kids from all over town to have one safe place to meet. Which was an idea by the kids back when the curfew was being played with.
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2006/12/post_306.php

Posted by: WEBbloger 1 | October 3, 2007 2:58 PM

The sale price raised Perez's eyebrows because, he said, nearby IKEA just paid $1 million for an acre of land with no buildings on it. He also questioned why the 108 Food Terminal was going for $100,000 when an appraisal taken a year ago pegged the value at $425,000.

That figure was off, said Rosenberg, because the appraiser didn't actually enter the building to see that it was missing its roof. A more recent city assessment pegged the assessed value at $160,000, with a full value at about $229,000.

"A hearing is justified to clear everything up," said Perez. A date for the hearing had not yet been set as of Monday.

according to the current city tax assessment( below).....

Account ID: 10632
Owner Name: CITY OF NEW HAVEN
Address: LONG WHARF
NEW HAVEN , CT 06511
Parcel ID: 206-0023-00200
Second Owner Name:
Plat Book Page: /
Ward:

Assessed Value: $176,470
Exemptions: $176,470
Taxable Value: $0

Current Year Taxes Billed 2006
Billed taxes: $0.00
Current and Back Tax Principle Due: $0.00
Total Interest, Penalties, and Collections Fees: $0.00
Total Amount Due: $0.00

Roll Code: REAL ESTATE

The property is valued at & 176,470, so apparentely neighter of the parties above are correct.
The question is: if the city values the property at $176,470 why would they entertain the idea of selling it for $ 100,000 as reported. The answer may lie in the fact that Fusco ownes three buildings in that location and Fusco is calling the shot.
There then, so much for skating rink talk.

However the idea of a rink does have merit since the city says:

" Economic development's Chrissy Bonanno said the city worked with Greenwood to look at four or five other options, but Greenwood rejected the alternatives because they were not in "neutral" territory.

"We want to work with her to see her dream come to fruition," said Bonanno, but the food terminal, with heavy truck traffic, "is not an appropriate place."

In other words, any where but 108 Food Terminal Plaza.

OUT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Posted by: Stephen H | October 3, 2007 3:09 PM

just what we need a roller rink!! I bet someone would end up shot there during its opening week.

Why waste money building a skating rink only to have it tagged with graffitti, filled with garbage, and have street gangs fighting inside?

I am sure our incompetent police force can handle security concerns there! (Yeah Right)

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | October 4, 2007 6:11 PM

Dylan
That Park Is Call RiverBank Park Which Is Run By The State Of New York And Patrol Buy New York State Park Police. Also You Have Roberto Clemente Park Also Run By New York State.You Want See A Good Model That Would Benfit Not Just The Kids, But Every One Look At This Website www.chelseapiers.com This Is Where I Send My Son To Every Weekend And He Also Go To The Above Parks.

It’s Pies vs. Roller Rinkers

Comments

Sorry, Comments are closed for this entry

Sections

Neighborhood News

Special Sections

Legal Notices

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

Flyerboard

Sponsors

N.H.I. Site Design & Development

NHI Store

News Feed