City Buys Ex-Welfare Building

Awesome! We don't need a new Mayor!

Has the funding for the $10,000,000 in required renovations (according to the previous article) also been secured?

I'm sure there will be concern about that and other potential delays, but hopefully people can keep in mind that projects like this can take decades to materialize.

This thing closed during the DeStefano administration, so it's probably something that at least three mayors will be able to take credit for once it eventually re-opens as a laundry, or something else.

I hope this turns out well but, people should be aware of the health concerns this building represents. Having worked there way back when , I remember well the cancer deaths, particularly brain cancer, that Welfare Dept. employees suffered , well beyond statistical probability. Does the City have plans to look at that?

@Alex
Fortunately, New Haven is an American city that exercises the democratic process.
The determination of whether or not New Haven has a new mayor is in the hands of a majority of the voters, not one voter!
This purchase should have been delayed until the new administration takes office and has an opportunity to examine the details and proposals for this project.
The Harp administration thought acquisition or use of the Bethel Church property was a good deal for the planned Escape youth center, but once renovations began and all of the costs were counted to make the Escape possible were considered too great, the project was essentially abandoned and the money spent was wasted.
The last thing any new administration wants is a repeat of the Escape boondoggle at the Welfare Office site. This laundry was Mayor harp's vision. It remains to be seen if it will be Justin Elicker's vision, or whether or not renovation of this building for the intended purpose will be fiscally viable and wise.
Count the costs. If the project is unfeasible, sell the building. No need to hold on and hold out like the Harp administration did until the aldermen cut off the funding.
There are good reasons why that building has remained vacant for so many years. One would think a developer would have jumped on it long before now. Maybe they knew sometthing that the city did not, or chose to ignore.
Remember these old sayings, "All that glitters is not gold," "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," and "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?"

@Alex
Fortunately, New Haven is an American city that exercises the democratic process.
The determination of whether or not New Haven has a new mayor is in the hands of a majority of the voters, not one voter!
This purchase should have been delayed until the new administration takes office and has an opportunity to examine the details and proposals for this project.
The Harp administration thought acquisition or use of the Bethel Church property was a good deal for the planned Escape youth center, but once renovations began and all of the costs were counted to make the Escape possible were considered too great, the project was essentially abandoned and the money spent was wasted.
The last thing any new administration wants is a repeat of the Escape boondoggle at the Welfare Office site. This laundry was Mayor harp's vision. It remains to be seen if it will be Justin Elicker's vision, or whether or not renovation of this building for the intended purpose will be fiscally viable and wise.
Count the costs. If the project is unfeasible, sell the building. No need to hold on and hold out like the Harp administration did until the aldermen cut off the funding.
There are good reasons why that building has remained vacant for so many years. One would think a developer would have jumped on it long before now. Maybe they knew something that the city did not, or chose to ignore.
Remember these old sayings, "All that glitters is not gold," "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," and "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?"

Alex, probably time to give up... Toni already has. (also let the hashtag die #runtonirun)

Call me a cynic but it will be interesting to see how LCI justifies this in 5 years when the building is still vacant and has fallen further into disrepair.

Are they an economic development agency? building code enforcement? affordable housing developer? or just the largest owner of vacant property in the city?

The idea sounds great in theory, but what will the total project cost? When will the project be completed? Why is the jobs estimate such a wide range? Its pathetic the alders approved the allocation of this amount of money without real timelines/budgets.

From the Staking Rink in East Rock to the Q house in Dixwell to any school redevelopment project across the city the scars or poor municipal management are visible everywhere.

Alex.....you are so pro-Harp....really makes one wonder what is in it for you. You're trying to hard.

How will it be worker-owned of the CIty is buying and renovating it? Worker-owners have to have skin in the game or it's just another giveaway; like so many other govt schemes to "empower" workers at taxpayer expense.

Can You Spell Boondoggle Notes:

I really don't believe this project is sustainable on it's own merits.

Do you mean tax-payer owned? Or are the tax payers funding a private business venture now?

All of the hate, doubt and resentment toward this landmark wealth-building initiative shows how important it is that people know:

There's still an election on November 5! Don't lose your voice! Mayor Harp is the right choice on the bottom line.

It's quite clear that projects like this are on the chopping block if Elicker gets in. His supporters are practically excited for this project to fail or be canceled.

Worker-owner means it will be a co-op, like Evergreen in Cleveland. It will be sustainable because of the large commercial contracts it is designed to fulfill — incl. eg Yale University & Yale New Haven Health — and,

(2) the value and wealth of a laundry company with good contracts stems from the work that is being done at the laundry. Giving workers a stake in the company will ensure the highest quality of output while also building wealth in the community.

This is a win-win-win! You have to wonder what the haters propose we do to close the racial wealth gap. We can't let progress like this be squandered. Forward together—not one step back! Join the People's Campaign!

New Haven 73,

It's a speculative investment of taxpayer money -- Just like the "China Trip".

Taxpayer money is not for 'business investment'!!!! That is a 'conflict of interest' at the get go!!!

If the City of New Haven was so good at investing, the underfunded pension fund would be looking pretty rosy right now!

1) The racial wealth gap is not the responsibility of the tax payer.

2) Worker owned is fine, as long as the loan is repayed at some point

No haters here. Just a common sense tax payer. The country is trillions of dollars in debt.

Alex, as you know, I have a great deal of respect for Mayor Harp. And creating decent jobs for unemployed folks is a good thing. But this is a profoundly unwise decision. I have seen no evidence that the administration has begun to line up funding to rehabilitate the building. As you know, Gov. Lamont has placed the state on a debt diet, and there is no reason to believe that the Trump Administration is going to do the city any favors. Nor have I seen any evidence that Mayor Harp has developed options if it it proves impossible to develop a co-op laundry.

Well, Kevin, what have you done to find out?

It's very easy to criticize from the sidelines. All of your expertise could be contributed to making this idea a success.

Bill, you really shouldn't talk about wasting taxpayer money... BTW where's Elicker's $20,000? Has he returned it yet?

NewHaven73, the racial wealth gap is absolutely our responsibility. It's also a major drag on economic growth in the United States. It's a much bigger problem than the national debt, which this has no impact on at all.

We are very excited about the opportunity to move forward with the plan to bring the Evergreen Concept for a worker-owned facility to the site," Neal-Sanjurjo told the Independent in a written statement on Thursday.

Not so fast.

The Untold Story of the Evergreen Cooperatives

Evergreen and the Fallacy of the Anchor Institution

During the initial planning stage of Evergreen, the Cleveland VA Medical Center proposed the creation of a laundry business and the Cleveland Foundation, with the Democracy Collaborative, enticed University Hospitals (UH), the Cleveland Clinic, and Case Western Reserve University to also agree to contract with said laundry business and to put up money for the Evergreen Cooperative Development Fund. This money was matched, to a degree, by the Cleveland Foundation, which went about capitalizing a laundry business and solar installation and weatherization business, in-line with what was then the relatively new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The second business came about because the Cleveland Clinic wanted to "go solar" but couldn't take advantage of the associated ARRA tax credits – the solar co-op solved this problem. Thus work began on the first two Evergreen Cooperatives.

https://geo.coop/story/untold-story-evergreen-cooperatives

Again Snake-Oil and Three Card Monte being sold.This Building will sit like this.Just ask the people of West Haven.
.
West Haven residents eager for The Haven project to start

WEST HAVEN -- West Haven community members are speaking out after another setback involving a highly anticipated waterfront mall.Developers have been working on a project that would turn dozens of vacant properties into a waterfront luxury mall. The project has been in the works for almost 5 years.Graffiti, trash and illegal dumping are taking over the future site of the upscale shopping mall, The Haven. Jaedin Falcone told News 8, "It's looking like a trash town on this side." Paul Popielarczyk told News 8, "It's really unfortunate people gotta do that."

https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/new-haven/west-haven-residents-eager-for-the-haven-project-to-start/

Better Idea Notes:

This is New Haven. If this moves forward, someone local who is totally unqualified to lead this project will be named President & CEO (nonprofits don't use "Executive Director" any longer) and that will be that. Just wait for it.

THREEFIFTHS,

Thank you for providing a link to the Evergreen Concept. While I support the idea of worker owner/management, I wonder if the necessary steps have been followed. Is there a business plan? What is the anticipated revenue vs expenses? Having a spread of between 40 and 150 jobs is not a plan.

The linked article about Evergreen mentioned that modern laundry equipment is capital intense, who is financing this equipment?

40 jobs are a terrific goal. I am dubious that this is the best way to that goal.

John Champion

Alex, I'm trying to be charitable. But the administration has not put forward even the outlines of a business plan.

FWIW, my expertise, such as it is, lies elsewhere. If the project goes forward and the city wants to make the building more energy efficient, I would be happy to identify potential funding sources.

The City has no business running a private business, unless we're tackling socialism head on. Private company owners would have not bought this property without a full blown business plan including, more precise renovation plans, capital costs for the equipment and vehicles needed, HR costs for employees, health insurance, pension/401k costs, management personnel ready to tackle the job, and of course, COMMITTED CUSTOMERS.
Laundries are not a simple business to run. There are huge environmental and health issues involved, especially for medical-based laundries. I'm also sure the existing businesses supporting Yale's needs aren't going to just walk away without a fight.

Alex: Elicker said that he would be in "full campaign mode" so long as Harp remained on the ballot. Harp has not withdrawn, so I would not expect him to return the $20K.

1644,

Not only has the Mayor not withdrawn, she is actively campaigning.
Facts matter, Alex!!!!!!

This is a project that is 100% Harp's. Keep an eye on it, watch this colossal failure blossom into a giant general fund liability. Luckily for the tax payer's it is her last term.