NEWS ARCHIVE

 

See the waterfront glow with the light of jack-o-lanterns.

Just in time for fall- and a perfect wind down to a busy summer season on the harbor - the first annual Pumpkin Carving/Decorating Competition! Creating your own jack-o-lantern is a fun, creative way to celebrate autumn during the Arts/Culture/Heritage Weekend. The competition is open to all ages; participants can pick up their pumpkins at Howard Brown Park on Monday, October 10 between noon and 6 p.m. Pumpkins should be dressed or carved and brought back to the park on Saturday October 15 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Judging will take place Saturday evening beginning at 5 p.m. All entries will be displayed and judged by category - 12 and under (paint only please, we love your fingers!), teens (13-18), adults (19+), and professionals (artists, business teams, culinary professionals and students) -winners will be announced that evening at 7 p.m. For additional info and registration forms e-mail Karen at kambeasley@comcast.net or Jackie at jackieroy@npumail.com. You can also follow us on Facebook: Downtown Norwich Pumpkinfest. There will be food, music, and prizes. Show your creative side and be part of the fun!

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Notice anything new?

The new banner on this page announces the launch of the much planned and long awaited revitalization programs: Code Correction Assistance; Lease Rebates; and Revolving Loan Fund. The programs have their own logo and set of icons that make them recognizable. The logo represents a new downtown vitality by embedding the word reVITALalize in its center. The program icons - a hammer for construction, a dollar sign for lease assistance, and a recycling arrow for the revolving loans - will aid in identifying the different programs. Downloadable applications and the supporting documentation for Code Correction and Lease Rebates are located on the individual program pages; the Revolving Loan application package will be done and posted soon. Take a minute or two to browse the new pages and learn more about how the programs will work. And, if questions remain, you can always askncdc.

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We'll be out and about!

Starting this month, staff of the Norwich Community Development Corporation (NCDC) began conducting a physical inventory of business and residential spaces in the Downtown area as part of the Downtown Revitalization effort. The goal of the visits is to document information regarding the condition and features of the different properties, the number and types of downtown businesses, available space, and job related metrics. NCDC intends for this outreach to provide prospective commercial and residential tenants and business owners with important information regarding revitalization programs, and assist NCDC and the City to effectively manage and care for the Downtown area.

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Calling All Foodies

Fresh is best and local is the freshest! The place to go this summer for the freshest in local produce and food products is the Norwich Farmer's Market at Howard Brown Park. At this Connecticut Grown market you can plan on finding fruits and vegetables from local farms, baked goods, herbs, local honey, maple products, dairy, herbal soaps, hand crafted jewelry and beautiful craft items.

But don't stop there! Wander into town and stop at one of the local eateries for lunch or snack, then hurry back down to the park for the Summer Concert Series "Rock the Docks' and back into town again for a night out at one of the popular pubs. Looks like Norwich is the place to be on Wednesday - Come Early and Stay Late - but don't miss it! Hope to see you there.

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The Stars are out in Norwich and it's the middle of the day!

No, you're not imagining it - the Chiller Network production of Remains, the feature length Zombie film begins filming in Downtown Norwich June 6 and brings with it Grant Bowler (True Blood, Ugly Betty), Lance Reddick (Fringe, Lost, The Wire), Miko Hughes (Pet Sematary) and Tawny Cypress (Rescue Me, Heroes) - all as survivors of a zombie apocalypse.

You'll have to watch it yourself if you want to know how it ends but the story is set in a chilling post-apocalyptic Reno, Nevada, and follows the survivors of a bizarre accident that reduced most of the world's population to zombies. The group takes refuge in a vacant casino and does battle with the undead, who steadily grow stronger, smarter and more aggressive. Thanks to producer and Norwich native, Andrew Gernhard, we're in for an action packed film and a fun June downtown. Should be quite a show!

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SeCTer's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy

Norwich has been participating in a series of meetings conducted by SeCTer, Southeast Connecticut's regional planning agency. SeCTer has begun the process of updating the region's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the U.S. Economic Development Administration by gathering information on the region's economic strengths and challenges and seeking input from the region's stakeholders that will become long-term goals for improving the region's economic condition. The CEDS, a regional strategic economic development plan, builds a common vision for the future from a common set of priorities and becomes the foundation for municipal economic development plans. The CEDS includes strategies addressing:

• The importance of regionalization. Communities are linked together economically; the economic well being of one community relies on the ability of the region to be economically successful.

• Integrating employment growth and labor supply. Economic development promotes employment growth in the private sector. Developing and supporting the region's workers ensures that those workers have the basic occupational skills needed in today's job market.

• Focusing on the region's competitive advantages. Successful communities recognize their strengths and capitalize on them. This region has a very strong competitive advantage in a number of areas; the CEDS build strategies for those advantages.

• Promoting investments in quality of life and amenity development. Economic Development recognizes that quality of life factors create a "sense of place". Innovators and entrepreneurs seek to live and create businesses in communities with a cultural and environmental "sense of place".

• Economic disparities. Economic disparities between the urban and suburban parts of the region are economic issues that affect the economic well being and quality of life of all residents living in the region.

The southeastern Connecticut region includes all of the municipalities within New London County, and encompasses 21 towns.

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Spring is in the air...

...and so is the east wall. Have you driven down West Main Street lately? Or driven up Main to Washington Square? If not, you should! You'll hardly recognize Falls Avenue. It was a long time in planning but the construction is moving right along and the Intermodal Transportation Center is going up FAST! It's only been a few days and already half of the eastside of the build is standing; by May 6 the entire east half of the garage will be in position straddling Falls Avenue. Next on the construction schedule is removing the temporary road to get ready for the west walls. By July 1 traffic will be back on Falls Avenue and the road will be in its permanent location - running under the garage - and, by the end of July, the west side will be standing tall! You'll notice some changes to the traffic pattern too. From West Main Street, there will soon be two lanes going to Chelsea Harbor Drive and a third lane to take you to Washington and Church Streets. For all our boating friends, we're working hard to make sure that Thayer's Marine stays accessible and easy to reach. Keep an eye on our twitter feed for traffic updates and possible delays.

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NAC's Professional Development Series

Planning for a financially secure future is a 'process, not an event' and 'retirement planning is a strategy'. April 28 marked the second in a series of professional development seminars focused on helping individuals and businesses plan for their financial future. Offered by the Norwich Arts Center, the monthly seminars are open to the public. Financial Advisors from Barnum Financial Group, an office of MetLife, presented the seminar "A Sensible Approach to Financial Strategies for Business Owners". Topics included strategies for financial planning that would help a business survive owner disability or death, strategies for protecting assets and ensuring financial stability in retirement as well as ways to prepare for upcoming changes in tax and estate tax laws.

The first in the series, "Planning Your Financial Journey: An Interactive Road Map for Today's Woman" dealt with some of the unique financial planning challenges that men don't necessarily face. The next will be about creating a legacy through charitable giving. These seminars are not geared just for the arts community. Creativity goes much further than studios and galleries - in addition to musicians, artists and performing artists, the new creative class comprises engineers, architects, application developers, writers - well, you get the idea. NAC's professional development series is designed to address the needs of all types of businesses and are well worth the time spent. Hope to see you there next month!

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April Showers, May Flowers and Rocking Wednesdays at the Norwich Harbor

It's finally Spring and plans are afoot to make Wednesdays a "can't miss" day in downtown. Start your Wednesday with a trip to Norwich's popular and successful farmer's market located in Howard Brown Park. Plan on finding locally grown produce, local honey (great for allergy prevention we're told), baked goods, and beautiful handmade crafts.

Then you'll definitely want to stick around for some great entertainment. The Greater Norwich Area Business & Industry Foundation in partnership with the Norwich Harbor Management Commission and the Greater Norwich Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee are bringing a summer concert series that is sure to "Rock the Docks" - and what a line-up! Kicking off the series on June 29 is "Changes in Latitudes", a Buffett tribute band that will be sure to get us all in the mood for summer, sun, fun and music.

You've seen these bands at Mohegan Sun, Burkes Tavern, and any other number of fun spots - now you'll be able to see them here: July 6 "The Fat Cats"; July 13 "The Cartells"; July 20 "Eight to the Bar; July 27 "Dan Stevens"; August 3 "Jay Dempsey and Highway Call" and August 10 "Melaena". The concerts are from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. leaving you plenty of time to visit one of the many local eateries and watering holes. Come early - stay late - enjoy! Hope to see you there.

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Downtown Revitalization - Let the Work Begin!

At their March 24th meeting the NCDC Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt the Downtown Norwich Revitalization Project Plan and on April 4, 2011 Norwich's City Council took the giant step that will start this revitalization process rolling - they adopted it too!

Here at NCDC we have been diligently assembling data and creating the detailed design documents that will drive the implementation of the projects. Concerned and interested Norwich citizens have attended the public meetings and hearings and have given us a wealth of ideas and suggestions that have been incorporated into the design documents.

All of these suggestions make the programs' designs stronger and set the City up for success. It is a long road we have yet to travel but we're looking forward to making the journey with you. We will keep updating the revitalization page and adding newsworthy articles here. Stay tuned!

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"The Zombies Are Coming..."

Exciting news! In June, Norwich will see an invasion of zombies downtown courtesy of Synthetic Cinema International LLC, a Connecticut-based Production Company. Synthetic Cinema is 'shooting' a new film, Remains, using Norwich downtown locations for their exterior shots. Steve Niles' Remains is a feature-length thriller/horror film, written for Chiller Network, which is set in Reno, NV. Without spoiling the story, "… a blackjack dealer and a dancer find themselves the lone survivors of a bizarre accident that reduced most of the world's population to the undead. They take refuge in the vacant casino and watch from the rooftops as the zombies turn on one another, growing steadily stronger, smarter, and more aggressive." So, don't be alarmed or surprised to see zombies in the Main Street Garage, walking around Franklin Square, or prowling around City Hall!

The talent of Producer and Norwich native Andrew Gernhard (NFA class of 1995) will put a spotlight on the downtown area and show off some of Norwich's great buildings. Welcome back to town Andrew - we're looking forward to the show!

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"Neither snow nor rain nor…"

… any of the other wintery mess that Mother Nature has thrown at us this season has slowed down progress at the Intermodal Transportation Center. The supporting pilings are all in place, the foundation is nearly complete, and construction of the east side of the garage will begin in April. Travelers using West Main Street will notice a new service road into the site. Falls Avenue has been temporarily closed to allow contractors access for the east side construction; the road is expected to re-open this summer. For those of you looking ahead to boating season, Thayer's Marine is still easily accessible from the temporary service road

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Downtown Revitalization - New Public Hearing Date

We hope you've been able to review the Revitalizing Downtown Plan and attend one of the three public meetings on its contents. If you did not have the opportunity to attend one of the meetings, you have another opportunity to hear what the plan is all about. On Wednesday, March 23, 2011. NCDC will host a public hearing on the plan. The hearing will be held at the NCDC offices, 77 Main Street, at 7:00 p.m. (The meeting was originally scheduled for Tuesday March 22.) A copy of the plan has been filed with the City Clerk and is available for your review; there are also copies at NCDC. As always, you're welcome to contact us at www.askncdc.com or by phone at 860-887-6964.

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'Weather' or not…

The ice and snow have not stopped or slowed down work at the Intermodal Transportation Center construction site this winter. While everyone else has been sanding, salting, shoveling, shivering and counting the days until spring, construction workers have been building the arches and installing the brickwork that make up the face of the building.

Travelers of West Main Street have probably also noticed changes in the traffic flow heading into downtown. The islands located at Washington Street and Thames Square have been removed so that large vehicles can more easily enter and exit Falls Avenue. The project remains on schedule and the completion date remains April 2012.

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Check out the plan…

The long awaited Downtown Revitalization Plan is now available for public review! Three short months and lots of effort have gone into developing a plan for the program funding approved by voters in November. Paper copies of the draft plan are available in the City Clerk's office, at NCDC's office at 77 Main Street, and at the Otis Library. Or, you can find a copy of the plan and the schedule for next steps right here on NCDC's new Downtown Revitalization link.

We want to hear what you think! Three public meetings are scheduled: the first on Monday January 31 at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers; the second on Saturday February 5 at 9:00 a.m. in Central Fire Station; the third on Tuesday 2/8 at 8:00 a.m. in Council Chambers. And, as always, you're welcome to contact us directly. Hope to see you!

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A Change In Leadership

January 2011 ushered in a change in leadership at NCDC. At the annual meeting on Friday January 28, staff and board members issued a warm welcome to Kelly Lin and Frank Blanchard, our two new board members, and regretfully said goodbye to outgoing members Brian McNamara of Dime Bank, Maynard Strickland a Mohegan Tribal Elder, and Mark Ballestrini of the Byrnes Agency. Together Brian, Maynard, and Mark represent nearly twenty years of dedicated service - all three active in promoting economic development in Norwich. Their leadership will be missed here at NCDC.

Owner of Prime Electric, Frank Blanchard understands what it means to be part of the Stanley Israelite Business Park. In 1996 he purchased a parcel of land at 33 Wisconsin Avenue (from NCDC!) and developed a 14,000 square foot multi-tenant facility there. He currently employs 27 full time employees and you'll see Prime's trucks around town all year. In addition to running a successful business, Frank is dedicated to working in the community. He is the Chairman of the City's Housing & Code Board of Appeals and, since 2000, has been Chief of the Yantic Fire Company. His community and business interests align perfectly with NCDC's mission and we're pleased to have him on the board.

Kelly Lin was born in China and began her adult life there as a kindergarten teacher. Soon after she made a life changing decision and immigrated to the U.S. where she learned English and began defining her future. She was recruited and worked for Deloitte in NYC, a Big Six company, specializing in taxes then moved to IAC Interactive in NYC, a Fortune 500 internet company. You may not have heard of IAC itself, but you and 870 million other people each month probably know some of their customers: Dictionary.com or Thesaurus.com; Urbanspoon.com or citysearch.com; or even Smileycentral.com - those little smiley faces embedded in your e-mails Kelly and her husband Alex Lin live in Norwich and have a 3 year old daughter- Alyssa. We welcome Kelly and look forward to working with her as an NCDC board member.

As part of the annual meeting, the Board also elected a new slate of officers. The Officers for 2011 are:

• President: Kent S. Baker
• Vice President: David DiBattista
• Treasurer: John Bilda
• Secretary: Shelley Chenonceau
• Counsel: Mark Block

City residents can look forward to seeing new exciting things happening in Norwich as NCDC moves forward under their guidance.

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And the Work Continues

Mayor Nystrom thanked City residents for the faith they placed in the City's economic development leaders when they approved the $3.38 million economic development package last November. In his State of the City address to the Norwich City Council, Mayor Nystrom also vowed to see the new plan for economic development adopted and to follow through on its implementation. NCDC, appointed by the Council to be the agency responsible for developing the plan for Downtown, has been working diligently toward that end. During November and December, we continued the process of detailing the programs, the eligibility criteria, and the evaluation criteria. The programs implementation includes a very aggressive schedule that includes having the plan and all the associated details ready to present to the public by the end of February. The information will be posted here on askncdc.com as it becomes available - Stay Tuned!

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Congratulations...

to both Stacie Lambert, the new Chairman of the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce and Nancy Gray, the newly promoted President and Executive Director. Norwich is lucky to have these highly motivated and energetic women working for the good of the businesses here. NCDC and this Chamber have a long history of collaboration and cooperation and we look forward to continuing fostering a relationship with this 'dynamic duo'.

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Helping Small Businesses Grow - what every business should know

On Wednesday December 1, the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored a panel discussion and informational session for small business owners and entrepreneurs that dealt with the difficult issues inherent to finding financing and keeping business healthy.

• Did you know that Connecticut small businesses (less than 10 employees) created four times the number of new jobs than twenty-five of the biggest Connecticut corporations combined?
• Did you know that $.66 of every dollar spent in a community business stays in the community? That compares with the $.06 returned to the community from big chains.

Facts and advice from Donna Wertenback, Community Economic Development Fund: Support your local businesses! Supporting and assisting small businesses is just what these panel members do. Presenters at this event included Peter Lent, CT Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD); John Lobon, CT Development Authority (CDA); Ann Chambers, Southeastern CT Enterprise Region (SeCTer); and Donna Wertenbach, Community Economic Development Fund (CEDF).

Each of these organizations can and wants to be a resource for small businesses looking for financial or business development assistance; each of these organizations has a menu of assistance programs for existing and start up businesses; and each of these organizations had the same sage advice - if you need business assistance call one of them and ask, ask, ask! Financial capital is available for projects, machinery, property, equipment, working and start-up capital in the form of non-traditional financing, tax credits, and incentives. Help is available for writing business plans, developing financial scenarios, and even for business owners with less than stellar credit. These organizations, as well as the many other business resources in attendance, are committed to helping Connecticut Businesses be successful, stay in business, and stay in Connecticut.

This event offered attendees the opportunity to network with other resource organizations including: Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Center, Connecticut Economic Resource Center, SCORE - Counselors to America's Small Business, Norwich Public Utilities, Three Rivers Community College, Workforce Investment Board, CT Community Investment Corp, CT Center for Advanced Technology, and of course the Chamber and NCDC. Links to many of these organizations can be found here at askncdc.com at the Business Affiliates tab on our Community Page or on our Planning Center Page.

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Three Downtown Successes - Come hungry and enjoy!

The Harp and Dragon Irish Pub has become so successful it burst at the seams - literally! They have broken through the wall in the building that adjoins 130 Main Street and have created one spectacular restaurant and dining area with an expanded bar. “The Harp”, lovingly nicknamed by patrons, boasts a number of weekly, special occasion and seasonal events that are sure to keep people coming back. But, even with all the promotions and expansion, owner Scott Capano has found a way to maintain the cozy friendly atmosphere that has made The Harp and Dragon a resounding success. Congratulations - Way to Grow!

The downtown lunch and dinner crowd had been watching and wondering about the work being done at 85-91 Main Street, home to the new Kong Foo Vegetarian Bistro. The grand opening on November 12 marked the beginning of a new downtown venture by manager Silvio Lam. With the tagline “Eating for a life of wellness and longevity”, this new restaurant boasts a selection comprising 100% vegetable ingredients and offers a number of Asian themed options for the vegetarian crowd. The addition of Kong Foo Vegetarian Bistro to the restaurant line-up means there’s something for everyone in downtown Norwich. Welcome and good luck!

Hooray, he’s back! The paper is down from the windows, the lights are on, the tables are set and Josh Varsen former owner of Castle Pizza and Taste of Istanbul has opened a new eatery in the Wauregan building named the Mediterranean Express Café. The café specializes in Italian and Mediterranean Cuisine and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and promises the same wonderful offerings that brought success to his other two restaurants. Josh promises daily specials and a warm welcome. Welcome back and much luck in your new location!

 

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Intermodal Transportation Center on Schedule

In the quiet of the early downtown morning, you are apt to hear the rhythmic clang of metal on metal. That sound is caused by equipment driving 140 steel piles 70 plus feet into the bedrock under Falls Avenue and is music to the ears of the construction crews working diligently on the City’s Intermodal Transportation Center commonly known as the ITC. The site contractor is currently preparing the center and west side foundations by installing reinforcing rods for the beams that attach to the steel piles. These newly constructed foundations will soon be covered with fill and will become the temporary location of Falls Avenue. Relocating the access road will allow crews to complete the foundations and erect the west side of the garage over Falls Avenue by May 2011.

Travelers of West Main Street will also notice changes in the traffic patterns. The island located at Washington Street, and the one at Thames Square, will be removed and travel lanes will be revised so that large vehicles can more easily enter and exit Falls Avenue. Once the west side of the project is complete Falls Avenue will return to its original location and the east side of the project will be constructed. The project remains on schedule and the completion date remains April 2012.

 

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Economic Advisors Discuss the Fiscal Health of Norwich and the Region

On Tuesday October 26, Chief Economist and Governor Rell’s top economic advisor Don Klepper-Smith and Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC) spoke jointly to a group of Norwich leaders and residents to discuss key economic and fiscal issues confronting Norwich and Southeastern Connecticut. Key points and highlights of this discussion included:

• An overview of the U.S. Business Cycle. Recovery from job losses is different from historic recessions. Today, at the front end of recovery, the focus of business expansion is productivity and profitability not job growth. Businesses are restructuring jobs so that they can do more for less (structural change) and the jobs we will see will look much different than the jobs that were lost.
• Public spending vs. investment. Implementing a strategic approach to investment, one that provides a real Return on Investment (ROI), has the potential to stimulate grand list growth, provide tangible job creation, stimulate economic and community development, and improve the overall quality of life.
• Economic and fiscal health of Norwich. Norwich has a long history of fiscal discipline. The Bond ratings, fund balances, and debt levels show that Norwich has room to borrow prudently for its long-term future if it chooses to do so.
• Incentives for investing in Norwich. Norwich lags the State in job creation, revenue growth and measures of equalized grand list while at the same time commercial grand list shares are dropping and residential shares are rising. Norwich is at a cross roads regarding its long-term future and is in a better position than other municipalities to make investments that could improve its economic health.
• There is good news too. The Milken Institute, which ranks economic performance for large and small cities, has rated the Norwich-New London Labor Market Area 91st in the Nation up from 94th in 2009. Read the report here.

For more information see the presentation here or contact NCDC.

 

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New England Glass and Mirror Company - A Success Story

This month you’ll be seeing new faces around the Business Park! After years of successful operation, New England Glass and Mirror Company has outgrown its Central Avenue location. For over a year owner Carl Reiser and his team have been looking for a new place to call home and, after an exhaustive search, have chosen to settle in at 31 Connecticut Avenue in the Stanley Israelite Business Park. The size, location, and potential for growth makes this building an ideal spot for New England Glass. Carl noted that they were happy to be able to stay in Norwich, home to the company since its formation some 80 years ago, and we are happy to have them here. Congratulations to Carl and his team. Much success in your new home!

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Thanks for joining us at the Norwich ITC Groundbreaking!

 

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New branding launched at Norwich Business Park.

Upon entering the park on July 22nd, nearly 2,800 employees were exposed to new signage and banners throughout the park. 

In an effort to create an exciting and refreshed atmosphere for business and visitors, Camaro Signs, Miranda Creative, NCDC and the Park businesses united to address the aged directory signs. Among the initiative, the new signs and banners were developed with a color-coded wayfinding system, that divides the park into four colorized segments. Each business, alphabetized with color-coded blocks, relates to location of the business in the park. Throughout the park, color-coded banners reinforce the location, making the visitor experience much more navigable.

In the upcoming months, banners supporting local business sponsors will be appearing. Additional sponsor opportunities are available to local businesses, so please contact 860-887-6964 for more information.

Additionally, NCDC has taken on the role of helping find the right locations for new businesses and has placed “askncdc.com” on many sign and banner locations throughout the Park. Among these are messages that promote the Park, Norwich and the benefits of doing business in the area.

 

 

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Head of Research Presents to Regional Leadership

Jeff Blodgett, Vice President of Research at the Connecticut Economic Resource Center presented his 2007 landmark white paper- Communities- Connect to Compete to regional leadership at the Spa at Norwich Inn on June 14th. Jeff’s research indicated a long standing trend of decline of 24 of Connecticut’s Urban centers and their surrounding regions. From the area of eastern Connecticut the communities of Windham, Norwich, Groton and New London are 4 of the 24 urban areas in decline. Like nearly everything in economic development, there are numerous reasons for the decline and much of it masked by other activities in the rest of the state’s economy. It seems as though one of the single most significant underlying issues is the foundation of the tax structure in Connecticut. Communities are locked into a “one size fits all” model to produce revenue through property taxes. In most communities this revenue source accounts for but a fraction of the cost to operate a community, the balance coming from special state and federal aide.

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CEO of the Connecticut Technology Council Shares Insights

See what Matthew Nemerson, President and CEO of the Connecticut Technology Council had to say to Norwich.

On Wednesday, June 9th, Matthew Nemerson, President and CEO of the Connecticut Technology Council came to Norwich for a presentation and lively discussion with a group of civic and business leaders. The title of the discussion was Innovation & Job Growth in Connecticut, Norwich and other places too. You can see Matt’s PowerPoint presentation HERE. Matt had previewed the Norwich Results page located at www.norwichresults.org/wordpress to aide in the discussion. Some of the comments from attendees were along the lines of “this was the single most enlightening presentation I have seen in Norwich!” One of the outcomes is that we will be inviting Matthew back to another event with a significantly larger Norwich and Regional audience. The outcome of the meeting for me was that though we have a long, long way to go to see Norwich nearing our objectives stated in the Norwich Results web site, our initial thinking is not so far off track. We need to build upon solid ideas with supporting data and a focus that drives our work towards flexible but worthy goals that exceed any political term of office, any career of a single individual or the life expectancy of any particular economic development program.

What perhaps made Matt’s presentation so interesting and effective was his ability to position Norwich and Connecticut into the world economy and trends. How does Norwich, New London County, the state of Connecticut or the entire Northeastern USA compare to the economic regions that are taking over the world? Through data and charts Matt illustrated how Connecticut is loosing its edge in technology at an alarming rate (see slide #18) and Connecticut is leading job LOSSES in New England Slide #19). In the end Matt asked several key questions for Norwich to address in order to be successful in the long run. You can see Matt’s questions on slide 46 of his presentation.

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Norwich Economic Development Groups Present to City Council

A broad reaching group of economic development agencies, individuals and organizations presented the beginning set of economic development strategies to the Norwich City Council on Monday, April 19th.  The presentation is an outgrowth of many months of work to illuminate the economic issues facing Norwich and strategies to deal with them.  The plan and strategies are based on the Results Based Accountability model that many state and national organizations are using to halt the politicking and bickering that sometimes causes good efforts to stop cold.  The idea is to start with the desired results and work backwards, by determining the measurements needed to gauge achievement and then establishing action plans and accountability assignments for each strategy.

The group which includes the Mayor, City Council, City Manager and several City Department heads as well as Norwich Public Utilities, Norwich Community Development Corporation, Rose City Renaissance, The Redevelopment Agency, Otis Library and the Downtown Neighborhood Redevelopment Zone and many skilled individuals.  Much of the work was aided by the firm Holt, Wexler and Farnam out of New Haven who helped to introduce intrinsic economic data on Norwich and the region and also facilitated several of the workshops.

The DRAFT Plan is available by clicking here The Presentation that was provided to the City Council is available to view by clicking here

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Transportation Center Receives Bidder Interest

NORWICH - The City of Norwich, Norwich Community Development Corporation (NCDC), The State of Connecticut Department of Transportation, and the construction manager — The Downes Group, acknowledged receipt today of 30 bids across 4 packages for the Norwich Intermodal Transportation Center.

To encourage active response, NCDC had been conducting outreach to local, regional and Connecticut contracting firms for the past few months, drawing interest to the opportunities this $22 million project would represent. The 30 bids received by today’s deadline, were for four prime contract areas with multiple subcontracting opportunities in
the following categories:
    • Site Work with 12 bidders
    • Precast Concrete Structures with 3 bidders
    • General Trades with 8 bidders
    • Mechanical-Electrical-Plumbing and Elevators with 7 bidders

“I am very pleased with the level of interest and it looks like we have a good bid based on preliminary review at the opening,” shared Pete Polubiatko, project manager with NCDC. “The bids values were grouped rather tightly, indicating our specifications and expectation were very clear. All in all, we are very pleased with the quality and the quantity of the responses.” Next steps include a significant amount of due diligence including; scope review; DBE participation (where applicable); a comprehensive review of bid packages; followed by a series of interviews with the apparent low bidders; prior to announcing bid awards. It is anticipated that due diligence will be complete by the end of April, and construction is expected to start in June. The entire construction phase will last approximately 22 Months.

The Intermodal Transportation Center will support 9 busses, 170 cars, electric vehicle charging stations and a sustainable growth opportunity for the City of Norwich. In the near term, The Transportation Center will serve as an upgraded pulsing station for SEAT in addition; it will become a focus for opportunities to entice multiple modes of transportation including water and rail services to service the downtown area.

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New NCDC Strategic Plan

In 2007 the NCDC Board of Directors established several key strategies to chart a new direction for the organization. Those strategies included-

• Increasing organizational capacity
• Community economic improvement focus
• Strengthening relationships

Those goals have been substantially met or undertaken by the board and staff by mid-2009. The Board held a special workshop to discuss a new set of strategies developed over the last 16 weeks which are designed to assist the City of Norwich in improving the economic condition of the community. The planning period is for 3 years and identifies 4 key issues with 8 goals and 33 strategies. The plan is developed in 3 sections-

1. External Environment- the setting we are working within
2. Current and Future Conditions- what we have and what we want
3. Goals and Strategies- how we are going to achieve what we want

The Strategic Plan will remain in draft form until NCDC can reach a broad spectrum of the community to communicate the plan and seek input and partnerships on key activities.  Download a PDF of the Strategic Plan

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DECD brings Connecticut Strategic Plan to Norwich

On Monday, January 25 at 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development will conduct an informational forum on the State Economic Strategic Plan at the Otis Library Community Room. 

Directions to the library can be found at: otislibrarynorwich.org. A PDF version of the State’s plan can be found on the DECD website at: http://www.ct.gov/ecd/lib/ecd/connecticut_esp-final.pdf. Please join us at Otis Library as NCDC and the other economic development stakeholder in Norwich receive a first hand review of the plan.

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NCDC Annual Meeting

NCDC had its annual meeting January 28th, where officers were elected and the board refreshed.  In 2010, there were some adjustments to the officers when Kent Baker took over the helm as President while David DiBattista took a much needed step back to Vice President after many years of often daily interaction in the office.  Our thanks go out to both for their contributions to the community and the organization.  John Bilda took over as Secretary following the unfortunate passing of our friend Ron Aliano.  Ron was not only an officer of NCDC but had spent 40 years building a business empire, investing in Norwich and helping other investors find the value of creating new ventures and opportunities in our community.  John is also the Assistant Treasurer and spends time creating value within NPU who is also a significant NCDC Funding sponsor.  Brian McNamara continues as Treasurer and was also elected Assistant Secretary to create some backup assuring NCDC’s ability to meet timely contractual requirements. Check out our full Board of Directors

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DECD brings Connecticut Strategic Plan to Norwich

On Monday, January 25 at 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development will conduct an informational forum on the State Economic Strategic Plan at the Otis Library Community Room. 

Directions to the library can be found at: otislibrarynorwich.org. A PDF version of the State’s plan can be found on the DECD website at: http://www.ct.gov/ecd/lib/ecd/connecticut_esp-final.pdf. Please join us at Otis Library as NCDC and the other economic development stakeholder in Norwich receive a first hand review of the plan.

City Council Takes on Economic Development Challenge

The new Mayor and City Council are tackling economic development issues head on. In a series of Saturday and Wednesday mornings meetings, the leadership of Norwich has been assessing the economic condition of the city and working to put in place long term solutions. The Mayor has asked the Council to help define the problem and task the economic development service providers to recommend a set of directions for the council to adopt at a future City Council meeting. The deliverables are expected to follow along the lines of-

• a long term plan for change
• implementable strategies in the near term
• measureable goals along the way
• accountability measures
• results for the citizens of Norwich

The agendas are posted at City Hall as well as online at: norwichct.org. Dialogue is open and interesting. Stay tuned for more...

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Economic Development Baseline Data

Over the last few months the Economic Development Stakeholders in Norwich have been busy at work defining the baseline condition of the City in real, measurable terms.  Through a series of professionally developed surveys, the Economic Development Organizations have completed a new SWOT analysis and has begun the process of identifying key economic indicators that the community can use to guide programs and projects and track near term progress toward long term results. 

Download a PDF of the Economic Data Presentation

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