| Dear Friends,
We received this invitation from the City and are passing it on to FRESH New London members, gardeners, friends and volunteers.
Message: You are hereby given notice that the Council of the City of New London will hold a Special Meeting at the following place and time:
NEW LONDON SENIOR CENTER CONGREGATE ROOM,
120 BROAD STREET, NEW LONDON, CT
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020 at 6:00 P.M.
1. Call to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. The purpose of the meeting:
A question and answer session with City staff and the City Council regarding the
potential sale and lease of the Martin Center, 120 Broad Street, New London, CT and
related tax abatement agreement.
4. Adjournment
You are hereby given notice that the Council of the City of New London will hold a Public Hearing at the following place and time:
NEW LONDON SENIOR CENTER CONGREGATE ROOM,
120 BROAD STREET, NEW LONDON, CT
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020 at 7:00 P.M.
The subject of this Public Hearing:
The potential sale and lease of the Martin Center located at 120 Broad Street, New
London, CT
FRESH thoughts: As many of you know, we've been working with the City for nearly two years to preserve the gardens and education spaces at the corner of Mercer & Williams. We can report that a compromise between the City of New London and the future developers of the Martin Center has the garden staying in place for at least two years. And if the gardens need to be relocated at any time after that, the developers will be responsible for finding the land and paying for the full relocation. While this is not everything that we asked for, this compromise ensures we as New London residents will not lose access to community garden spaces. We are still in the process of negotiating FRESH's arrangement to manage the garden and will keep you posted on this conversation.
And while we are happy that the gardens will remain in place, we are still concerned (yet hopeful) about the loss of the community space in Martin Center, especially the space that served our youth. At the hearing, we will speak in favor of setting aside any money that the City saves from operating the Martin Center (like paying for annual heating bills) and using that money to establish open community gathering and recreation for our youth. We are glad that Mayor Passero and several City Council members have expressed support for a community center and look forward to hearing more about the plans.
Thank you! We really appreciate all of you for showing up, speaking up and supporting FRESH over this last two years. And please feel free to continue to carry your message of support for FRESH into this hearing and to the City Council meeting on March 16th, where the sale of the Martin Center will get the final vote by the City Council. |
