Letter to The Honorable James R. Miron, Mayor, Town of Stratford

Letter

Letter to The Honorable James R. Miron, Mayor, Town of Stratford

May 2, 2007

The Honorable James R. Miron
Mayor
Town of Stratford
2725 Main Street
Stratford, CT 06616

Dear Mayor Miron:

Thank you for your letter dated March 19, 2007, in which you informed us of the Stratford Town Council Resolution passed on March 12, 2007, regarding the Stratford Army Engine Plant (SAEP).

As you are aware, a great deal of time and effort has been expended on the SAEP over the past twelve years. We have worked diligently with the Town, Army and the community at large to develop a sensible plan for the reuse of the property. We committed to this course of action at the beginning and will stay committed for as long as is necessary to bring this matter to a successful conclusion.

However, we must regretfully decline the Town Council's request for legislation which would restrict the Army from seeking buyers for the surplus lands surrounding the plant and obligate the government to spend $150 million in remediation efforts without being able to seek a private firm willing to assume the financial burden of cleaning the site pursuant to developing the land for reuse. The reasons are twofold. First, the financial subsidy requested for the remediation of the SAEP property is simply unattainable in any reasonable amount of time given the current budgetary limitations in Washington. Commencing a new process would potentially take years to conclude and would not be in the best interests of either the Town of Stratford or any of the involved parties. We have all waited far too long. Second, the current process, put in place by the Army and the General Services Administration (GSA), is an open and transparent bidding process which will result in the determination of the rights to develop the property in a manner that can uphold public scrutiny. The legislative language which you have proposed does not assume a similar open public process. At this late date, we cannot, and should not, interfere with the decision made by the Army to follow its announced regulatory process.

Although arriving at this decision was difficult, we believe it is right. We remain hopeful that the auction will yield a responsible developer who will voluntarily assume the duty to remediate the property, removing the burden from the taxpayers, and ultimately generate much needed economic development for both Stratford and the region at large. The bidding process, which is contingent on public and Town participation, will ensure that all recommendations, development proposals, and public concerns are vetted and addressed. In fact, we know through staff attendance at a meeting earlier this week that the firm contracted to facilitate the auction has made public input a priority. We are confident that proceeding with the present course of action, along with a renewed commitment by the Town of Stratford and the public to participate positively in the process, will yield a new use of the property which will satisfy both the Town's desire for site control and the community's wishes for a clean, revitalized development.

We will continue to work as hard as possible to ensure, whatever the outcome of the approved proposal, it will support the Town's economic development priorities.

Sincerely,

CHRISTOPHER J. DODD JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN
United States Senator United States Senator

ROSA L. DELAURO CHRISTOPHER SHAYS
Member of Congress Member of Congress

JOHN B. LARSON JOSEPH COURTNEY
Member of Congress Member of Congress

CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY
Member of Congress