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Study of
I-park
model
on tap
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- The proposed high tech industrial park, slated for property off Kennedy Drive at exit 95 off I395, is in line for a feasibility study, according to Town Administrator Douglas M. Cutler.
The town close to hiring Beta Engineering of Connecticut and Rhode Island to conduct a feasibility study on several levels for 200-plus acres the town is targeting for a high-tech industrial park.
What is unusual about the proposal is that the town would not own the land, but rather would act as a go-between for the landowners and industries interested in signing up.
Cutler said after Beta Engineering signs the contact, it has six months to conduct its comprehensive study.
Included in the study will be an "ownership model" that will work for the town. If the town owned the land, Cutler said, it would draw fewer tax dollars from the property.
Beta will study marketing the tech park and will also conduct engineering work "studying the feasibility from an engineering standpoint," Cutler said.
The park would draw from the tri-state area. The town would provide infrastructure. Residents recently approved a $1 million contract with Connecticut Water Co. that will make up to 800,000 gallons of water per day available. Cutler said part of that contract would help supply water to the proposed industrial park. Cutler added that sewer lines are already in the area.
The area is incorporated as a growth area with the state. It had been zoned agricultural. The growth area designation makes the land eligible for state funds.
The proposed high-tech park would be accessed by a new bridge that would be built directly across from exit ramp 95 off I-395. Vehicles exiting the highway would drive straight across Kennedy Drive, across the bridge and into the high-tech park. The town already has state funding in the amount of $2.97 million for the design and construction of the new bridge. Designed by CME Engineering, the bridge is a two-lane bridge with a simple rail design. Originally the bridge plans called sidewalks and bike lanes, but considering the tight budget on the project the bike lanes and sidewalks have been moved to the current Rovero bridge that crosses the Quinebaug closer to downtown, Cutler said.
One of the 13 lots for the park would host the proposed regional YMCA.