Why has Mr. Ronalter written this article so late in the game? The current approved location has been in the works for a couple of years and is now moving forward. Is Mr. Ronalter a Monday morning quarterback?
I am not comfortable with the police station going on that piece of city property. It is a very marketable piece of property and we are kind of wasting it on build a city building there. But we should support it as a whole because Mayor Stewart has put a lot of effort into this.
Deputy Fire Chief Ronalter should now be called Johnny come lately!
I respect that he served on the committee that selected the current location for the police station BUT, IS HE COMPLAINING THAT HIS VOTE WAS NOT IN THE AFFIRMATIVE SO NOW HE WANTS TO CHANGE SELECTED LOCATION BY THE COUNCIL?
Planning for a downtown police station started well over 3 years ago. As a veteran member of the NB Fire Department Mr. Ronalter knew that.
Now that the city has purchased the property, cleared it of dilapidated buildings, an architect hired, now that plans are complete, bonding for the project secured, additional funds from the state secured, a contractor and construction manager chosen and a Police Station Building Committee in place that has already been meeting, here come Mr. Ronalter and a couple of others to say, you did it all wrong! What you should have done is...
Mr. Ronalter has presented an elaborate plan to create a learning center - in concert with CCSU - on the site and shift the location of the police station to the vacated former Herald building.
Mr. Ronalter acts as though CCSU, the State and any other potential players in his plan are already on board with the idea; THEY ARE NOT! Where have Mr. Ronalter and all the other self proclaimed city planners been since before the City got going on building a new police station many years ago?
Mr. Ronalter forgot to mention a few things: NB does not own the Herald Building; NB is not buying the Herald Building; The President of CCSU has said there are no plans for CCSU to expand or do any building in downtown NB, loans of all kinds are scarce, etc., etc.
Mr. Ronalter may have other reasons for attempting to stop this project. To that end perhaps, there was a surreptitious meeting in CITY HALL held on Monday evening between Mr. Ronalter and certain DEMOCRAT MEMBERS of the Common Council where Mr. Ronalter's "plans" were discussed. Democrats, supposedly, were careful not to have a certain number (?) of Council members present at the meeting because the meeting would have been ILLEGAL. Knowing this and by this time, you would think that the Democrats wouldn't have done this.
But then, this is the kind of behavior NB has come to expect not only from this generation of Council Democrats but also from certain members of Local 992. Is there another agenda?
Maybe the Mayor has put a lot of effort into it however those in the downtown area know this is not a great design and not a good use for this piece of land.
We in the downtown are reluctant to voice concerns. We know the Mayor wants to put it there. Ask most of us one on one and you'll learn we aren't that excited about it being placed on that spot.
Let's save the $30 million dollars and sell the property to a private investor for profit.
How's that for a change! Stop spending our money but I know the democrats will love to spend money to build this and will probably insist we spend more at the very end to pay for union wages.
The design is a slap in the face to the business owners who wanted to see something inviting to residents. Instead it's a sterile looking behemoth of a brick box.
I cannot figure out why all this negative feedback on the police station is coming this late in the game?
Are these people who just like to complain because at this point, it's pretty much a done deal and personally, I haven't heard too much opposition until today.
Look, that poor excuse for a single story mall type disaster of a building is down. Our current police station is in complete need of replacing. This site was proposed for the station years ago. This process has been slow in coming and now this article in the Courant and negative posts?
And regarding the look and blending to look like downtown, maybe the police station can lead the way because downtown has no real look other than down and out.
the democrats will certainly advocate spending more money. they can not stop themselves. only democrats would fight to spend 30 million????!!!! on a police station during a recession!
Why has Mr. Ronalter written this article so late in the game? The current approved location has been in the works for a couple of years and is now moving forward. Is Mr. Ronalter a Monday morning quarterback?
ReplyDeleteI am not comfortable with the police station going on that piece of city property. It is a very marketable piece of property and we are kind of wasting it on build a city building there. But we should support it as a whole because Mayor Stewart has put a lot of effort into this.
ReplyDeleteDeputy Fire Chief Ronalter should now be called Johnny come lately!
ReplyDeleteI respect that he served on the committee that selected the current location for the police station BUT, IS HE COMPLAINING THAT HIS VOTE WAS NOT IN THE AFFIRMATIVE SO NOW HE WANTS TO CHANGE SELECTED LOCATION BY THE COUNCIL?
I am in downtown all the time and I don't think the current design works at all.
ReplyDeleteWe need a new police station but the current design that was picked looks like an eyesore.
Middletown's police station blends in. This one will stick out and won't blend with the rest of downtown.
I don't think it should go on the Herald site. It should be on Greenfields on columbus.
ReplyDeletePlanning for a downtown police station started well over 3 years ago. As a veteran member of the NB Fire Department Mr. Ronalter knew that.
ReplyDeleteNow that the city has purchased the property, cleared it of dilapidated buildings, an architect hired, now that plans are complete, bonding for the project secured, additional funds from the state secured, a contractor and construction manager chosen and a Police Station Building Committee in place that has already been meeting, here come Mr. Ronalter and a couple of others to say, you did it all wrong! What you should have done is...
Mr. Ronalter has presented an elaborate plan to create a learning center - in concert with CCSU - on the site and shift the location of the police station to the vacated former Herald building.
Mr. Ronalter acts as though CCSU, the State and any other potential players in his plan are already on board with the idea; THEY ARE NOT! Where have Mr. Ronalter and all the other self proclaimed city planners been since before the City got going on building a new police station many years ago?
Mr. Ronalter forgot to mention a few things: NB does not own the Herald Building; NB is not buying the Herald Building; The President of CCSU has said there are no plans for CCSU to expand or do any building in downtown NB, loans of all kinds are scarce, etc., etc.
Mr. Ronalter may have other reasons for attempting to stop this project. To that end perhaps, there was a surreptitious meeting in CITY HALL held on Monday evening between Mr. Ronalter and certain DEMOCRAT MEMBERS of the Common Council where Mr. Ronalter's "plans" were discussed. Democrats, supposedly, were careful not to have a certain number (?) of Council members present at the meeting because the meeting would have been ILLEGAL. Knowing this and by this time, you would think that the Democrats wouldn't have done this.
But then, this is the kind of behavior NB has come to expect not only from this generation of Council Democrats but also from certain members of Local 992. Is there another agenda?
Maybe the Mayor has put a lot of effort into it however those in the downtown area know this is not a great design and not a good use for this piece of land.
ReplyDeleteWe in the downtown are reluctant to voice concerns. We know the Mayor wants to put it there. Ask most of us one on one and you'll learn we aren't that excited about it being placed on that spot.
Let's save the $30 million dollars and sell the property to a private investor for profit.
ReplyDeleteHow's that for a change! Stop spending our money but I know the democrats will love to spend money to build this and will probably insist we spend more at the very end to pay for union wages.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"I am in downtown all the time and I don't think the current design works at all.
We need a new police station but the current design that was picked looks like an eyesore.
Middletown's police station blends in. This one will stick out and won't blend with the rest of downtown.
October 6, 2010 12:12 PM"
"Won't blend in with the rest of dopwntown" ! Which is what?
The design is a slap in the face to the business owners who wanted to see something inviting to residents. Instead it's a sterile looking behemoth of a brick box.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteDeputy Fire Chief Ronalter should now be called Johnny come lately!
THAT TITLE BELONGS TO JOHN MACNAMARA, also known as "Little Mack"
I cannot figure out why all this negative feedback on the police station is coming this late in the game?
ReplyDeleteAre these people who just like to complain because at this point, it's pretty much a done deal and personally, I haven't heard too much opposition until today.
Look, that poor excuse for a single story mall type disaster of a building is down. Our current police station is in complete need of replacing. This site was proposed for the station years ago. This process has been slow in coming and now this article in the Courant and negative posts?
And regarding the look and blending to look like downtown, maybe the police station can lead the way because downtown has no real look other than down and out.
"Instead it's a sterile looking behemoth of a brick box."
ReplyDeleteLOL--I agree. Great description!
A police station is needed somewhere in the downtown area. Where else could the city build one? How much land is needed?
ReplyDeletethe democrats will certainly advocate spending more money. they can not stop themselves. only democrats would fight to spend 30 million????!!!! on a police station during a recession!
ReplyDeleteTYPICAL LIBERALS!
why does it have to be downtown?
ReplyDeletewhy can't it be someplace else in town?