Vermont school on alert for tuberculosis
Related(?): Mickey Mouse Spread Measles
I think so. Must be all the pot smoking up there.
And it's already spreading:
"Connecticut pushes plans for oceanfront park; Town was poised to seal deal with condo developer" by Susan Haigh, Associated Press February 08, 2015
WATERFORD, Conn. — Connecticut officials are pressing ahead with plans to transform a former tuberculosis sanatorium for children into the first new shoreline state park in decades despite local misgivings, a potentially expensive price tag, and a private developer who contends his contract was illegally terminated.
Democratic Governor Dannel P. Malloy stunned local leaders last fall when he announced a proposal to transform the approximately 32-acre, state-owned vacant parcel in Waterford — formerly the Seaside Sanatorium and later the Seaside Regional Center for the developmentally disabled — into a park. Malloy proclaimed the ‘‘beautiful piece of land should be used for the direct benefit and enjoyment of the residents of Waterford and the state of Connecticut.’’
The parcel, listed on the state and national registers of historic places, boasts sweeping views of Long Island Sound, grand lawns, forested areas, and a sandy beach edged by a sea wall. It includes several historic buildings designed by architect Cass Gilbert, whose works include the US Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. The property’s fate has been uncertain for years, taken on and off the market by the state and stymied by lawsuits, but First Selectman Daniel Steward said Waterford was close to sealing an agreement with the developer when Malloy stepped in last year.
‘‘We felt somewhat put back, and it wasn’t appropriate,’’ said Steward, a Republican.
The state has since terminated its contract with Mark Steiner of Farmington, who has been attempting to develop Seaside for about 15 years. It has hired private consultants to study the site and come up with options for the property as a park, scheduling public hearings to collect public input. An online public survey has been created.
‘‘We’re just trying to explore different options at this stage of the process and get public feedback so we get some direction,’’ said Susan Whalen, deputy commissioner for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. She said DEEP will ultimately decide the property’s fate, in collaboration with the governor’s office, the Office of Policy and Management, and with guidance from the consultants.
‘‘It’s very rare there are opportunities to develop parks along the ocean these days,’’ Whalen said.
But in a Dec. 15 letter to Whalen, Steward said there are better alternatives, especially since there are public beaches and state parks nearby. He said Steiner’s plan included a 100-foot area of public waterfront access, a walkway, and public parking — a plan the developer said was crafted with state environmental officials. The proposal also called for the developer to rebuild the sea wall and buildings, which have deteriorated since the state facility closed in 1996.
Steiner estimates it will cost $50 million to $80 million to fix the buildings and $2 million for the sea wall.
Steward has proposed a public/private partnership in which the state retains public access to the waterfront and leaves the remaining property for housing and other low-traffic uses. Steward also supports a high-end inn, which is part of Steiner’s proposal. Steiner’s plan was estimated to generate up to $3 million in annual revenue for the town.
Steiner, meanwhile, said his lawyers are looking at possible legal avenues. They contend that the state, which kept Steiner’s $250,000 deposit, wrongfully terminated its contract with the developer and that damages could be in excess of $50 million.
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