The Mission of Preservation Chelsea

It is our mission to preserve Chelsea as a village rich with history and charm, reflected by historic buildings, surrounding farmlands, and as found in our beautiful and vibrant village center. We aim to work through education, offering to ourselves and the community the history of Chelsea as well as the issues shaping our future. We intend actively to preserve historic landmarks and to have a voice in all issues that affect any possible de-centralization of our village. It is our intention to pursue this mission with full involvement and input from merchants and citizens of Chelsea and to act in ways that make sense for the preservation of Chelsea's charm and historic integrity while supporting a vibrant and successful downtown.

Federal Screw Works

Federal Screw Works
This property has been under threat of total demolition since 2008--there are historically signficant and architecturally interesting sections that should be preserved!

Jackson Street Panorama

Jackson Street Panorama
The DDA voted at the meeting on 9.20.12 to demolish the Daniels Addition Car Showroom despite the letter from the State Historic Preservation Office. (please read below)

Thursday, July 12, 2012

John Frank repeated his request of DDA to City Council 7.10.12: initiate a committee to meet with Kadushin Associates


I’m John Frank; I live at 138 East Middle Street.
I am requesting that you please appoint a committee to meet with the developer, Kadushin Associates, who submitted a proposal to rehabilitate the Longworth properties. I made this request to the DDA at their last meeting and I was ignored.
The purpose of this proposed committee would be to resolve several misunderstandings that were created by a resolution the DDA passed on June 7th.
When they presented their proposal to the DDA at a special meeting on May 31st, Kadushin Associates made clear how they expected to finance the project, and the required timeline. At the following meeting on June 7th the DDA passed a resolution that Kadushin perceived as having erected two insurmountable barriers. Some members of the DDA now say that the resolution did not say what they meant, and that led to a misunderstanding.
Upon receipt of the resolution Abe Kadushin asked our City Manager to meet with him to clarify these issues. Abe told me that he was stunned that the City Manager refused to meet with him. This was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” ----- Abe then took the advice of his attorney and withdrew their offer, and told me that trying to work with Chelsea was, quote, “too much hassle” – “too much hassle”.
I believe Chelsea will suffer if we are silent about what we know from experience is wrong. And what is my experience? Although I do not own a business in Chelsea, I did devote eleven years, prior to my retirement, as a Senior Partner in a 250-person consultancy that worked with large organizations, helping them to improve their business processes. I do know something about business.
My experience in business taught me that criterion number one in doing business is:
Love Your Customer. A developer is – or should be thought of as – an esteemed potential customer. This customer wants to spend 3.7 million dollars in our community to create new tax-paying business. We ought to reach out to him. Make it easy for him to do business with us. Instead of saying, as one us did, “I for one am not ready to move forward by inviting them back,” we should have said “I will meet with you at your convenience to resolve misunderstandings and I will work with you to find a mutually beneficial way for us to move forward together.”
Since the name on the deed for the Longworth property has the City as the owner, it is time that the City Council exercise leadership on this matter, in accordance with the ethical principles for the government of the City of Chelsea. A non-voting sub-committee could be appointed to meet with Kadushin for the purposes of exchanging information and resolving misunderstandings, without violating the Open Meetings Act. Surely this ought to be done.
I request that you please appoint a committee to meet with the developer, Kadushin Associates, to resolve several misunderstandings that were created by the resolution the DDA passed on June 7th.
Thank You.

No comments:

Post a Comment