CANTLON’S CORNER: THE XL CENTER STILL HAS LIFE 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Apparently, the XL Center has more lives than any feline could ask for.

Prior to Thursday’s night’s monthly CRDA meeting, it’s Executive Director, Michael W. Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, confirmed that Governor Ned Lamont supports additional funding for downtown Hartford’s XL Center. The dollar amount being discussed is in the neighborhood of up to $30 million — in each of the next two years, in the two-year budget cycle.

While sounding the most hopeful tone in almost two years, Freimuth was not planning a victory dance just yet, and he wouldn’t place a final price tag on the proposal.

“It’s in that ballpark ($20-$30M) there are a lot of hurdles we have to go through. This is going to take some time. It’s not getting done next week. We have to have it first go to the finance committee for review. Once it, or if it goes through to the General Assembly then it has to be approved and put in the budget. Then as a capital budget item would have to go through the bond commission.

Anyone of these is a big hurdle, but with the Democrats in control, I would think it should pass the first two steps. The Bonding Commission, I know is going to be the biggest hurdle of them all,” Freimuth, who said the number may fall somewhere between $20 to $30 million, said.

He has the Hartford delegation, but other major cities and towns in the state have not been as receptive to the plan, and with just over a month left in the legislative session, a full court press is on.

Freimuth also confirmed that the lone bidder to last years RFP process where they sought an outside entity to buy the building, Oak Street Realty LLC of Chicago, has been formally rejected by the CRDA and the RFP closed out.

“The money and the terms were just too much for us. They wanted a guarantee regardless of the building’s performance over 20 years and at 7.5% of either the $250 or $125 (million). It wasn’t a deal that would fly.”

That doesn’t end the concept of “public-private partnership.” The formula dynamic is now public, meaning government money, but hopes that a private component would emerge to unload and shift a vast majority, or all, of the financial burden of the arena from state taxpayers in the future.

“We have had some interested parties approach us and they are just talks, nothing more than that. They are more interested in the revenue-side rather than the operational, the sponsorships, merchandise, and all the revenue streams we have projected going forward in a new (refurbished) XL Center.

“This is just a framework and the public portion is going to be required to get this project going, and we’ll have this funding to allow us to keep the building alive, performing, and keeping after repairs and maintenance which never stops,” Freimuth stated.

He relayed from a recent vacation trip to Italy a funny, satirical anecdote regarding the XL Center.

“My wife and I and our friends went to an outdoor amphitheater to see a play. This place is 2,500 years old It predates the birth of Christ by about 500 years.

“The Greek engineers of the time built a 30 mile aqueduct to bring water because its so hot outside there and brought water from the mountain top all the way to the grotto and there is not one mechanical piece involved in any of it, as it was built in part of the structure (the building). It still is functioning.

“I was able to put my hands in that water and splash my face with it. The XL Center has so many moving mechanical pieces, so many that are worn out and outdated, it’s literally a daily exercise to keep up with the issues that crop up.”

The XL Center hasn’t had hot water in who knows how long. Maybe the state should find a way to consult with the Greeks. Although the Greeks might be stumped by all the zoning laws, permit processes and certainly the cost of a union laborer would be far superior to that of a slave laborer.

The CRDA still has $40 million parked for the acquisition of the atrium and the bridge between them and Northland on the purchase price might expand to Texas, which has reached a critical point after two-plus years of failed negotiations.

“We’re still far apart and no consensus has been reached on that matter,” Freimuth stated.

The question was raised if an eminent domain could be used to buy out the surrounding area.

“First, we have an approved vote to acquire the atrium. To execute (eminent domain) we require a vote of the CRDA board first. I really can’t comment much further, but a decision on this is likely sooner, rather than later,” said Freimuth regarding the thorny issue that a plus and negative side.

Another positive is that the new chiller system project is close to hitting the streets for a formal RFP.

“We have all the pieces in place now to seek an RFP to select a CM (Construction Manager) for the project. It took a little longer than we wanted, but we had an important issue come up that had to be addressed, and we have done so, and now we seek the contractors we’ll need to complete this phase,” said Bob Saint, the CRDA Construction Director.

That hiccup was regarding the developing of an emergency access and stairways where the chiller will be placed in the northwest corner of the building that was required under state fire code since the building is state operated and city-owned and are governed under state fire codes.

“Part of what is involved in a chiller system contains chemicals, and if something should ever go wrong there has to be an exit from the area. It came up late in the process and fire codes and building codes have changed since the building was first built. So an egress, stairway, and exits had to be built to come into compliance” said Saint.

The exact cost of the price for all of this is apparently something that Saint cannot divulge, but it’s expected to be multiple millions of dollars.

“Because we are about to go into an RFP in about two weeks, so we can’t discuss those numbers publicly,” he said. “(The multiple millions in cost) would be fair to say and remember we are also part of a much larger endeavor with the building and we have work in that budget and the overall end product of a new rebuilt arena.”

When asked however about a time frame to get this project done, that Saint was able to share. “I think three to four months is about the right to put all the pieces in place. You also want a timetable that gives you the latitude to handle any contingencies that may arise.”

The goal is to build the system in the building as the season is ongoing and once completed to switch over from the old chiller to the new chiller after next season in 2020.

“That is our optimal position because we don’t want to disrupt things during a season (for the Wolf Pack, UCONN hockey or UCONN basketball) because a switchover takes about two weeks. To do this you have to see how the systems merge in transfer and if a problem should arise you want a good time frame to make any corrections that may be needed.

Now if there is something wrong with the old system, that would require us to switch over earlier we’ll evaluate it at that time and look to address it should it occur, but this timetable I think will best serve the need to handle our needs in the present and the future.”

Is their daylight at the end of this long laborious nearly six-year adventure? This might be the breakthrough, but hopes have been dashed before.