Well to put it bluntly, he is full of beans.
Here is a year and half's worth of unanswered or otherwise insufficiently answered emails sent to Bill Coleman directly. In them, I asked.... in fact begged for the City's support. And so in January when the proverbial shtuff hit the fan at DEEP, knowing all along that the City was behind this crusade to kill CCB, I ceased communications with the City, but only after they shut us down first. There is no law that says the CEO has to talk to assholes and when someone treats you like crap and then says Im not talking to you anymore, you say OK.
Instead, John Madden took over lead communications with City officials over the Boat Basin. He can tell you himself his luck in bringing Connecticut's Evil Fiefdom around to the side of justice and fair play. But here are the emails that I think enlighten some of the challenges I have faced working with the City.
You don't have to read them, there's a lot. But don't tell me I haven't put the info out there for the public record. Here you go.
January 1, 2011
Hi Bill Happy New Year!
Met this morning and discussed the idea of moving to Bridgeport Harbor- Lots of good ideas discussed- Very positive. You should be hearing some of them from the folks over there- lets see what works-
Cheers
January 31, 2011
Hi Bill- Thanks for setting up a meeting. I just wanted to know if you had any feedback in preparation for the meeting about the proposal- the Sliver was suggested as an ideal location, but I am very flexible on proposed locations. Are there any other sites in the running that you folks have discussed? Any particular issues with the current suggestion? I want to be as prepared as possible for all questions that may presented. Thanks-
March 2, 2011
Hi Bill- Just checking in- Good to see you at the meeting last week. Got an estimate back from our dock people- Looking like about $10K to do the study and the permiting- a bit pricey so Joe Ryan is seeing if his dock guy can come in at a lower price. Edith up at Environmental Justice is seeing if there is some funding up that way to cover the costs as is Sue Jacobson- they really want to see this happen.
I was also walking down at the sliver now that some of the snow has melted and the place is strewn with trash- I'd like to mobilize a group of volunteers I have coming on March 26th to get in the collect it before it makes it's way into the Harbor but dont want to publicize anything until we get the ok from you. I'd really like to start mobilizing the public behind this idea - we could raise the money through public donations to get the dock done too but that requires publicity- the more time we have to do that the better. What's our status these days?
Thanks
March 7, 2011
HI Bill- called late Friday- hope you had a good weekend- juts wanted to do a status check- are we still a go?
March 15, 2011
Bill - I have 100 volunteers who want to do a clean up in Bridgeport on April 2. I'd love them to work on the Sliver as it has a ton of trash ready to blow in to the river. Can I get the City's permission to coordinate a clean up there and get the city to haul away the trash prior to signing a lease for the site?
It's not often I get 100 people mobilized and given the ammount of work required at the site it would be awesome-
Please advise
March 17, 2011
HI Bill- did you get my last email about cleaning up The Sliver on April 2- also where do we stand on the letter and next steps
March 21, 2011
Hey Guys- Hope all is well- Will we be able to get the final letter of intent done this week? Also- I am guessing we're approaching deadlines to get on the various approval agendas for April- How do we go about getting this before the appropriate committees?
March 22, 2011
HI All- My phone is ringing off the hook about the season ahead. We started sailing two weeks ago,the first day of spring was yesterday and April is right around the corner- will we finalize the letter of intent this week? Sent an email yesterday but heard nothing. I have a marine engineer all lined up, DEP says they will fast track the permit, but I can;t do anything til we formalize an agreement
please advise -thanks
April 13, 2011 (after a Meeting with Don Eversley Bill's Former Boss)
Gentlemen, Thank you for meeting with me today- here are a few paragraphs for your reference per your request- let me know if I might provide any additonal info
Since the inception of CCB in 2007, we have been committed to one goal, “No child Left Ashore.” In that time we have grown from one boat and one sailor, to a network of sailors and a 50 boat fleet with 501c3 status. We have also expanded from beach-launching at the Seaside Park boat ramp to our docking and mooring facilities in the former landfill where we restored a 40 year old pier and float, built the Ecoclassroom and secured permission for a mooring fleet in Bridgeport Harbor.
This year we hope to move to a new location, on the Pequonnock River, and begin bringing the final phase of the CCB development to completion, developing a waterfront park with public docks for access to our floating facility. In the next three years, we hope to add a public float to the deck beneath the train station and create a mooring fleet to establish the Bridgeport Boat Basin. We also hope to install an 80 foot float and offer public access to a row boat fleet, a kayak fleet, offer bird tours of The Stewart B. McKinney Wild Life reserve.
This facility will serve a multitude of purposes and provide even more opportunities for the Park City. It will not only serve to enhance our effect in our community, but also help ensure many other organizations, such as The Shehan Center and New Beginning’s Family Academy, with whom we now partner, have enhanced beneficial effects on the Park City and surrounding communities. We believe it will also bring area residents back to the City of Bridgeport and enhance tourism for the area and will very neatly fit into the Bridgeport Redevelopment plan. It can be the start of a very public reinvestment in the city and help frame the new face of Bridgeport in the 21rst Century with little in the way of cost to the City and much benefit.
As evidence of our improved effect already on Bridgeport, I would like to point to the Shehan Center Opti Fleet, a fleet of 8 foot sailing dinghies for youth. The boats were donated to Shehan in the early 1990, but lacking a place to launch in the City, the boats we’re moved to Stamford. When we opened, Terry OConnor arranged to have the Shehan boats returned to Bridgeport and CCB, in partnership with Shehan, provided the kids of the Shehan Center with their first chance to use their boats in Bridgeport.
After that meeting, nothing happened for at least three months. In July 2011 we finally signed a deal to begin fundraising to build the Bridgeport Boat Basin. Hurricane Irene hit on Aug 28, 2011 which shut the Coast down for a month, then the Halloween Blizzard hit which shut down Northern Connecticut where I live for a month, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years and the emails started up again and we made another run at the City to get a new access agreement.
March 13, 2012
Hi Bill- Our phone and emails are blowing up today with the nice weather- can you let me know what status and who is left to give the nod to our downtown efforts? I am meeting with the Harbor Master and the Harbor Commission on Thursday to touch base- would love to give them an update
Thanks
We had an idea to raise some funds for the Docks and beautify the docks. I sent him an email with this photo of the idea.
4/12/12
I did a simple cut and paste in paint- the size is off, but the idea consistent- let me know what you think
 |
| My mock up of what the docks could look like if we put a little effort into marketing them |
At this time, we were also suffering a great many thefts at our facility in Seaside Park. The City first would not lock the gate to the facility, then locked the gate and refused to give us a key. That was part of the reason we had to leave Seaside-
April 19, 2012
Hey Bill- Met with Sue Jacobsen yesterday and she seemed to be really postive about the proposed plans- Martha had a few concerns that she expressed in front of Sue- I would rather she kept her concerns inside the circle, but I think i talked our way through it- Politically not the best move- No harm no foul though-
Also - have we made any progress on getting a key for the gate at Seaside? I have a group of volunteers coming down on Saturday morning to work on the docks and could ferry them over from Captain's Cove, but driving in would work much better
April 20, 2012
Hey Bill- Just wanted to check and see if you got my message about the meeting with the DEEP and the landfill keys- thanks
May 14, 2012
Hey Bill- Hope all is well back at the homefront once again- lets touch base- Thanks
May 15, 2012
Hey Bill- just checking in- any chance to talk would be appreciated
Then we attempted to host a fundraising event at the docks in Downtown Bridgeport. With drunks, drug addicts and homeless people, we thought a little activity, some positive presence, we could try and clean up the dereliction. But we forgot, that the City wants those homeless people there and a couple of old ladies drinking chardonnay on a Sunday might give the place a bad rap. And we called it, "Rock the Dock" Doesn't that sound nefarious?
May 17, 2012
Here is where I got the idea for the name- http://communitysailingcenter.
May 17, 2012
and another http://www.rockthedocks.info/
May 17, 2012
Eventually I was hauled into the Police Chief's office where he said I thought you guys did kayaking , why do you need alcohol? I explained that fundraising events are typically more successful when guest are allowed to have a few cocktails. The Police Chief couldn't get his head around that and nixed our permits to host a fundraiser at the docks we were paying to repair. We moved up river to Knowlton St, where we had a great event telling people about the facility we were allowed to pay for but not allowed to use.
 |
| Me at Rock the Dock- do you see a boat anywhere? Exactly- try and fundraise for sailing without a boat. Not easy May 24, 2012 |
Then the real work started and the real lack of support because evident. When we learned that dock permiting cost an additional $700 that your were forced to pay to a private entity, I got incensed- That is State sponsored extortion to access the water- I begged for public support- Not a word from anyone- here is the email exchange
Bill!
Did you know that State Law mandates a public notice be sent to Connecticut Post that costs $350 TWICE to submit the application? That is Flipping NUTS- Can you help me find some funding to cover the cost or help me find the right politician to complain to?? This is criminal
6/8/12
| | |||
Chris,
I am seeing whether we have funds in OPED.
From: chris.german@gmail.com [mailto:chris.german@gmail.com
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 11:04 AM
To: Coleman, William
Subject: Fwd:
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 11:04 AM
To: Coleman, William
Subject: Fwd:
6/8/12
| | |||
I have a call into Don Clemons office- I really dont want to pay this- its rediculous- At least I am gonna kick up a fuss in the State legislature, but I would hate to see this project put on hold pending a public battle
6/8/12
| | |||
Chris,
Let me offer a different perspective, respectfully, for your consideration. This is not the battle to fight. You’ve got a $15,000 challenge, not a $700 challenge. Legal ads are expensive. They chew up a ton of the Planning and Zoning budget and are part of every grant budget. Public notice is a big deal. Is it a racket for the Press? Yeah. But if in theory it’s about making sure the public is aware (most importantly of deleterious projects). So it does serve an important end in a democratic system. We’ve got broader reform issues to push at the State legislature and at DEP. And if you get standing as an operating entity, with a profile, with a constant and visible presence, drawing people to our waterfront, you will be a great ally in the battle. I’d rather, just to give you ONE example, talk with the State and DEP about a single city-wide blanket permit for removing derelict structures (all the crumbling bulkheads and pilings) rather than having to do it property by property. I’d like a urban waters program that is much more flexible, more development friendly, more cognizant of existing structures, not always having to start from scratch with each effort, not always having to get a survey. There is a broader agenda.
From: chris.german@gmail.com [mailto:chris.german@gmail.com
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 11:29 AM
To: Coleman, William
Subject: Re: Fwd:
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 11:29 AM
To: Coleman, William
Subject: Re: Fwd:
6/8/12
| | |||
I hear you- The thought that to clean up 100 derelict structures and have to pay $700 per project will make cleaning up our waterfront impossible. Sue at DEEP told me oyster bed operator was shut down because of the publicity fee- looking at the broader perspective, this is yet another economic strangle on Connecticut's waterfront economy - How can we grow this State with arcane policies like this???
To be clear- do you want me to shut my mouth- or can I advocate for all of Connecticut's waterfront interests?
6/8/12
| | |||
Chris, You are your own man and have to run by your own lights. So I am not dictating to you how you should conduct CCB. You are free to call Don and complain. Because I try to pick my own battles, I am merely SUGGESTING that CCB will be a MORE credible advocate for BRIDGEPORT’s waterfront interests once you are in fact a visible, constant, prominent, player on BRIDGEPORT’s waterfront. And since nobody is likely (or probably even able) to waive the fee this time around, and since that is your critical path to getting to the water, why fight that battle now?
From: chris.german@gmail.com [mailto:chris.german@gmail.com
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 12:11 PM
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 12:11 PM
6/8/12
| | |||
Yes I do see your point. Picking battles is sometimes a necessary evil. This could be a good point to gel public opinion and support for CCB on the laundry list of impediments to waterfront development in this State- it is a central mission of CCB, "Promote and Protect Long Island Sound". But I don't want to piss anyone off in the City.
I will push, but only so far as the common good is concerned. I will use this issue to leverage a donation to cover the costs as part of the project and either (a) we will raise the money or (b) leverage a public policy change or (c) if we are lucky, we can do both.- It burns my biscuits to no end to pay for something that is so fundamentally wrong with this State that involves the Media- You know my background in is journalism- this makes my stomach turn to know that Print media is extorting money in the interest of public information.
6/8/12
| | |||
Understood. I will let you know what I learn on my end re: funding for the ad.
From: chris.german@gmail.com [mailto:chris.german@gmail.com
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 12:37 PM
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 12:37 PM
We eventually paid the fees, finalized the deals and when were ready to submit the application, Bill Coleman all of sudden realized he had never met my Board- so we had a sit down
July 31, 2012
Bill we decided to move our meeting to Ralph and Richs at.7 see you then?
BY August things were happening. Only took a year and half! I was invited to talk to WICC about the efforts to open the Downtown waterfront and was hoping the City would lend a little credence to our effort. I emailed Bill and Elaine Ficarra, The Mayor's Press Secretary
August 10, 2012
Hi Elaine and Bill- just occurred to me that you might like a heads up. I will be Mike Belllamy's show this morning to discuss the Boat Basin and our progress.
August 16, 2012
Hello Bill- (I was gonna send this to Elaine, but I thought I would run it past you first) I will be meeting with The CT Mirror tomorrow to discuss the Bridgeport Boat Basin and have PR requests in to Channel 12, Channel 30, Channel 8 and WPLR as well as Connecticut Post who is boycotting news about CCB. I am offering them a boat ride to cover the story of the Bridgeport Boat Basin
One of the points I will be making is there are tons of funds to support for profit projects that benefit the private sector and rich boaters in our State (http://www.ctpost.com/local/
Before I talked to her and start this ball rolling, I wanted to give you a heads up
I then asked the City to help us get the ball rolling with a letter of support.
September 25, 2012
Hey Bill I wonder if I could impose on the city to write a letter on behalf of CCB in support of The Bridgeport Boat Basin and its impact on the local community. It would be great if it came from the Mayor as I am sending it up to the community economic Development Fund who administers an SBA loan for CCB that has now gone past due because of the delays this summer in opening the basin. Thx
When I was nominated as a National Matitime Hero for my work in Bridgeport, I thought they might like to get some national attention for something other than corruption.
November 11, 2012
| 11/12/12 | | |||
Not sure if you guys saw this, but I got a very cool honor for my work on the Bridgeport Boat Basin. Thought you might like to share in the lime light a little and promote Bridgeport - Here is a first stab at a press release
Thanks
November 27, 2012
11/27/12
| | |||
Hey Paul, Elaine and Bill- this is a story we are working on getting out to the world- I am only publicizing it as It would be great publicity for Bridgeport and our efforts with CCB. I would appreciate any assistance I could get from the City in getting the word out- We had a report from Ashford, CT come down to the City last week to tour the facility and she did a very nice article I think - you can decide for yourself
Thanks
CG
Bill attended the Fall Seafood Boil on Oct 13, 2012. That was the end of our relationship. As the violence increased downtown, I increasingly retracted. These are screen shots from texts I exchanged with Bill. The first is from Oct when he attended the CCB function, the second is asking when we will renew our access agreement- He said January, that never happened. The third is when we learned a Man was clobbered over the head with a weapon on the pier losing $800, but showing us, the place is not safe.
Bill attended the Fall Seafood Boil on Oct 13, 2012. That was the end of our relationship. As the violence increased downtown, I increasingly retracted. These are screen shots from texts I exchanged with Bill. The first is from Oct when he attended the CCB function, the second is asking when we will renew our access agreement- He said January, that never happened. The third is when we learned a Man was clobbered over the head with a weapon on the pier losing $800, but showing us, the place is not safe.
And then in January, I decided I had banged my head hard enough, spent enough money and did all I could to make Bridgeport better. They just didn't want my efforts at City hall so, I decided to give them a little of their own treatment-
January 8, 2013
Jan 8
| | |||
Gentlemen, I am very sorry to report that I will be unable to make tonight's meeting of the Harbor Commission.
As to the Floating Boat House, she is a 20x40 concrete platform with a 16X32 wooden superstructure we are currently building. She will be used to house our maintenance and administrative functions in a more secure fashion than a conventional office as she floats, is hurricane proof, secured via the water and entirely mobile. She will move with us to Groton when we begin our efforts to build a second facility up there later this Spring and everywhere else we go in Long Island Sound as we open the water to all, but we hope to keep Bridgeport as her home port if you would be willing to welcome us.
The last communication I had with Bill came on January 30, 2013 when I learned that the DEEP had effectively shut us down over the Boat House. Knowing the Boat House was entirely mobile and unable to access it due to a collapsed ramp from the Bilzzard, I once again begged for the City to help us instead of fight us. I wish I could find the email to show you, but GMAIL ate it. Working on finding it. Bill responded to this text message saying he was tired of the "rancor" and would no longer talk to me. HE SHUT COMMUNICATIONS DOWN WITH US- Not the other way around.
Circumstances beyond my control have me sequestered up north for the next few days.
Regarding the moorings over winter in the Bridgeport Boat Basin, I do hope the commission will let us remain in place.
Originally the cost of hauling a dozen vessels, moorings and assorted gear was prohibitive for a non-profit such as ours and so therefore, it has been our policy since we opened at Seaside in 2008 to keep our fleet in service year round.
We've learned over the years however, that our members enjoy the benefits of boat ownership without the hassle and taking advantage of some of the spring-like weather (like we are about to experience this week) is one of those perks of membership. It costs too much to keep a private vessel in the water over winter to take advantage of those spring-like days, but for us to make a community boat available to use for the days when a few brave folks want to sail in the winter (if its like last year with the warm winter, lots of days) makes CCB a great deal and is a key selling point to what we do.
Certainly things get quieter in the winter at CCB, but consistent operation and constant presence aids our ability to resume full operations in March when the high school sailing season kicks in, maintain funding sources over winter and helps us keep a vigil against the pollution, crime and vandalism we are working so hard to remediate on the the waterfront.
As to the Floating Boat House, she is a 20x40 concrete platform with a 16X32 wooden superstructure we are currently building. She will be used to house our maintenance and administrative functions in a more secure fashion than a conventional office as she floats, is hurricane proof, secured via the water and entirely mobile. She will move with us to Groton when we begin our efforts to build a second facility up there later this Spring and everywhere else we go in Long Island Sound as we open the water to all, but we hope to keep Bridgeport as her home port if you would be willing to welcome us.
I think that addresses some of the key points we were supposed to discuss this evening. Again I am sorry to not be able to make it tonight.
Thank you.
The last communication I had with Bill came on January 30, 2013 when I learned that the DEEP had effectively shut us down over the Boat House. Knowing the Boat House was entirely mobile and unable to access it due to a collapsed ramp from the Bilzzard, I once again begged for the City to help us instead of fight us. I wish I could find the email to show you, but GMAIL ate it. Working on finding it. Bill responded to this text message saying he was tired of the "rancor" and would no longer talk to me. HE SHUT COMMUNICATIONS DOWN WITH US- Not the other way around.
So that is how I have failed to communicate with them, how we got to this point where they hope to seize our fleet and kick us out of Bridgeport- you might ask why the hell we would want to stay given how hard we have worked for the last two years and how much lack of thanks and help we have gotten from the City. Well you see, it's mine. Not the docks or the boats, but the City. It is my home, my parents home, my grandparents home, my great grand parents home. They are planted there in Cemeteries around the City and their stories are written beneath the spray painted, dirt stained streets and buildings. I now she is gritty, dirty and corrupt, but I love her. And want to continue to work to make her a better place to live, even if I can't afford to pay the bills anymore.
Comments
Post a Comment