State Senator Gary D. LeBeau (D-East Hartford) said that he is frustrated and upset by Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s politically-motivated veto Tuesday of a bipartisan bill which would have transferred 4.84 acres of state land to South Windsor for developing Connecticut Studios, a massive film studio project that is expected to directly bring up to 1,700 jobs to the greater Hartford area.
Sen. LeBeau, who is Senate Chairman of the Commerce Committee and whose Senate District includes South Windsor, said House Bill 6695 saves local taxpayers money and creates numerous jobs by transferring that land — which has an estimated market value of $266,000 — to South Windsor. Instead, Gov. Rell vetoed this and several other land transfers in HB 6695.
“I find it very upsetting and frustrating that Governor Rell — in order to score political points — would jeopardize the creation of thousands of jobs and would burden local taxpayers with paying for state land,” Sen. LeBeau said. ‘The governor claims that she is standing up for taxpayers while Democrats are irresponsible. Yet at the same time her veto kills the single largest economic development project in the state, and she demands that struggling local taxpayers pay top dollar. It’s shocking.”
Connecticut Studios LLC has proposed building eight movie sound studios on 61 acres of land in South Windsor and create 114 permanent studio jobs, more than 500 construction jobs, and up to 1,500 studio production jobs. The entire project is valued at $65 million.
The South Windsor property transfer that Gov. Rell vetoed is located under some high-power lines near the intersection of Interstate I-291 and Route 5. Sen. LeBeau said an oversight prevented this 4.84-acre parcel from being included in a late 1990s transfer of other, nearby state land to South Windsor for economic development purposes
“Governor Rell had plenty of time during the legislative session to communicate her feelings about this land transfer to me or any other member of the General Assembly. Instead, she did nothing,” Sen. LeBeau said. “And now, when people are poised to make tens of millions of dollars in business investments, she pulls the rug our from under them. For all her talk about jobs and the economy, the governor is sending a mixed message at best to businesses that want to invest in Connecticut.”
South Windsor Town Manager Matt Galligan said he, too, is surprised and upset with the veto. He described the contested parcel as a mere “easement” that has been appraised at approximately $10,000.
“I hope the legislature and the governor will see their way clear to making this transfer occur so that we can secure jobs not only for the South Windsor area, but for all of Connecticut. We need to get this done,” Galligan said. “This parcel is an important part of the movie studios project.”
Categories: Gary LeBeau
