More Fall River CHRONIC Coincidences!!!

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100917/NEWS/9170312/-1/NEWS06

SOUTHCOAST TODAY
By CHARIS ANDERSON
canderson@s-t.com
September 17, 2010 12:00 AM

UMD looks to choose biotech site this month

NEW BEDFORD — The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth could choose a location for a multimillion-dollar biomanufacturing facility by the end of the month, a university official said this week.


New Bedford and Fall River both submitted site proposals for the facility in July after the Fall River Redevelopment Authority agreed in principle earlier in the year to sell the original Fall River site to the Mashpee Wampanoag for development as a resort casino.


In addition to the cities' proposals, the university is considering building the $22 million facility on its Dartmouth campus, according to UMass Dartmouth spokesman John Hoey.


"We're in dialogue with the two cities ... as we continue to just get as much information as we possibly can to make the best decision, the decision that will be in the best interests of both the university and the region," he said.


"We're still planning to make a decision in September — that's our goal."


UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean MacCormack on Wednesday met with Mayor Scott W. Lang at City Hall to discuss the city's proposal, according to Lang.


Also present at the meeting were James Karam, vice chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees; Paul Vigeant, UMass Dartmouth assistant chancellor; Matthew Morrissey, the city's economic development director; and Tom Davis, executive director of the Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation.


In the city's proposal, it offered the university a 5-acre site of the university's choosing in the New Bedford Business Park, a parcel that would be donated to UMass by the Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation.


The park has 20 lots covering a total of 310 acres available for development, according to an Aug. 16 memo sent by Lang to the university.


The Standard-Times received the memo and other documents after submitting a public records request to the city for all correspondence related to the project.


In that memo, Lang detailed a number of other components to the city's proposal, including a commitment to provide $3 million in low interest finanacing to the university for the project through the New Bedford Economic Development Council.


Lang also committed to transferring ownership and control of the Naval Reserve Center property to the commonwealth for $1 when the funding for an expansion of SMAST on that site has been secured by the university, the memo stated.


The university's initial request for proposals listed a commitment by New Bedford to transfer ownership of the property as a required condition.


Lang further clarified his position in a Sept. 13 letter sent to the consultant hired by the university to evaluate the site proposals.


"It is our understanding from the University's Request for Proposals that the SMAST expansion is conditioned on the UMass Biomanufacturing being constructed at the New Bedford Business Park," he wrote.


"Therefore, when we receive a commitment for the siting of the Biomanufacturing Center in New Bedford, we will obtain and prepare all necessary documents for the SMAST expansion."


Hoey said the university was thrilled that the mayor had committed to transferring ownership of the Naval Reserve site once the project financing was finalized.


"The university doesn't have the cash on hand to build a $25 million expansion," he said.


But, Hoey continued, "There are a number of different options the university could pursue."


The Fall River proposal locates the UMass facility on a parcel that is part of 300 privately owned acres in Freetown next to the Stop & Shop distribution center, according to Kenneth Fiola.


Richard Baccari II, vice president of development for the site's current owner, has agreed to donate 4 acres to the Greater Fall River Development Corp., which will in turn donate that land to the university to build the biomanufacturing facility, according to Fall River's proposal.


The Fall River Office of Economic Development will also purchase an additional 50 acres of contiguous land, according to Fiola.


Fiola would not disclose how the Fall River Office of Economic Development would fund the purchase other than to state he was not worried about the financing.


The Fall River Herald News recently reported that Fall River Mayor William Flanagan said the city would likely seek the funding for the purchase from the Mashpee Wampanoag.


Fiola would not comment on the mayor's earlier statements; Flanagan did not return a call for comment Thursday


So, the negotiations with the Wampanoags to borrow cash to purchase land in Freetown from Bacarri the "Indicted One", if I'm not mistaken, are the very same  "double secret probation" negotiations that Mayor Sylvanagan's folks stated could not be discussed before the City Council. So delicate and secret was this information that SOUTHCOAST TODAY managed to gain access to it!

Why are these facts being denied the City Council and the people of Fall River? Why cannot the Mayor let his own constituents know, directly from his own lying mouth, what he plans to do ? I mean, if he plans to borrow money from the Wampanoags to buy land from someone under indictment in Rhode Island (again, we believe) in a town not Fall River, doesn't that mean the taxpayers of Fall River are liable to repay the loan? Of course it does! And why are the citizens of Fall River purchasing land in another town ? And why from this shady character Baccarri?

Why? I think it's nothing more than some pre-arranged deal made more urgent because of the bad reaction Fall Riverites had when it looked like the Gambling Bill would not pass and that the City had probably lost it's chance to capture the Bio-Park Project from UMass/Dartmouth!

If you will recall, FROED let it be known that it wanted to consider making FROED a more regional organization, not just Fall River, but to include contiguous communities on it's immediate borders. The publicly stated reason for this was regional economic development which would aid in bringing jobs to the area for Fall Riverites. I think it really was done for the purpose of doing business with this man Baccarri, to arrange some sort of land purchase deal for his acreage in Freetown. Surely, it was no coincidence that the Route 24 cut-off improvement benefits Mr. Baccarri as much as it does the 300 acre parcel originally designated for use as the Bio-Park, now the proposed site for a destination casino.

No, this is no accident. At least that's my belief. And you must start to ask yourselves whether you think those working at the behest of FROED , the Board members and executive level employees and this mayoral administration are getting "other" considerations from a man already being investigated for bribing a Rhode Island  member of the House of Representatives.

I'm sure it's all just a coincidence. Yeah, a CHRONIC coincidence.