Part 5 (2/2)
”You're probably going to have to sell,” he said.
”Or what?”
”Or you'll get nothing.”
News of the paper's reference to eminent domain swept through the neighborhood. Most residents were scared. Aldo Valentini got mad. He ran the Italian Dramatic Club (IDC), a private men's club located two blocks from Susette's house. Built by Italian immigrants after World War I, the club had been a cultural center for Italian musicals and plays in the thirties, forties, and fifties. More recently it had become a hot spot for politicians seeking votes and financial support. No elected official made it through New London without attending ziti-and-garlic-bread dinners and making speeches at the IDC.
Valentini ran the IDC with an iron hand, controlling everything from exclusive members.h.i.+p rules to visitation rights. Only certain families could obtain members.h.i.+p, and women were forbidden on the premises except to prepare and serve food. The idea that the NLDC or Pfizer might take his club didn't sit well with Valentini. He called Jay Levin, a frequent visitor to the club. Valentini wanted Levin to absolutely guarantee that his club would be protected. Levin gave Valentini his word. Valentini wanted it in writing.
February 23, 1998 It was a busy day for Jay Levin. First, his firm and the state amended the original consulting contract between Levin and Ellef. Levin had done a lot more work since that contract had been signed. The amendment reflected the additional work and resulted in an additional payment of $120,000 to Levin's firm.
Also that day, Levin sent Valentini a letter on his law firm's letterhead. ”It is widely and completely known that the Italian Dramatic Club is not to be touched by anyone,” Levin wrote. ”It is the understanding of every agency of State government from the Governor through DECD through DEP through DOT. It is an absolute complete understanding. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to a member of the Club and I will confront that person personally who is spreading the rumor.”
When Valentini received Levin's letter, he framed it and hung it on a wall inside the club, displaying it like a trophy.
Steve Percy made sure Claire and Milne knew the deal. ”We are not pursuing the Italian Dramatic Club,” Percy told them in a personal letter he faxed to them.
Every other property in the neighborhood, however, remained on the get list.
With pressure on them to secure options from homeowners who hadn't said yes on the initial approach, Realtors descended on the Fort Trumbull neighborhood again.
Seated at the kitchen table, her head buried in nursing manuals, Susette heard a knock at the front door. A woman identified herself as a real-estate agent representing the NLDC. Eager to find out the NLDC's plans, Susette invited her in.
”Oh, it's very nice in here,” the agent said, looking around.
Susette told her a little about the house. The agent offered her $68,000 to sell.
”I'm not interested in selling my property,” Susette said.
If she didn't sell, the agent warned, the property would be taken by eminent domain. Susette said nothing.
The agent insisted she knew how Susette felt. Years earlier, she said, her grandfather's farm had been taken by eminent domain to make room for a road.
”Well, if you know how I feel and you already know about eminent domain,” Susette said, ”then you have a lot of nerve doing this kind of work.”
The agent headed for the door, telling Susette to keep in mind the city's intention to move forward with its plan. ”It's better to take the money now,” she said, ”knowing you'll get this amount now rather than having to fight for it later.”
A couple of weeks later, the same agent showed up on Susette's doorstep again.
”Oh, you're back,” Susette said.
This time, the agent offered $78,000 for the house, a $10,000 increase from her last offer.
”I'm not interested in selling my property, and I'm not interested in talking to you about selling my property,” Susette said. ”And if you come here again, I'm going to throw you off the porch. So get out.”
”But-”
”Get out before I throw you off.”
Retreating, the agent said she'd follow up by mail.
”Whatever,” Susette said, before slamming the door in her face.
Days later, Susette got a letter from the agent. ”I'm getting in touch with you again to bring to your attention some additional information,” she said. The letter included a doc.u.ment t.i.tled ”NLDC GUIDELINES.” It listed the reasons the NLDC wanted Susette's neighborhood and what it would do to facilitate her departure: 1. The NLDC is interested in developing the property around the area of Fort Trumbull in support of the recently announced Pfizer development.2. The plans around that area have not been developed yet, but will attempt to create an appropriate complement to the Pfizer development.3. Agents will exhaust all reasonable possibilities to relocate displaced persons and businesses to locations within New London prior to locating them elsewhere.
Susette stopped reading. These people aren't going to give up, These people aren't going to give up, she thought. she thought.
She looked back at the cover letter from the agent. ”I urge you to look over this material carefully, and stand ready to be of any a.s.sistance I can,” it said.
Angry, Susette tossed the letter in a stack of correspondence she had received since the Pfizer project had been announced. Days later, Susette got a letter from Claire that hyped the news of Pfizer's building a four-hundred-thousand-square-foot clinical-research facility less than a block from Susette's house. ”I hope that you are as pleased and proud as I am about the news of these major commitments from all involved,” Claire had written. ”The state is providing funding to the New London Development Corporation to buy property in the area. The properties that NLDC is interested in are ... all of the properties in the Fort Trumbull area from the Amtrak rail line to the NUWC property line.”
Claire made a point of emphasizing that Pfizer was not the buyer of the properties. Susette laughed. ”The NLDC doesn't intend to cause any unnecessary hards.h.i.+ps,” Claire said. ”Every effort will be made to make your move as convenient as possible for you.”
At the close of the letter, Claire left a phone number for her and Steve Percy and invited Susette to call if she had questions that couldn't be answered by the real-estate agents.
Worked up, Susette called Von Winkle. ”She isn't even asking me,” Susette said. ”She is telling me: 'Pack up and get the f-- out.'”
Von Winkle had gotten a letter, too. But he wasn't angry. As long as the NLDC met his price, he'd go.
”Claire Gaudiani thinks we're all indigents,” Susette said. ”Who in the h.e.l.l is this woman? She thinks I would give up my house and move into welfare housing?”
Von Winkle didn't know Claire, either. ”They can buy buy my property from me,” he said. ”But they're not going to take it from me.” He insisted he would not budge from his demand for $700,000. my property from me,” he said. ”But they're not going to take it from me.” He insisted he would not budge from his demand for $700,000.
”She doesn't want to 'cause any unnecessary hards.h.i.+ps' and 'every effort will be made to make my move as convenient as possible'?” Susette said. ”Give me a break.”
Von Winkle laughed.
”Who in the h.e.l.l does she think she is telling me I have to leave?” Susette said.
13.
DO I HAVE A REASON TO BE CONCERNED?.
The price tag for altering the neighborhood around Pfizer's new headquarters kept going up. But the NLDC had no worries-it was playing with other people's money. Pfizer didn't have to worry over money, either. On March 27, the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services approved the sale of v.i.a.g.r.a to treat erectile dysfunction. Pfizer's projections indicated it would do about two hundred million in sales the first year. The profits from v.i.a.g.r.a alone could pay for Pfizer's new research facility.
Pfizer had another reason not to worry: it had the state on the hook. At Milne's insistence, the governor had pledged to go after the vacant thirty-two-acre naval base next door to the land given to Pfizer. As events developed, this was no easy promise to honor. The state didn't control the federal property, and the navy had other plans for its base. Still, under federal regulations, the City of New London established the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Local Reuse Authority (LRA), a federally funded committee charged with producing a plan for discharging the property. The city appointed Tony Basilica to head it.
After extensive studies, a.n.a.lysis, and negotiations, Basilica's committee agreed that a public auction held the best benefit for the navy and the city. Milne and Claire hoped to stop the public auction in order to ensure the land got redeveloped in a manner that complemented the Pfizer development. As a result, they asked the state to intervene. The state promised to do its part.
Under rare circ.u.mstances, navy guidelines allow a state environmental-protection agency to acquire navy land at no cost, provided the land is used for a public purpose. Claire secured a confidential letter from James Abromaitis, at the DEP. ”The DEP is willing to take this property utilizing the public purpose provisions allowed by the Navy,” Abromaitis told her. ”This would provide for a no cost transaction, but limits the use of the site.”
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