History: Willimantic Redevelopment, Part 6

Jillson House 2005

Vacant Lots and Broken Dreams:
Urban Renewal in Willimantic Connecticut
Richard Baber

Part 6

On January 17, 1974 almost a year after it began the Pino controversy ended with Dr. Pino's resignation as  WRA chairman and Mayor Calchera appointed long time WRA nemesis John Ashton to fill the vacancy.  Although Pino's resignaation satisfied HUD officials, the purchase of the Hurley- Grant building proceeded as planned and Dr. Pino realized his profit.  In the course of the investigation of this affair HUD uncovered numerous other infractions among them: Commissioner Milton Kozelka was vice president of Republic Oil  which owned property in the target area;  his brother John Kozelka preferred  developer status for redevelopement of parcel 9; Commissioner Joseph Tubridy owned property and a business in the target area; Rudolph Pino leased offices to the WRA and WRA attorney Charles Tarpinian's son Craig and Chairman Pino'd son Rudolph were both put on the WRA payroll.  These infractions were investigated  and they resulted in negative publicity.

Meanwhile, while this was taken place, Betty Lou Williams launched an attack on the Willimantic Housing Authority (WHA). HUD had made$1.6 million available to the WHA for the construction of low income housing, but the housing authority rejected it. After failing to convince the WHA members to reverse their decision Williams called for the members resignations citing non-performance of duties.  Her concerns were that without this housing more renewal efforts could be delayed due to the Weicker  amendment; section 210 of the U.S. Housing  and Urban Development Act of 1969 stated that demolition cannot take place in an urban renewal area unless the people whose  homes are being torn down have replacement housing.

The WHA members responded that they were philosophically opposed to building a high rise, low income housing project.  Said WHA Commissioner Earl McSweeney, "I'm for housing  but  I am for it in certain ways...[he said he wanted to].find ways to fit these people into the community rather then create another ghetto."  WHA Commissioner Richard Jackson after defending the Housing Authority's position called for an investigation of the WRA, calling on them to answer questions:Does the redevelopment Agency rent space from its Chairman? Does its chairman own property in the redevelopment  area?  Are other commissioners gaining finicially from redevelopment? He called for the resignation of Betty Low Williams and Dr. Pino because "they are endangering  our entire redevelopment program by allowing [the conflict of interest] situation to exist."  After six weeks of debate, the Housing Authority voted to build  low income housing, not the 54 units that HUD would finance for $1.6 million at one site but thirty two units at scattered sites to comply with urban renewal requirements.

In spite of all that was happening the urban renewal project kept moving ahead. After submitting the low bid of $62,700 for the demolition of forty two buildings in the target area, David Jones, president of Jones Destruction of Farmington signed a contract with WRA on September 27, 1973.  And on October 9, 1973 seven years after the WRA was created the first building was demolished. with director Williams, complete with hard hat and perched on a crane, directed the razing of a vacant garage on Main Street.  Afterward she said that the project was set for compleation by April, 1977.  Ten days later it was discovered that Jones was illegally dumping its rubble in Lebanon and the stated issued a stop order. It took untill February before an approved dump site was secured and demolition continued.

Another problem developed.  A primary goal of the downtown project was to attract a  regional major retail  mall.  This was undermined by the announcement  on October 25, 1973 that a mall would be constructed on a 23 acre site on the Willimantic town line.  This mall had commitments from Sage-Allen, Caldor, A & P, two banks and several other businesses and would be open by the following Christmas.  In spite of the news demolition continued.

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