Journal Inquirer Articles and Letters

On this page are articles and letters published in the Journal Inquirer.

December 21, 2009

Neighbors upset with plan to put concert stage on South Frontage Road
By Max Bakke

VERNON — A proposed outdoor summer concert venue along South Frontage Road has triggered an emotional response from nearby residents who are concerned about added noise and traffic connected to the project.

The venue, proposed by TicketNetwork, a secondary ticket brokering service headquartered on Bolton Road, aims to hold 20 events next summer at a 2,000-seat capacity theater.

Ticket brokers such as TicketNetwork typically are online marketplaces where ticket-holders can resell their tickets to entertainment and sporting events. The summer series will allow the company to expand its business to sell its own tickets, Dan Chemistruck, project manager for the venue, said.

“If you look at the whole ticketing business,” he said, “primary and secondary ticketing markets are going to merge.”

TicketNetwork aims to pull in minor country, alternative, and classic rock acts to the series, which will run on weekend nights throughout the summer.

TicketNetwork is asking for several special permits for parking, size, and alcohol at the venue, which will sit on 9 acres of existing forest immediately off Interstate 84 at exit 66. The Planning and Zoning Commission held its first public hearing on the plan last week. The hearing was continued to Jan. 7.

Resident Jennifer Roggi said she is among several neighbors who are upset about the project and attended last week’s hearing.

There are concerns among residents who argue the venue will bring traffic congestion, unwanted noise, and rowdy behavior, she said, “It’s just not the right location for a venue of this nature.”

Additionally, Jon Roe, who lives on Valley Falls Road near the site, said the venue could harm residents’ property values.

“Are people going to want to buy a house next to this?” he questioned.

Chemistruck said TicketNetwork wants to be a good neighbor, adding that a sound barrier would be added to the temporary stage to muffle and deflect noise away from neighbors.

“We’re trying to contact as many people as possible so we can be sure we’re not going to intrude” on businesses or residents, he said.

Chemistruck added that all apparatus, except for one permanent structure for utilities, would be taken down after the season.

TicketNetwork also plans to add lighting, crosswalks, and a pedestrian walking trail leading from the overflow parking lots at the company’s Bolton Road headquarters to the site.

December 24, 2009

TicketNetwork cited for wetlands violations in 2008
By Max Bakke

VERNON — TicketNetwork, the ticket brokering service that aims to build a concert venue on South Frontage Road, was twice cited for wetlands violations in as many years, one of which was on the property targeted for the venue.

Town records show that Ticket Network Forest LLC, the company seeking approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission to host 20 concerts between May and October 2010, was issued a cease and desist order from the town in October 2008 for working in the area of 60 South Frontage Road without a permit.

Acting on a complaint, town wetlands agent Craig Perry wrote in documents that the company was doing excavation work on the land. He wrote that he witnessed “significant activity” in a wetlands area without a permit.

Terrace Drive Realty LLC, which owns TicketNetwork’s Bolton Road headquarters and whose chief executive officer, Don Vaccaro, manages TicketNetwork, also was cited in April 2008 for “clear cutting, removal, or depositing of material,” and having “a ‘back-hoe’ type machine partially buried and stuck” within a wetlands area at its Bolton Road headquarters, Perry wrote.

Town records also reveal that building permits for storage containers and portable classrooms at TicketNetwork’s headquarters either have expired or don’t exist.

When contacted this week, Perry said TicketNetwork remedied the April 2008 order within months and has nearly corrected the October 2008 violation. He said he expects the “cease and desist” order to be rescinded at the next Inland Wetlands Commission.

Some residents have expressed concerns, both privately and publicly, that the proposed concert series isn’t the right fit for the rural stretch immediately off Interstate 84 at exit 66.

TicketNetwork is seeking special permits related to the size of the structure, and for overflow parking and alcohol. Residents say an influx of people on weekend nights is rife for rowdy behavior, loud music, and safety concerns for motorists and pedestrians.

Nevertheless, Vaccaro said this week that the prior issues concerni

“As far as any wetlands issues go, we’ve gone above and beyond. We’ve done more things than the inland wetlands folks have wanted done,” he said. “We have absolute unanimous approval form the inland wetlands people on this project.”

And if there are concerns about the concert venue, it’s news to him, he said, adding that reaction to the project has been overwhelmingly positive.

The wetlands issues have been remedied, he said, contending that he never was obligated to fix the problem that resulted in the October 2008 complaint, because it stemmed from a drainage dispute with an unhappy neighbor.

“We didn’t need to fix it, we could’ve fought it,” he said.

He said the town never required permits on the portable classrooms, which are vacant, and he expects the pending application for a permit for the storage bins to be approved soon.

The current proposal calls for the concert venue asks for permission to build a summer stage theater on 9 acres of about 30 acres of forest off South Frontage Road.

All facilities, except a building for utilities, will be taken down after the season ends in October, Vaccaro said, and there is work planned that will make the area safer and pedestrian friendly.

“It’s not that big of a project at all in terms of changes to the landscape or the environment,” Vaccaro said. “It is probably the best use for development of this land that is possible.”

Secondary ticket markets such as TicketNetwork reap large profits by creating an online market exchange for the company and ticket holders to resell their tickets to sporting and entertainment events.

A representative from the company said last week that having its own venue where TicketNetwork can sell access to its own events opens up a growing market for the enterprise that’s estimated to gross over $400 million in sales this year, according to a New York Times profile on Vaccaro in August.

But TicketNetwork and other ticket-brokering businesses have been under heightened scrutiny lately from state attorneys general in Arkansas and New Jersey who have sued TicketNetwork alleging the company sold tickets before they went on sale for Miley Cyrus and Bruce Springsteen concerts, respectively.

In 1996, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal sued Vaccaro, who was operating as Metro Entertainment, for price gouging in the resale of University of Connecticut basketball tickets and other events.

The suit was settled that year, and Vaccaro paid $20,000, agreeing to abandon ticket scalping in the state, a Blumenthal spokesman said Tuesday.

January 8, 2010

TicketNetwork public hearing brings out crowd Thursday
By Suzanne Carlson

VERNON — It was a full house in Council Chambers on Thursday as about 200 people packed in for the second hearing on an application to build a TicketNetwork concert venue.

Residents were drawn to the Planning and Zoning Commission’s meeting by both a grassroots effort of fliers and Web sites opposing the project and a packet distributed to area residents by TicketNetwork Forest LLC on Thursday afternoon, detailing potential benefits of the venue.

TicketNetwork’s application calls for a 2,000-seat outdoor amphitheater to be built on nearly 9 acres.

The location on South Frontage Road is directly off exit 66 on Interstate 84, however the neighborhood has remained undeveloped and numerous residents came out with the hope they could keep it that way.

Of the nearly 200 people who spilled out of the chamber, approximately 30 of them were TicketNetwork employees in company shirts forming a bloc in the first several rows.

TicketNetwork CEO Donald Vaccaro’s lawyer, Dorian R. Famiglietti, began by outlining the project, explaining that although the stage is a temporary structure that will be located at the site only from May to October, it still will be taxable year-round, a concern that had been brought up in the first meeting.

Additionally, Famiglietti sought to reassure the commission that although Vaccaro owns a 38.9-acre parcel on South Frontage Road, 29.75 of those acres are designated as forest under state law.

According to the state Department of Agriculture, the law was established in 1963 to allow farmland, forest, and open space to be taxed at a lower rate because of lower use.

However, the tax break does not extend indefinitely, and residents have expressed concern about what might happen to those 29.75 acres when it expires in eight years and the designation becomes open for negotiation.

On Thursday, the main worry was the traffic congestion around the 8.81 acres where the amphitheater is planned.

Jim Bubaris of Bubaris Traffic Associates presented animated computer models of traffic patterns around the site, which was displayed for commissioners on monitors around the dais. For everyone else in the chamber, the presentation could not be brought up on the larger wall-mounted monitors, compounding frustration in the audience.

While those in the audience looked at a printed map of the area, Bubaris showed commissioners how the cars would move around the site.

When Bubaris finished his presentation, Police Chief James Kenny addressed the commission with his concerns.

“Mr. Bubaris is very generous with the applicant’s money,” Kenny said. “Having six police officers at this event is going to be very expensive for the applicant. …I will also be requiring additional officers to staff as a security measure on the grounds, so we’re looking at 10 officers minimum.”

But the town doesn’t have 10 officers available. Of the 51 officers in town only 44 are available due to injury and other circumstances, the chief said.

“I’ve already contacted area departments about having to obtain mutual-aid officers to staff these events. We will not be able to staff 20 shows,” Kenny said.

Commission member Sarah Iacobello expressed concern about backed up traffic on the I-84 off-ramp.

But Famiglietti told her that “not in any of these models is the delay sufficient enough to back up onto that on-ramp. …It works.”

“So you’re saying with a pretty good degree of certainty that there’s no chance that traffic waiting to get into the concert site is not going to back up to that I-84 eastbound off-ramp?” Iacobello responded.

Bubaris admitted, “It could happen, yes… Anything could happen.”

After nearly two hours of debate on the traffic analysis, which also will have to be approved by the State Traffic Commission, the commission brought Vaccaro forward to plead his case. But he didn’t get far.

“We added up the amount of money we donated to the town in the last year and it was more than we paid to the town in property taxes,” Vaccaro said. “We’re just a very small company in Vernon, we want to stay in Vernon. …This is part of an extension of us doing this. We want the amphitheater to be there.”

The meeting adjourned at the 10:30 p.m. curfew, leaving many residents frustrated that they were unable to speak.

The hearing was continued to the next PZC meeting Thursday, Jan. 21.

January 22, 2010

Results of concert site test disputed
By Suzanne Carlson

VERNON — Thursday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting was another long, anxious night for residents waiting to discuss the TicketNetwork Forest LLC concert venue, proposed for a site on a commercially zoned parcel on South Frontage Road a quarter mile from residential neighborhoods.

The third in what will be a series of at least five hearings on the proposed concert venue was moved to the auditorium of the Senior Center after the Jan. 7 meeting overwhelmed Town Hall council chambers, leaving many attendees in the hall, cut off from the proceedings.

Despite the change in venue for Thursday’s hearing, every seat in the auditorium was filled and many were left sitting on the floor along the walls or standing in the back.

Commission Chairman Lester Finkle told the audience at the start that they would not be able to speak at the meeting because the acoustics consultant would be going over his findings from a sound test performed in October.

A special hearing also will be held Feb. 3 solely to continue the applicant’s presentation, and then members of the public will be able to speak at the regular hearing on Feb. 4.

Donald Vaccaro, CEO of TicketNetwork, as well as the lead lawyer for the application, Dorian R. Famiglietti, spent more than an hour addressing concerns from the board regarding Bubaris Traffic Associates’ presentation at the Jan. 7 meeting. Vaccaro said that he has been a Vernon resident for 22 years and wants to be a “good neighbor.”

Bennett M. Brooks, senior consultant for Brooks Acoustics Corp., then presented his acoustic analysis of the concert site, claiming that decibel levels of music from public address speakers at the site were tested at five separate residential locations around the proposed venue. According to Brooks and Famiglietti, decibel levels at the residential testing sites fell below the range of “crickets and leaves.”

Several commissioners questioned Brooks as to the veracity of these claims.

Adding to the confusion was the fact that Vaccaro consistently said that the sound levels were “within EPA guidelines.” But according to the Environmental Protection Agency the federal regulatory body “does not have any regulatory authority governing noise in local communities.”

The town also does not have a noise ordinance, but the state Department of Environmental Protection does regulate sound levels, and it is those regulations that the venue must adhere to.

Famiglietti said that even when the test crew stood at the closest residential spot to the proposed concert site they could not hear the music.

“The only area you could discern the music from time to time was on Valley Falls Road and it was a shock to all of us. Truly, you heard it periodically, you didn’t hear a constant flow of music,” Famiglietti said.

But at the end of the meeting, Town Planner Len Tundermann said that Police Chief James Kenny had received several phone calls complaining of the noise on the day of the testing.

Famiglietti then acknowledged that one individual had approached them during testing to ask what they were doing, and Vaccaro said that he was aware of one complaint registered with the police.

But the police chief said today that his office was inundated with phone calls complaining about the noise.

“We were receiving phone calls, the mayor’s office was receiving phone calls regarding the testing, Kenny said. “Our officers went out and talked to them and asked them to shut down the testing early,” he said.

“We had one complaint from individuals with horses who were very upset because the animals were bothered by the noise,” Kenny added.

The individual who approached Famiglietti in the field on Valley Falls Road spoke with the Journal Inquirer but requested his name not be used.

“I figured it was coming from the kids down the street who have parties now and then, so I got in my truck and drove down there and found the lawyer in the field,” he said.

The man said he asked the team to tone it down as it was upsetting his animals, but Famiglietti said that it wasn’t their problem because there’s no noise ordinance in town.

“She said ‘we have a permit,’ so I called the police,” he said.

According to Kenny, officers shut down testing soon after.

February 4, 2010

TicketNetwork completes presentation, public comment expected tonight
By Suzanne Carlson

VERNON — TicketNetwork Forest LLC finished up its presentation on a proposed 2,000-seat outdoor concert venue before the Planning and Zoning Commission in a special meeting on Wednesday.

The presentation has stretched over seven weeks and four PZC meetings, the first of which was held Dec. 17.

Four residents opposed to the application spoke during the last half hour of the meeting. More residents are expected to speak tonight during the continued public hearing at 7 in the Senior Center auditorium.

The application for the venue, proposed for the parcel at 60 South Frontage Road directly off Interstate 84 exit 66, originally was filed with the town planner Nov. 18. The venue requires special permits for recreational use and the sale of alcohol, according to Dorian Famiglietti, lawyer for TicketNetwork Forest.

Eric Peterson, an engineer with Gardner and Peterson Associates LLC in Tolland, on Wednesday presented the lighting plan for the proposed venue, which was designed by Apex Lighting Solutions of Middletown.

“Typically when we design lighting for a commercial setting people aren’t there at night. But in this case, on 20 nights during the summer, the lights will be on before people get there and after they leave, and of course during the shows. Once the shows are over, the lights will be dimmed and the site will be gated,” Peterson said.

“Our design goals were pedestrian safety, vehicular safety, the utilization of vendor and restroom areas, and obviously within the seating area itself,” he added.

Peterson said the lighting fixtures that would be used have received approval from the International Dark Sky Association. Dark Sky is a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting and preserving the nighttime environment and dark skies through quality outdoor lighting.

George Logan, owner of REMA Ecological Services LLC, presented the ecological impact study conducted on the site.

Logan began by saying he is a resident of 43 Blue Ridge Drive, “0.95 miles as the crow flies from the site,” and has walked along the Tankerhoosen River, which flows through the parcel, for his own recreation for years.

He said his staff has spent more than 65 hours conducting fieldwork around the site, which finished in November.

“What we did on the site, spring through fall, is obviously an inventory of natural resources,” Logan said.

He said some protected species are present on the parcel, including the eastern pearlshell mussel, which is of special concern.

“It’s probably one of the larger populations in Connecticut, if not the largest population,” Logan said.

Logan also said that wood turtles are present on the site, but he said there is minimal risk to local wildlife from both lighting and noise created by the proposed concert venue. He added that wildlife would not be driven off by concerts, which are only “temporary disturbances” to the habitat.

“Wildlife are incredibly tolerant,” Logan said.

Famiglietti also spoke to the development of the ecologically sensitive area.

“Remember, we’re talking about a development area of roughly 9 acres of a 39-acre parcel, so there’s 30 acres of protected forest land, for at least another eight years, so we’re talking about a fraction of the overall land that we’re proposing to use,” Famiglietti added.

The state designation that would protect 30 acres of the parcel from development will expire in eight years, documents filed in the town planner’s office say.

“There are quite a few elements of this that you, the commission, need to more or less take on faith, because they’re not readily monitored by town staff, should this concert venue proceed,” Town Planner Leonard K. Tundermann told the PZC.

The project has received approval from the Economic Development Commission, the Inland Wetlands Commission, and the Tolland County Chamber of Commerce.

At least a handful of Tolland County Chamber of Commerce directors have backed the project in letters of support.

Each letter says that “after listening to the presentation from representatives from TicketNetwork at our January Board of Directors meeting of the proposed TicketNetwork Forest Summer Stage Concert Series, I want to express my enthusiastic support of this project.”

February 5, 2010

Opponents to concert venue plan have their turn Thursday
By Suzanne Carlson

VERNON — The auditorium of the Senior Center overflowed again Thursday as residents opposed to the proposed TicketNetwork Forest LLC concert venue came out to voice their concerns.

In addition to four residents who spoke during the last half hour of Wednesday’s special meeting, 11 residents spoke in opposition Thursday night. The meeting was continued to Feb. 18.

“I’m extremely disappointed with the fact that so much time and energy has been expended by the town, the residents, and the Planning and Zoning Commission to evaluate what I believe is a totally inappropriate proposal thrust upon the town, driven by the avaricious behavior of an individual and a corporation,” Bolton Road resident John Gorecki said.

TicketNetwork, which is owned by CEO Donald Vaccaro, has presented five consultants specializing in traffic, sound, light, landscape design, and ecology to the PZC, but residents expressed skepticism.

“There’s quite a bit of spin going on during these presentations by TicketNetwork, which probably means the lawyers are doing their job,” Hansen Drive resident Peter Stone said.

He questioned whether TicketNetwork was being truthful when its lawyers told the PZC on Wednesday that police did not shut down sound testing early.

Instead, he suggested, “TicketNetwork conducted their sound test unannounced in order to minimize reaction from neighbors. When the complaints started coming in, TicketNetwork shut down the test so there wouldn’t be any complaints registered with the police.”

Many residents expressed feelings similar to Stone’s, including Valley Falls Road resident Linda Vendrillo.

“Mr. Vaccaro has disregarded applications and usage of building permits for existing projects in this area. Why should we think he will follow through with promises made? Even imposed restrictions will need to be monitored. Who will do this? Can this river survive ongoing court hearings?” Ventrillo said.

The Tankerhoosen River flows through Vaccaro’s adjoining parcels on South Frontage Road, which are listed under separate limited liability corporations, TicketNetwork and TicketNetwork Forest, documents filed with the town planner indicate.

In a letter to the PZC, James P. Glowienka, chairman of the Connecticut chapter of Trout Unlimited, said, “The location selected by the developer is one of the most sensitive areas in Connecticut, and the last place that should have been proposed. It was selected as a Class 1 river because of its pristine nature, something that should not then be compromised with development.”

He said that because of its clean environment, the state has considered purchasing property around the Tankerhoosen.

“It would be a travesty to now permit this development, almost to spite the state’s efforts at protection,” Glowienka said.

But in another letter to the PZC, John A. Elsesser, president of the Tolland County Chamber of Commerce, supported the plan, saying, it has “potential benefit to the region and chamber members. Specifically, we believe it will enhance tourism and help fill hotel/motel and bed and breakfast rooms and help the restaurant industry.”

Whitney Ferguson Road resident David McQuade spoke Wednesday representing 12 residents of a retirement complex across the street from the proposed concert venue that has 18 housing units, according to online information.

“The industry standard at these concert venues, and I’m sure Mr. Vaccaro will attest to this, is that promoters break even or lose money on ticket sales,” McQuade said. “Ticket sales money goes to the band, goes to marketing, and goes to backup crews.”

He said a similar venue in Wallingford and the Webster Theatre in Hartford “make money on parking, they make money on merchandise sales, sponsorships, and alcohol. What this states to me, is if this project is approved is that the promoter will immediately move to increase parking and promote a lot of alcohol sales.”

Viveca M. Woods, a spokeswoman for TicketNetwork, said no outside food or drinks would be allowed in the concert venue for safety reasons.

February 12, 2010

Editorial: TicketNetwork in Vernon: An open, deliberative process
By Keith Burris

TicketNetwork is an online entertainment ticket wholesaler. Though relatively new to Vernon it has become a major employer in the town. It is located in the old Wolff-Zackin building just off Exit 66 on Interstate 84.

The company wants to build a portable 2,000-seat summer concert venue on the property adjoining its headquarters. (It owns 37 acres there and says the venue would take up roughly 9. The arena would be put up and taken down in the summer.)

As you might guess, neighbors are not enthused.

What about noise? Traffic? Pollution?

There is also a serious environmental issue:

The Tankerhoosen River flows near where the arena would be. It is classified by the state as a Class 1 river at the top, meaning that it is currently pristine and unspoiled.

In a letter to the Planning and Zoning Commission, James P. Glowienka, chairman of the Connecticut chapter of Trout Unlimited, said, “The location selected by the developer is one of the most sensitive areas in Connecticut, and the last place that should have been proposed … something that should not then be compromised with development.”

Vernon town business and political leaders are equally and understandably eager to please a new employer and to attract something that will bring tourism and property tax revenues. They would be irresponsible if they did not look at the proposal seriously.

But there is a another issue, and that is process.

The proposal seems to be getting rushed along.

Inquiries are being discouraged — even stifled.

Public debate and discussion have been limited.

Questions about the extent of the parking needed and how many food and beverage vendors there will be have not been answered.

What’s going on here?

One gets the feeling that the idea is to push this thing through before all the facts are on the table and the public has had full say. The immediate neighbors, in particular, are entitled to be heard.

The idea of a concert venue in Vernon is not a bad one. Not at all. And TicketNetwork is certainly a welcome new enterprise in town.

But both TicketNetwork and town government should be anxious to show that everything is legitimate and above-board. If they are confident that the venue will be good for Vernon and that the Tankerhoosen would be protected, there should be no rush.

If you walk along the river, you do wonder: What would happen here? Would this area be littered? Would the river be polluted? How would it be protected?

Out of respect for a part of Vernon’s natural beauty, for their neighbors, and for a just and orderly process, Vernon officials need to slow this thing down.

TicketNetwork’s concert venue may turn out to be a good thing for Vernon. No town wants to “just say no” to every new development idea. But there needs to be an open and deliberative decision-making process here. Let’s be smart and careful and not rush to judgment.

February 16, 2010

JI won’t pull reporter from Vernon venue story
By Alex Wood

VERNON — A company that wants to put a controversial 2,000-seat outdoor concert venue south of Interstate 84 has asked the Journal Inquirer to take its Vernon reporter off the story, alleging that she may be biased because she lives with her parents “close in proximity” to the proposed site.

Journal Inquirer Managing Editor Chris Powell has rejected the request, made by a public relations firm on behalf of TicketNetwork Forest LLC.

In an e-mail sent Friday to Viveca Woods of VMW Public Relations LLC in Greenwich, Powell disputed Woods’ statement that reporter Suzanne Carlson’s home “borders the site of the proposed venue.”

Carlson lives with her parents on Valley Falls Road.

“By my reading of the map, the reporter lives about a third of a mile away from the site property as the crow flies, something more than a mile by road,” Powell wrote.

TicketNetwork said in a statement e-mailed to the JI today by Woods that Carlson had failed to disclose in her initial stories on the concert-venue proposal the following relationships that the company said present “a biased situation and the potential for biased coverage”:

• The proximity of her home on Valley Falls Road to the site at 60 South Frontage Road, which the company alleged gives her interests “directly connected” to the story.

• A neighbor on Valley Falls Road, Jon Roe, “is the biggest opponent of the venue proposal.”

• Her father works for the town.

Carlson said her father, Jeffrey A. Carlson, works in the town’s Parks and Recreation Department. He also serves as a volunteer on the Permanent Municipal Building Committee and a committee on school building projects. She said her mother works in an after-school town recreation program.

Powell said none of those positions are related to the concert-venue proposal.

In response to a Thursday e-mail from Woods alleging potential bias based on the location of Carlson’s home, Powell wrote, “Are you saying that anyone who lives within a certain radius of the site has some reasons to oppose the project? If so, what are those reasons? The JI has many subscribers in any radius drawn in Vernon and will continue to try to represent their interest in information about their town.”

Referring to requests for specifics that he had made in previous e-mails, Powell wrote, “You still haven’t identified for me anything objectionable in the JI’s coverage. Until you do, it’s hard for me to take your complaint seriously.”

Contacted Monday by the JI, Donald J. Vaccaro, who is described in official records as a “member” of TicketNetwork Forest LLC and president of TicketNetwork Inc., said a neighbor of Carlson’s had made “racist allegations” that Carlson “didn’t put in the story.”

Vaccaro didn’t elaborate on those statements in a brief conversation with a reporter, whose call he said had come while he was in a meeting, or in the company’s subsequent written statement.

Carlson said Vaccaro has brought up such an issue with her, referring to a comment on an Internet site. She said she didn’t quote the comment because she was unable to find it online.

Vaccaro also questioned how the JI could objectively do a story on its own reporter.

In a Jan. 25 e-mail sent to Carlson and her supervising editor, Kimberly Phillips, Woods wrote: “Of the recent stories published by the Journal Inquirer, all four of them focus entirely on complaints of local residents. Of course, this is an important angle that should be covered, but the angle of how a concert venue can benefit the Vernon community should also be covered.”

Woods went on to say that TicketNetwork’s side of the story “hasn’t been addressed at all.”

Phillips responded that same day with a detailed e-mail citing instances in which Carlson and her predecessor in reporting about Vernon, Max Bakke, had quoted Vaccaro and other company representatives on their views of the proposal.

After the JI published a Jan. 8 story by Carlson on the previous day’s session of the Planning and Zoning Commission’s public hearing on the proposed concert venue, the paper published a brief item cor recting a factual error in the story and clarifying two other points.

The story described the proposed venue as being in “a quiet residential neighborhood.” But the correction acknowledged that the area along South Frontage Road, where the venue is planned, is in a commercial zone.

The story also mentioned “an October 2008 violation for work in a wetlands area without a permit.” The subsequent item, published Jan. 14, clarified that the cease-and-desist order on work in the wetlands area was canceled last March.

The story said the amphitheater is to be built “on nearly 9 acres of forest.” The Jan. 14 item described the site as “heavily treed” but said it isn’t legally classified as being forested.

February 19, 2010

Town attorney clamps down on hearing
By Suzanne Carlson

VERNON — Town Attorney Harold Cummings dominated much of Thursday’s public hearing on a proposed concert venue on South Frontage Road, predicting that the application’s approval process will be scrutinized in court.

The Planning and Zoning Commission spent an hour at the start of the meeting hearing two other applicants before moving on to the TicketNetwork Forest LLC application for five special permits to construct an outdoor concert venue at 60 S. Frontage Road.

After that, Cummings took a seat next to PZC Chairman Lester Finkle and told the crowd that the commission doesn’t want to rush the process, but there is a time limit on public hearings.

The date for the commission to conclude the approval process is March 27, Town Planner Leonard Tundermann wrote in a memo. Tundermann is on vacation and did not attend Thursday’s hearing.

If the board does not act by that date, “there’s the potential that the application be automatically considered approved by law for failure of the board to act in a timely fashion,” Cummings said.

Cummings also told the crowd that the commission is acting in a “quasi-judicial nature.

“Think of these board members as jurors, and you’re the plaintiffs and the defendants, and you’re putting on a trial, and they’re sitting here as the jury to hear your evidence and decide guilt or innocence — or in this case, approve the project or don’t approve the project,” he said.

Cummings also addressed a Feb. 5 letter to Finkle from Town Council Democrats Marie Herbst and Pauline Schaefer who weren’t allowed to speak during that meeting because of their elected status. Finkle would not allow any town officials to speak without a letter of permission from Cummings.

“We completely object to this outrageous and misguided legal advice, which is nothing more than a thinly veiled ‘gag order,’” Herbst’s and Schaefer’s letter read. “We fully expect the town attorney to apologize for this affront.”

Cummings acknowledged hearing talk of a “gag order,” but said he advised Mayor Jason L. McCoy not to comment on the application.

He also said he’s “discouraged several council members who expressed a desire to speak,” because such input, “could be used by the loser.”

While he did not specifically say he approved of council members commenting on the plan, Cummings said he would prefer them “to just not speak in their capacity as a council member. We don’t need that on the record.”

Once Cummings finished, lawyer Robert Sitkowski, who’s representing the opposition group Vernon Citizens for Responsible Development, addressed a petition he’d made to have the public hearing suspended because of “fatal defects” in the original legal notice for the hearing.

One of the mistakes, he said, is that the parcels at 135 and 140 Bolton Road, which TicketNetwork Forest’s application said would be used for off-site parking, were not included in the notice as areas affected by the development.

Dorian Famiglietti, lawyer for TicketNetwork Forest, disagreed with Sitkowski, saying TicketNetwork is not seeking approval from the PZC for activity on those parcels, therefore they didn’t need to be in the legal notice.

“We don’t want to get bogged down in muddy legal arguments,” Famiglietti said.

She then handed out new site plans to the PZC, explaining that even though they were “comfortable with the application as it is,” TicketNetwork Forest would eliminate off-site parking at the Bolton Road lots.

“It’s a simple, easy fix,” Famiglietti said.

The elimination of the Bolton Road parcels will reduce parking to 556 cars, which also will reduce attendance from about 2,000 people to 1,390.

TicketNetwork CEO Donald Vaccaro said that by reducing the number of people at the venue, the sound board can be moved closer to the stage, which, he said, would reduce the noise level.

“We’re looking to do the best job we can to address some of the constituents’ problems with this theater. It’s not as lucrative for us, but it will still serve our purposes,” he said.

It wasn’t until 9:30 p.m. — two and a half hours into the meeting — that public comment began.

A dozen residents were allowed to speak, and of them only two offered support of the application. Both of them were TicketNetwork employees.

The hearing was continued until Feb. 25.

February 26, 2010

Opposition to Vernon concert site presents its case
By Suzanne Carlson

VERNON — Nearly two dozen people presented orderly opposition to the proposed TicketNetwork Forest concert venue during a Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing Thursday.

The hearing will continue March 3 and a vote is expected March 11.

Jonah Sacks, an acoustic engineer with Acentech Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., began Thursday by reviewing the acoustic study conducted by a TicketNetwork consultant that included a simulated concert event in the fall of 2009.

In two letters submitted to the PZC, Sacks said the studies included “errors and misleading or inappropriate assumptions,” and failed to “demonstrate that the proposed concert events will have little or no impact on the surrounding residential neighborhood.”

Noise was a concern brought up by several speakers, including two businessmen from the Exit 66 Professional Building at 76 South Frontage Road, who were at work on the day of the simulated concert event.

Lawyer David Marder said the music was “deafening,” and he could not continue work with a client.

TicketNetwork’s lawyer Dorian Famiglietti has said they were not concerned with noise reaching the offices, because the building won’t be open during concerts.

But, Marder said, “there seems to be an assumption we close our office at 5 p.m. in the summer. We don’t.”

Michael Blezard, an accountant who also has an office in the building, agreed with Marder about being interrupted during the simulated concert. Both men said they called police, who eventually shut down the test.

Former Conservation Commission Chairman Sheryl McMullen of Bolton Road criticized TicketNetwork for not submitting a business plan as requested by PZC member Watson C. Bellows.

Further, McMullen said she calculated the tax assessments of residences surrounding the concert venue, using information from the town assessor’s office, and figured the town would lose millions in property tax revenue if the venue is built.

That’s contrary to information in a statement from TicketNetwork that used an online calculator tool designed to estimate the economic impact of nonprofit arts organizations.

“It’s pretty clear that this application would have a decrease in property values. We’re definitely a nature-type town. That’s our claim to fame, that’s why people move here,” she said.

Lynda Morhardt of Valley Falls Road spoke on behalf of Edward Clark, who lives on a Valley Falls Road farm that has been in the Clark family since the 1800s.

Clark’s property abuts the TicketNetwork parcel, and he has been out of town for recent hearings, Morhardt said.

“Vaccaro tried to buy Mr. Clark’s land and Ed said, ‘No,’” Morhardt said, charging that “Mr. Vaccaro drained a wetland onto Ed’s property and then cried foul when Ed complained about it.”

Thursday’s lone speaker in favor of the project was Charity Holter of West Main Street.

Holter said she recently moved to Vernon from a rural town in Pennsylvania with a large football following that attracts crowds of 5,000 to 6,000 people every Friday night.

“There’s no highways, there’s only one way out of town, and somehow the people managed this and everyone enjoys it,” she said. “I know I have great memories of hearing loudspeakers in town, with the games and the crowds and the cheering.”

She added that if her hometown can handle traffic of thousands, “The very capable and friendly residents of Vernon would be able to do the same.”

The public hearing will continue next week, followed by a meeting March 4 for TicketNetwork to provide for rebuttal. Town staff said the PZC is expected to deliberate and vote on the application during a special meeting March 11.

March 4, 2010

Residents wrap up case against TicketNetwork application
By Suzanne Carlson

VERNON — Residents had a last chance Wednesday to address the Planning and Zoning Commission about the TicketNetwork Forest concert venue application before rebuttal from the applicant’s lawyer set for tonight.

In what was perhaps the most revealing of comments, Kanter Drive resident Maureen Donahue accused TicketNetwork CEO Donald Vaccaro of being delinquent on property taxes owed to the town on his home and two parcels of land on South Frontage Road, among other properties.

She also said Vaccaro owns many companies in Connecticut and Delaware, and “two of those were two years’ delinquent in filing annual reports with the Connecticut secretary of state until this Monday.”

Two dozen residents spoke in opposition to the concert venue application, citing misleading economic figures, contradictory statements in the application narrative, the venue’s exemption from state noise regulations, and TicketNetwork’s negative ratings from the Better Business Bureau.

Lawyer Joseph P. Capossela, a partner in the firm Kahan, Kerensky & Capossela, which is representing TicketNetwork Forest in the application process, also addressed the PZC, causing some residents to walk out in protest.

“I’m going to comment as a listener, if you will, or a member of the public,” Capossela told PZC Chairman Lester Finkle when asked why he was speaking. “I have a few things I would like to add since I’ve had the pleasure of appearing before you for almost 40 years.”

Capossela said the application has a formidable group of opponents, “former mayors, my dentist, an architect I worked with, Max Belding.”

The PZC should hear their comments, he said, but “sometimes the nature of the people objecting brings something different to the table.”

Maxwell Belding gifted 282 acres of land around Bolton and Valley Falls roads to the state in 1981 as a wildlife management area. Belding submitted a letter to the PZC saying he is “vehemently opposed” to the concert venue.

Capossela went on to question whether the PZC had looked at the site plan.

“This dirt, if you will, is zoned commercial. You folks zoned it commercial. Your job is to look at the land use, not the popularity contest,” Capossela said.

He added that the applicant is going to have 20 summer concerts a year, so for the other 345 days a year the venue would be “almost like a park.”

Capossela admitted he was “a newcomer to the application,” but said the concert venue would be “the softest, best use of the land I can think of.”

Cubles Road resident Edith Chernack requested that Finkle have Capossela state his address for the record. But it wasn’t until later when Blue Ridge Drive resident Rosemarie Deschenes made a similar request that Capossela was forced to sign in as a speaker.

Capossela said he lived on Rustic Lane in South Windsor but his law office was located on Hartford Turnpike in Vernon.

TicketNetwork employee Harmon Howe of Shady Brook Lane was the only resident who spoke in favor of the application.

Howe said he does not want his taxes to go up and that he’s concerned the PZC hasn’t heard from residents who are in favor of the concert venue.

Valley View Drive resident Michael Winkler said he was on the Zoning Board of Appeals several decades ago when a bowling alley was proposed for the same parcel that the concert venue is now being planned for.

Winkler said that at the time the ZBA was responsible for special permits, and he felt he could not vote for a liquor license at an establishment around the corner from Tunnel Road for safety reasons.

The liquor license was denied and the bowling alley was never built.

“So imagine my surprise when I read that a concert venue was planned for the parcel,” Winkler said.

Lynda Morhardt of Valley Falls Road said anyone who has an interest in the application has had an opportunity to address the PZC, and the only residents who spoke in favor of the proposed venue are TicketNetwork employees.

“We’ve submitted enough of the regulations and specifics to deny the application on a myriad of levels,” Morhardt said.

After public comment ended, Town Planner Leonard K. Tundermann said his office has received 85 form letters in support of the concert venue as well as 269 form letters and 73 personalized letters opposed to the application.

Dorian Famiglietti, lawyer for TicketNetwork, will have a chance at the microphone tonight during the meeting at 7 in the second-floor auditorium of the Senior Center.

The public hearing likely will be closed tonight, and the PZC is expected to vote on the application March 11.

March 5, 2010

Concert venue proponents rehash points before PZC
By Suzanne Carlson

VERNON — Thursday’s Planning and Zoning commission meeting, devoted to rebuttal from TicketNetwork CEO Donald Vaccaro and his team of lawyers and consultants defending a proposed outdoor concert venue against harsh public criticism, turned into more of a rehash of old information.

Dorian Famiglietti, lawyer for applicant TicketNetwork Forest LLC, spent much of the nearly four-hour meeting reiterating information, but did offer further concessions.

TicketNetwork maintained there will be 20 total concerts a season, tailgating will be prohibited, and the music will adhere to Department of Environmental Protection noise regulations.

Famiglietti did not address opposition concerns that the noise would cause a nuisance in the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

“During the concerts there will be no excessive noise,” Famiglietti said, adding, “the DEP regulations don’t say you can’t emit any noise anywhere — they don’t require utter silence.”

Vaccaro said the Vernon Citizens for Responsible Development group was trying to scare residents into opposing the venue, but did not address allegations by the group’s members that he is delinquent on property taxes in town and had violated building codes for existing TicketNetwork properties.

TicketNetwork also did not address the company’s statements of economic impact, which many residents said were flawed and misleading.

One possible reason for the oversight was a lack of time. After three-and-a-half hours of testimony, Famiglietti was granted an extension until 10:50 p.m., saying she “wasn’t even close to finished.”

At 10:50 Famiglietti begged commissioners for five more minutes, but the PZC refused and started to leave before Famiglietti could continue.

TicketNetwork’s traffic, sound, ecology, and engineering consultants used up much of the rebuttal time by repeating what they had presented previously.

TicketNetwork’s sound engineer, Bennett M. Brooks, addressed the review of his studies by Acentech sound engineering of Cambridge, a firm hired by the Vernon Citizens for Responsible Development.

Brooks, who was the sound consultant for Rentschler Field in East Hartford, called the review “dishonest,” and “complete nonsense.” He also criticized Acentech’s Jonah Sacks for not citing figures. But Acentech conducted a review, not an independent sound study, and their report argued that Brooks’s methodology was fundamentally flawed.

Famiglietti called the public health concerns of resident David J. McQuade “completely unsupportable.” McQuade told the commission he had contacted Dr. Robert F. Carroll, chair of emergency medicine with the Eastern Connecticut Health Network, who told him that new cases of individuals with alcohol or drug issues as a result of a concert venue would put a strain on already tightly-staffed local hospitals.

Famiglietti rebutted that statement by asking Dennis McConville, the vice president of marketing for ECHN, if the venue would pose a “public health disaster.” Famiglietti said McConville “will take the position they are equipped and prepared to handle any admittances that they might be required to handle.”

“I don’t expect that we’re going to have problems like I’ve heard about during public comment with drunks walking around the residential neighborhoods and throwing up on people’s lawns and passing out on their lawns. I think we’re going to be in a position to monitor what is happening,” Famiglietti said.

Famiglietti read an extensive list of conditions of approval that she said Vaccaro would adhere to, most of which involved TicketNetwork employees being trained by consultants to monitor the venue and submit reports to Town Planner Leonard K. Tundermann’s office.

“We’re going to be policing ourselves to some extent, but we’re going to have a third party looking over our shoulder,” Famiglietti said.

Commissioner Charles Bardes asked Tundermann if town staff would be able to monitor and follow up on the numerous stipulations Famiglietti was proposing.

Tundermann said that essentially, town staff would be entirely reliant on TicketNetwork’s reporting.

“All we’re going to get is reports. And we’ll read them,” Tundermann said.

Famiglietti encouraged the commission to make up their minds independently of advisory opinions from town staff or residents.

“You are the ones who in the last instance interpret your regulations,” Famiglietti said, then quickly amended the statement.

“I shouldn’t say the last instance because some day a court might interpret them for you,” she said.

March 12, 2010

PZC denies concert venue application
By Suzanne Carlson

VERNON — The Planning and Zoning Commission denied the application for an outdoor concert venue at 60 South Frontage Road on Thursday, citing several regulations as grounds for rejecting the seven special permits required for the project.

“We sat here through many, many hours of testimony from both the applicant and the members of the community,” commissioner Chester Morgan said, as he explained his reasons for voting against the venue.

Morgan said that in his opinion the venue would create a hazardous public health and safety conditions, would not be compatible with neighboring uses, and would create a nuisance.

He also said that though testimony of the residents was important, “I did not vote based on what the neighbors testified. I voted against the venue because it did not meet the Vernon zoning regulations.”

The seven commissioners voted on 10 separate motions over the course of the hour-long special meeting.

The first motion cleared up an issue brought up by Bamforth Road resident Douglas Moser, who argued during the Feb. 4 hearing that the venue should be denied because it did not fit the definition of its specified permitted use.

TicketNetwork LLC had applied to build the venue under the classification of a “commercial recreational facility,” which town regulations say is an acceptable use of the commercially zoned parcel adjacent to the company’s headquarters.

But there was legal argument over whether the wording of the definition referred solely to sports-related activities, or a broader range of uses.

Zoning Enforcement Officer Abraham Ford said the concert venue did fall within the definition of recreation.

Dorian Famiglietti, lawyer for TicketNetwork, also said in a rebuttal hearing on March 4 that definitions for the word “recreation” include intellectual forms of activity, which the venue would provide.

It was up to the PZC to make the final decision, and in a 5-2 vote commissioners ruled that the venue was not a commercial recreational facility, and therefore would not be a permitted use.

Commissioners Walter Mealy and Charles Bardes voted against the motion, while Keith Lauzon, Chet Morgan, Francis Kaplan, Sarah Iacobello, and Chairman Lester Finkle voted for it.

The second vote came on a motion to deny the application. Six commissioners voted to deny, with Charles Bardes casting the sole vote against the motion.

Town Attorney Harold Cummings suggested the PZC vote on separate, specific reasons why the application was being denied to avoid legal ambiguity should an appeal of the decision be made in court.

Finkle agreed, and the PZC voted on seven subsequent motions citing various regulatory clauses, as well as a motion to clarify that Cummings and Town Planner Leonard K. Tundermann drafted the motions.

For each motion, six commissioners voted in favor with Charles Bardes abstaining, except for a motion saying that the venue would hinder future sound development of the community, which Walter Mealy voted against.

After the meeting adjourned, Bardes said he abstained from the final votes because he had voted against the motion to deny the application.

“I didn’t agree with the first conclusion, so how can I vote on anything else?” Bardes said.

TicketNetwork CEO Donald Vaccaro said he was disappointed by the decision, but was “not dead-set on appealing,” contradicting earlier statements from Famiglietti, who indicated that TicketNetwork was ready to fight a denial of the application in court.

Kaplan called the venue a “nice idea in a bad neighborhood.

“It’s basically in a residential location. People’s privacy and way of life shouldn’t be changed because of the venue,” Kaplan said.

Iacobello said that during the Dec. 17 PZC meeting, Finkle suggested TicketNetwork have a public meeting in which residents could have input, which the company declined to do.

“A lot of the concerns over the noise and the noise test could have been assuaged by having public input and neutral members of the Planning and Zoning at the sound test. I think that was a crucial matter here, there were no neutral parties present,” Iacobello said.

Mealy called TicketNetwork’s controversial sound test a “seriously flawed,” procedure, and inclusion of neighbors in the test process “would have given much more weight to any specific results.”

“It was said that only 20 days out of 365 days would be used by this venue. No, I see it as 20 weekends out of 52 weekends, which would be 38 percent of those weekends,” Mealy said, adding that residents deserved rest at the end of the week and the “unwanted sound” from the venue would “shatter the peace of any neighborhood. The quality of life would be gone.”

Members of the Vernon Citizens for Responsible Development gave a standing ovation when Finkle adjourned the meeting, and many credited the group’s lawyers with helping to clarify how the venue would negatively affect residents.

“We’re very pleased with the decision, the commission really respected the rights of property owners in that area,” Pineview Drive resident Jennifer Roggi said.

“On behalf of the VCRD, we would like to thank the attorneys Robert Sitkowski and Matthew Willis from Branse, Willis, and Knapp LLC for their excellent counsel pertaining to this application,” Roggi said.

January 6, 2010 Letters

Southern Vernon has been a wonderful place to live and raise our family. When we moved here in the sixties it was promoted as a peaceful place, near the highway yet retaining its rural character. As the area developed the town left sections untouched including Valley Falls Park, the rails to trails system and the Belding Wildlife Preserve. Recent new housing in the area targets those over 50, who are enticed to Vernon to spend their retirement years.

Now the essential character of the area is threatened as a rock concert site has been proposed off Exit 66 - surrounded on all sides by residential property within acoustic range. The concert site proposed by TicketNetwork, a company that makes its money from marking up and reselling concert tickets, will host at least 20 outdoor country and rock concerts between May and October. Each concert may attract over 2,000 people and 750 cars, will last until midnight with alcohol being served.

Traffic, noise, alcohol, kids, loud music and light pollution every weekend of the summer until past midnight are not consistent with the character of the neighborhood. These are better suited to an isolated country setting. Our town website describes Vernon as "a celebrated place to live and work . . . providing homeowners the opportunity to enjoy suburbia." Not for much longer if rock concerts intrude every summer weekend.

How does the town benefit? The concert site will only have one permanent shed so will bring in little new tax revenue, while adversely affecting property values in the neighborhood. Reduced tax revenue after reevaluation plus the likelihood for more police to investigate accidents, fights and drunkenness will increase everyone's taxes in town. The only person benefitting from the concerts will be the owner of TicketNetwork as he expands his business from tickets to concerts.

The concert application has been quietly shepherded through the Inland Wetlands, Conservation and Traffic Commissions by TicketNetwork's team of lawyers without the public becoming aware. The last stop is the Planning and Zoning Commission, which next meets on Thursday, January 7 when TicketNetwork will complete its presentation and the commission may begin to hear from the public. They need to hear from all residents. More information on the issue can be found at www.quixoteenterprises.com.

Jon Roe
Vernon

I am writing in response to a project that has interrupted our quiet lives here in Vernon.

I am among many concerned citizens in Vernon who live near a proposed site that will be used for outdoor concerts. The property is located on South Frontage Road and has been purchased by Donald J. Vaccaro, president and CEO of TicketNetwork. Vaccaro wishes to be granted approval to promote a minimum of 20 outdoor live concerts on this land.

These types of concerts have a history for creating major traffic congestion, as well as alcohol and drug abuse. There are other health issues that include inadequate sanitary facilities; pollution from trash, debris, cars, and buses; and alcohol and possibly drugs.

What will this do the area's environment? Civil engineers Gardener/Peterson have proposed catch basins and other safety measures to protect the Tankerhoosen Brook, which is a state watershed. This is justified as long as action is adhered to. What happens when the sewage and debris are not removed? The toxins produced by the influx of cars and people could and will poison this important river.

I'm told Vaccaro has disregarded applications and usage of building permits for existing projects in this area. Why should we think he will follow through with promises made? Even imposed restrictions would need to be monitored. Who will do this? Can this river survive ongoing court hearings? What's to stop wildlife from carrying off trash into the wetlands and contaminating the aquifer?

The community feels there is no need to have another outside concert venue when there are two fully operational facilities within a 10- to 15-mile radius: at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, and in the Meadows in Hartford.

Unfortunately there is a need for a quick response. Planning and Zoning is the last commission to pass this project and it will meet and decide at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, in Vernon Town Hall. We hope to hear from anyone interested in helping us not allow this intrusion on our town; we apologize for how quickly we need your response. Is there any way you might help us with this situation?

Linda Vendrillo
Vernon

January 27, 2010 Letters

I am writing on a matter of great concern to my neighborhood and the surrounding area.

TicketNetwork LLC is proposing to develop an outdoor concert venue that would operate from May to October on property located at 60 S. Frontage Road in Vernon, off exit 66 on Interstate 84. I am opposed to this proposed development for many reasons.

First, this proposed site borders on residential development on Tunnel and Bolton roads. Concerts are planned from 5 p.m. to midnight, with the last cars exiting the open-air facility by 1 a.m. Any open-air performance will generate noise, no matter what mitigating techniques are used. Several homes are within a few hundred feet of this property. State noise regulations prohibit entertainment facilities from causing emissions of excessive noise from disturbing residential areas “where human beings sleep or areas of serenity and tranquility [that are] essential to the intended use of the land” (22a-69-3.1 Req. of CT State Agencies).

Second, traffic generated by this facility will be hazardous to Vernon residents. South Frontage Road, the ramp for exit 66, and Tunnel and Bolton roads will have to accommodate almost 1,000 additional vehicles at performance times, and parking will be on both sides of Bolton Road, requiring pedestrians to cross the road to get to the concert site. Despite the best efforts of Vernon’s public safety departments, this configuration invites a host of tragic consequences, including personal injury, vehicle accidents, and loss of life.

Third, the proposed site is in a designated Department of Environmental Protection natural diversity area, where threatened species such as the box turtle, an aquatic shellfish, brown thrasher, and southern bog lemming have been found. Additionally, the site not only abuts two aquifer protection areas, which will be critical to the town’s future water supplies, it contains wetlands and is in within 150 feet of the Tankerhoosen River, a DEP-designated Class I wild trout management area, the first of its kind in Connecticut.

Lastly, the proposed venue calls for the sale of alcoholic beverages during performances. Even with restrictions imposed by the managers of this proposed venue, individuals will find ways around these obstacles and drink more than the established limits. With pedestrians crossing Bolton Road (probably not always in designated areas) and a huge number of cars exiting the facility, we will inevitably see personal injuries and vehicle damage.

I ask Vernon public officials to oppose this project for the reasons listed. The proposed concert venue is not compatible with neighboring uses and will hinder the future sound development of this fine community.

David J. McQuade
Vernon

March 5, 2010 Letters

In response to your editorial, “Ticket Net-work in Vernon: An open, deliberative process” (Feb. 12):

• Re: TicketNetwork Forest proposal approval process.

Fact 1: TicketNetwork Forest has met every piece of criteria set forth by each of the town commissions thus far. Unanimous approval has come from the Economic Development Commission, the Design Review Commission, the Inlands Wetlands Commission, the Conservation Commission, and the Vernon Traffic Authority. This procedure took an ample amount of time, and was by no means a rushed process.

• Re: The editorial states that inquiries are being discouraged.

Fact 2: The hearings themselves have served as inquiries. Of the calls we have received from residents, we have addressed their concerns.

• Re: The editorial mentions the limitations of public debate and discussion.

Fact 3: The standard procedure for any town approval process is for the applicant to have 65 days to make a presentation, followed by time for public input. The end of the Feb. 3 special hearing was opened to public discussion, the Feb. 4 hearing was dedicated solely to public input, and the Feb. 18 and 25 hearings were planned for public comment as well. All of the deadlines and time limits are imposed by Connecticut statute. All parties throughout the state who seek Planning and Zoning approvals or permits must follow a standardized set of time limits. The procedure for TicketNetwork Forest is no exception to these regulations.

• Re: The editorial raises the concerns regarding noise, traffic, and pollution.

Fact 4: TicketNetwork has had several presentations to the Planning and Zoning Commission, with each of these issues having been addressed. In addition, each of the previous commissions made comments and questions on the presentation, and their suggestions were incorporated wholeheartedly.

Don Vaccaro
The writer is CEO and president of TicketNetwork.

This is in response to a story titled “JI won’t pull reporter from Vernon venue story” (Feb. 16).

The headline is very misleading and grossly inaccurate, as it implies that TicketNetwork is attempting to suppress/influence coverage of the Forest hearings by requesting the Journal Inquirer’s media coverage be pulled entirely, which is not the case at all. In fact, TicketNetwork encourages all accurate and balanced media coverage of the Forest proposal.

Not once was the phrase “reporter reassignment” mentioned in the Feb. 16 story. As you know, it was a simple request for a reassignment of another reporter to this story, which is standard in journalism whenever conflicts of interests are real or perceived.

Misleading headlines and factual inaccuracies in recent stories and editorials that have been printed in the Journal Inquirer do not provide your readers with accurate or fair information to base their opinions in regards to the Forest proposal. According to the Society of Professional Journalists, public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of journalists is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. This is not being achieved by the Journal Inquirer’s reporting. All of the other media outlets that have covered this story — including the Hartford Courant, Vernon Reminder, WFSB-TV, Fox-61 TV, and NBC Connecticut TV — have provided readers/viewers with balanced perspectives of the story.

We anticipate that your editorial team will take additional steps to provide balanced and accurate reporting in upcoming TicketNet-work Forest stories featured in the JI.

Viveca Woods
The writer is with VMW Public Relations, LLC, which represents TicketNetwork.

March 9, 2010 Letters

TicketNetwork Forest issued a press release Feb. 3 stating that based on estimates of the Arts and Economic Prosperity Calculator, the proposed outdoor concert venue would make a significant economic impact on the town of Vernon. The estimates included $57,538 in local government revenue, $66,541 in state government revenue, and $1.48 million in total expenditures. TNF also stated that based on this calculator, it will create 2,000 overnight stays in local hotels, and 8,000 pre-concert dinners.

What TicketNetwork did not say was that the aforementioned calculator was created for and based on data solely for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. There are only three inputs to the model (population of the community, total organization expenses, total attendance). The calculator simply multiplies those inputs by a number in a table. That’s it.

The footnote to the model clearly states the model was customized for each of the communities in the study and that results from the online calculator “should not be used as a substitute for conducting an economic impact study that is customized for your community.”

These simplistic calculations for Vernon are based on data from 15 communities and 465 audience-survey responses from across the U.S. including Fairfax, Va.; Laguna Beach, Calif.; and Teton County, Wyo. The latter two communities “had to be removed from the calculation of the national estimates due to their comparably high levels of economic activity.”

The demographic characteristics of the audiences in the study do not match those of Vernon or the targeted audience of the proposed venue. The audience in the study was 66 percent female; 39 percent were 35 to 54 years old; 48 percent over 55 years old. Only 13 percent were under the age of 35; 83 percent had college degrees; 61 percent had incomes over $60,000.

The audience expenditures include money spent at the venue (refreshments, souvenirs, gifts); in the town where the patron lives (clothing, transportation, child care); and in Vernon or a surrounding community if at all (meals, lodging, other). There is no mention in the entire 314-page document of calculations for hotel stays or dinner counts.

The model used by the applicant for the economic-impact analysis was too simplistic and not appropriate for the venue or for the town of Vernon. These economic impact numbers should be completely disregarded.

Maureen Donahue
Vernon