For weeks this summer, Stonington townspeople talked about little else than the fate of a small parcel of town-owned land situated between two larger properties on the waterfront recently purchased by Harper’s Development.
One of the two larger properties had housed Bartlett’s Market; the other, Atlantic Avenue Hardware. Between them lies the land that houses the Stonington Fire Station.
After purchasing Bartlett’s Market and Atlantic Avenue Hardware in the fall of 2004, Harper’s Development, which also has plans to buy property at the top of the Opera House hill, approached the fire department with the intention of buying the fire station and the land on which it sits and swapping it for a more accessible property at the top of the Opera House hill. That acquisition would give the developer a big chunk of Stonington’s waterfront.
Intrigued by the possibilities and potential for improvements as well as more access, the fire department members, who had filled in the land and built the fire station with their own money, asked the town selectmen to call a special town meeting.
They wanted to negotiate with Harper’s, but needed the approval of townspeople to transfer the land under the fire station (which belongs to the town) in order to sell the property. This could only be accomplished by vote. Therefore, the town held a special town meeting on Aug. 29 at the Stonington Fire Station to see if the town would authorize the Board of Selectmen to transfer by municipal quitclaim deed a portion of the land in question to the fire department, anticipating that it would be sold to or swapped with Harper’s.
Augustus (Gus) Bartlett, whose brother had owned the market, spoke for the fire department members, saying, “They want to get the land back. If they do, they will get into negotiations. If they don’t like [Harper’s offer], they won’t accept it and will keep the firehouse here.” He said he had brought the question to the people of Stonington before entering into negotiations in case townspeople voted against the proposal.
Kevin Mattson, representing Harper’s Development, said, “[Harper’s] reason for being here is our close relationship with [Fishermen’s Friend Restaurant-owner] Tony Bray. The Fishermen’s Friend had to be part of the deal.” (Mattson’s wife, Jeannie, grew up in Stonington, and two of her sisters worked at the Fishermen’s Friend Restaurant when they were in high school.)
The developers would like to move the Fishermen’s Friend Restaurant to the former Bartlett’s Market. An estimated $1.5 million has been spent on renovating the building. Plans include a small grocery store and a 180-seat restaurant on two floors, which is to be leased by the Fishermen’s Friend Restaurant for the indefinite future. The renovations had been almost completed by the end of August.
After the selectmen gave their views, Moderator Douglas Johnson then held an extensive question-and-answer discussion.
Christopher Betts said, “The fire department built on this land with their own labor. In fairness to them, we ought to at least listen to them.”
John Robbins seemed to speak for those in favor of transferring the deed by saying, “We trust the fire department to come into our homes. I’m in favor of it.”
Chuck Bosley voiced the fears of many when he said that at an earlier meeting at the Opera House when Judith Jerome had asked if Harper’s might re-sell the property within three years, Mattson had replied, “Yep.” Bosley said, “Kevin says now he didn’t say that.”
Asked to describe Harper’s plans for the properties at the August 29th meeting, Mattson, who did not deny the previous statement, said, “We have conceptual ideas,” explaining that the firehouse would have marine use.
As for the Atlantic Hardware building, Mattson said Harper’s Development envisions two stories of retail and marine-related uses, to which remark fisherman’s wife Tammy Hagarthy said, in reference to a new, popular restaurant on the island, “Are we going to have another Whale’s Rib Pub?”
Sally Richardson, who had owned Atlantic Hardware, had previously given a small piece of land to the town to satisfy the need for a minor expansion of the fire station. She warned about rising real estate values and other details about the property and said of the land transfer, “I don’t know enough about it. I’m not for it.”
Christina Shipps, Chairman of the Sanitary District, offered the fire department another option and for free, near the Fisherman’s Friend Restaurant. “We have this relatively new building gathering dust,” she said. “It’s a bigger piece of land and a bigger building.”
A number of people said the value Harper’s put on the Fire Station property was far too low for a waterfront property. Others voiced concerns about the long-term effect on the harbor from a single developer controlling three large adjoining lots. Many people said they wanted more information.
After two hours of thoughtful discussion, despite the background sounds of the Flash-in-The-Pans steel drum band playing at the Commercial Fish Pier, Stonington townspeople voted by a two-to-one margin to keep possession of the land.
“Nobody thinks this is the end of it,” said seafood purveyor Ingrid Bengis the next day. “There’s a lot of talk about what’s going to happen next: will Harper’s accept the town’s decision or will it come up with plans to get around it?”
Peter Collins, whose Coastal Bio Resources operates out of the old Atlantic Avenue Hardware building, suggested another option, saying, “The fire department property is a unique parcel and its rent could easily finance a new fire house, land, and updated equipment.”
Stonington Town Manager Richard Avery said, “My sense is that when the bruised feelings are resolved, the town will be glad to talk with the firemen to see if they do need to relocate.”
Mattson repeated what he had stated at the earlier Opera House meeting: “If the town doesn’t decide what they want their waterfront to look like and zone for it appropriately, then the market will decide for them. Zoning is the way to protect not only a town’s character but its traditional way of life.”