Correction: The previous version of the article stated that Thomas O. Barnes Sr., chairman of the board of the Barnes Group, was in attendance. The reporter mistook a reference to Barnes, who spoke at the Dec. 14 meeting of the city council in favor of the Wheeler Clinic project, quoting him rather than another member in the audience.

By Anna Bedell 

The first meet and greet hosted by newly elected city council members from the 3rd District brought out citizens who voiced strong opinions against recent council votes that rescinded a labor agreement and rejected a project slated for Centre Square. 

“When the City Council voted to rescind the PLA (Project Labor Agreement), you made the comment that it was $3 million to $4.5 million more than it was supposed to be,” said Mike Petosa, president of the Greater Bristol Labor Federation AFL-CIO. “I would love to know where you got those figures.” 

He challenged directly Cheryl Thibeault, one of the two Republican city council members from the 3rd District hosting the meeting. Thibeault provided the figures at the council meeting in December.  

Thibeault was joined by city council member Andrew Howe. The meeting was held Wednesday, Jan. 12, in the meeting room at Manross Library and drew about 25 members of the public. 

“I don’t feel that those are true figures and once again in this city, the local residents, some of the building trades people that are here tonight, are being denied the right to work in this city once again,” said Petosa.  

Thibeault responded and said the figure was provided by the Public Works building committee architects who priced the project after the PLA was done. 

The project labor agreement had been approved by the previous city council regarding repairs to city hall. The agreement would have provided local residents an opportunity to work on city hall and instituted an apprenticeship program to train local residents, especially minorities, veterans and women, in the building trades.

Petosa said, as a result of the vote, local residents are being denied the right to work in the city where they own homes, they put money into the economy, they send their kids to school, they pay taxes.  

“Apprenticeship training is a big thing in the building trades where people can learn a trade, and they can carry that trade with that minority hiring, the hiring of veterans, the hiring of women,” said Petosa. 

“I’m going to categorize it to your party, I don’t know what your party does not get with this time and time again. I don’t know if it’s because you hear the word union that you run from that.”  

Dave Roche, retired president of the Connecticut State Building Trades, in his comments, compared successful PLA’s that were agreed upon in Meriden school projects with non-PLA contracts for similar school projects in Bristol. 

“In Meriden,” Roche said, “they were putting 30 percent of their residents to work on a job because of the PLA, and they started new careers for adults.” 

Roche said that over 20 percent of new people from the apprentice program in Meriden were still working in that city with careers in the building trades. 

Addressing the proposed Wheeler Clinic project, one that had been in development by the city’s Economic Development Committee for over a year, was John Boi, a resident, retired city employee and officer of Local 1338 AFSCME. 

The project was nixed by the newly elected city council, also, at its December meeting. Thibeault and Howe were among the five council members to reject the project.

“Macy’s isn’t coming to Bristol, Raymour and Flanigan isn’t coming to Bristol,” Boi said, taking aim directly at the council’s decision which wanted retail rather than the non-profit headquarters and offices. 

“If you look around Bristol, in fact, if you look around this whole United States, there’s an oversupply of retail space,” Boi said. 

“We have in this country, four times as much retail space as Europe has. That’s going to tell you something,” he added, driving home his point about the prospects of bringing retail businesses to Centre Square.

Thibeault said she looked into thousands of data points, thousands of hours of talking with city planners, talking with residents, talking with focus groups on what should be downtown. 

“That plan basically said it should be more people want to have entertainment, restaurants, retailers, for something to do in downtown,” said Thibeault. 

“When I read this, I also read a report by a woman in New York, who evaluated the real program and said, this does not fit your plan of conservation.” 

The new council looked at how many office people who are still working from home, she said. In addition, she said that with the office building the sidewalks would be quiet after five o’clock when the health center and this facility is closed.

“There are other properties as your data into consideration,” said Thibeault “There were several items but those were the two big drivers.” 

Thibeault justified her decision after knocking on doors and people saying they currently go to Plainville or Southington but would like to be coming downtown.  

“The combination of all these items and talking with other stakeholders, other businesses and so forth, led me to conclusion,” said Thibeault. “I want to find a different location.”  

Howe said the council were given a lot on their plate one day after they were inaugurated. They asked for the items to be tabled to the following month, which gave them time to vet out everything that is being slammed in front of them, he said. 

 “We actually have those 200 people in the building, what will make them stay here?” said Howe. “We’re hoping that having more retail, we have the residential coming in. That will be more of a draw for the entertainment destination that we’re speaking to right now.”