January 08, 2011

Pharmasphere again

Sorry, but here I go again......       In January, 2008, Pharmasphere was awarded the bid for $1 because they had all their financing in place and would break ground that Spring.  From Telegram article dated January 3, 2008. 


PharmaSphere was one of two companies to submit proposals to the city for the Canterbury Street parcel, and it won the chance to redevelop the land because it proposed to move forward quickly and create jobs for workers with a range of skills and educational degrees, said Timothy J. McGourthy, Worcester director of economic development. PharmaSphere also demonstrates the promise of the park, Mr. McGourthy said......
Construction could begin in late March, according to Mr. Hamlin. PharmaSphere could move in next year

Nine months later, they sign an LDA with the City of Worcester saying they need 2 years to get everything in order.    My point is that when Spring of 2008 dawned and Pharmasphere started saying that they were not going to be breaking ground and that they needed 2 more years in the LDA--the City of Worcester should have said no right then and rebid the property.

It will be interesting to see how this goes this month.  

6 comments:

Jahn said...

Bill, you need a week off to attend Pharma-Detox center at Adcare. You'll be the most normal looking person chillin' at the Honey Farms opposite Adcare at 8:00am every morning. It's a 1 week program and instead of flowers I'll send you what whatever it is that Pharam is supposed to growing in S Worc Industrial Park, but is not growing.

Word has it I may have to go for a detox, too. Seems my annual 2 week Aug stint in blogger detox has been wearing off too soon. May have to go 1 week every 6 months instead.

Problem with the LDA's that I have seen is that there is always a timeline escape clause if both parties agree to it.

Jahn said...

Also meant to ask....so I go to Sams today for a part for 1976 Jahn mobile and I end up traversing Kelly Sq (dam or is Kelley?).......so anyway i couldnt help but notice the entire asphalt surface in the Square has been cold planed or milled as they call it today....similar but not exactly what they do for re-surfacing projects.

Then I think most asphalt plants are closed for the season unless. There maybe one that is opened 1 day a week . Then I think to myself well maybe they'll haul from Providence where there is a plant that often opens in the winter dependng on weather conditions.

So is Kelly Sq in the process of re surfacing and if so why this time of year ...or....i wondered, is this washboard like surface in K. Sq. possibly meant to try and slow caaaahs down? What's going on there

Bill Randell said...

Jahn:

I can not disagree with you.


Let me assure you if you had won the bid for $1, you would not have been given two years in an LDA. Surely you would not ot have been given more time at the expiration of the LDA.

This whole deal with Pharmasphere has corupted whole RFP process.


Bill

Jahn said...

So I just finish reading the blog comments attached to todays TG piece about teh meadowbrook sidewalk shoveling.

So I am thinking to myself ...could these enterprising folks abandon a one inch wide stretch of their back yard property where it allededly abuts city property ..(sidewalk) and then claim they are no longer abutters. It cant be this easy easy could it?

Assuming here that the abandonment does not cause the property to be undersized for zoning purposes.......is it worth a try. May be Rick knows the answer off the top of his head?

A T&G blogger also raised an interesting point re: teh safety of shoveling right alongside a roadway that everyone flies down at 50 mph. I mean have you ever shoveled your driveway and when you get out to the area where teh driveway meets the streert, it can become a precarious situation even on city sidestreets where teh speed limit is 20 or 30 mph and most are actaully observing the posted speed limit.........it still seems like they are wizzing by you.

Sprout said...

Kelly Square was ground down about 6 months ago. Who knows why, traffic calming?

Jahn said...

Woweee 6 months huh......I know I've been through K Sq. many times in 6 months......just never noticed teh road surface which kinda makes sense when you figure that u need 6 sets of eyes on the traffic around you and not on the road surface to navigate Kelly Sq.


Also that grooved pavement is dangerous for bikers...city opening themselves up to liabilty for not getting that paving work done timely if that was (is) their intent ????

Did u notice how the edges where the milled surface transitions to the existing road surface are kind of feathered out( no bump/edge) vs. the traditional or 3" inch edge or bump that is left in place when new paving is to be done soon?

I would think there is some reason for what they have done and they know better than we what is bestest for Kelly Sq.

I Was also at the lights Park & HIghland today...teh intersection was being double teamed by 2 panhanlders. One was the usual dude....the other had his back to me.....couldnt get a peek at his face.....one working east bound on highland the other working north bound on Park ave...here's to hoping they both are in a warm and toasty bed tonight.