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	CNG President Responds to Patriots Stadium Stalemate (Hartford-WTNH) _ The gas company is firing back. For the first time since the New England Patriots deal was announced the head of CTG Resources, the company that owns the gas company and steam plant on the stadium site, spoke out. Arthur Marquardt says all they want is what it really costs and they're not trying to stiff anybody. This comes just 24 hours after the governor called the company unreasonable in its demands. Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports. Both sides still say this can be done by two weeks from tomorrow, the date the state must provide the Patriots with a game plan to move all this stuff. There's tough talk on both sides but they apparently are going to start talking again. Arthur Marquardt, CTG Resources, Inc.: "If you want a project like this to work, you have to do the due diligence, do your homework and make sure there is a funding mechanism. That evidently was not done, and it is not the fault of the people who happen to be working here." Marquardt was accompanied by a panel of outside experts hired by the company to give real estimates. He also says the $48 million figure to relocate the Connecticut Natural Gas Company headquarters from the stadium site to the old Capewell horse shoe nail factory nearby is not new as has been charged. In fact, he says they've been using that number since last November. Marquardt: "The cost of those facilities and the cost that I show you here are comparable costs to facilities in the city..if we're going to stay in the city, these are the numbers we're talking about." And Marquardt says the implications from the governor's news conference yesterday that the company is somehow trying to stiff the state at the last minute are wrong. Marquardt: "There was characterizations that the price has changed, I think if you go back to the public disclosure of the cost of relocating the facilities - they haven't changed materially." But at the same time Marquardt says the negotiations for moving the steam plant are really very close, and that is by far the much more technically challenging relocation. Marquardt disclosed that he did meet this afternoon with the governor's negotiator Richard Gray, to set up new talks. Gray said yesterday that all discussions have been difficult but he thinks the goal is achievable. Marquardt agreed. Marquardt: "If anyone doesn't like the costs, let's talk about the facts, not about what you think someone's intentions are." The gas company is also more than a little upset over the publicity over all of this. They say they were asked to keep all these negotiations quiet, and I can tell you they have been. Meanwhile, a lawyer for Ralph Nader's 'Stop the Stadium' group says they will give papers to the Hartford County sheriff's office tomorrow to be served on the governor to inform him they will file their legal challenge to the stadium next week. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

CNG President Responds to Patriots Stadium Stalemate
(Hartford-WTNH) _ The gas company is firing back. For the first time since the New England Patriots deal was announced the head of CTG Resources, the company that owns the gas company and steam plant on the stadium site, spoke out. Arthur Marquardt says all they want is what it really costs and they're not trying to stiff anybody. This comes just 24 hours after the governor called the company unreasonable in its demands.
Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports.

Both sides still say this can be done by two weeks from tomorrow, the date the state must provide the Patriots with a game plan to move all this stuff. There's tough talk on both sides but they apparently are going to start talking again.

Arthur Marquardt, CTG Resources, Inc.: "If you want a project like this to work, you have to do the due diligence, do your homework and make sure there is a funding mechanism. That evidently was not done, and it is not the fault of the people who happen to be working here."

Marquardt was accompanied by a panel of outside experts hired by the company to give real estimates. He also says the $48 million figure to relocate the Connecticut Natural Gas Company headquarters from the stadium site to the old Capewell horse shoe nail factory nearby is not new as has been charged. In fact, he says they've been using that number since last November.

Marquardt: "The cost of those facilities and the cost that I show you here are comparable costs to facilities in the city..if we're going to stay in the city, these are the numbers we're talking about."

And Marquardt says the implications from the governor's news conference yesterday that the company is somehow trying to stiff the state at the last minute are wrong.

Marquardt: "There was characterizations that the price has changed, I think if you go back to the public disclosure of the cost of relocating the facilities - they haven't changed materially."

But at the same time Marquardt says the negotiations for moving the steam plant are really very close, and that is by far the much more technically challenging relocation.

Marquardt disclosed that he did meet this afternoon with the governor's negotiator Richard Gray, to set up new talks. Gray said yesterday that all discussions have been difficult but he thinks the goal is achievable. Marquardt agreed.

Marquardt: "If anyone doesn't like the costs, let's talk about the facts, not about what you think someone's intentions are."

The gas company is also more than a little upset over the publicity over all of this. They say they were asked to keep all these negotiations quiet, and I can tell you they have been.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Ralph Nader's 'Stop the Stadium' group says they will give papers to the Hartford County sheriff's office tomorrow to be served on the governor to inform him they will file their legal challenge to the stadium next week.

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