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	Stadium Suit Officially in the Courts; Mystery Board Meeting at CTG (Hartford-WTNH) _ One roadblock could be clearing as another is being set up in the Patriots stadium proposal for Hartford. Just ten days remain until the state must give a formal report to the team on the status of clearing the site for the stadium along the Connecticut River. By now, just about everyone knows the Connecticut Natural Gas company headquarters and a steam plant are in the way. Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports. Everyone knows about the gas company and the steam plant and today the the board of directors of the company that owns both met. And there is great speculation that they considered an offer to buy them out. The speculation centers on whether or not Northeast Utilities, the region's largest utility company, offered to buy the assets of CTG Resources (the parent company of both facilities) and then spin off the steam plant to the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, which operates a trash to energy plant nearby. So far no one is talking officially, but a reliable source says if the deal went through Northeast Utilities would have to make a public statement sometime soon. Meanwhile the group called 'Stop the Stadium' officially filed their law suit against the deal in Hartford Superior Court. Tom Sivigny, Pres., 'Stop the Stadium': "We are against an un-democratic process that was used to get this thing rammed through the General Assembly. The people were basically considered a nuisance. That's what they were considered by Robert Kraft and John Rowland and the leaders of the General Assembly." The lawsuit says that the special session last December was illegal because it was not a real emergency - that the normal committee process was skipped entirely and that the resulting deal amounts to an uncontrolled giveaway to the team and especially to team owner Robert Kraft, who would get to develop the stadium, make all the profits and only pay a dollar a year in rent for 30 years. Frank Cochrane, Attorney, 'Stop the Stadium': "They don't need our subsidy and we don't think there's any Constitutional power to give them our subsidy." The state will argue that the resulting economic growth from having the team as the anchor tenant for Adriaen's Landing is in the public interest. But the lead plaintiff, former Weicker and Rowland administration official Louis Goldberg of Weston, says he thinks they have the case to have the special assembly session last December declared illegal. Louis Goldberg, Lead Plaintiff: "We want the process stopped. The democratic process has been flawed, my constitutional rights have been violated, they've crossed my line and I think we have to start... and start all over again." The Patriots development agreement with the state says that if "sufficient progress" has not been made in moving the gas company and the steam plant by April 2nd the Patriots can terminate the deal. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Stadium Suit Officially in the Courts; Mystery Board Meeting at CTG
(Hartford-WTNH) _ One roadblock could be clearing as another is being set up in the Patriots stadium proposal for Hartford. Just ten days remain until the state must give a formal report to the team on the status of clearing the site for the stadium along the Connecticut River. By now, just about everyone knows the Connecticut Natural Gas company headquarters and a steam plant are in the way.
Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports.

Everyone knows about the gas company and the steam plant and today the the board of directors of the company that owns both met. And there is great speculation that they considered an offer to buy them out.

The speculation centers on whether or not Northeast Utilities, the region's largest utility company, offered to buy the assets of CTG Resources (the parent company of both facilities) and then spin off the steam plant to the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, which operates a trash to energy plant nearby. So far no one is talking officially, but a reliable source says if the deal went through Northeast Utilities would have to make a public statement sometime soon. Meanwhile the group called 'Stop the Stadium' officially filed their law suit against the deal in Hartford Superior Court.

Tom Sivigny, Pres., 'Stop the Stadium': "We are against an un-democratic process that was used to get this thing rammed through the General Assembly. The people were basically considered a nuisance. That's what they were considered by Robert Kraft and John Rowland and the leaders of the General Assembly."

The lawsuit says that the special session last December was illegal because it was not a real emergency - that the normal committee process was skipped entirely and that the resulting deal amounts to an uncontrolled giveaway to the team and especially to team owner Robert Kraft, who would get to develop the stadium, make all the profits and only pay a dollar a year in rent for 30 years.

Frank Cochrane, Attorney, 'Stop the Stadium': "They don't need our subsidy and we don't think there's any Constitutional power to give them our subsidy."

The state will argue that the resulting economic growth from having the team as the anchor tenant for Adriaen's Landing is in the public interest. But the lead plaintiff, former Weicker and Rowland administration official Louis Goldberg of Weston, says he thinks they have the case to have the special assembly session last December declared illegal.

Louis Goldberg, Lead Plaintiff: "We want the process stopped. The democratic process has been flawed, my constitutional rights have been violated, they've crossed my line and I think we have to start... and start all over again."

The Patriots development agreement with the state says that if "sufficient progress" has not been made in moving the gas company and the steam plant by April 2nd the Patriots can terminate the deal.

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