Ledyard, Conn., Economic Development Director Focuses on Two Areas

Feb. 7--LEDYARD, Conn.--A month into his new job as economic development coordinator, Robert Van Geons understands that his mission focuses on two spots in town: Ledyard Center and Gales Ferry.
It will be his job, he said, to make those areas attractive to business.
Town officials have long wanted Ledyard Center to resemble a quaint New England village, with shops near to school and government buildings. They have also wanted to reshape Gales Ferry to have more of a commercial base. To date, little progress has been made.
"We call it Ledyard Center, but there's not much here," Van Geons said one day last week while parked outside Valentino's restaurant and looking at traffic on Route 117. "We've got the fairgrounds, the possible library expansion. We've got everything for a stereotypical village, but we need the (infrastructure) support for that."
The town has applied for a state grant to build a sewer system in Ledyard Center, he said. The Holdridges' proposal to build an outdoor theater in the area ties in with the need for services, he said.
An unidentified person recently applied to open a tavern at a now-empty store next to Valentino's, Van Geons said, and the nearby general store and pharmacy will soon be renovated and expanded.
He said he has met state economic leaders, local business leaders and civic groups, property owners and residents to get a handle on what Ledyard is lacking and how the town can market itself.
A 26-year-old Waterbury native, Van Geons was a community planner in Kannapolis, N.C., where he worked for about a year and a half. He has been an assistant town planner in Southington and a planning director and code enforcement officer in Spencer, N.C.
He began his job here Jan. 2.
In Gales Ferry Village, the former elementary school off Route 12 offers the best opportunity for new activity in the area, Van Geons said. He met Wednesday with a possible tenant about renting the school for offices. A church has signed a temporary lease for the space with the understanding that it will move if a long-term tenant is found, he said.
"Whatever is presented for the school has to be of such a quality that it meets with the approval of the general public," he said of the five-acre parcel. "It could be the catalyst for positive change. It has the potential to be the cornerstone of this area."
Down Route 12, at its intersection with Long Cove Road, a former gas station with a store is vacant, and Van Geons would like to see something there.
He is trying to contact the owner.
"If they want to redevelop it, we'll help with that," he said, referring to the town's new assistance programs, including tax abatements. "If they want to sell it, we can also help.
"Ledyard's two biggest problems are available infrastructure and suitable land. If we get something in here, it could generate (other businesses)."
Van Geons said he has contacted Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino in hopes that the casinos or the tribes will work with the town on unspecified projects.
Development of the nearby site of the former Norwich Hospital in Preston could be a boon to the area, he said.
"We won't get another Dow (Chemical), because there's not much land, but we need to expand our nonresidential tax base to take the burden off of residents," he said. "We have to take it step by step."
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