Commission hears update on town-center grant push, RFP and developer outreach

Commission members spent a sizable portion of the meeting on the proposed town-center redevelopment and the funding push behind it. A consultant reported that Cigna's government-relations team met with town leaders and that the company now has "a full plan of the downtown center" and that staff were pursuing federal funding; commissioners said they expect a funding decision around mid-September. "The brand new, CEO Bridal Ivanko, agreed to meet with the town as a meet and greet to just get to know each other a little bit," the consultant said.

Speakers described multiple figures tied to the project in the meeting: one commissioner said the town had put $4,000,000 on the table as initial local money, a staff member said they were asking the state for $12,000,000, and another speaker later referenced an award figure of "11,000,011.2" when discussing a grant. Consultants said they personally sent the RFP to about 25 developers, ran an informational webinar that about six developers attended, and that the RFQ/RFP documents and webinar recording are posted on the town's bids/RFP web page. Staff emphasized the project will rely on substantial private developer investment if a proposal is selected and that detailed timelines depend on the grant decision and developer commitments.