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Sound’s Good for Stratford
Return of SoundFest highlights economic-development hopes
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Business New Haven
8/10/98
By: BNH
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Optimism about Stratford's continuing quest for sustained economic development may take a significant step forward this Labor Day weekend when Soundfest '98 takes place on the grounds of the Shakespeare Festival Theater and Bonds Dock at the estuary of the Housatonic River.
The three-day event, dedicated to the culture, history, ecology and recreational opportunities the Sound offers to those who live and work near it, will take place September 5-7.
“We see this as a great opportunity for the town to showcase itself,” says Jonathan Best, a member of the town's economic development commission. “We hope people will see what Stratford has to offer and that it is definitely on an economic rebound.”
Founded in 1994 by Michael Hoffman, SoundFest was staged during its first three years at Captain's Cove Marina in Bridgeport, where it attracted an average of 75,000 annually. It outgrew Captain's Cove and was scheduled to take place in Stamford last summer before last-minute parking problems and highway construction forced a cancellation.
“Stratford really does epitomize SoundFest's mission,” says Hoffman. “When I first saw it I realized that I had found the perfect backdrop. The town has been extremely supportive.”
“There was a time when a lot more people visited Stratford and did business here,” adds Councilman-at-Large Kent Miller. “This is bound to be a good thing for many ancillary businesses in the area.”
Economic development and how best to pursue it was the main issue in last year's municipal elections, and has been highly prioritized by the Republican Town Council. Historically the town benefited from a strong defense industry that has scaled down sharply in recent years.
Although with a population of 49,400, Stratford does not have a large inventory of undeveloped land, it has three major sites in different stages of development, including the 1.7 million-square-foot Stratford Army Engine Plant (SAEP), which most recently housed Allied Signal Corp.
“The town is just now completing a business plan for the site and will soon submit it,” says Economic Development Director Diane Toolan. “It is a very large property and we are weighing the options.”
The Lake Success Business Park, former home to Remington Arms, is a newly renovated 82-acre site that is being actively marketed by North Advisory Realty Services out of Manhattan. The idea is to develop a low-density corporate campus with 450,000 feet of office space.
As for the festival, it will feature activities and events including ecological exhibitions, a pirate encampment, crafts, music, hot-air balloon glows, narrated river and sound cruises aboard the 91-foot schooner Quinnipiack, jet-ski and sailboat races and a special U.S. Navy SEALS river landing on the site.
SoundFest '98 will also mark the first use of the Shakespeare Theatre property since the Stratford Festival Theater (SFT) group purchased the 14.5-acre site from the state in March. Built in 1954, the theater has been closed for eight years. - Fred Rehm
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